Haakjir

Medium monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed 40 ft., burrow 15 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
17 (+3)	16 (+3)	15 (+2)	5 (–3)	10 (+0)	8 (–1)

Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5, Survival +2
Damage Resistances acid, piercing, slashing
Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages understands Undercommon but can’t speak
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Earth Climb. The haakjir can climb difficult earth or stone surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
• Earth Glide. The haakjir can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, the haakjir doesn’t disturb the material it moves through.
• Earthen Claws. The haakjir’s claws easily meld through stone and metal. When the haakjir makes a Claw attack against a creature wearing nonmagical metal armor or wielding a nonmagical metal shield, the attack ignores the AC bonus provided by the armor or shield. If the target is a construct made of stone or metal, the attack ignores the AC bonus provided by the target’s natural armor, if any.
• Pack Tactics. The haakjir has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the haakjir’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
• Stone Camouflage. The haakjir has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The haakjir makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 5 ft reach, one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.

ABOUT

The saber-toothed cat climbed out of the rock, its claws melding into the stone with each step. More glowing eyes appeared behind it as its brethren rose out of the surrounding rock. The haakjir (pronounced “hock-jur”) was created by the deep gnomes by combining traits from earth elementals with sabertoothed tigers to be a guardian for gnomish enclaves.

Elemental Beasts. The haakjirs’ elemental heritage gives them significant advantages in the depths of the world, such as dense skin and the ability to meld with stone and earth. They didn’t inherit all of the elemental’s hardiness and must still eat, sleep, and breathe, preventing them from hiding within stone for long periods of time.

Steadfast Companions. The priestesses of the deep gnome goddess of motherhood, health, and the hearth raise the haakjirs in their subterranean temples. Trained to work singly and in small packs under the command of the priestesses, the haakjir shine when the enclave is alerted to threats. Though bred and trained by priestesses, haakjirs are very social and protective creatures, making them steadfastly loyal companions and valued members of many deep gnome families.

Territorial Protectors. Haakjirs are cunning creatures, and intolerant of any creature that intrudes upon their territory or threatens their wards. A pack of haakjir stalk and observe potentially dangerous intruders by hiding within stone.

Haakjirs are trained to attack from above and drop into the center of a group to create maximum confusion. They fight to the death only if a deep gnome or the enclave is in direct danger; in all other circumstances, they retreat when severely injured.

Variant: Vektyr

It took several generations for the ancient deep gnomes to get a domesticated guardian creature for their enclaves. Vektyrs, early progenitors to the haakjir, were particularly vicious and unsociable.

Vektyrs replace the haakjir’s Pack Tactics trait with the following trait:

Pounce. If the vektyr moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a Claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be forced prone. If the target is prone, the vektyr can make one Bite attack against it as a bonus action.