Rock Salamander

Tiny elemental, unaligned

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 27 (6d4 + 12)
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (–1)	17 (+3)	14 (+2)	5 (–3)	13 (+1)	8 (–1)

Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands Terran but can’t speak
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Earth Glide. The rock salamander can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone. While doing so, the salamander doesn’t disturb the material it moves through.
• Stone Camouflage. The rock salamander has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
• Stone Spider Climb. The rock salamander can climb difficult stone surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

ACTIONS

• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
• Manipulate Stone. If the rock salamander is touching stone, it can manipulate stone contiguous with its location to create one of the following effects:
  • Rumbling Earth. One creature touching stone within 10 feet of the salamander must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be forced prone.
  • Softened Earth. One creature touching stone within 10 feet of the salamander must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained by softened, mud-like stone until the end of its next turn.
  • Stone Armor. The salamander’s AC increases by 2 until the start of its next turn.

  ABOUT

  A lizard-like shape rises from the mottled stone surface. The creature’s legs are embedded in the stone, but it seems unconcerned. Its gray tongue flickers as it pulls its legs from the surface, and its claws leave no trace of its presence in the stone.

  Rock salamanders are earth elementals that dwell in mountains, hills, and stony wastelands. They prefer the Material Plane, where they can eat their favorite insects and small rodents and can avoid the larger earth elementals that consume them. Even on the Material Plane, rock salamanders must remain alert for stone giants, who consider the salamanders a delicacy.

  Bonded Territory. Rock salamanders are magically attuned to the stone in their lairs. This bonding doesn’t grant the salamanders any benefits other than sensing creatures in contact with the bonded stone, giving the salamander better awareness of predators and prey. A mated pair of salamanders deposits its eggs deep within the stone for the best safety.

  Cautious Hunter. Young salamanders consume stone for the first week of their lives before reverting to a carnivorous diet. A rock salamander aggressively attacks prey it knows it can overwhelm. Against larger or more powerful opponents, the salamander uses its ability to manipulate and pass through stone to harry them. If it encounters a foe that can move through stone, it flees.

  Familiar

  Some rock salamanders are willing to serve a spellcaster as a familiar. Such salamanders have the following trait.

  Familiar. The rock salamander can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a magic, telepathic bond with that willing companion. While the two are bonded, the companion can sense what the salamander senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the salamander is within 10 feet of its companion, the companion shares the salamander’s Stone Camouflage trait. At any time and for any reason, the salamander can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.