This thread has lied dormant for over a year!
I've always like these following creatures, for reasons I can't explain.
WIND THROWER
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 3-24
ARMOR CLASS: 7/3
MOVE: 9.
HIT DICE: 5 + 3
% IN LAIR: 33%
TREASURE TYPE: M, Q (x3), Y
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (strength bonuses possible)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Wind blast, psionics use, possible missile fire
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Save as 8 HD monster, immune to poison
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Very
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
SIZE: S (4. tall)
PSIONIC ABILITY: 180
Attack/Defense Modes: A, D / H
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V/ 450 + 6/hp
These evil demi-humans are quite dwarflike in appearance, being short, stocky, strong, and very hairy. Their skin is light blue in color, and their hair tends to be red or white. They appear to be a distant and rare relative of normal dwarves.
All wind throwers wear studded leather armor under their clothes, but over their strong right arms they wear plate mail. This armor extends from the shoulder to the wrist, and over their hands are worn metal gauntlets. Anyone trying to hit this arm must do so against AC 3. This arm is so protected because with it a wind thrower is actually capable of hurling blasts of wind. This swirling wind affects everything in a 6” line (1” wide) in front of the thrower. It lasts for five rounds once it is thrown and it is so strong that it will slow all avian creatures therein by 50%, It will also cause all light missile weapons such as arrows, bolts, darts, and sling stones and bullets to completely miss their target. Against such heavier missile weapons as spears, javelins, hammers, daggers, etc., a -4 “to hit” is suffered. Fire attacks within this area, such as fireballs, flame strikes, dragon breath, and the like, will suffer -1 hp of damage per die. The wind blast will extinguish small fires such as torches and lanterns. A gust of wind spell cast against the wind blast will shorten its duration by one round for each spell cast.
These dwarves save as if they had 8 HD, and they are immune to all poison. They are capable of attacking and defending with their psionics, and each has two minor disciplines, determined randomly for each individual.
Wind throwers hate goblins, kobolds, dwarves, and gnomes, and will always opt to attack them over any others in combat. A typical force of these dwarves will be armed as follows: hand axe 10%, hammer 5%, short sword 10%, mace 10%) mace and light crossbow 15%, short sword and short bow 15%, short halberd and dagger 20%, throwing hammer and two daggers 15%. Wind throwers have 19 strength in their right arms and 14 strength in their left arms, and so will usually attack with one-handed weapons in their right arms. The use of two-handed weapons like the short halberd will gain no strength bonuses “to hit” and on damage.
Wind throwers are found in hills, mountains, and deserts, but in all cases their lair will be underground. There will be young in the lair equal to 50% of the number of adults. Those young who are capable of combat attack as 2 HD monsters, but with no wind-throwing or psionic abilities. The females and males both fight equally well. The leader of a clan is always a male with the maximum amount of hit points (43) and with the highest charisma of the clan.
These dwarves have 60’ infravision and can determine underground phenomena as do dwarves. They can speak dwarven, gnomish, goblin, and as many other languages as their intelligence allows. They live as long as mountain dwarves do.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #101 (1985).