AC 19 (natural armor)
HP 73 (7d8 + 42; bloodied 36)
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 15
Skills Perception +3 (+1d6), Stealth +3
Damage Resistances acid; damage from nonmagical, non-adamantine weapons
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 16
Languages Terran
Camouflage. The xorn has advantage on Stealth checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Earth Glide. The xorn can burrow through nonmagical, unworked earth and stone without disturbing it.
Treasure Sense. The xorn can locate by smell coins and gems within 500 feet.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The xorn makes three claw attacks and then makes a bite attack if it can.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that was hit by the xorn’s claws at least twice this turn. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage, and the xorn consumes one of the following nonmagical objects in the target’s possession: a worn set of metal armor or a carried metal weapon or shield, a piece of metal equipment, a gem, or up to 1,000 coins. For 1 minute after an item is consumed, a creature can retrieve it from the gullet of a willing, incapacitated , or dead xorn, taking 7 (2d6) acid damage in the process.
Combat
The xorn targets creatures wearing metal armor or carrying coins or gems. After attacking, it burrows to safety, risking opportunity attacks , and then emerges to attack again on its next turn. It flees if it’s bloodied and has consumed at least one item.
Names
Cthrr, Kh’kh, Krgxx, Pchll
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Nature check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Xorn are three-armed, three-legged creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth. Their diet consists entirely of metal and gemstones.
DC 15 A xorn glides through stone as if swimming through water and can sense the presence of nearby creatures in contact with the ground.
DC 20 Xorn aren’t naturally aggressive. A meal of gems or precious metals usually placates them.
Native to the Elemental Plane of Earth, the xorn is a tripodal creature with rocky skin. Its dominant feature is the toothy, gaping mouth atop its head. The mouth is surrounded by three clawed arms and three large eyes that allow it to see in all directions at once.
The xorn can travel through earth and rock as if moving through water. On the Plane of Earth, div sometimes employ xorn as surveyors, scouts, and spies.
Always Hungry. The xorn’s diet consists of gemstones and precious metals. On the Elemental Plane of Earth, gemstone deposits and rich veins of precious metals are plentiful. Xorn that find themselves on the Material Plane, where such meals are harder to find, are forced to subsist on non-precious metal and ore.
Xorn are not naturally aggressive. They prefer to beg, steal, or bargain for coins and gems rather than take them by force. However, a starving or angry xorn might resort to violence, biting metal armor or buckles right off a foe’s body.
1 Guarding a hidden cache of precious metals and gems
2 Hungry; tries to bargain with gestures, offering the location of inedible magic items
3 Leads the party to an evil monster with a treasure hoard, then gobbles coins during the fight
4 Interested in a trade of information for gems, if communication is possible
5 Hiding; afraid of travelers but interested in their wealth
6 Starving and violent
Xorn are most often encountered on the Elemental Plane of Earth but sometimes stray into other subterranean environments.
CR 5–10 1 or 2 xorn ; xorn with 1d4 magmins or rust monsters
Treasure 5 garnets (100 gp each) in gullet
CR 11–16 3 xorn ; xorn with 2 earth elementals
Treasure Ioun stone of awareness
Elementals are creatures from one of the Elemental Planes. The most basic of elementals are earth elementals , fire elementals , water elementals , and air elementals , each composed of magically animate earth, fire, and so on. The Elemental Planes are also home to genies, mephits , and other elemental creatures.