Hatori

Hatori, sometimes called the "crocodiles of the sands", are giant reptiles dwelling within sandy desert wastes. The hatori's hard, knobby hide ranges in color from gray-white to red-brown and is virtually indistinguishable from stone. Hatori use this semblance to great advantage, allowing the wind to partially bury them beneath the sands so that a casual observer may believe he is looking at rock outcroppings instead of behemoths of the sands.

Hatori are shaped like overgrown lizards, save that their legs have evolved into flat, flipper-like appendages that they use in conjunction with their massive tails to "swim" through the sands with astonishing speed and mobility. When forced to travel upon something more solid, such as a rocky plain, hatori move by awkwardly flopping and dragging themselves forward. Hatori eyes are normally concealed deep within dark recesses that look like small hollows. In the case of greater hatori, these recesses sometimes look like cavern entrances.

Note: Hatori originally appeared in this form in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual for the AD&D game from TSR. Their use here is for the purposes of providing context for the campaign only.