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[Mr Crabman]

There should be creatures that can swim in sand as if it were a liquid, like giant sandworms, and other such monsters (like sand sharks, antlion monsters, or smaller sandworms). This would be distinct from digging creatures that destroy tiles to move through them (as is planned for later siege updates).

For creatures that can also walk as well as swim through the sand, they would also be able to choose to walk on top of the sand rather than swim into it, or do things like burrow into the sand to wait for prey to walk on top of them. Not sure if they should be able to breathe in sand, or if they should just need to hold their breath, (or not need to breathe at all, like all current monsters in magma).

Some other creatures could also be allowed swim through other types of tile like gravel, or mud, so there could be a token like [SWIMS_IN:MUD], and obviously a more generalized equivalent of [MAGMA_VISION], though perhaps limited to while they are inside the sand (or maybe a "vibration" sense that works only when in contact with the body of sand?).

When magic gets involved, maybe even weirder things like like swimming through ice or stone could be done, either as an innate ability of a magical species, or a power granted temporarily or longer term by magic.

[SixOfSpades]

Weirder suggestions have been made in the past (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=152280.msg6406328#msg6406328), so there's certainly nothing wrong with suggesting the actual behaviors of real-life creatures like sand vipers.

But since this can only take place just under the surface, it's actually 2 suggestions. One is for magical/creatures that can navigate "solid" substances unhindered, and one is for normal creatures to be able to "submerge" themselves in the substances of tiles that they currently border, but do not actually inhabit. (This is to prevent creatures from accidentally "blinking" through solid floors and walls.)

[Mr Crabman]

You're right; now that I think of it, this is technically 2 suggestions for similar but subtly different behaviors.