Tomb tapper Thaalud , more commonly known as tomb tappers , were fifteen - foot tall intelligent construct s designed by the ancient Netherese empire to defend it against the depredations of the phaerimm . Their existence can be traced back to the very beginning of the Shadowed Age of Netheril ' s history , when a group of arcanist s created them to seek out the source of the magical drain that was beginning to reach across Netheril . Description . Tomb tappers were tall , naked , sexless , hairless humanoids with hard , smooth blue - gray skin , claws that could dig through solid rock , and great toothed mouths in their bellies . Their featureless heads earned them the nickname " the faceless . " Ecology . Tapper skin varied in porosity at will : through it , they took in needed water . Their jaws could crush rock to extract mineral sustenance . They could digest iron from blood and marrow if available , but they did not hunt to eat . Abilities . They communicated by means of a humming sound created by skin vibrations ( a language partially understood by mind flayer s ) and by 120 - ft - range " telepathy " . Tappers saw via sonar ( emitting inaudible sound much like a bat ) that was accurate up to 440 feet , making them susceptible to " silence " spell s . This sense enabled them to locate " invisibility " and " displaced " creatures and objects , and it made them immune to visual illusion s and other vision - related spells . They were also immune to spells with mind - affecting or charming effects , such as " hold monster " , " geas " , and similar spells . They were also immune to all fire - and cold - based attacks . When killed , they permanently turned to stone . Tappers could " animate rock " once every two hours and could " detect magic " at will . Combat . A tapper attacked with iron - hard , long - fingered hands that delivered massive damage , and it also hurled itself atop opponents to bite with its abdominal mouth ( crushing and tearing armor , rock , and bone ) . If it didn ' t want to close with opponents , it used a great hammer . A tapper could wield this weapon one - handed and throw it with great accuracy . Activities . Tomb tappers received their name from their habit of burrowing into the depths to plunder tombs , temples , and caves in search of magic items , which they carried off . They usually tried to seize magic from beings that they encountered . Magic was sacred to a tomb tapper ; they never used any magic gained , instead choosing to protect and venerate such items . Tappers spent their long lives in the search for " The Source of All Magic " , which they believed to be hidden deep in the earth . They were in awe of earth elemental s , believing them to be created at this mysterious source , and were reluctant to attack them . Tappers kept all magical items they found as treasure ( owned by the clan as a whole ) . They guarded these watchfully . As personal treasure , they kept pretty rocks . These were stored in caverns of glowrock in the utter depths . They wielded great , 10 - foot - long hammers of arenite , a magma alloy harder than most rock . Tappers could dig through rock with their claws , but used their hammers to split rock when a smooth surface was desired . History . Tomb tappers were created during the war between the Netherese and the phaerimm . Wrought from the fusion of magic , elemental earth , and the bodies of nine volunteers from the poor districts of Netheril , the archwizard s created the first thaalud ( tomb tappers ) . These faceless warriors were given a lust for magic , an inherited memory ( giving access to the recollections of their ancestors ) , an ideology of the purity of magic , and an insane hatred for non human spellcasting creatures . Their union with elemental earth turned the thaalud into ground - dwelling beasts — delivering them into the realms of the phaerimm ( the Netherese had no idea as to the source of the " magic drain " spells at the time they created the tomb tappers ) . Nevertheless , their plan succeeded . During the tappers ' excursion into the deep earth , they ran afoul of mind flayers , umber hulk s , drow , and duergar . Because of their incredible recollection , the actions of these races have not been forgotten . . . or forgiven . Their primary enemy , though , was the phaerimm , whom they attack over all other targets .