Do not place hot pans on natural stone without a trivet please, according to the Natural Stone Institute.

Even stone is not impervious to extreme heat. There's no reason to put a hot pot directly onto a counter top, regardless of the material.

So, get what you want. Use trivets or hot pads.

I installed leathered fantasy brown quartzite counters in my last house. In the 8 years I used them, no staining or etching at all. They looked perfect when we sold the house. I didn't put things just out of the oven or just off the stove hot pots down on them. Always used a trivet of some sort.

I definitely will get in the habit of putting hot pans on trivets, but I am very concerned with the staining and etching. Any input on that?

We've had ours for about a year now and still love them. As a dolomite, you are correct that they're not has hard as granite, but can be slightly harder than marble, but can still etch. Our slabs had more of the darker blacks/greens/greys and very little of the lighter pinks/beiges, which I think means our slabs include more of the harder materials vs the lighter which is more the "marble". We have 2 kids, cook every night, drink wine, make margaritas, etc. have no staining or etching that I have noticed. I've left drips of wine and coffee over night and didn't notice until the next day, and had no staining or etching. Ours are polished, and one thing I'll note is that polished dolomite isn't as mirror shiny/smooth as polished granite, so that results in some natural variation that I find makes any etching more difficult to notice (coupled with the varying colors in the pattern vs a solid marble other stone).

I went from granite to FB (leathered) and have had to adjust to being careful about hot pans and pots. It gave me an excuse to buy trivets and a tempered glass board that I got to match the blue in the FB.
I highly recommend the leathered not only to hide etching but it is gorgeous!

I had honed FB that was 20 years old in our home, and I did see some etching but it wasn’t obvious unless you looked at a certain angle. I loved it and I had no stains at all. I almost chose it again, and would have done leathered

I love my fantasy brown. I have polished, and have no etching after 2 years. I do have a few tiny tiny chips near the sink that aren’t noticeable visually, but I can feel them. Sometimes, however, this leathered FB slab I saw at the stone yard nags at me and says “you should have gotten me!!” It was so beautiful, but I was concerned about maintenance at the time.

If you love it put it in, but is it a dolomite or quartzite? Dolomite is softer like marble, have it honed and sealed well. If it's a true quartzite, it will be harder and more durable but not impervous to etching or staining. I had my quartzite counters honed and was so happy with their performance, but I sealed them well. Please use trivets or hot pads with any natural stone, and then use your kitchen and enjoy the small imperfections that natural stone reflects with use.

It's pretty but confusing...https://www.thegraniteplace.net/blog/fantasy-brown-stone/

We've had leathered Fantasy Brown countertops for over a decade now and the only minor thing is a couple of teeny chips at the edge of the sink. You can't see them unless I point them out. No etching at all. If you love it, go for it!