Doomsphere [Ghost Gazer]

Some gazer tyrants try to prepare for their own deaths with magic items or hired casters. Their magical nature usually ruins the attempt, and they die in a burst of wild magic (treat it as 1d4 wand of wonder discharges at once). A few enchantments are strong and clever enough to stop death outright, forcing the creature into undeath instead. The result is a doomsphere. It is mute, though it still hears and can read and write.

A doomsphere fights with its eyes and its bite. Its tearing teeth have become a freezing maw that drains hit points, plus a point of Strength each bite unless the victim saves vs. death magic.

The central eye still projects a 90-foot cone of anti-magic in which all magic stops and spells cast in or through it fail. Two eyestalks keep their living powers: fear (as the wand) and slow (lasting 1d4+1 rounds). The other eyes now fire 110-foot beams 4 feet across that need a successful attack roll to hit:

Chill ray deals 2d6 points of damage by draining vitality rather than by cold, so it does not affect undead; a save vs. spell halves it to 1d6. Hold being affects one creature, including undead, for 1d4+1 rounds, and acts as slow on a successful save. Enervation works like the wizard spell, draining 1d4 levels for 1d4 hours. Animate dead functions as the wizard spell cast at 12th level. Withering does 2d8+1 points of damage and leaves a limb shriveled and useless for 4d4 turns.

Boneshatter cracks bone or chitin, halving the victim's movement and costing a flier one Maneuverability Class per hit. A successful save limits damage to 2d6; on a failure the victim takes 3d6 at once and 1d8 more the following round as broken bones do internal harm. Gaseous or insubstantial creatures are immune. Flesh sear causes only 1d4 points of damage on a successful save; otherwise it eats away 3d8 hit points' worth of tissue down to the bone, requiring a system shock roll and a save vs. poison to avoid impaired senses for 3d8 turns from the loss of face. Undeath assault slams one target with an invisible force for 1d4+1 points of damage; the victim must pass a Strength check or be knocked down or shoved back, and fragile items it wears or carries must save.

It turns as "Special." It can be harmed only by magic weapons of +1 or better, or by beings that have 6+ Hit Dice or innate magical powers. Immunities: charm, sleep, hold and related magic, death and related magic, cold, electricity, disintegrate, feeblemind, enfeeblement and insanity. Against the first magical attack each round it gets two saving throws (save vs. magic 7 on a d20), but any further magical attacks that round face no magic resistance and no save. It never has psionic powers but saves against psionic attacks on a 9.

Its eyestalks (AC 1) are easier to hit than its body, and the eyes themselves are easier still (AC 6). Striking an eye directly, which is a mote of undeath, triggers its power at once; a melee attacker cannot avoid it but gets the usual save. The eye is then dead for 1d6 days. Any eyestalk that takes more than 12 points of damage loses its power for 5d6 turns.

Doomspheres shun their own kind. An ancient sage-wizard has witnessed only one battle between two with clashing goals, and it ended with both destroyed in a storm of wild magic.

A doomsphere obeys no master and needs no food. Its only foes are those it decides to destroy and those foolish enough to attack it. It avoids pointless destruction and often aids primitive tribes that worship it.