Gazer Tyrant and Gazer Kin I

A gazer tyrant is a levitating sphere with a central eye, a fanged mouth and eye-tipped stalks, drifting slowly wherever it wills. Its many relatives, the gazer kin, share its deadly eyes and its family ties, both natural and magical; the strangest are called abominations, and there is an undead form too. Most live alone, though great colonies ruled by hive mothers reportedly exist deep underground and in the void between worlds. All speak a shared tongue, and many also know the languages of other lawful evil races.

Their racial hatred is absolute. Any difference, whether chitin plates or smooth hide, a new hide color or a slightly larger central eye, turns two bloodlines into sworn foes, since each insists its own shape is the perfect one. They usually attack at once, but there is a 50% chance a given band will hear out a bribe first. Nobody knows how they breed; they may clone themselves and bear live young, which could explain why each line comes out nearly identical. Rarely they cross with gazer kin. Each small eye sells for 50 gp as a potion of levitation ingredient.

Hit location matters, because each part has its own Armor Class. The central eye projects a 140-yard, 90-degree antimagic cone that halts all spells and eye powers inside, but it works only to the front. Foes in the front 90 degrees face 1d4 small eyes, 180 degrees 1d6, 270 degrees 1d8, and all 10 if surrounded or attacked from above.

Two-thirds of its hit points sit in the body and one-third in the central eye (a 45 hp tyrant has 30 and 15). Each stalk has a separate 1d8+4 hp. Destroying the central eye ends the antimagic; killing the body kills everything. Lost stalks, but not the central eye, regrow one per week.

Also called the bleeder or eye of terror, this cave and ruin hunter is mistaken for a gazer tyrant 90% of the time. It has no mouth and no magic, only 120-foot infravision. Ten tentacles lash out 20 feet, hitting for 1-8 and then draining 2 hp of blood each per round. Hitting a tentacle-mouth stuns it for 1-4 rounds; only edged weapons wound tentacles; a bend bars roll rips one loose at 1-6 damage to the host. A wounded, attached tentacle instantly refills to 6 hp from its victim, up to twice a round. Blind, it senses by smell and vibration within 10 feet.

Each hp of blood becomes 1 charge (24 per tentacle, 50 in the body). Movement costs a charge every two turns, and every other round one charge heals 1 hp to each tentacle, the body and the eye. Cut one off and there is a 70% chance its stored charges jolt whatever touches it, 1 hp each. It can also ram for 1-8. When the body hits 0, attached tentacles keep draining; it detaches only at 5 hp or when the victim is empty. It can hibernate until jolted by 5 or more points of shock, heat or damage. Rivals fight to the death, and 1-4 young with half the parent's hit points hatch from the loser in a day, maturing in a month. Its levitation organ sells like tyrant eyes, and a nerve node hardens into a 70 gp bloodeye gem that glows brighter with its wearer's emotions.

This water breather of the abyssal depths has two pincers (2d4 each), a 1d6 bite and AC 5 everywhere. Its central eye shines a 30-foot cone (5 feet wide at the eye, 20 at the end): anyone caught who fails a save vs. poison is stunned 2d4 rounds. Its two stalked eyes weave illusion together, or work alone, one producing hold person and the other hold monster. Lost stalks regrow in about a week.

A 5-foot brown sphere mottled purple and gray, with infravision to 90 feet, it glows as if under faerie fire in battle. Its central gaze demands a save vs. spell at -2 or feeblemind. It bites for 3d4, holds foes with four 18 Strength tendrils, and its dreaded dweomer drain (40 feet, one target a round) shuts down one item that round and strips a charge; artifacts, memorized spells and concentration are immune, but the target's spell that round fails. Dispel magic blinds one stalk 1d4 rounds. It regenerates 1 hp every two turns, is immune to its kind's powers, and has a 2% chance of exploding for 4d4 within 10 feet when slain. Hunger gazers shun each other. Swallowed items lose a charge per turn, permanent ones die in a day, and drained leftovers are spat out. After about a century, twin young with every adult power but only 2+2 to 3+3 HD and a 2d4 bite emerge from the corpse within a week.

A chalk-white, stunted tyrant with no working small eyes, a toothless mouth and a huge milky antimagic eye. 1-5 serve as living starhelms deep in gazer starships near the hive mother. Half of all hits strike the eye; eye and body share one AC.

With four stalks and a central eye, it guards one treasure for up to 101 years (+2 surprise, +1 initiative), opening with telepathic talk and suggestion. It reflects one non-touch spell per round from its 60-degree front on a save vs. spell (5% magic resistance otherwise). Blinded, it retreats to the plane of perfect order for a day; if the treasure is gone it never returns. It is summoned with monster summoning V and three or more tyrant eyes (10% each). Incidental loot: 40% 3-300 coins, 30% 1d6 50 gp gems, 20% 1d4 potions, 15% +1 armor, 15% +1 weapon, 5% a minor item.

A rotting, moldy, wound-riddled tyrant, often shriveled to show its ring of ribs, it moves slowly and acts last each round. Undeath costs it 2-5 random eyes, possibly the central one, and stalks never regrow. Its two charm eyes go dead (60%) or become weak holds (40%) that last while it keeps staring, plus 1-3 rounds after. It is immune to sleep, charm and hold. Uncontrolled, it hovers until its orders are carried out, or attacks all living things if it has none, using its eyes with old skill. Rarely they arise on their own; usually wizards, mind reavers or outcast tyrants make them from dying gazers with an ancient spell. Rogue ones ignore all control, and even normal ones scramble charm monster and control undead, so only a custom spell commands them.