Euralden Eye
By Slagger the Chuul and Mark A. Jindra

A rough ball of bone fragments clings to the wall with myriad skeletal appendages. Its surface gapes in haphazard jaws that reveal an oily pupil.

Euralden Eye CR 7
Always CE Medium undead (psionic)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +17, Spot +25
Languages --

AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 19
(+2 Dex, +9 natural)
hp 58 (9 HD); DR 5/bludgeoning
Immune cold,mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, energy drain, damage to physical ability scores, fatigue, exhaustion, any effect requiring a Fort save unless it is harmless or works on objects, death from massive damage
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +9

Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d8+1) and
2 claws each +0 (1d6)
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +4; Grp +5
Special Actions calcifying cone
Psi-Like Abilities (ML 5th):
At will -- catfall (50 ft.*), control light, detect psionics, energy stun (sonic, 3d6-3, DC 17*), eradicate invisibility (DC 16), recall agony (4d6, DC 16*)
* Includes augmentation for the euralden eye's manifester level

Abilities Str 12, Dex 15, Con --, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 16
SQ undead traits
Feats Alertness, Combat Manifestation, Power Penetration, Up the Walls
Skills Climb +9, Concentration +15 (+19 manifesting defensively), Hide +14, Listen +17, Move Silently +14, Spot +25
Advancement 10-14 HD (Medium); 15-18 HD (Large)

Calcifying Cone (Su): A euralden eye's gaze can harden flesh into bone within a 60-foot cone. Any living creature in the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 17) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage as its flesh contracts and hardens. Any creature slain by a euralden eye's calcifying cone becomes a statue of bone and animates under its control within 1d4 rounds. Animated statues have the statistics of an animated object of their size, including hardness 6. At any one time, a euralden eye may control a number of bone statues whose total Hit Dice do not exceed its own. (For example, a 9-Hit Dice euralden eye could control a 7-Hit Dice statue, plus a 2-Hit Dice statue, but any other creatures beyond that are not controlled.) Any statues beyond this limit become inanimate. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Skills A euralden eye has a +8 racial bonus on Climb and Spot checks. It can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

Euralden eyes form spontaneously from accumulated psionic remains, their bodies drawn together from shards of bone and the residue from rotten tissue. They hoard corpses to make more of their kind or to turn intruders into servile bone statues, and they can use the psychic pain of death as a weapon.

Strategies and Tactics

A euralden eye attacks living creatures and other undead, avoiding only creatures not composed of flesh or bone. It hides itself in a high place where it can torment victims with its calcifying gaze and psionic powers while remaining out of reach. The euralden eye only willingly comes to the ground to chase down weakened opponents.

A typical attack begins with the use of control light to shroud the area in darkness, allowing bone statues to surround and grapple the targets. If the opponents are not overwhelmed by the initial attack (or if it has no bone statues), the eye brings its other attacks to bear.

Sample Encounters

Euralden eyes are often encountered alone, but multiple eyes work together to accumulate great stores of splintered bone and fleshy scraps. Powerful undead and evil clerics sometimes employ them as guardians.

Cluster (EL 7-12): One to four euralden eyes, each accompanied by up to 9 HD of animated bone statues, hide in a cave, tomb, or other secluded underground area.

Grave Defilers (EL 9): A euralden eye has taken up residence in a graveyard, digging up graves and piling the remains in the depths of a large crypt. The caretaker and three others sent to investigate have become bone statues and now assist it in this grisly work.

Sewage Sifters (EL 11): Three euralden eyes lurk in the sewers, sifting the refuse for materials and occasionally raiding the alleys above when the supply runs low. Having their pick of subterranean creatures and the poor folk from the streets, they are served by two Large and eight Medium bone statues.

Ecology

Euralden eyes are aggressive in their hoarding, scouring their residences for every last fragment that can be added to their collection. Only psionic remains will catalyze the creation of a new eye, but since almost any creature might possess latent psychic powers, they gather everything into a fetid heap on top of a suitable hole -- even the remains of unneeded bone servants. Within the hole, drippings from the heap form a greasy pool of decay that awaits only the addition of the right ingredient to birth another corpse-scrounging horror into the world.

A euralden eye's psychic power draws on the residual death pains of the creatures that were used to make its body. Consequently, any creatures captured alive are buried in its corpse heap to prolong their suffering.

Environment: Tombs are the natural habitat of a euralden eye, with a supply of bodies already located in a secure hideaway. When such ideal breeding grounds are unavailable, they settle into caves and other underground locations and become more predatory.

Typical Physical Characteristics: A euralden eye is made from assorted pieces of bone, with a roughly spherical body supported by multiple legs. Gathered from a random collection of corpses, the teeth and bones give the creature a shambling, uneven appearance. Inside the body is an eyeball of oily ooze, saturated with negative energy. The wide jaws on the eye's front also serve as a lid for this eye, which it opens to employ its calcifying stare. The main body is 2 to 3 feet in diameter and the whole creature weighs 200 to 350 pounds.

Alignment: Euralden eyes are always chaotic evil. Fueled by primal energies of decay and ravenous in their hunger for bodies, the destruction of other creatures is a source of joy for them.

Society

While they gather only in small groups and lack the power of speech, euralden eyes are unified by their shared goal of propagation. Within a group, one eye tends to the heap while others forage for materials or hunt for fresher prey, changing roles freely as each need arises.

They gather to witness the most painful moments of a captive's demise, and combine their efforts when using bone servants to subdue difficult prey. Under the command of other creatures, they can direct their servants to perform complicated tasks well beyond the scope of mindless undead, and prove invaluable in countering clerics and paladins.

Typical Treasure

Euralden eyes have treasure typical for their Challenge Rating because they gather burial goods and the possessions of their victims, sometimes using them as lures. If they command bone statues, they have increased treasure (appropriate for their combined encounter level) since they use these servants to increase their gathering efforts.

Next Month

Expanded Classes, Part 4: Ardent, Divine Mind, Lurk, and Erudite