Oculus Abyssi
- Armor Class
- 5 [14]
- Hit Dice
- 11
- Attacks
- Bite or Claw (1d6+1)
- Special
- breath weapon, hold/grab, illusion
- Move
- Swim 9 Fly 3
- HDE/XP
- 13/2,300
Description
An oculus (plural oculi) is a strange monster, a floating chitinous sphere with a single large eye. How an oculus floats is a matter of much conjecture, but at present there is no agreement among the sages and wizards who have studied them. All oculi ever encountered have been very intelligent, hateful, and cruel; they do not willingly associate with any other intelligent creature, not even other oculi. Only adult oculi have ever been discovered, and their means of reproduction are entirely unknown.
The Oculus Abyssi is an aquatic species, able to breathe equally well in the air and underwater. While able to fly like other oculi, they are faster and more maneuverable underwater.
An oculus abyssi has the usual spherical body with a single large eye and a large mouth full of many sharp teeth; two small eyes on long flexible stalks extend from the top. Hanging beneath the main body are a pair of vaguely humanoid arms with nasty claws at the end; in melee they attack with these claws and their bite. However, few of these monsters would choose to engage in melee without first using their magical powers.
The main eye is able to emit a blinding flash of light affecting a conical area extending 30 feet from the monster and being 20 feet wide at the base (far end). All creatures within this area must make a saving throw or be blinded for 2d4 rounds. The lesser eyes of this monster can also perform magical attacks, with one able to generate Hold Person and the other Hold Monster (both as the spell). These eyes, being on long stalks, can target creatures in any direction, even those underneath its body. All of these powers can be used at will, once per round. Alternately, the two eyes can be used together to generate the effect of the spell Phantasmal Force; in this case, the two eyes cannot use their other powers while the illusion is being maintained.
Source note: This creature is converted from The Basic Fantasy Field Guide of Creatures Malevolent and Benign – Omnibus Edition, 1st Edition Release 4, © 2010–2025 Chris Gonnerman, R. Kevin Smoot, James Lemon, Matt Sluis, and Contributors. The Basic Fantasy Field Guide textual material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International; this page adapts that creature to White Box.