Large Aberration

Hit Dice: 9d8+27 (67 hp)

Initiative: +7

Speed: 5 ft. (1 sq.), fly 40 ft. (good)

AC: 22 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19

Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+10

Attack: Eye ray +9 ranged touch (see text) or bite +6 melee (2d4)

Full Attack: Eye ray +9 ranged touch (see text) or bite +6 melee (2d4)

Special Attacks: Eye rays, eye of the storm, whirlwind

Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., all-around vision, cloud veil, control weather, downpour, endure elements, flight, immune to cold and electricity, piercing vision

Space/Reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.

Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 13

Skills: Hide +11, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Listen +7, Search +9, Spot +11

Feats: Alertness^B, Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will

Environment: Any land and underground

Organization: Solitary, pair, or cluster (3–6)

Challenge Rating: 12

Treasure: Standard

Alignment: Usually lawful evil

Advancement: 3 – 5 HD (Small), 6 – 10 HD (Medium)

Level Adjustment: +4

 

You discern some spherical shape floating within the billowing fog cloud that approaches you, but due to the dense mist you cannot see any further details other than that it must be about as big as an ogre.

Weather eyes are a beholderkin that specialize in reconnaissance and surveillance. Their power over weather phenomena helps them much to conceal themselves in the open, and they are treasured by beholder communities (such as those dominated by hive mothers) not only for their abilities as scouts, guard posts, and seekers, but also for their multitude of direct offensive abilities, making them ideal first strike combatants. Weather eyes feel very comfortable under an open sky and like to move in great altitudes. Thus, they are generally less dangerous to humanoid communities, since they tend to simply ignore those “lesser beings deep below”.

Weather eyes look very much like normal beholders, with the exception that their body is covered with a multitude of pores or sphincters producing the fog that constantly surrounds them. They are easily recognized by their central eye the pupil thereof is three-to-six-lobed and convoluted, resembling a spiral galaxy in shape somewhat. Weather eyes measure between 8 ft. in diameter, weighing about 600 lbs. Weather eyes speak Common, Undercommon, and Beholder.

Combat

Weather eyes prefer to fight from range, relying on their natural concealment and putting their eye of the storm ability to use for pushing opponents back into a ranged combat position. Their downpour and control weather abilities further help them to hamper opponents’ movement and to keep them on a distance.

Against large numbers of enemies and to move fast near ground level they employ their whirlwind ability.

 

All-around Vision (Ex): Weather eyes are exceptionally perspicacious. They gain a +4 bonus to Search and Spot checks. They cannot be flanked.

Cloud Veil (Su): A weather eye is constantly surrounded by a cloud of thick fog, similar to an obscuring mist spell, granting it total concealment. Through its piercing vision ability, the weather eye is in no way hindered by this cloud.

Strong winds (such as a gust of wind spell) disperse the cloud for as long as they persist, but afterwards, the weather eye can form the cloud anew with a free action.

Control Weather (Sp): A weather eye can control weather at will (caster level 9th)

Downpour (Su): At will, the weather eye can cause the fog cloud surrounding it to rain heavily. All squares underneath it are affected as if under rain conditions (see DMG, page 94). After at least three rounds of rain unto one single square, soft ground becomes muddy, and solid ground becomes slippery.

On muddy ground, all movement is halved, slippery ground incurs a –5 penalty on Balance and Tumble checks.

Endure Elements (Ex): A weather eye can easily withstand environmental effects, as if constantly protected by an endure elements effect..

Eye Rays (Su): Each of the weather eye’s eight eye rays resembles a spell cast by a 9th-level caster. A weather eye can direct up to three eye rays into the same 90° arc. Each eye ray has a range of 150 feet and a save DC of 15. The save DC is Charisma-based. The eight eye rays include: Chill Metal: This affects objects as the spell. Objects worn or carried can negate the effect with a successful Fortitude save.

Cloak of Fog: Creatures affected by this ray become surrounded by a fog cloud, similar to an obscuring mist spell centered on them. However, unlike the spell, the cloud moves with the target until it wears off or is dispersed. A Will save negates the effect.

Freezing Ray: This eye ray works like a polar ray, inflicting 9d6 points of cold damage to its target, with the exception that a successful Fortitude save can half the damage. It can also freeze water in the same way as an Otiluke’s freezing sphere spell, freezing up to 1,100 square feet.

Heat Metal: This affects objects as the spell. Objects worn or carried can negate the effect with a successful Fortitude save.

Horrid Wilting: The target is affected as per the spell, taking 9d6 points of damage by moisture drain (9d8 for water elementals and plant creatures). A Fortitude save halves the damage.

Lightning: The target takes 9d6 points of electricity damage. A successful Fortitude save halves the damage. Sunbeam:

The target is affected as by the spell, being blinded and taking 4d6 points of damage (9d6 for undead, fungi, oozes etc.). A successful Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the blindness.

Thunder Burst: This affects targets as a shout spell, turning them deaf for 2d6 rounds and causing 4d6 points of sonic damage (9d6 for brittle or crystalline objects and creatures).

A successful Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the deafness.

Eye of the Storm (Su): At will, the central eye of a weather eye can release a powerful blast of wind, similar to a gust of wind spell, only stronger. It has a range of 150 ft. and all creatures count as one size category smaller to determine how they are affected.

The save DC is 17. It is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. When a weather eye uses this ability, its cloud veil is dispersed for 1 round.

Flight (Ex): A weather eye’s body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows him to fly as per the spell as a free action at a speed of 40 ft. This buoyancy also grants it a permanent feather fall effect with personal range.

Piercing Vision (Ex): A weather eye can see unhindered through fog, mist, dust, and smoke.

Whirlwind (Su): A weather eye can surround itself into a whirlwind once every 10 minutes and remain in that form for up to 9 rounds. In this form, it can move through the air or along a surface at its fly speed.

The whirlwind is 5 feet wide at the base, up to 30 feet wide at the top and up to 50 feet tall. The weather eye controls the exact height, but it must be at least 10 feet.

A weather eye’s movement while surrounded by its whirlwind does not provoke attacks of opportunity, even if the weather eye enters the space another creature occupies. Another creature might be caught in the whirlwind if it touches or enters the whirlwind, or if the weather eye moves into or through the creature’s space.

The weather eye remains unaffected by the effects of its whirlwind.

Creatures one or more size categories smaller than the weather eye might take damage when caught in the whirlwind and be lifted into the air. An affected creature must succeed on a DC 17 Reflex save when it comes into contact with the whirlwind or take 3d6 points of damage. It must also succeed on a second DC 17 Reflex save or be picked up bodily and held suspended in the powerful winds, automatically taking 1d8 points of damage each round. A creature with a fly speed is allowed a DC 17 Reflex save each round to escape the whirlwind.

The creature still takes damage but can leave if the save is successful. The save DC is Strength-based and includes a +3 racial adjustment.

Creatures trapped in the whirlwind cannot move except to go where the weather eye carries them or to escape the whirlwind. Creatures caught in the whirlwind can otherwise act normally, but must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell. Creatures caught in the whirlwind take a -4 penalty to Dexterity and a -2 penalty on attack rolls. The weather eye can have only as many trapped inside a whirlwind at one time as will fit inside the whirlwind’s volume.

The weather eye can eject any carried creatures whenever it wishes, depositing them wherever the whirlwind happens to be.

If the whirlwind’s base touches the ground, it creates a swirling cloud of debris. This cloud is centered on the weather eye and has a diameter equal to half the whirlwind’s height. The cloud obscures all vision, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. Creatures 5 feet away have concealment, while those farther away have total concealment.

Those caught in the cloud must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) to cast a spell. A weather eye surrounded by its whirlwind cannot make melee attacks and does not threaten the area around it.

A weather eye cannot be surrounded by its whirlwind and its cloud veil at the same time.