Eyeder (3.5e Monster)



''The room here is dark but you feel you're being watched somehow. Suddenly there was the clatter of chitin, and as you look up you spot a single massive bloodshot eye staring down at you.''

The eyeder is a terrible vermin which appears as a spider whose bulbous backside is composed of a giant eye encased in a thin sheathe of webbing and transparent humour. The appearance is not illusionary, the eye is very real and once belonged in someone's head. In a grim cycle of reproduction, the spawn of the eyeder reproduce through the disease it carries, sent in the blood where it latches onto the backs of the eyes. Shortly after infection, the subject goes blind, and in the middle of the night the eyederling spawn crawl free from the skull out of its mauled eyeless victim.

Combat
Eyeders may not be intelligent but they possess an inherent cunning, finding dark, moist places to live, building webbings within their lairs. When victims pass near, they crawl out of the woodwork, sometimes literally, and drop down to give surprise injections to all that it can. They retreat if taking too much damage, and take care to hide their lairs from obvious view. If a subject is helpless through its webbing, it will take it to its lair to first act as host, and then as food, for its spawn. Even if forced to run, it may have its brood return to it soon after if the disease goes unnoticed. The eyederling swarms, meanwhile, are not large or grown enough to pass on the disease but instinctively assault the eyes, trying to "free" their kin from their sockets.

Eyeder Disease (Ex): The bite of the eyder carries a potent disease, which has both immediate and later effects. Immediately upon a successful infection, the subject's eyes begin to cloud over and blur, resulting in a cumulative 20% miss chance per round. After 5 rounds, at 100% miss chance the subject is rendered blinded. Remove Blindness/Deafness can cure the blindness, but does not cure the disease. The disease has no more effect than what seems to be a headache and sinus pressure until 24 hours later. At that point the victim makes a second saving throw, on success he takes 5d6 damage and is rendered blind, but the disease departs and a remove blindness/deafness will restore him. If he fails, his eyes burst into newborn eyederlings which immediately run for cover, dealing 5d6 damage and rendering the victim permenantly blind until more potent magics, such as regeneration can regrow the eyes. A remove disease spell cast before the 24 hour duration is up will purge the body of the brood, but not cure any current blindness issues. Both saving throws are a DC 22 Fortitude save to negate, and the saving throw is constitution based.

Eyebeams (Su): Adult eyeders have grown beyond their original size, and their eye has grown with them. In the process, it has been infused with magical powers, allowing the eyeder to curl its body upward and fire beams from its backside. It may employ one beam a round as a swift action, and all beams have a range of 60 ft., with a ranged touch attack of +13. Any saving throws are DC 22 to negate and the save is constitution based.

Web (Ex): Eyeders often wait in their webs or in trees, then lower themselves silently on silk strands and leap onto prey passing beneath. A single strand is strong enough to support the spider and one creature of the same size. Web-spinners can throw a web eight times per day. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the spider. An entangled creature can escape with a successful DC 22 Escape Artist check or burst it with a DC 26 Strength check. Both are standard actions with the saving throw being constitution based. The Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus.

Web-spinners often create sheets of sticky webbing from 5 to 60 feet square. They usually position these sheets to snare flying creatures but can also try to trap prey on the ground. Approaching creatures must succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice a web; otherwise they stumble into it and become trapped as though by a successful web attack. Attempts to escape or burst the webbing gain a +5 bonus if the trapped creature has something to walk on or grab while pulling free. Each 5-foot section has 16 hit points, and sheet webs have damage reduction 5/—.

An eyeder can move across its own web at its climb speed and can pinpoint the location of any creature touching its web.

Tremorsense (Ex): An eyeder can detect and pinpoint any creature or object within 60 feet in contact with the ground, or within any range in contact with the spider’s webs. Eyederling swarms only possess tremorsense out to 30 ft.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with an eyederling swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round, save negates. The save DC is constitution based.

Eyescratch (Ex): Any creature which takes damage from an eyederling swarm is subject to the spiders attempting to claw out their eyes. While their bites and legs do little, your eyes become damaged over the sheer number of them. Each round you spend in the swarm you take a cumulative 20% miss chance. Each round spent outside the swarm restores your vision by 20%. If your miss chance hits 100%, you are rendered blinded. Casting remove blindness/deafness cures your blind state, or resets your miss chance to 0%.

Skills: Eyeders have a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently, +8 racial bonus on Climb checks, and a +12 bonus on Spot checks. An eyeder can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. Eyeders use either their Strength or Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, whichever is higher.


 * Eyeders have a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks when using their webs.