OCULON

Medium-Size Construct

Hit Dice: 7d10 (38 hp)

Initiative: +2 (Dex)

Speed: 40 ft

AC: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural)

Attacks: Longsword +6 melee

Damage: Longsword 1d8+1

Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft

Special Attacks: Magic missiles, sneak attack +1d6

Special Qualities: Construct, damage reduction 10/+1, resistant to blunt weapons, malleable form

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

Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con —, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10

*Skills: Hide +10, Move Silently +10

Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground

Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always neutral

Advancement: 8-21 HD (Medium-size)

The oculon is a monster created by a high level arcane caster to act as a guardian. It moves rather quickly, but its movements are somewhat rubbery in appearance, as the monster has no internal skeletal structure.

   An oculon appears as a roughly humanoid-shaped creature standing 4 feet tall at the shoulders. Instead of a head, the oculon has a 3-foot long flexible neck that ends in a single large eye.

COMBAT

The oculon attacks with its longsword and magic missiles.

   Magic Missiles (Sp): Once per round, up to seven times per day, the oculon can fire a magic missile from its eye to a maximum range of 180 feet with no range increment. A missile deals 1d6 points of damage.

   Sneak Attack (Ex): An oculon deals +1d6 points of damage to an opponent when it flanks its foe or any time its opponent is denied its Dex bonus to AC.

   Construct: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, disease, and similar effects. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. Oculons have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Resistant to Blunt Weapons (Ex): The oculon’s body contains no skeletal structure. Therefore it suffers only half damage from blunt attacks.

Malleable Form (Ex): The oculon can flatten its body to a height of 9 inches (covering roughly 6 square feet). In this form, the oculon moves at 10 ft per round and cannot attack, but can squeeze through openings it normally could not in its natural humanoid form.

   *Skills: Though constructs generally have no skills, the oculon gains a +8 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks.

Construction

An oculon costs 30,000 gp to create, including 1,000 gp for the body. This cost includes all the material spell components that are consumed or become a permanent part of the creation.

The first task is shaping the body from a mixture of water, a gland from a purple worm, the central eye of a beholder, one pint of the creator’s blood, and the brain of a rogue of at least 7th-level. Creating the body requires a Craft (sculpture) check (DC of 13).

The creator must be 18th-level and able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 1,000 XP from the creator and requires unseen servant, magic missile, protection from normal missiles, geas, mind blank, and wish.

The Oculon first appeared in Dragon (1980, Roger E. Moore).