SEARECHTER
(Marine spectator)



FREQUENCY:  Very rare
NO. APPEARING:  1
ARMOR CLASS: Body 6, eyes -1,
eyestalks 8
MOVE: ?/20?//40? (B in water, E in air)
HIT DICE: 6 + 6
% IN LAIR: 35%
TREASURE TYPE:  See below
NO. OF ATTACKS:  1 bite
DAMAGE/ATTACK:  1-2
SPECIAL ATTACKS:  See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES:  See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE:  50%
INTELLIGENCE:  High to exceptional
ALIGNMENT:  Lawful neutral
SIZE: L (5½' diameter)
PSIONIC ABILITY:  Special
    Attack/Defense modes:  Nil/nil
LEVEL/XP VALUE: VII/865 + 9 hp

Among a select few wizards (usually
those from coastal cities or who are mas-
ters of summoning), there are rumors of a
race of marine spectators dedicated to
slaying eyes of the deep. In the WORLD 
OF GREYHAWK® setting, these are the
elven and human wizards living on the
Spindrift Isles. The Suel god Lendor,
believed to be an Arch-Mage by many,
taught the inhabitants of the Spindrifts
how to summon spectators. Spectators
living in Lendor?s stronghold heard these
rumors of their marine cousins and passed
them on to their summoners.

Although there is such a creature as the
marine spectator, it is cautious and actu-
ally avoids eyes of the deep. These marine
spectators are also called sea spectators,
spectators of the sea, or (most commonly)
searechters. They dwell in the depths of
the ocean and are very rarely encoun-
tered, and then are nearly always mis-
taken for eyes of the deep.

If a wizard reseaches the means of sum-
moning a searechter, he finds that one can
be summoned by the casting of monster
summoning VII  spell, with three small eyes
from an eye of the deep employed in place
of three beholder?s eyes. The wizard must
cause the searechter to appear underwa-
ter or it will not be brought forth. Few
sorcerers has ever tried this summoning
because of the difficulties in obtaining the
proper material components.

Searechters have six small eyes on the
end of six eyestalks and one large central
eye which functions as does a spectator?s
Each of its small eyes has a spell-like func-
tion, explained as follows. Each power is
usable three times per day and functions
as if cast by an 8th-level spell-caster.

Eye No.	Spell
1	Airy water
2	Airbolt (new spell)
3	Charm Monster
4	Fear (as wand)
5	Water breathing
6	Paralyzation (as wand)

In front of each of the searechter?s eyes
is a thin, clear shell that has a magical
equivalence to + 3 metal. If the searechter
is killed, this ?eye crystal? can be removed
and fashioned into small weapons such as
dart tips and dagger blades of + 3 value.
Likewise, if a strap is somehow attached to
the large eye crystal, it can be used as a
+ 3 (and transparent) small shield. None-
theless, it is difficult to cut and melt this
material in order to fashion it into weap-
ons or defensive items. Finding a way to
do so is difficult and should be left to the
discretion of the DM.

Any attack made upon a searechter has
a 50% chance of hitting its body, a 25%
chance of hitting its large eye, and a 25%
chance of hitting one of the six small eyes
on top (with, in the latter case, an 80%
chance that the attack hits an eyestalk and
a 20% chance that it hits one of the small
eyes directly; which eye is hit is deter-
mined at random). A successful hit upon
one of the small eyes blinds that eye and 
ruins its power until it regenerates. Eyestalks 
take 5 hp damage before being 
severed, but the eyestalk and the eye on 
the end regrow within one day. The large 
eye takes 5 hp of damage until it is destroyed 
and takes two days to regenerate. 

A searechter never voluntarily goes out
of the water and only rarely enters waters
less than 15,000? in depth. For every
1,000? closer to the surface than 15,000?,
the searechter takes 1 hp damage per
turn; above the surface of the water, it
takes 2 hp damage per round. This is a
result of the expansion of the searechter?s
internal gases. These damage figures are
given in case the searechter is somehow
brought into shallow waters or to the
surface. In the water, searechters are very
agile; however, in the air they have less
movement control because of the damage
they take from being out of water and
because of their increased speed.

Searechters usually live in small sea
caves, but there is a 25% chance they will
live in different lairs. Roll the percentile
dice on the following table to determine
the lair of each:

Ruins or abandoned lairs could include a
ruined storm giant palace, morkoth lair, 
triton stronghold, sea dragon lair, aboleth
city, kraken lair, and many others. A vor-
tex is a gateway leading to or from
another plane. If the vortex leads to the
plane of Elemental Water, there is a 50%
chance that water flows into it (creating a
whirlpool) and a 50% chance that water
rushes out of it, filling the worlds oceans.
If the vortex leads to Lendor?s stronghold,
it will be full of water and without cur-
rent; this is the gateway by which Lendor.
brought searechters to this world.

1d100	Lair
01-75	Small sea cave
76-85	Sunken ship
86-90	Ruins or abandoned lair
97-99	Labyrinth of vortexes to or from the plane of Elemental Water <vortices>

There is a 75% chance that a searechter
has some creatures enslaved by its  charm
monster  ability. The slaves are usually
humanoid in appearance, such as
sahuagin. Slaves hunt for and protect the
searechter. There are usually 2-12 hit dice
of slaves, but usually no one creature with
over 4 HD (2 HD is the average slave?s
level). Searechters do not usually have
treasure except that of their slaves or the
treasure in the sunken ship or ruins they
may inhabit.

The coloration of a searechter is either
dark blue or black. Its body is similar in
appearance to an eye of the deep?s, with
three eyestalks on each side of the body
and two fins on its back like the wings of a
messenger monodrone.


by Dougal Demokopoliss
 

Dragon magazine	-	Monster Manual III	-	Dragon #139
-	-	Ecology of the Spectator	-	-