Cyclops Seeker
Level 10Attacks
Abilities
Trigger The monster is reduced to 0 HP. Effect The monster avoids being knocked out and remains at 1 HP, but its Wounded value increases by 1. When it is Wounded 3, it can no longer use this ability
Frequency once per round Trigger The cyclops seeker begins their turn Effect Until the beginning of their next turn, the next skill check or Will saving throw the cyclops seeker succeeds at (but not critically succeeds at) becomes a critical success instead.
Frequency once per round Effect The cyclops seeker looks for the perfect moment to attack a creature they can see, then attempts an occultism check against that creature's Will DC. Critical Success Until the end of their next turn, all Strikes the cyclops seeker attempts against the creature gain a +1 status bonus to the attack roll and inflict an additional 2d6 precision damage. Success As critical success, but only for the next Strike they attempt against that creature in the current round. Failure The cyclops seeker does not learn anything useful. Critical Failure The cyclops seeker determines a suboptimal moment for their attack; they learn nothing useful and become Off-Guard until the start of their next turn.
Description
Some cyclopes pursue knowledge, power, and artifacts from a bygone era—particularly those recovered from regions where ancient cyclops nations once stood. These cyclops seekers hone their brief insights into epiphanic bursts of inspiration to better uncover forgotten truths. A rare few become philosophers and sages, whether as secluded hermits or as gregarious guides eager to share the wonders they've discovered. These talents are more common among the introspective cyclopes of Iblydos.
Cyclops seekers are particularly fond of collecting scrolls, grimoires, and other objects of magical lore—even accidentally foregoing rest and meals when devouring esoteric textbooks, historical documents, and fiction. Those with a good sense of humor realize the irony of trading their physical hunger for their eternal thirst for knowledge, though failure to achieve a breakthrough can lead a cyclops to ruminate, becoming sullen and withdrawn. When they're too large to safely study an interesting set of more compact ruins, a cyclops seeker might hire on smaller adventurers as reconnaissance teams or research assistants, but woe to those who double-cross their scholarly employers, for while the cyclops seeker is a studious creature, they're also deadly in battle.
Cyclopean Researchers
It's not often a cyclops makes their way into Avistan, but those interested in learning for its own sake might seek out places of higher education to conduct obscure avenues of research for their own edification. The presence of an enormous, one-eyed giant can be quite alarming, and others' panic is not conducive toward quiet study or long-term research. Accordingly, these cyclops seekers often develop methods of changing their shape to fit in more easily among the societies they wish to learn from.