FREQUENCY: Very Rare
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil
AC: 5 (Agent) 8 (Roth)
HIT DICE: 5 (Roth hp 25) 2 (Agent hp 8)
DAM/AT: 1-6
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
SIZE: S (Agent) L (Roth)
XP VALUE: 450 (Agent) 900 (Roth)
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterrani
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
DIET: See below
TREASURE: P, Q, S, T, V
No. APPEARING: 1
MOVEMENT: 0
No. ATTACKS: 1
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
MORALE: Fantastic (18)

The Roth are distant relatives of the Beholder. It is essentially a giant eye with no socket, held up by roots which adhere to a surface for support. It has surrounding it a light green or aquamarine aura of pale light.

A Roth sends out "Agents" which resemble long, two-foot long, gray-mottled brown leeches. These parasitic creatures are exuded from the Roth's roots at the rate of one per day up to a maximum of 20 total in the Roth's service. These Agents hang from ceilings and cavern domes, by means of a suction-like foot, and they look very much like stalactites except upon close examination (within 10' range). These Agents will let loose their hold on the ceiling to plummet down onto the head of a passing creature. With razor sharp teeth they then attempt to eat through the skull into the brain. The Agent can secrete a saliva-like material from its mouth which readily dissolves metal, wood, and leather, so that after one round any headpiece made of such material is disintegrated, allowing the Agent to begin its work of eating through bone and skin. (Magical helms must save vs. acid each round until either the Agent is removed or helm's magic is broken and the Agent can begin feeding.)

The Agent takes d3 rounds to penetrate the skull of a creature (the roll is secretly determined by the DM), and can only be removed from such a victim by quick application of fire, such as from a torch or spell of burning hands. Once into the head, the Agent enters the brain cavity to consume the brain-energy therein and transmits this energy to the Roth.

The personality of the victim is sucked out with the brain-energy and the body is thus left in control of the Agent-parasite, which in turn is commanded telepathically by the Roth. The Roth can command the body to do anything, such as protecting its immobile self until the body is killed doing so. If a Roth is killed within 24 hours of absorbing the brain-energy of a victim, the Agent dies and the personality and brain energy is restored to the victim, but minus d4 levels of experience (the affected PC starts off with the minimum XP required for this new, demoted level). A spell of restoration, limited wish, or wish are the only magical means to return the lost experience if cast within six hours of the death of the Roth.

Upon meeting the gaze of the Roth directly (range 60'), a character must save vs. paralyzation or be held immobile (as per wand of paralyzation). The Roth has no other attack form, though it can summon its Agents or its mind-controlled victims to defend it. In the former case, the Agents attack once per round doing d6 points of damage, while in the latter, the Roth uses the most advantageous attack forms its victim(s) possesses.

The Roth can communicate with all intelligent creatures by a special telepathy, and will attempt to negotiate for its safety if confronted with a powerful individual or group, either taking a bribe not to attack and kill them, or paying a ransom not to be harmed.

The parasitic Agent is sometimes sought by alchemists and wizards to make intelligence-enhancing potions. An ounce of its circulatory fluid may be sold for as much as 250 gp, though commonly it sells for between 25 and 75 gp.

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