An intelligent, amorphous creature, the argos constantly seeks to quell its ever present hunger. An argos resembles a giant amoeba covered with a hundred small, lidless, inhuman eyes, many sharp toothed mouths, and a single large, central eye with a tripartite pupil. Its flesh is translucent and tends toward blue and purple. An argos can fly but is clumsy in the air and prefers to stay on the ground. While Argos can and do use tools, storing them in temporary 'stomach' pouches, the digestive acids tends to eventually break these down. An argos continually gives off a sweet smelling odor reminiscent of flowers.
    Argos speak a variant of Beholder and Common.

    Combat: Argos tend to be unsubtle in combat. While intelligent, their ravenous hunger means they will try to kill a potential food source as soon as possible so they can consume it. An argos attacks with its pseudopods, each pseudopod armed with up to three fanged mouths each of which it may use to either bite or attack with a weapon. It can attack with up to six pseudopods per round, but only one pseudopod per victim.

    Pseudopod (Ex): On a second successful grapple check, an argos has automatically grappled with two other mouths on a pseudopod.

    Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the argos must hit with at least one bite attack.

    Spell-like Abilities (Su): Each of the Argos' hundred smaller eyes holds a single spell. An Argos can use up to ten of these per round but may not move or attack while doing so. It may use each power ten times per day with a level equal to its total HD - Blindness/Deafness, Burning Hands, Charm Monster, Chill Metal, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Confusion, Darkness, Detect Thought, Dispel Magic, Emotion, Fear, Flesh to Stone, Fumble, Heat Metal, Hold Monster, Light, Minor Image, Shield, Slow, Suggestion, Tongues. Additionally, its central eye can use the following abilities, one per round with a caster level equal to its total HD, at will – Alter Self, Color Spray, Ray of Enfeeblement.

    Swallow Whole (Ex): The Argos may attempt to swallow whole any medium-sized or smaller target that has been successfully grabbed by three or more mouths.
    The swallowed creature suffers 8 points of acid damager per round from the Argos' stomach pouch. A swallowed creature can cut its way out of a stomach pouch by using Small or Tiny slashing weapons to deal 8 points of damage to the stomach lining (AC 20). An Argos is immune to its own acid and the stomach lining immediately seals up afterwards.
    An Argos can hold one Medium sized, two Small, four Tiny, eight Diminutive, or 16 Fine or smaller creatures, each in its own separate stomach pouch.

    Amorphous (Ex): An argos is not subject to critical hits. It has no clear front or back, so it cannot be flanked.

    Consume (Ex): Due to its rapid metabolism, an Argos can quickly incorporate an eaten creatures body mass into itself. An Argos gains a permanent HD whenever it feeds on a cumulative amount of HD/Levels equal to two times its current HD. Afterwards it is fatigued for 2 hours per current HD of the argos while it digests. An Argos must eat at least its own HD worth of creatures per month or it will loose a HD permanently due to starvation. If this would bring it below 5 HD, it will automatically form a chrysalis.

    Chrysalis (Ex): A starving argos or one that suspects it will be can form a chrysalis out of its outer skin. Its STR and DEX falls effectively to zero but its natural armor bonus increases to +15. In this state, the Argos will lose 1 hp of damage to starvation per week (As opposed to a permanent HD per month) but does not require food or water. It takes an argos ten rounds to form or dissolve its chrysalis.

    Create Air (Ex): An argos naturally produces breathable air as part of its metabolic processes. As such, it cannot be drowned or asphyxiated, and it gains a +4 to save against gas borne attacks.

In the Spheres
    Argos are often found in beholder enclaves acting as enforcers or, strangely enough, pets. All Argos treat beholders with great respect and obedience and will never attack a beholder even when starving.

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©2002 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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Argos, © 1990 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20™ System, Conversion of Argos ©2002, Don Shaffer
Original Source: Monstrous Compendium #7