Eye of Fear and Flame

The Eye of Fear and Flame is an old monster from Dungeons & Dragons that has managed to have a surprisingly long life for a creature that, in all honesty, few fans would probably remember off the top of their heads. Eyes of Fear & Flame appear as walking skeletons with gems in their eyesockets; one crimson, the other black. Not to be mistaken for liches, heucuvas, or the myriad other monsters with that appearance, Eyes of Fear & Flame wander the land, drapped in tattered hooded cloaks, confronting unwitting victims and demanding that they perform random acts of evil, typically murdering companions. If they refuse to do as the Eye demands, it will attack them with claws and the powers of its eye gems; the red gem can launch fireballs, whilst the black one can instill intense magical fear. If seriously outmatched, they have the ability to retreat from danger either by fleeing into the Ethereal Plane (Great Wheel) or by teleporting to safety (World Axis). The Great Wheel version of the Eye of Fear & Flame is also uniquely immune to blindness-based spells, instead reflecting them back at their caster.

This monster debuted in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition, making its presence felt in the Fiend Folio. From here, they went dormant until 2002 saw them updated to Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition in the Book of Vile Darkness. Finally, they appeared in Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition in the article "The Ashen Covenant" in Dragon Magazine #364 - aside from being renamed to the arguably catchier "Flameharrow", and gaining a tweaked but still fundamentally faithful skillset, their lore hadn't changed at all.