Soul Merger

Monsterpedia

Lesser Cyclops

Monster Level - III

Soul Type - Composite

Intelligence - Humanoid

Strength - Very Strong

Magic - Human

Rarity - Uncommon

Lesser Cyclops stand a good ten to twelve feet tall, and are masses of muscle. They otherwise seem human, except they have only a single large eye instead of two. They favor large crude weapons like spears and eschew armor in favor of hides. Despite their appearance, they're decently intelligent and are capable of speaking and using cunning plans when needed.

You would think that having only a single eye would give a Cyclops bad depth perception, but the magic of their eye means they see better with it than most people can with two eyes. Their unique eye protects them from visual enchantments, cuts through illusions, and blocks out a lot of harmful flashes and other attacks on the eye. Hitting a Lesser Cyclops in the eye with a handful of sand will cause it to merely blink.

Of course their skills mostly end there. Mages are rare, techniques uncommon, and they have no other innate skills. Overwhelming violence is a simple and effective solution. The eye is more resilient than a human's but an arrow will still pierce. Though that's not suggested since Cyclops eye ichor has a number of useful properties.

It seems odd that Lesser Cyclops are its own monster, but there's just so many differences between them and Greater Cyclops. Researchers have also found that the two Cyclops don't consider themselves related. In the end they merely appear similar on the outside.

Merge

Benefits : Enhanced sight, Strength

Weaknesses : Eyestrain, visual imbalance

Lesser Cyclops merges are uncommon, but valued by some people. The merge gives additional size (though rarely more than a few inches) and considerable muscle strength and definition. It also greatly enhances one eye. While the size doesn't change much, for some reason the eye's color always does. Though the change is not the same for every cyclops. It's an enforced heterochromia.

While the merge's strength is nothing to scoff at, the unique ability is that the merged person gains the lesser cyclops' improved vision and resistances... but only in one eye. The benefits are obvious, in that the person can ignore visual attacks and get a clearer view of their surroundings. But if they don't use some technique to shield their other eye most of the defenses are useless. In addition the massive difference between the two eyes can cause strain as the brain tries to adjust. And frequently the mind will 'give up' on the weaker eye, allowing its vision to deteriorate more.

Eyepatches seem like a cool way to handle the vision differences, but unfortunately it'll just make the differences between the two eyes worse. You're better off with an enchanted monocle or glasses to keep your eyes from skewing further apart in power.