Robes of Eyes and Gaze attacks??

[garhkal]

OK, reading the write up for this robe in the 1 and 2e DMG, i see it mention quite a bit about how great it is in making you see.. BUT wouldn't that then mean if you were wearing it and fighting a creature that uses gaze attacks, such as a Basalisk, Medusae, Vampire or Catoplebas, that it would be much HARDER for you (Meaning a penalty to the save) to avoid those gazes??

If so, what is a decent penalty? -2? -4??

[Halaster-Blackcloak]

I'd say it depends on how you use the robe. If all the eyes are controlled by the wearer's actual, real eyes (i.e. if he closes his biological eyes, all the eyes on the robe close as well), I'd give it at least a -4 penalty to the saving throw, because there are so many eyes looking in so many directions, but they'd all close or look away at the same time. If the eyes of the robe are considered to be operating independently of the biological eyes of the wearer (i.e. he can close his actual eyes and yet still see through all the eyes adorning the robe) then I'd consider it an automatic failed saving throw - at least some of the eyes would see the medusa even if he looked away with his biological eyes.

[garhkal]

THere doesn't seem to be anything in the write up, OR In sage advice, mentioning if the eyes on the robe can be controlled (Closed) by the wearer, or not though.

[Halaster-Blackcloak]

Right, that's why I'd say it's up to the DM to decide how it works. But in either case, I'd say it works against the wearer to some degree when facing gorgons, medusae, etc.

[Cole]

Agreed! I'd put the -4 out there as the worst penalty with the wearer and possibly an auto fail as Hal mentions to the user letting the eyes see all they can see (as I would suspect they are doing all the time).

That's nasty and so it should be!