Water Weird

Water weirds MM entry leaves some questions unanswered, which are ruled on below.

Attack range

Water weirds can move out of their pool up to a range equal to their length, and attack targets that are in melee range of that farthest point. So a 10' water weird could move up to 10' from the pool, and attack 10' beyond that, for a total threat radius of 2“ around the pool. Water weirds can easily be longer than 10', and this added length would extend their threat radius.1) At least some water weirds must be able to reach out and attack at distances greater than 1” beyond their pool, because otherwise they post very little threat due to not being able to attack until the 2nd round of melee. If they were limited to a 1“ range of their pool, any player who has previously encountered a water weird and knows the “gimmick” can merely step back to avoid all danger. This small level of danger does not make an appropriately dangerous monster, and does not seem to be the intent. The MM entry says that water weirds are “10'+ long”, so our interpretation is that water weirds can easily be double that or more, and extend past their pool by snaking out from it, but never losing contact with the pool. In this way, 10' water weirds have a 2” threat radius around their pool (they can move 1“ out due to their length, and melee range is 1” beyond that), and larger water weirds have a larger threat radius.

Note that the water weird does not have an increased melee distance, but rather that its snake-like form is able to move (as a regular snake monster, but like a tentacle, in the air) out of the pool up to its length. It must still use a move or charge action to extend in this way.

When a water weird successfully grabs a target, it can instantly retract to its pool and begin the drowning process. This movement does not prompt parting attacks because it is part of the special attack.

Drowning

See Drowning.

Ability to leave pool

The water weird is unable to leave the pool at a distance greater than its length unless it takes over a water elemental.

Freeing drowning targets

If the weird is disrupted or otherwise disabled (such as via hold monster), all targets are released.2) The creatures pulled into the water are not literally paralyzed, it's just that the paralyzation save category is used. The creatures pulled into the water are not magically paralyzed, they are just held and drowning.

There is no way to free a drowning target from an active water weird by mere strength, other than by disrupting or destroying the weird.

Protection from evil

Water weirds are one of the monsters explicitly kept out by protection from evil. The magic prevents the weird from being able to attack the target affected by the protection from evil.3) DMG 41. The water weird cannot bypass the barrier created by protection from evil, but if the weird is already drowning a target, the target gaining protection from evil after the fact will not have any benefit to freeing the victim, because the weird is already within the 1' bubble created by the spell. (For larger protection radii, see Paladin.)