A spectator (see the Monster Manual) is a kind of lesser beholder summoned from another plane of existence to watch over something, such as a treasure hoard. Beholderkin is a subcategory of aberrant beholders comprising a very large number of beholder-like creatures. As opposed to the Death Tyrant, Elder Orb, Hive Mother and Orbus described later, which are just variants, these are actually different species to true beholders. Beholderkin have a very wide range of appearances and abilities. They were still two entities within the beholder, but neither hid anything from the other, making a less paranoid beholder. As a result, on rare occasions when a beholder dreams of another beholder, the dream-reality becomes warped and takes on physical form, becoming another actual beholder. They tended to enjoy eating small mammals and birds alive (the combination sensation of soft flesh, crunchy bone and liquid blood in their mouths was considered a delicacy); gnomes; roast beef, lamb and pork; liver and brain pt; insects; leafy vegetables, leaves, flower petals, and exotic mushrooms. A beholder cant attune to items that require attunement by a spellcaster or a member of a certain class. Paralysing ray paralyses targets I was lucky to escape my enemy, and I worry that I might be discovered again before I am ready. I enjoy lording my superiority over others. Not all share the xenophobia of true beholders; though most are still evil and cruel in nature. Large Roll once for the central eye and once for all the smaller eyes. To call this process reproduction would be inaccurate, because in most cases the old and new beholders fight to the deatha fact for which the rest of the world is thankful. Gazers are born out of a poisoned or ill beholders feverish dreams, in which its sense of perspective and scale is warped. It surrounds itself with evidence of its wealth and success, eating off gold plates, drinking from diamond-encrusted chalices, decorating its sleeping area with marvelous tapestries, and adorning itself and its sanctum with powerful magic items. Watch headings for an "edit" link when available. Wikidot.com Terms of Service - what you can, what you should not etc. A beholder who wished to learn the Art of arcane spellcasting beyond the simple use of its innate powers faced a number of limitations, the greatest of which being its own antimagic eyesight. Movement If an organization is useful but significantly weaker than the guild, the Xanathar is likely to absorb its members and resources into its guild (either immediately or gradually) so it can keep an eye on threats from within that group. Ceiling Trap. A beholder analyzes its opponents, makes note of armor, weapons, and tactics, and adjusts its strategy to eliminate the most dangerous threats as quickly as possible. Common rooms found in a beholders lair are described in the sections that follow. An exceptional challenger can earn a measure of respectenough that the beholder might be merciful and pacify the creature with a charm ray or a sleep ray instead of killing it outright. General Wikidot.com documentation and help section. A hazard can be put to use in an offensive, defensive, or utilitarian capacity. Append content without editing the whole page source. A beholder goes to a lot of trouble to make its lair as safe and comfortable as it possibly can, and so it rarely ventures outside. This started out as a silly idea - I wanted to play a literal Beholder as a PC. Each lieutenant is responsible for operating one of the aspects of guild business, including assassination, blackmail, extortion, mercenaries, slavery, smuggling, spying, and thievery (of these operations, slavery and thievery are the largest). Use the following tables to produce a variety of different appearances for beholders. Hard, solid balls that drew in both light through the pupil and magical energy through the iris, which consisted of some sort of translucent crystal. 8 ft (2.4 m) diameter A beholder might use its slowing ray on an uncooperative creature as a demonstration of sorts, threatening to follow it up with more severe consequences if the creature doesnt submit to the beholders will. The organizations grunt-level employeesthieves, slavers, and ordinary thugswork for the Xanathar Guild because it pays well. WebIt has titanic claws, bat-like wings, and a massive, corpulent form. This corporeal form uses the Aberrant Spirit stat block. WebThe spirit manifests physically in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. Where another creature would ignore the occurrence of two seemingly unrelated events as merely coincidental, a beholder imagines multiple ways they could be related, finding or fabricating a pattern out of supposed or actual randomness. A typical simple door trap is a pivoting spiked arm that swings downward to impale an intruder when the door is opened. Appearance Pets are usually of low intelligence and are kept around because of their combat abilities, entertainment value, or trophy status. When you cast the spell, choose Beholderkin, Slaad, or Star Spawn. 2e Each of these entities thought and acted on its own accord even though it was bound to the same body as the other half of its mind. Although previous Xanathars carefully guarded the facts of their true nature and allowed only a handful of their lieutenants to know the truth, the current Xanathar treats the matter more like an open secret. When such a group is led by a beholder rather than a human, the tyrant has incredible staying power against challengers. Beholders are skilled at repurposing cursed or dangerous items as elements of traps or obstacles in its lair, especially if such an item emits an ongoing effect that it can suppress as needed with its antimagic cone. Like all beholders, the Xanathar craves information. Alignment Said skin had a pebbly texture. (Lawful), Perfection. These items are stored somewhere in the lair until theyre disposed ofsometimes by distributing them among the minions as gifts, other times by disintegration. The green slimes are the weakest and most common kind of slime. This rule is an abstraction, designed to keep the beholders opponents unsure of what rays will be coming next (and, not incidentally, to prevent the monster from using its most lethal eye rays at every opportunity). The orbus is only found among spacefaring beholders, lacking functional eye stalks and most of the intelligence of a regular beholder. Tiusium would collect in chambers in the body, concentrated mostly at the top of the skull, thereby ensuring that individuals would rest in an upright position. A beholder can fire multiple eye rays on its turn, and it might use all of them in succession on its most dangerous foe. Among these are the beholders accountant, chamberlain, chief messenger, doctor, fish-keeper, fortune-teller, lawyer, master entertainer, monster trainer, trap-setter, and warden for its private prison. [7] Any combination of these was possible, although they often used only two at a given time. My first thought was to try and replicate the "monster classes" of 3.5 but that turned out to be a nightmare of balance and game design for a new homebrewer such as myself. Change the name (also URL address, possibly the category) of the page. It obeys your verbal commands (no action required by you). [14][22], Indigestible items eaten by a beholder would be either vomited up or absorbed into the body where it would eventually embed itself on the inside surface of the beholder's skeleton. [15], Beholders had one lung, and two stomachs. Beholders are among the few creatures that can shape reality in their vicinity. The main element of an oil sprayer trap is a large tank, filled with oil, embedded into the top of a column or located in a space above the trapped room. Most known beholders who choose to interact with humanoid society in any way are eye tyrants. Upon death, the skin would harden further into a stone-like consistency. [21], Occasionally, a beholder, while sleeping, would warp reality with it's subconscious mind and spawn a fully-grown beholder instantaneously out of nothing right there where it slept. A beholder, sometimes called a sphere of many eyes or an eye tyrant, was a large aberration normally found in the Underdark. [16], Beholder blood was green. Beholder Summary: Summon 1 aberrant spirit (beholderkin, slaad, or star spawn), friendly (stat block/your lvl). A beholder could also use its telekinetic ray to forcibly transport a creature immune to charm effects (such as a construct or some kinds of undead). It features a roster of monsters particularly suited to populating a This section provides several alternative spell effects for a beholders eye. WebThe beholder shoots three of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one to three targets it can see within 120 feet of it: Legendary Actions Bite. Lawful evil Even a very tough fighter is going to have second thoughts after taking damage from a disintegration ray, an enervation ray, and a death ray. WebArmor Class: 11 + the level of the spell (natural armor) hit Points: Equal the aberration's Constitution modifier + your spellcasting ability modifier + ten times the spell's level Frequently, these lairs were carved out by the beholders themselves, using their eye rays to mold the environment for their purposes. The brain and nervous system was where magical energies were stored, amplified, and directed to the eyestalks. A room not dedicated to some other purpose could be festooned with a variety of traps. I enjoy taunting rivals with hints of my plans. A gazer cant speak any Gazer This corporeal form uses the Aberrant Spirit stat block. 10d10 + 50 bandits and 3d6 bandit captains, 10d10 hobgoblins and 2d4 hobgoblin captains, 10d10 + 50 kobolds, 2d4 kobold inventors,** and 2d6 kobold scale sorcerers**. When the dreamer awakens, it treats the newborns as extensions of its own self in other bodies, and therefore isnt consumed with an urge to kill them. Lawful evil [25], Beholders were considered adults at the age of two years old and retained their vitality until their ninetieth year. The passage leading to it is sealed off or constricted to prevent the fungus creatures from drifting into inhabited areas. Forgotten Realms Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. Vision Type One of the original monsters in Dungeons and Dragons, this creature comes from the minds of the creators of the game, Rob Kuntz and Gary Gygax - though the creature was imagined by Robs brother Theron Kuntz, and fleshed out by Gygax.There is no myth or legend that the Beholder is born from and is solely a creation from the minds The guild has been in operation for nearly two hundred years, with a different beholder taking over every few decades. In spite of their hatred of diversity (or perhaps because of it), beholders came in a variety of forms, some of which are listed below: Left to right: a hive mother (top), an examiner (bottom), a director mounting a crawler, a watcher, a lensman, and an overseer. When one needs to be replaced, the best candidates are those who appreciate the benefits of strict organization (and thus are lawful evil or at worst neutral evil) and who have a high tolerance for their bosss sometimes erratic behavior. Establishing control over these creatures usually involves the use of its eye rays, but eventually the minions come to understand that the beholder can kill them whenever it wants and it is in their best interest to stop resisting and just obey the beholders orders. I pretend to be insane so my enemies underestimate me. If no such opportunity presents itself, legendary actions are always useful for piling rays on the most dangerous foe. If any large openings between adjacent caves exist naturally, the beholder constricts or seals off such openings, either by employing slave labor or by collapsing the tunnel itself. It holds sway over a dozen specialized lieutenants. The most mundane function of the petrification ray is as a means of decorating a beholders lair with statues. WebSpeed 30 ft.; fly 30 ft. (hover) (Beholderkin only) STR 16 (+3) DEX 10 (+0) CON 15 (+2) INT 16 (+3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2) Damage Immunities psychic Senses darkvision 60 ft., Price: $6.99 Sign In This Token Set is available in the following bundles Ultimate 5E Spellcasting Assets Bundle $15.99 USD View Large Also, a beholders natural levitation means it doesnt risk activating any floor-based traps, and therefore it is likely to use such defenses to protect its inner sanctum, allowing it to roam freely through the area while hostiles must dodge or overcome multiple obstacles. They did not typically enjoy citrus fruits, grapes or melons; eyeballs; hard-boiled eggs; shellfish still in the shell; bull testicles; or anything fried in batter. Rumors occasionally surface about a monstrous crime lord, such as a demon or a dragon, that guides its organization from the shadows. Eye raysCharm MonsterFlight Lieutenants who have their own ambitions, who might come to oppose the tyrant or fear for their safety, are much more likely to flee (or retire) than to confront the beholder. 1e The retinas then transmitted the sensory signals and magical energy to the brain. Most believe their leader is a member of a long-lived race, perhaps a dwarf or an elf. A beholder observing some petrified adventurers. 2023 Wizards. The beholder shoots three of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll Unless otherwise indicated, an alternative ability has the same range as the eye ray it is replacing, and it affects only one creature per use (even if the ability is based on a spell that normally affects an area or multiple targets) . Unless they flee, the beholder and its forces return night after night, each time eliminating key defenders, and ultimately breaking the morale of the survivors, at which point the beholders minions can capture anyone or anything worth keeping and raze the settlement. The people of Waterdeep are generally aware that there are one or more guilds controlling criminal activity in the city. [10], Beholder 'bones' were incredibly porous and lightweight leather-like cartilage that was visually indistinguishable from their skin, but comparatively weaker, almost having the strength and durability of iron. The floors count as difficult terrain, and the terraces mean that in some places climbing or jumping down is required to make progress. [21] A beholder could store at least 600pounds (270kilograms) of food in its stomachs at any time. These areas are often seeded with perils both stationary and mobile. [21], The parent would choose one infant who looked most like itself to rear, and either eat or reject the remainder, forcing the survivors to fend for themselves. A beholder sees in all directions. A prisoner is stripped of weapons and magic items, thrown into one of the holes, and guarded by minions at all times. Most of Toril's beholders had nostrils and jointed, articulated eyestalks. Here, the beholder rests and plots. At such a time, the beholders dream-birthing creates a beholder hivea group of newborns that are identical to its own shape but smaller. Alignment Powerful and intelligent, beholders were among the greatest threats to the world. 2e I have foreseen the moment of my death and know what will kill me. As with the tunnels between chambers, escape tunnels are usually a steep climb or nearly vertical to make it difficult for non-flying creatures to follow. Eye Rays. Enemies that are too big to traverse these smooth-walled tunnels will find it difficult to move deep into the lair and virtually impossible to confront the beholder in its sanctum. [29], Beholders were not particularly strong but were inherently magical creatures, with each of their eyes possessing an innately magical nature. A clear depiction of a beholder from the front. A beholder can use its telekinesis ray in conjunction with its antimagic cone to lift a heavy object above the cone and drop it onto an opponent inside the cone; gravity finishes the job, even though the cone negates the beholders telekinetic control. WebMelee Weapon Attack: +5to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [7], Beholders were immediately identifiable, being essentially a floating head with one single, cyclops-like eye surrounded by ten smaller eye stalks. [20] When the child that the parent chose to rear reached adulthood, it typically rejected its parent and left to become independent. Favored climate Beholders were omnivorous, genderless aliens, and a subject of great fascination for sages who studied biology and the hunters who attempted to kill them. This doesnt mean that the eye tyrant likes, respects, or understands the creatures it chooses to associate with, but it does distinguish between individuals of other races and communicates with them on a regular basis. Often, it plunders its neighbors homes for knowledge and treasure. Beholders are paranoid, secretive, and xenophobic, hating and mistrusting any creature different from themselves. Several depictions of beholders. Antimagic Cone: mirage arcane, power word stun (affecting the weakest non-stunned target in the cone each round), Charm Ray: banishment (1 minute), confusion (1 minute), Death Ray: circle of death (10-foot-radius sphere; 4d6 necrotic damage to all creatures in the area), feeblemind, Disintegration Ray: chain lightning (primary target takes 6d8 lightning damage; two secondary targets within 30 feet of the primary target take 3d8 lightning damage each), eyebite (sickened effect; 1 minute), Enervation Ray: create undead (usable regardless of the time of day), polymorph (1 minute), Fear Ray: gaseous form (self or willing creature only), moonbeam, Paralyzing Ray: modify memory, silence (1 minute), Petrification Ray: Ottos irresistible dance (1 minute), wall of ice (1 minute; one 10-foot-square panel), Sleep Ray: blindness/deafness, misty step (self or willing creature only), Slowing Ray: bestow curse (1 minute), sleet storm (one 10-foot-cube), Telekinesis Ray: geas (1 hour), wall of force (1 minute; one 10-foot-square panel). [17] Unlike a humanoid heart that pumps blood around the body constantly, beholders had a central 'blood sac' that, in conjunction with a powerfully muscled diaphragm, pushed blood into the beholder's blood vessels, then pulled the blood back into the sac. As another option, you can switch any of the damaging eye rays in the Monster Manual to an effect with a different damage type, such as replacing the enervation ray with a combustion ray that deals fire damage instead of necrotic damage. Type [28], Beholders had a remarkable sense of sight, as mentioned. Among the most basic of these attacks was their deadly ability to project magical power from their eyes, in varying forms such as instilling fear within, charming, knocking out, petrifying, disintegrating, slowing, or killing their enemies. For instance, where a prideful, confident human might be cowed by a serious threat, the arrogance of a beholder knows no such bounds: it believes that it is superior to every other creature, even including other beholders. The same applied to beholders and beholder-kin created through dreaming. WebCasting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet Components: V, S, M (a pickled tentacle and an eyeball in a platinum-inlaid vial worth at least 400 gp) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour Description not available (not OGL). Without such knowledge, only a misshapen mishmash of a creature could be dreamed to life. If its lair includes a long, narrow chamber with an uneven floor and multiple terraces, a beholder might turn this area into a killing ground. ** See Monsters Listingfor statistics. It is always looking for concealed attackers. Complementing this ever-present, passive paranoia is the beholders genius-level intelligence. WebThe beholder shoots three of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one to three targets it can see within 120 feet of it: Legendary Actions Bite. A beholder would generate or expel the tiusium autonomically when it desired to ascend or descend. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, use the higher level wherever the spell's level appears on the stat block. Beyond the lair entrance lies the vestibule. 5e Even intruders who dont need light to see have to contend with the beholders superior sensesthe monster can see its opponents before 60-foot darkvision sees it. The cone is wide enough that the beholder can usually redirect it toward any particular creature trying to escape the area, keeping that target locked down until the monster has killed all the enemies outside the cone. Same as death tyrant, but with mummy rot. A beholders disintegration ray is a useful tool for excavation. (These features arent shown on the accompanying map, but can be located anywhere you see fit.)
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