This corporeal form uses the Aberrant Spirit stat block. To the average beholder. On extremely rare occasions when a beholder dreams of another beholder, the act creates a warp in realityfrom which a new, fully formed beholder springs forth unbidden, seemingly having appeared out of thin air in a nearby space. Paralysing ray paralyses targets Range: 90 feet This started out as a silly idea - I wanted to play a literal Beholder as a PC. In the safety of its lair, outside the view of any would-be enemies, a beholder can use any of its eye rays whenever it wants to. One of the few things that beholders could enjoy the taste of was alcohol (though it took well over 10 gallons (45 liters) of wine before they would get drunk).[22]. A beholder cant attune to items that require attunement by a spellcaster or a member of a certain class. The shape of the iris could be anything the beholder wished, which granted it's owner both darkvision and exceptional vision in the light - beholders in a brightly lit space had been observed as capable of counting the legs on a minuscule insect at distances of over one hundred and twenty feet. Not all Playable creatures are created equal, especially in 3rd Edition, in which Monster Adventurers can have significant Level Adjustments for the sake of Click here to edit contents of this page. A human chess player becomes a master by honing the ability to look several moves ahead during a gamewhich is still no match for what a beholder can accomplish with its superior intelligence and awareness. It features a roster of monsters particularly suited to populating a Beholder | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom I determine if a creature is worth keeping alive within the first minute of speaking to it. If it was dreaming about itself, it may have created an exact duplicate of itself, otherwise it could spawn a beholder-kin or even a completely unique beholder-like creature. Some of the behaviors and motivations that beholders exhibit are analogous to those of humans and other intelligent creatures. Notify administrators if there is objectionable content in this page. The magic-nullifying effect of a beholders central eye has a number of possible uses outside combat, but if its not needed, the beholder can turn it off by simply closing the eye. To learn spells of a new level, a beholder mage had to permanently sacrifice the innate power of one of its eyestalks to dedicate to that new level. 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). The Xanathar is ambitious and wants to expand its power by making alliances, but it is constantly wary of betrayal. Gazers are born out of a poisoned or ill beholders feverish dreams, in which its sense of perspective and scale is warped. View/set parent page (used for creating breadcrumbs and structured layout). Beholder - Monster Stat Block - Kassoon.com WebThe Witness - A Beholderkin Character Race. The creature physically resembles your choice, which also determines some of the traits in its stat block. Size The preserved corpse of a rival beholder (or any parts it can recover from a battle) would certainly be a prized trophy, as would be the skull of a defeated dragon, the clothing of a famous adventurer the beholder killed, or art objects that are pleasing to its alien senses. 2023 Wizards. Although I am perfect as I am, I can strive to be even better. They were still two entities within the beholder, but neither hid anything from the other, making a less paranoid beholder. [7], Beholders were immediately identifiable, being essentially a floating head with one single, cyclops-like eye surrounded by ten smaller eye stalks. In the lair, they might be stationed where they can catch intruders in an ambush, or they could be a last line of defense against foes that threaten the inner sanctum. STAR SPAWN SEER - 5e stats - ANGRY GOLEM GAMES It was possible for a beholder to dream another creature into existence. 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. At your discretion, a beholder might be able to use magic items that must be held to activate, such as wands; the beholder is assumed to be using its telekinesis eye ray to move and point the item in the same way that a humanoid would use its hand. (These features arent shown on the accompanying map, but can be located anywhere you see fit.) Underdark [15], Further inside the eye was a mass of nearly invisible strands called evocularies. Large 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. Frequently, these lairs were carved out by the beholders themselves, using their eye rays to mold the environment for their purposes. Said teeth are long and thin however, designed for ripping and tearing rather than for chewing. The aberration has just one aspect that is explicitly based on your current state Even when it sleeps, its smaller eyes remain open, scanning its lair for threats. This offspring might be a duplicate of the beholder that dreamed it into existence, or it could take the form of a different variety of beholder, such as a death kiss or a gazer (see Beholder-Kin). It doesnt matter if invading adventurers arrive at its lair with summoned angel allies or enslaved demons, by breaking through the floor, by teleporting or riding dinosaurs, or girded with layers of magical defenses and armed with advanced weapons. 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. In addition, beholders dont truly sleep when they rest. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Rather than the standard powers of a beholders central eye and eyestalks, the creature has one or more variant abilitiesguaranteed to surprise any enemies who thought they knew what they were getting themselves into. The majority of beholders living on Faern had skin colored in cool colors - purples and blues - on the top of their bodies that graduated into earth tones further down. Furthermore, beholder mages were so innately gifted with magic that they could simultaneously cast spells with each eyestalk that had been dedicated to their arcane studies. Beholders worshiped Gzemnid[30] and the Great Mother.[31]. A dark room with a 120-foot ceiling allows it to use this tactic, requiring opponents to create light at a distance in order to return fire with any accuracy. [49], Beholder hide was a very rare and high quality crafting material, used in creation of armor and reinforcing weapons. As a beholder ages, it spends more and more time worrying about its mortality. In addition to traps that are meant to catch ground-based creatures, a beholder creates or positions certain traps so that theyre effective against flying intruders. Door Trap. Any space,[6] Hills[3] Such creatures are seen as threats or fools, and are dealt with mercilessly. A protection from evil and good spell cast on the body drives the intellect devourer out. A gift is a treasure the beholder cant use itself but that would be useful to a minion, such as magic gloves, boots, armor, or an item it cant attune itself to. When a beholders dream-imagination runs wild, the result can be an offspring that has an unusual or unique set of abilities. 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). The Xanathar believes its intelligence and magic make it uniquely suited for thiseven more so than its slain predecessorand it uses its abilities to ruthlessly enforce its will on as much political and criminal territory as possible. (Evil), Stability. Volo's Guide to Monsters - Cyclopedia - Compendium Most of the beholders in the world live apart from others of their kind, and they like it that way. Vision While a human tyrant might be rightfully paranoid about unperceived threats, a beholder is paranoid even though it perceives everything, because that attitude is the natural companion to eternal vigilance. These bizarre creatures are possessed of alien intelligence, inhuman forms of perception, and the ability to shape reality through force of willor even by their mere presence. The floor of the vestibule is usually 15 feet or more lower than the entrance corridor, and the chamber is often inhabited by shriekers, which act as an early warning system. In exceedingly rare cases, a beholder might experience a dream in which it sees itself in a mirror, or encounters several copies of itself, or imagines a sensation akin to what humanoids call multiple personalities. The pit might be empty, be filled with mud (causing anything trapped in it to eventually drown), or have spikes at the bottom. It knows everything the creature knew, including spells and languages. Upon death, the skin would harden further into a stone-like consistency. 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. However, the inability to cast its eye rays at full strength was hardly a hindranceit allowed a beholder to attack its foes with its large, toothy maw.[7]. A beholder often sets aside a chamber to hold captives that it chooses not to kill. Huge aberration, chaotic evil Armor Class 19 (natural armor) Hit Points 250 (20d12 + 120) Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 40 ft. Rather than being sculpted with tools or eye rays, the entrance and the vestibule are left in their natural form to mislead intruders who might be expecting an artificially created structure. The lair has rooms set aside for the beholders minions, where those creatures live, cook, eat, and sleep. In a seldom-used cavern with a high ceiling, a beholder might erect a wall that doesnt reach the ceiling and build a trapped door into it. Cold[3] Starspawn A tool is any treasure that the beholder can use as personal gear. But a beholder could wear magic rings on its eyestalks or affix a magic cloak to its back, and the items function as they would if used by a humanoid. Some use a direct, hands-on approach, and some establish a chain of command that establishes a clear hierarchy from the top to the lowest underling. The beholders ability to use legendary actions effectively doubles the number of times it can shoot rays in a round. Charm Ray: The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the beholder for 1 hour, or Practically any kind of trap could be a feature of a beholders lair. Upon death, a beholder's skeletal structure would become brittle.[12]. Components: V, S, M (a pickled tentacle and an eyeball in a platinum inlaid vial worth at least 400 gp) Homeland(s) A beholders true The beholder then used its gouged-out eye as a spellcasting focus and was able to cast spells by wiggling and writhing its eyestalks. Lawful evil I sometimes forget that others dont have access to all of my knowledge. Their mouths are larger, so large that they can gulp down a man-sized target on a natural die roll of 20. The orbus is only found among spacefaring beholders, lacking functional eye stalks and most of the intelligence of a regular beholder. Niches and pedestals hold smaller objects, while larger objects are suspended from the ceiling or left freestanding in the room. A beholder brood was typically three to six babies, but could be up to twelve,[20] with newborns being almost always one sixth the diameter of their parent. Alignment Minions build walls in the beholders lair, distribute food to other residents, and carve out new living spaces for themselves and other minionstasks that the beholder considers beneath its personal attention. It is aware of the great library at Candlekeep and the lore stored there, and one of its main objectives is to get an agent into the place that can start sending copies of that information back to the Xanathar for review. If a beholders retinue were likened to an army, the grunts would be represented by its lesser minions, intelligent creatures that can talk and usually live in large groups. 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 A beholder believes it is superior to all other entities. BEHOLDER 5e stats the eye of the beholder ACTIONS. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage. The targeted creature LEGENDARY ACTIONS. The beholder can take 3 legendary actions, using the Eye Ray option below. It can take only one BEHOLDERs Most of the guilds low-ranking members have an idea that the boss isnt human, especially given how long the Xanathar has been in power (they arent aware that several beholders have held the job). The Xanathar, like its forerunners, is an eye tyranta type of beholder that chooses to live among other creatures in a position of superiority over them. Warlock Wizard 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. Use the following tables to produce a variety of different appearances for beholders. Adjoining chambers are connected by vertical or steeply sloped tunnels that the beholder carves out of the surrounding stone, each passage barely large enough to admit the beholders body. As a byproduct of their unique method of propagation, beholders in one part of the world tend to look similar, with variations becoming more pronounced the farther one travels from that area. If a human acted this way, the constant vigilance and lack of truly peaceful rest would lead to a dangerous level of psychosis, but a beholders mind accepts this attitude as normal and necessaryit is always alert to the possibility of assassination or betrayal by unknown threats that stand ready to pounce on the beholder the instant it lets its guard down. 3e A beholders natural ability to fly is essential to many of its defenses and habits. WebBeholderkin have a very wide range of appearances and abilities. These underlings dont have as much clout as the lieutenants do, but they do hold key roles in its guild and have some degree of influence in the organization. 5e stats - The eye of the Beholder - ANGRY GOLEM GAMES Although careful squinting could narrow the area of the field generated, it would not stop unless the central eye's eyelid was completely closed, or the eye itself was put out or diseased to the point of uselessness. Click here to toggle editing of individual sections of the page (if possible). Thats where the similarity ends. 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. A braggart beholder might use a slain enemys magic battleaxe as a trophy, but a manipulative beholder might give that axe as a gift to a lieutenant in order to encourage competition between its upper ranks. Most of the entryways and passages that it fashions to connect one chamber with another are too narrow to admit creatures larger than itself (particularly in the innermost chambers). A beholder and two gazers leaving a trail of death, petrification, and disintegration. In addition to enemy spells, prayers, or similar effects, this also affected a beholder's own eye rays, suppressing their power. 1st Edition Statistics[5] WebThe beholder will do its best to keep intruders at a distance, shutting down its center eye so it can zap anyone that comes at it. The beholder, of course, can disintegrate these barriers to gain access to the tunnel. Average length Circumstances might change the role of a piece of treasurea staff of the python used to prop up a stone block trap might be given as a gift if the beholder acquires a minion who can attune the item. This nervous tissue transmitted both light and magic into the three retinas at the back of the eye. Without such knowledge, only a misshapen mishmash of a creature could be dreamed to life. A beholder's central eye emitted a continuous antimagic field. Usually lawful evil Beholders were omnivorous, genderless aliens, and a subject of great fascination for sages who studied biology and the hunters who attempted to kill them. A beholders disintegration ray is a useful tool for excavation. The effects of this flight resembled those of the wizard spell levitation.[7]. [2], Many, but not all, beholders also had the capacity to use their central eye to project a field of antimagic, which canceled the effects of all supernatural abilities within a small cone of 150 feet in length. The simplest kind of prison, easy enough for a beholder to create, typically consists of 20-foot-deep holes disintegrated into the floor, sometimes covered with a wood or metal grating. The babies inside would then have to chew their way out. (Evil). For example, if a beholder intends to shoot charm, slowing, and sleep rays at a ranger, and the ranger succumbs to the charm, the beholder could use its remaining rays against other targets. General Wikidot.com documentation and help section. "Sane beholders" were beholders whose minds were not "divided" so to speak. Unintelligent foes are regarded as food or pets. A beholder might use loosely scattered petrified creatures to create obstacles in an open chamber, or pack them tightly in a corridor to seal off an area, or use them as falling hazards instead of heavy blocks in order to engender fear and uncertainty among intruders. Unless its opponents are concealed by fog, invisibility, or some other magic, a beholder can lurk in the dark and shoot any creature it can see within the range of its darkvision. They dont necessarily know their leader is a beholder; they just know the boss is powerful, dangerous, and doesnt tolerate mistakes. Visually impressive meals were always preferred, particularly colorful ones (beholders often watched themselves eat with their eyestalks). 3rd Edition Statistics[3] 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. A tunnel bends every 50 to 100 feet to prevent attackers from shooting at the beholder while it flees, but giving the monster opportunities to attack when its enemies come into view. Green Slime (5e Creature Check out how this page has evolved in the past. This section provides several alternative spell effects for a beholders eye. Same as death tyrant, but with mummy rot. Powerful and intelligent, beholders were among the greatest threats to the world. 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., The organizations grunt-level employeesthieves, slavers, and ordinary thugswork for the Xanathar Guild because it pays well. Since summon aberration summons a medium sized beholderkin, this is only possible if you are playing a size small race. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) acid damage. Challenge rating 1. A beholders arrogance is a prominent aspect of its personality. 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. My followers are all spying on me, and I seek motivated, powerful allies to destroy them. Many of them serve as tools. These items are stored somewhere in the lair until theyre disposed ofsometimes by distributing them among the minions as gifts, other times by disintegration. [18], The beholder brain was similar in appearance to that of a humanoid's, but wider,[18] capable of reaching a diameter of up to 4feet (1.2meters). Regardless of its overall configuration, every beholders lair is oriented to take full advantage of the creatures flight ability. I will be secure when I rule over all. WebWhen you cast the spell, choose Beholderkin, Slaad, or Star Spawn. A typical beholder would primarily be concerned with securing the area in a 1-mile radius around its lair (corresponding to the area of the beholders regional effects), but could range even farther if the need arises. 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 often has one or more pets in its lair, mainly because (for whatever reason) it enjoys the company of such creatures. However, some beholders were known to blind their own central eye in order to study wizardry, becoming a beholder mage. The green slimes are the weakest and most common kind of slime. A beholder constantly fears for its safety, is wary of any creature that isnt one of its minions, and is aggressive in dealing with perceived threats. A few possibilities are described here. I enjoy taunting rivals with hints of my plans. 2nd Edition Statistics[4] The retinas then transmitted the sensory signals and magical energy to the brain. Sometimes it uses gifts as rewards and incentives for exceptional minions; although it prefers to rule by coercion and fear, it understands that better results can sometimes be achieved by rewarding positive behavior instead of punishing negative behavior. Source. Even a slight variation in the shape of an eyestalk or the texture of its skin is enough for one beholder to consider another a flawed abomination, which should be destroyed. An inventive beholder might use an eversmoking bottle to obscure dozens of pit traps in a room, but a more militaristic one might not have a use for it and treat it as clutter. Alignment They handle menial tasks for the beholder such as hunting, scouting, and guarding the lair. Lair Actions All beholders and beholderkin touched automatically affected (no save). [25], Beholders were considered adults at the age of two years old and retained their vitality until their ninetieth year. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage. 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. As described in the Monster Manual, a beholders use of its eye rays in combat is random, governed by die rolls instead of by choice. These areas are often seeded with perils both stationary and mobile. Cold, emotionless logic is the way I defeat my foes. Most believe their leader is a member of a long-lived race, perhaps a dwarf or an elf. A death tyrants paranoia about its enemies tends to be related to how it fears it will be destroyed, and its plans take that fear into account. I pretend to be insane so my enemies underestimate me. Beholders, who often attacked for seemingly no reason, would often try to end a battle as quickly as possible, unleashing their terrifying abilities all at once. Beyond the lair entrance lies the vestibule. A beholder in its lair has access to so many resources that it can often vanquish invaders without directly confronting them. If you want to discuss contents of this page - this is the easiest way to do it. A beholder uses its fear ray to psychologically torture and interrogate a prisoner until the creature loses the will to resist. View wiki source for this page without editing. I was lucky to escape my enemy, and I worry that I might be discovered again before I am ready. Size Normally usable only by a death tyrant, negative energy prevents survivors of a battle from healing and animates any dead or dying creatures as zombies under the beholders control. [19] Its two lobes (known as "dweomerlobes") descended downwards to the left and right from the center like horns and had a complicated central nervous system surrounding it. 5e [16], Beholder blood was green. The lesser creatures known as beholder-kin bear a superficial resemblance to true beholders in that each has a floating spherical body with eyes. In such cases, they handled the various conflicting verbal components by singing a complicated spellcasting song. [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. Often, it plunders its neighbors homes for knowledge and treasure. It might also be a truly unique creature, such as could be spawned only from the twisted imagination of a beholder, with a set of magical abilities unlike that of its parent. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage. 10d10 + 50 bandits and 3d6 bandit captains, 10d10 hobgoblins and 2d4 hobgoblin captains, 10d10 + 50 kobolds, 2d4 kobold inventors,** and 2d6 kobold scale sorcerers**. TV Tropes Casting Time: 1 action I miss the kinship of my identical twin, who disappeared years ago. The dreams of such a death-fearing beholder might reach into strange corners of reality and imagine circumstances in which the creature can live on after death. Beholder-kin To prevent minions from handling or trying to steal trophies, the more favored and valuable items are kept on high shelves, accessible to the flying beholder but out of reach of anyone on the ground. Gauth According to those rare few witnesses, the beholder would unhinge its jaw, spit up its womb and bite it off. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage. Can include tokens, figures, maps, token borders, or portraits. A beholder might be willing to cooperate with adventurers who have news about another beholders lair or activities, and might be nonhostile toward adventurers who praise it for being a perfect example of a beholder. Aberrant Exceptions could be found in the elder orb subrace of the species. Beholder Variants for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition In addition to making use of classic gravity traps such as the collapsing roof, the falling net, and the rolling sphere, a beholder can use its disintegration ray to blast a hole in the ceiling above its enemies, opening up a previously prepared chamber filled with mud, water, sand, garbage, green slime, petrified enemies, poison gas, swarms of centipedes, zombies, or any other sort of hazardous material or creatures. Change the name (also URL address, possibly the category) of the page. Large From time to time it is gripped by overwhelming concerns about assassination plots, revenge-seekers, and other schemes against it. Type 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. Beholders can produce others of their own kind, but the process has nothing to do with biology and everything to do with psychology. As such, a large amount of information was available on beholder anatomy. WebThe spirit manifests physically in an unoccupied space that you can see within range. It holds sway over a dozen specialized lieutenants. 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. Type 2e Not only are its opponents unsure of the best way to kill it, but it can quickly retaliate with lethal force against multiple enemies at the same time, and it literally sleeps with its eyes open. [7], Beholder minds were divided into two separate entities. 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.