Beholder

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Beholder

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5th Edition Statistics[1]

Size Large
Type Aberration
Alignment Lawful evil
Challenge Rating 13 (14 if in its lair)

General Information
Vision
Darkvision (360 degrees)[1]
Homeland(s)
Underdark
Language(s)
Beholder,[2] Undercommon,[1][2] Deep Speech[1]
Appearance
Average Length
8' diameter
Distinctions
Eye rays
Charm Monster
Flight

A beholder, sometimes called a sphere of many eyes or an eye tyrant, was a large
aberration normally found in the Underdark. These large, orb-shaped beings had ten
eyestalks and one central eye, each containing powerful magic. Powerful and
intelligent, beholders were among the greatest threats to the world.[4]
Contents[show]
DescriptionEdit

Beholders were immediately identifiable, being essentially a floating head with one
single, cyclops-like eye surrounded by ten smaller eye stalks. Other than this, the
main feature of a beholder's anatomy was its massive, gaping maw. Because of these
features, beholders were occasionally known as "spheres of many eyes" or "eye
tyrants,"[4] although the latter also referred to a specific type of beholder.[5]

Because their entire body was covered in eyes, beholders had the capacity to see in
all directions at once, making it nearly impossible to ambush them while also
giving them an unusually high degree of perceptive ability. Although beholders
lacked the capacity to see color, they had the ability to perceive even in the most
darkened environment, under conditions in which a human or similar creature would
be rendered blind.[4]

Beholders were also capable of flight, in spite of their lack of wings or similar
physical features, simply hovering above ground effortlessly. The effects of this
flight resembled those of the wizard spell levitation. [4]
AbilitiesEdit

Beholders were not particularly strong but were inherently magical creatures, with
each of their eyes possessing an innately magical nature. 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. 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.[4] Any combination
of these was possible, although they often used only two at a given time.[5]

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. In addition to enemy spells,
prayers, or similar effects, this also affected a beholder's own eye rays,
suppressing their power. 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.[4]
SocietyEdit
CultureEdit

Beholders were often found occupying deep, underground caverns. Frequently, these
lairs were carved out by the beholders themselves, using their eye rays to mold the
environment for their purposes. Often, these lairs were built vertically rather
than horizontally like most buildings, with beholder architecture frequently
exhibiting a large number of vertical shafts which beholders and other flying
creatures could use with ease, while walking creatures found their navigation
hindered. [4] Beholders worshiped Gzemnid[6] and the Great Mother.[7]
PsychologyEdit

Xenophobic yet vicious creatures, beholders were quick to attack enemies, including
anyone they deemed not "like themselves." Beholders, as a rule, were violent and
greedy, hungering for both wealth and power over others. This was made all the more
complicated since more than one variety of beholder existed, each believing itself
to be the pinnacle of bodily perfection and they viewed other beholders who
differed from this image in even the most minute details as loathsome enemies and
inferiors.[4]

Beholder minds were divided into two separate entities. Each of these entities
though and acted on its own accord even though it was bound to the same body as the
other half of its mind. Neither half of the beholder's mind trusted the other, so
they hid a lot from each other, creating a very paranoid relationship. "Sane
beholders" were beholders whose minds were not "divided" so to speak. They were
still two entities within the beholder, but neither hid anything from the other,
making a less paranoid beholder. However, the persona of a "sane beholder" was just
as likely to be considered "insane" by any non-beholder. Because there were two
entities within a single beholder, that beholder should always be addressed by its
full name when in conversation with them, or they would perceive it as speaking to
only one of the entities.[8]
SubracesEdit

In spite, or perhaps because of their hatred of diversity, beholders came in a

variety of forms, some of which are listed below:

Bloodkiss beholder
An undead beholder that sucked its prey dry of blood with its eye tentacles.[9]

Death tyrant
Death tyrants were undead beholders akin to zombies.
Elder orb
These beholders were born with amazing longevity, to near-immortality.
Eye of flame
 An unusually docile form of beholder whose members, while still malevolent,
were willing to serve beneath more powerful beholders.
Eye of frost
A cruel beholder who lived in solitude.
Ultimate eye tyrant
An enormously powerful variant of beholder with the capacity to stun nearby
enemies as well as a greater range of eye ray abilities.[citation needed]
Hive mother
Hive mothers had the ability to magically dominate other beholders.[citation
needed]

BeholderkinEdit

A vast number of beholderkin existed. Not true beholders, these creatures did not
share the race's xenophobia, although most were still quite evil and cruel in
nature.

Death kiss
This creature's eyestalks were replaced with blood-draining tentacles.
Director
Beholder hive shock troopers.
Eye of the deep
A aquatic subspecies of beholder. Its most notable physical change was its two
large clawed arms.
Eyeball
An eyeball is a tiny beholderkin with four eye stalks.
Gauth
A gauth was a subspecies of beholders specifically bred to combat spellcasters.

Gouger
Ruthless carnivores that hunted beholders.[10]
Observer
An observer was one of the most socially adept of the beholder family.
Overseer
An overseer resembled a large, fleshy tree with mouths on its trunk and eyes on
its branches.
Spectator
A spectator was an extraplanar beholderkin with four eye stalks.

AppendixEdit
GalleryEdit
NwN Beholder
A beholder from the game editor of Neverwinter Nights.
BGDA GB - Creatures - Beholder 2
The first chapter boss of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on Gameboy Advance, staring
down the hero.

Add a photo to this gallery

ReferencesEdit

? 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wizards RPG Team (2014). Monster Manual 5th edition. (Wizards
of the Coast), pp. 2628. ISBN 978-0786965614.
? 2.0 2.1 2.2 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster
Manual 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 2527. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
? Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 25. ISBN 1-5607-
6619-0.
? 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook
(October 2000). Monster Manual 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 2425. ISBN
0-7869-1552-1.
 ? 5.0 5.1 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster
Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
? Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak (August 1997). Finder's Bane. (Wizards of the
Coast), p. 216. ISBN 0-7869-0658-8.
? Rich Redman, James Wyatt (May 2001). Defenders of the Faith. (Wizards of the
Coast), p. 93. ISBN 0-7869-1840-3.
? Richard Baker, James Jacobs, and Steve Winter (April 2005). Lords of Madness:
The Book of Aberrations. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 40. ISBN 0-7869-3657-6.
? Bruce R. Cordell, Eytan Bernstein, Brian R. James (January 2009). Open Grave:
Secrets of the Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 132. ISBN 0786950692.
? James Wyatt and Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of
Faern. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 24. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.

Further readingEdit

Richard Baker, James Jacobs, and Steve Winter (April 2005). Lords of Madness:
The Book of Aberrations. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 3751. ISBN 0-7869-3657-6.
Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual 3.5.
(Wizards of the Coast), pp. 2527. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.