Beholders Need a Visual Makeover [Archive] - Wizards Community

Beholders Need a Visual Makeover [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Return of the Flumph
01-12-07, 09:49 AM The recent WOTC beholder fix has sparked a few interesting threads, which got me paying attention to beholders. I've never used or fought one before, and I would like to have my players fight one once they reach a high enough level. The fluff from Lords of Madness helped quite a bit, and I may use some of the editing from the Wizards article, but there is still one problem left:

Beholders look stupid.

Honestly, how in god's name is anyone supposed to take that thing seriously? Even if it can disintegrate me from sixty feet away, I would probably be laughing at its goofy face as I turned to ash. There is no excuse for an alien horror spawned from the dreams of an insane chaos godess to look that silly.

Basically, I want to give the beholders a visual makeover without having to change the crunch. I have some vague ideas on how else they could look, but I would like your input. Thanks.
Witch
01-12-07, 09:54 AM I don't find they look silly at all ;) As such, I'm rather confused as to how you'd want to redo them.
pita
01-12-07, 10:51 AM I always liked the Heroes III evil eyes.
I think beholders should have stalks that deal 1d4 lightning. 8 of them.
Enderlaand
01-12-07, 10:57 AM What's so goofy about a beholder? It's a floating eyeball with eyestalks coming out of it. It's pretty scary if you ask me. There's something about giant eyeballs that I just don't like.
paradox1995
01-12-07, 11:10 AM Beholders look creepy...very creepy IMO
Dumat
01-12-07, 11:59 AM I get your point. There are lots of ways you could make this work. To preserve the mechanics, they just have to be able to fly, have a "main" eye, and have other ways of shooting rays besides an eyestalk.

My suggestion:

Before you floats a large, tangled, twisting mass of tendrils, clilia, teeth and pulsing organs. Several small eye-tipped tentacles slip out of the wet knots of flesh to fire beams of power in a warning shot at you. Suddenly, the small eyes jerk back into the mass as a white eye the size of your head pops into view, scattering the supernatural forces around you.
Armoracia Rusticana
01-12-07, 05:17 PM Sorry, can't tell if that one scarier than original one. I like them as they are.
LivingShadow
01-12-07, 05:23 PM It says that beholder body types can vary just create one that suits you.
Hammerhead
01-12-07, 09:12 PM I thought the way they look is one of the best things about them. Partly because unlike most monsters they don't really look like any real animal.
gmhack
01-12-07, 09:17 PM The recent WOTC beholder fix has sparked a few interesting threads,
.

I must have missed this. What Beholder fix is the op talking about?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Return of the Flumph 01-12-07, 09:49 AM	The recent WOTC beholder fix has sparked a few interesting threads, which got me paying attention to beholders. I've never used or fought one before, and I would like to have my players fight one once they reach a high enough level. The fluff from Lords of Madness helped quite a bit, and I may use some of the editing from the Wizards article, but there is still one problem left: Beholders look stupid. Honestly, how in god's name is anyone supposed to take that thing seriously? Even if it can disintegrate me from sixty feet away, I would probably be laughing at its goofy face as I turned to ash. There is no excuse for an alien horror spawned from the dreams of an insane chaos godess to look that silly. Basically, I want to give the beholders a visual makeover without having to change the crunch. I have some vague ideas on how else they could look, but I would like your input. Thanks.
Witch 01-12-07, 09:54 AM	I don't find they look silly at all ;) As such, I'm rather confused as to how you'd want to redo them.
pita 01-12-07, 10:51 AM	I always liked the Heroes III evil eyes. I think beholders should have stalks that deal 1d4 lightning. 8 of them.
Enderlaand 01-12-07, 10:57 AM	What's so goofy about a beholder? It's a floating eyeball with eyestalks coming out of it. It's pretty scary if you ask me. There's something about giant eyeballs that I just don't like.
paradox1995 01-12-07, 11:10 AM	Beholders look creepy...very creepy IMO
Dumat 01-12-07, 11:59 AM	I get your point. There are lots of ways you could make this work. To preserve the mechanics, they just have to be able to fly, have a "main" eye, and have other ways of shooting rays besides an eyestalk. My suggestion: Before you floats a large, tangled, twisting mass of tendrils, clilia, teeth and pulsing organs. Several small eye-tipped tentacles slip out of the wet knots of flesh to fire beams of power in a warning shot at you. Suddenly, the small eyes jerk back into the mass as a white eye the size of your head pops into view, scattering the supernatural forces around you.
Armoracia Rusticana 01-12-07, 05:17 PM	Sorry, can't tell if that one scarier than original one. I like them as they are.
LivingShadow 01-12-07, 05:23 PM	It says that beholder body types can vary just create one that suits you.
Hammerhead 01-12-07, 09:12 PM	I thought the way they look is one of the best things about them. Partly because unlike most monsters they don't really look like any real animal.
gmhack 01-12-07, 09:17 PM	The recent WOTC beholder fix has sparked a few interesting threads, . I must have missed this. What Beholder fix is the op talking about?