Beholder Tips and Tricks [Archive] - Wizards Community

Beholder Tips and Tricks [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tarionz_Cousin
02-05-06, 12:04 AM In my current campaign, my players are going to bump up against a Beholder. They are rather nasty all by themselves, but I would like to add a trick or two into the mix. After all, Beholders are intelligent and resourceful.

With their anti-magic cone and various eye rays, its best combat technique is undoubtedly to attack at range.

The anti-magic eye cone can be used for some cunning tricks. Here's one: The Beholder has had a pit dug, full of painful spikes, poisons, etc. Over the pit, it has had a permanent wall of force/illusion of a stone floor. When the PC(s) cross the area in question, the Beholder opens its central eye and the PC(s) plummet.

What other nasty tricks or useful tips are there for DM'ing a Beholder?
Riznar
02-05-06, 12:20 AM Do not let a PC get above a beholder. Less your beholder be crushed under 300lb of fighter who just did a flying(falling) tackle.
Vaelan
02-05-06, 12:44 AM Lords of Madness has a few feats for Beholders that will make them more formidable than Toughness (or whatever useless feats they are given in the MM).
Bloodtide_the_Red
02-05-06, 12:55 AM 1.Use the eye rays to go for soft targets. Animal companions, cohorts, mounts and such are great for this trick. It can quite easly distract a character trying to save thier animal.

2.All sorts of trigger traps, to be set off from a distance with disintegrate or telekinesis.

3.Telekinesis alone can do a lot of effects also..

BT
ubernex
02-05-06, 01:07 AM I've always been a fan of using the environment:

1) Floors being nothing more than Walls of Force over large nasty pits. One glance with the antimagic eye and the party is free-falling into whatever lurks below.

2) Zones of revese gravity. Again the anti-magic eye negates the effect and lets you bounce the party up and down and up and down.

3) They fly - no reason for them to live someplace where it is easy to walk. If the party doesn't need ballance checks to cross the room the eye-tyrant is trying hard enough.

4) They normally have the Flyby Attack feat. Use it well.

5) The Disintigrate and Telekinesis eye-beams do not always have to be used on the Beholder's opponents. There are many things to disintigrate and or telekinese. You can even cause things to fall and or be launched at the poor mage who you have stuck in you anti-magic eye if you are clever about it.

6) Reread the rules, as pointed out below #1 doesn't work within RAW :(

And those are just some of the basic ones :behold:
Tarionz_Cousin
02-05-06, 01:28 AM Some great comments. Thank you all very much. I'm definitely going to put in a few triggered traps and some flying-only accessible areas. :plotting:

In Dragon Magazine #308, there's an article called "Deadly Monster Combos," that suggests pairing a Beholder with 3 stone giants and some good defensive cover. The giants throw rocks until the PC's close. All the while, the Beholder is zapping away with its rays.

Unfortunately, my underground dungeon really isn't conducive to giants.

Are there any other monsters that you've used in conjuction with a Beholder that work well?
ubernex
02-05-06, 01:34 AM I love to pair Oozes with almost anything, they work well with/for beholders as well. Also, almost anything with DR x/magic tends to work well.
Lady Maedhros
02-05-06, 02:16 AM I like the idea of oozes in the pit under the wall of force trap. Fungi also work in the mindless hazardous creature category. Also, keep in mind that beholders are lawful, and might well have minions (goblins or grimlocks work well) or simply working agreements with other underdark creatures. Spread-out goblins with crossbows can sow delicious confusion in a party. Earth elementals can also serve you well, although they're a little harder to justify being around than gobbo minions.

You could always play up the abberation theme and drop a few cloakers in the Eye's lair. Grapple checks are very distracting when your bull's strength has been blitzed and you're trying to dodge rays of enfeeblement. Gas spores are a great accessory for any discerning beholder, and will freak your players the freak out: "Oh my God there's a whole flock of the things!" Of course if you don't have Lords of Madness that's less an option. :)

A pair of gargoyles could have nice synergy. DR 10/magic, darkvision and flight, and they're a melee threat counterpoint to the beholder's ranged and magic danger. Remember, speaking of darkvision, to keep track of your party's primary light source. That everburning torch won't help them much once they get an eyeful of antimagic.

Hmn. Ooze-filled pit traps, goblin minions, disintegrateable stalactites... We fought a beholder once, but now that i look at it, i think my DM sadly underplayed him. :raincloud
Horatio Hornblower
02-05-06, 10:13 AM If they don't know there's a beholder waiting for them you can have a lot of fun setting them up for the wrong creature.

In one game I played in the beholder BBEG was fond of his trophies and of deception. The DM had lots of statues around the dungeon. They were obviously the victums of petrification. When we talked to the villagers or his minions we captured (don't remember if they were goblins or something else) they told us their master was a medusa. They were so terrified of the beholder that they wouldn't dare tell us the truth. We prepared to fight a medusa.

Once we got to the lair we were shocked to be fighting a beholder. The battle was brutal. It was almost a TPK. Two out of six PCs were barely alive when we defeated it.

Fortunately, the DM went easy on us after the encounter. The treasure allowed us to raise our fallen PCs. He had such a good time with us falling for his deception and the party did succeed so he showed mercy on us.
pangalactic
02-05-06, 11:03 AM If you can get hold of it, the 2E accessory "I, Tyrant" is a hugely valuable resource if you're thinking about using beholders. It's a damn good read, as well. I think RPGNow have a pdf version if it ffairly cheaply.
Force
02-05-06, 11:54 AM I've always been a fan of using the environment:

1) Floors being nothing more than Walls of Force over large nasty pits. One glance with the antimagic eye and the party is free-falling into whatever lurks below.

Wall of force does NOT go away in an Anti-magic sphere. It says so in the spell description, same as prysmatic wall...
astute1
02-05-06, 12:20 PM Ironically, the best technique for a beholder isn't to stay at range. The best technique is to get into the middle of things so that you can bring as many eye rays to bear as possible. The best tip I have is that you should choose your firing arcs as carefully as possible. For example, if two guys are standing right next to one another, you could draw the line between two firing arcs in such a way that each of the guys is in one of the firing arcs. That allows you to maximize the number of eyes you are using. If the party starts to clump up, go high and use the antimagic cone on them - chances are, they will try to split up to get around it, then you're back in business with the eye rays. The only other tip that comes to mind is to be selective about which rays you use on which targets - hulking warrior is going to be more susceptable to Will saves, while a wizard will be weak against Fort saves. Beholders are quite intelligent, so they'll know which rays go best. Also, don't hesitate to do weird stuff, either. One time I used a beholder in a tower - he was directly above the party and used his eye ray straight down, affecting a large circular area.
Tarionz_Cousin
02-05-06, 02:55 PM Wall of force does NOT go away in an Anti-magic sphere. It says so in the spell description, same as prysmatic wall...

Oh. So much for that plan. A Wall of Stone is permanent, too, although a successful Disintegrate ray will destroy it.

Hmn. Ooze-filled pit traps, goblin minions, disintegrateable stalactites... We fought a beholder once, but now that i look at it, i think my DM sadly underplayed him.

You can return the favor by running your own encounter for that DM and being much more clever/harsh/challenging. :shifty:

Hey, "I, Tyrant" is only $4.95 at RPGNow. Thanks for the tip!
Milandros
02-05-06, 03:29 PM Rock walls and bridges are good things to use that disintegrate ray on. In addition, beholders can fly - meaning that they should use vertical passages heavily as well as horizontal ones. Walking under a beholder facing down would be very. very scary...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tarionz_Cousin 02-05-06, 12:04 AM	In my current campaign, my players are going to bump up against a Beholder. They are rather nasty all by themselves, but I would like to add a trick or two into the mix. After all, Beholders are intelligent and resourceful. With their anti-magic cone and various eye rays, its best combat technique is undoubtedly to attack at range. The anti-magic eye cone can be used for some cunning tricks. Here's one: The Beholder has had a pit dug, full of painful spikes, poisons, etc. Over the pit, it has had a permanent wall of force/illusion of a stone floor. When the PC(s) cross the area in question, the Beholder opens its central eye and the PC(s) plummet. What other nasty tricks or useful tips are there for DM'ing a Beholder?
Riznar 02-05-06, 12:20 AM	Do not let a PC get above a beholder. Less your beholder be crushed under 300lb of fighter who just did a flying(falling) tackle.
Vaelan 02-05-06, 12:44 AM	Lords of Madness has a few feats for Beholders that will make them more formidable than Toughness (or whatever useless feats they are given in the MM).
Bloodtide_the_Red 02-05-06, 12:55 AM	1.Use the eye rays to go for soft targets. Animal companions, cohorts, mounts and such are great for this trick. It can quite easly distract a character trying to save thier animal. 2.All sorts of trigger traps, to be set off from a distance with disintegrate or telekinesis. 3.Telekinesis alone can do a lot of effects also.. BT
ubernex 02-05-06, 01:07 AM	I've always been a fan of using the environment: 1) Floors being nothing more than Walls of Force over large nasty pits. One glance with the antimagic eye and the party is free-falling into whatever lurks below. 2) Zones of revese gravity. Again the anti-magic eye negates the effect and lets you bounce the party up and down and up and down. 3) They fly - no reason for them to live someplace where it is easy to walk. If the party doesn't need ballance checks to cross the room the eye-tyrant is trying hard enough. 4) They normally have the Flyby Attack feat. Use it well. 5) The Disintigrate and Telekinesis eye-beams do not always have to be used on the Beholder's opponents. There are many things to disintigrate and or telekinese. You can even cause things to fall and or be launched at the poor mage who you have stuck in you anti-magic eye if you are clever about it. 6) Reread the rules, as pointed out below #1 doesn't work within RAW :( And those are just some of the basic ones :behold:
Tarionz_Cousin 02-05-06, 01:28 AM	Some great comments. Thank you all very much. I'm definitely going to put in a few triggered traps and some flying-only accessible areas. :plotting: In Dragon Magazine #308, there's an article called "Deadly Monster Combos," that suggests pairing a Beholder with 3 stone giants and some good defensive cover. The giants throw rocks until the PC's close. All the while, the Beholder is zapping away with its rays. Unfortunately, my underground dungeon really isn't conducive to giants. Are there any other monsters that you've used in conjuction with a Beholder that work well?
ubernex 02-05-06, 01:34 AM	I love to pair Oozes with almost anything, they work well with/for beholders as well. Also, almost anything with DR x/magic tends to work well.
Lady Maedhros 02-05-06, 02:16 AM	I like the idea of oozes in the pit under the wall of force trap. Fungi also work in the mindless hazardous creature category. Also, keep in mind that beholders are lawful, and might well have minions (goblins or grimlocks work well) or simply working agreements with other underdark creatures. Spread-out goblins with crossbows can sow delicious confusion in a party. Earth elementals can also serve you well, although they're a little harder to justify being around than gobbo minions. You could always play up the abberation theme and drop a few cloakers in the Eye's lair. Grapple checks are very distracting when your bull's strength has been blitzed and you're trying to dodge rays of enfeeblement. Gas spores are a great accessory for any discerning beholder, and will freak your players the freak out: "Oh my God there's a whole flock of the things!" Of course if you don't have Lords of Madness that's less an option. :) A pair of gargoyles could have nice synergy. DR 10/magic, darkvision and flight, and they're a melee threat counterpoint to the beholder's ranged and magic danger. Remember, speaking of darkvision, to keep track of your party's primary light source. That everburning torch won't help them much once they get an eyeful of antimagic. Hmn. Ooze-filled pit traps, goblin minions, disintegrateable stalactites... We fought a beholder once, but now that i look at it, i think my DM sadly underplayed him. :raincloud
Horatio Hornblower 02-05-06, 10:13 AM	If they don't know there's a beholder waiting for them you can have a lot of fun setting them up for the wrong creature. In one game I played in the beholder BBEG was fond of his trophies and of deception. The DM had lots of statues around the dungeon. They were obviously the victums of petrification. When we talked to the villagers or his minions we captured (don't remember if they were goblins or something else) they told us their master was a medusa. They were so terrified of the beholder that they wouldn't dare tell us the truth. We prepared to fight a medusa. Once we got to the lair we were shocked to be fighting a beholder. The battle was brutal. It was almost a TPK. Two out of six PCs were barely alive when we defeated it. Fortunately, the DM went easy on us after the encounter. The treasure allowed us to raise our fallen PCs. He had such a good time with us falling for his deception and the party did succeed so he showed mercy on us.
pangalactic 02-05-06, 11:03 AM	If you can get hold of it, the 2E accessory "I, Tyrant" is a hugely valuable resource if you're thinking about using beholders. It's a damn good read, as well. I think RPGNow have a pdf version if it ffairly cheaply.
Force 02-05-06, 11:54 AM	I've always been a fan of using the environment: 1) Floors being nothing more than Walls of Force over large nasty pits. One glance with the antimagic eye and the party is free-falling into whatever lurks below. Wall of force does NOT go away in an Anti-magic sphere. It says so in the spell description, same as prysmatic wall...
astute1 02-05-06, 12:20 PM	Ironically, the best technique for a beholder isn't to stay at range. The best technique is to get into the middle of things so that you can bring as many eye rays to bear as possible. The best tip I have is that you should choose your firing arcs as carefully as possible. For example, if two guys are standing right next to one another, you could draw the line between two firing arcs in such a way that each of the guys is in one of the firing arcs. That allows you to maximize the number of eyes you are using. If the party starts to clump up, go high and use the antimagic cone on them - chances are, they will try to split up to get around it, then you're back in business with the eye rays. The only other tip that comes to mind is to be selective about which rays you use on which targets - hulking warrior is going to be more susceptable to Will saves, while a wizard will be weak against Fort saves. Beholders are quite intelligent, so they'll know which rays go best. Also, don't hesitate to do weird stuff, either. One time I used a beholder in a tower - he was directly above the party and used his eye ray straight down, affecting a large circular area.
Tarionz_Cousin 02-05-06, 02:55 PM	Wall of force does NOT go away in an Anti-magic sphere. It says so in the spell description, same as prysmatic wall... Oh. So much for that plan. A Wall of Stone is permanent, too, although a successful Disintegrate ray will destroy it. Hmn. Ooze-filled pit traps, goblin minions, disintegrateable stalactites... We fought a beholder once, but now that i look at it, i think my DM sadly underplayed him. You can return the favor by running your own encounter for that DM and being much more clever/harsh/challenging. :shifty: Hey, "I, Tyrant" is only $4.95 at RPGNow. Thanks for the tip!
Milandros 02-05-06, 03:29 PM	Rock walls and bridges are good things to use that disintegrate ray on. In addition, beholders can fly - meaning that they should use vertical passages heavily as well as horizontal ones. Walking under a beholder facing down would be very. very scary...