D&D 3E/3.5 3.x edition beholder questions

[Bootlebat]

A few things I've always wondered:

1. Are it's eye rays different colors? I always thought each would be a different color depending on the spell (e.g green for disintegrate (like the spell), black for finger of death, yellow for fear, pink for charm person/monster etc

2. Why does it have both a charm person and charm monster ray if the former is just a version of the latter that works only on humanoids? Wouldn't dominate person and charm monster be better?

3. Finally, why does it's main eye emit an antimagic field that blocks its own rays? This frankly seems like bad design to me. I was thinking it should instead shoot a greater dispelling ray out of its main eye.

 

[Richards]

1. I don't believe that's ever been specified. It would certainly be a one way to rule it, and as there are different "strains" of beholders it's well within the realm of possibility that some beholders have different-colored eye rays and others are all the same color. I have noticed that some artwork shows the eyestalk eyes all the same color and others have some eyes brown, some green, some blue, etc. - even within a single beholder.

2. The main reason is because that's the way that Gary Gygax designed them. But it may be because the beholder finds itself needing to charm humanoids more often, and the charm monster ray is for those occasions when it either needs to charm a more powerful creature or the human it was trying to charm made his save; then it's time to whip out the "spare" charm eye ray for a second attempt.

3. The central eye's antimagic field is used primarily for defense, to knock out any magic being used against the beholder. For that reason, it has to close its central eye whenever it wants to send its own eye rays against anyone directly before it. (And thus a beholder in combat is probably opening and closing its central eye repeatedly during combat, giving it a rather odd look.) Of course, since it can see out of those eyestalk eyeballs just as well, there's no reason it can't just pivot its body and send its eye rays up against foes who aren't currently in the path of the central eye's antimagic field. With the ability to direct three of its eystalks in any one 90-degree arc, there's likely one arc where it doesn't need to attack, so it might as well keep that arc magic-free so it isn't an obvious attack path for its foes to come get it.

Of course, there's no reason you can't create alternate beholders who have different eye rays and a different power emanating from its central eye. Given the stated hatred beholders have for beholders who are different than themselves, it only makes sense that there are beholders out there with slightly different powers. It's one way to keep the players guessing!

Johnathan

 

[Dungeonmastermark]

in my games i normally do make them different colors.. i also allow for knowledge checks for a spellcaster to recognize the eye/ spell= after seeing its ray

 

[billd91]

2. Why does it have both a charm person and charm monster ray if the former is just a version of the latter that works only on humanoids? Wouldn't dominate person and charm monster be better?

It's probably a legacy of 1e where the charm person and charm monster spells were a little more different. Charm person had a set duration based on the target's intelligence and charm monster gave the monster a periodic chance to break the spell based on its overall power.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

It's probably a legacy of 1e where the charm person and charm monster spells were a little more different. Charm person had a set duration based on the target's intelligence and charm monster gave the monster a periodic chance to break the spell based on its overall power.

No, it's that Charm Person only worked on a defined list of "persons", and Charm Monster only worked on monsters, not persons.

 

[billd91]

No, it's that Charm Person only worked on a defined list of "persons", and Charm Monster only worked on monsters, not persons.

Nope. Charm monster has worked on people too since 1e.

 

[Dioltach]

For that reason, it has to close its central eye whenever it wants to send its own eye rays against anyone directly before it. (And thus a beholder in combat is probably opening and closing its central eye repeatedly during combat, giving it a rather odd look.)

So why aren't they called Blink Balls?