Beholder - "solo monster"

[renau1g]

We fought a beholder once as well, killed in one round for us as well, cleric dropped some big spell (implosion?) my rogue crit and had a massive sneak attack and the barbarian raged and landed a huge blow. The ranger hit it a few more times and done, no more eye attacks, it didn't even get a chance to go.

 

[keterys]

I remember obliterating a 3e one at like 7th or 8th level (it was, what CR 13?) - we knew in advance there was a beholder so I'd made us all invisible, so it could see us whenever it had antimagic on us, but couldn't hit us with eye rays outside of the antimagic... I think it only had one round of eye rays (which did turn someone to stone) then it died.

I also remember sending a mind flayer riding a beholder up against a group at one point

 

[the Jester]

In my infamous Bile Mountain adventure, the pcs fought a warren of multiple beholders. The walls were "swiss cheesed" with small holes, allowing the beholders to fire at the party from neighboring rooms. The pcs tore through the beholders when they could get to them, but under constant, withering fire from the others in the next rooms. It was awesome.

Re: The Monstrous Arcana books- I, Tyrant was one of the best d&d products EVAR. It did indeed have a lot of hooks for multiple beholder encounters, and even had a beholder city outlined. Not a good place to vacation.

 

[blargney the second]

Yep, in one of our 3.5 Eberron games, the DM chucked a half-dozen beholders at us with a daelkyr when we were level 15. Awesome fight.
-blarg

 

[Votan]

This brings back good memories of Baldur's gate 2 (which had them in numbers); they were terrifying before the arrival of anti-Beholder magic items!

 

[Runestar]

How many monsters WERE capable of being called Solo type monsters anyway?

In 3e...none that I am aware of. They all lose out in the action economy (being outclassed 5 actions to 1 sucks).

Maybe if you had your beholder hover directly above the party and divided them into 4 quadrants, then it might be a viable solo threat (in that it could actually use all 10 eye rays each turn (as a free action to boot!)

 

[ashockney]

I wrote a 3.5 module intended for publication in Dungeon, then it was cancelled...

The module was 17th level, and included four beholders and 8 xorn in one encounter.

That was nothing but good times.

 

[evildmguy]

It probably doesn't count but I think the old Pools of Darkness, game four of the gold box set, would have multiple attacks with beholders. If I am remembering correctly.

edg

 

[pawsplay]

If the beholder is ECL > average party level, you have a potential solo monster. Otherwise it's more of a skirmisher or a trap monster. Advancing a beholder by HD can add a lot of staying power, probably without outmatching a party too much.

 

[CubeKnight]

I remember one of the Neverwinter Nights expansion also having a dungeon chockfull of beholders.