Beholder's combat

[Celestian]

I just want to get clarification on how many eye stalks can attack at once. 3 per arc (left, right, forward, back, down) meaning all 10 stalks can be used as long as no more than 3 are pointed in those arcs? Or is he limited to firing off only 3 eye stalks per round in one arc?

thanks!

 

[hong]

3 per arc. As far as I can tell, however, there's nothing stopping the beholder from tipping itself over and aiming all 10 stalks "upwards" at a target.

 

[ControlFreak]

I've always played it that the beholder can only aim ALL of its eyes up, and can't aim it's body to make that another direction. Otherwise you are correct, 3 eyes in any one direction.

CF

 

[Altalazar]

Three eyes in one direction, but straight 'above' it can get all 10. I don't see any reason a beholder couldn't face toward the ground and use all 10 in one direction, and I've done that on occasion. It would be limited in mobility while doing so, but it could launch a devestating attack.

That does mean it can't use the central eye, however, and against tough groups, that can be the most important eye to use.

 

[Valorian]

I've always assumed that beholder had to keep thier orientation, otherwise they would just fly upside down at a little bit of height and get all their eye attacks... if it was really that easy to get all the attacks, I assume the painstaking description in the MM wouldn't be necessary.

Three eyes in one direction, but straight 'above' it can get all 10. I don't see any reason a beholder couldn't face toward the ground and use all 10 in one direction, and I've done that on occasion. It would be limited in mobility while doing so, but it could launch a devestating attack.

That does mean it can't use the central eye, however, and against tough groups, that can be the most important eye to use.

 

[Altalazar]

The MM really doesn't say. ANd the description is relevant because of the Central Eye.

It isn't exactly a big stretch to say a creature that can already fly and float naturally can do a simple thing like face toward the ground while doing so. Especially with so many eyes, allowing it to see no matter what orientation it took.

 

[Zappo]

OTOH, this is such a devastating attack that it sounds rather odd that it isn't mentioned in the MM or in any other beholder-related source.

It is not a stretch to assume that because of magical or physical limitations, the beholder cannot turn its body that way. Most RL flying things can't, even those that fly perfectly.

 

[dcollins]

Can a Beholder rotate so all it's eye stalks point wherever it wants? No! Yes! No! Yes! No! Yes! And so forth. (Just trying to abbreviate another thread going in that direction.)

 

[Altalazar]

Ultimately, since it is ambiguous (and even if it weren't) it is the DMs call. What are players going to do? Complain that it doesn't match the entry in the MM? Should the players even be looking in the MM while playing?

All I said was it wasn't much of a stretch to allow a Beholder to do what I described. It just makes you all the more cautious when encountering one. Besides, why should the MM give away all the secrets about a monster? It makes for more interesting play for the players when it doesn't...

 

[daTim]

If you are going to let a beholder do that, keep in mind it will be a tougher encounter for smaller parties, because one person might be wiped out in one volley of attacks. On the otherhand, it would weaken the beholder against a large group, since he is almost wasting a round by using all his eyes on one person. I feel that the eyes are designed for different opponents anyway. Fort save based ones for casters, will save based ones for fighters. They would probly do better by spreading their eyestalk attacks out to the different people all at once to try to neutralize as many people at once.

In my opinion, a beholder isnt that tough anyway, the save DC's are easy enough to pass from the attacks, hit has low HP's, a weak direct attack, easy AC, no DR, no SR, is slow etc. It also has very low saving throws itself, a monk could stun one at that level easy, and a monk should easily pass all the saving throws from the eyestalk attacks anyway.