If you were a Beholder.........what would you ask of my players?

[Guilberwood]

Hi guys,

As usual, I’m in need of a little help from the boards.

The last session of the weekly game I run ended in a way I did not imagine: one of the character’s was petrified by a Beholder!

The rest of the party managed to escape, and now they plan on coming back to rescue the guy!

Now let’s see it from the Beholder’s point of view: He was facing a small group of humanoids, which he thought he could handle. During the fight, he realized these humanoids were not so harmless, and he started to worry. Luckily (for him), he petrified one of the humanoids, and the others fled. He is not sure if they’re coming back, but he’s sure that if they come back, they’ll be prepared to face him, making it even more dangerous.

So now he plans on negotiating with the party. He will threat to destroy the petrified character and ask for something in return for releasing him. This way, he can get rid of the humanoids, and still get something out of it.

The thing is, I don’t know what to ask from my players. The party does not carry a lot of magic items, and I do not intend to make them part with the few that they got.

I want to ask for something that is at the same time reasonable and dear for my players. I want them to agree with the beholder, but still feel like they are paying a “fair” price to get their friend back.

What would you, my fellow En worlders, paragons of rat bastardness and wisdom,suggest?

I could ask for money….or food (they’re in a cave, with very low provisions), what else?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Guilberwood

 

[Mark CMG]

First, gotta hide the stone-friend. Gives him more room to negotiate.

 

[Lilith]

Either that, or have the beholder telekinesis the statue of their friend in the air and say "Listen to my words, or your friend will be dust."

 

[PallidPatience]

A favor. Surely he has rivals, foes, etc... He should send them after one of those.

 

[jezter6]

The food idea started to really get my brain going. Sort of like the Knights who say Ni!

Maybe they must bring him a shrubbery? Or chop down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring? Or some equally daunting task.

Maybe he's hungry for a unicorn? Make the PCs go out and find a unicorn and sacrifice it to get the friend back? Make them do something dirty and vile, make them pay not in a monetary way, but in a "oh god, look what we've done" sort of way.

 

[The Edge]

How about amoung other the stuff, something quite mundane and aparrently wothless, but strange enough to make them really suspicous. Ask for a cut of hair from each of them, or even from everybody in the nearest town. No idea what it'd want it for, but thats what the players would wonder.

Is it just a beholder with a hair fetish? Or has he got got more sinister plans for our hair?

After all, its a beholder, you should expect monsters to think in seemingly alien ways.

 

[Bagpuss]

Send them to kill something else, maybe another evil creature, even another beholder that's a rival. The beholder then gets rid of the party or the enemy.

 

[Rothe]

Send them to kill something else, maybe another evil creature, even another beholder that's a rival. The beholder then gets rid of the party or the enemy.

That's what I'd recommend. Anything that weakens these humanoids. If I was a beholder I'd also try to ambush the party on their way back while they are weakened. Maybe I'd even send a wanring to my "enemy" so he could prepare an ambush. Maybe there is no enemy it just leads to a deadly place or a palce where the beholder can ambush the party. Of course play it up good how the beholder hates this other creature and wants its head and treasure. Give the party a motive they can buy to cover the real motive.

In addition, set a few traps, if this is within the beholder's abilities, for when the party comes back.

Of course a beholder has a certain sense of honor. In the parties dieing moments he should turn their friend back to flesh, just before he disintegrates him.

Now a beholder overall wants to protect his own chitinous hide. The levatating the stoned-friend in the air idea above is a great one. Sort of like a deadman's switch. Deception is also good, does the beholder have any gas spores handy? Dress one up and float him where the PCs expect the beholder to be on their return. Just in case the party double-crosses him

 

[Sejs]

Remember, Beholders are smart, but they hate and distrust everything, including other Beholders.


This guy's gotta have a rival somewhere. Or someone that he wants dead and wouldn't care if the PCs died in taking out, but doesn't particularly want to expose himself by killing personally. Turn one enemy against another and all that.

 

[MongooseFamiliar]

Do you have a paladin or similarly noble type in the group? Perhaps he could get that guy to give his word to do the favor or whatever is required, then they could still get their friend unpetrified while being obligated to go on the quest.

Or a geas spell or some sort of magical contract to hold them to it. Maybe "I want you to go kill my rival. You will leave me a bit of your blood and hair. If you do not bring me proof of his death within one week's time, I will use them to curse/kill you. When you bring me proof of his death, you lot get your hair and such back. Oh, and take your unpetrified friend with you. He is the worst statue I have ever made."