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Memorable Beholder solo encounters?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 7516125" data-attributes="member: 6778044"><p>The lair shouldn’t resemble anything that we would consider inhabitable. Other than natural caverns, the only way a beholder could build a lair is that somebody else builds it (charm, taking over something existing, etc) or disintegration. In addition, it has no need for a flat floor or passages. Everything is not just difficult terrain, but requires climbing, flying, or levitation. </p><p></p><p>The beholder should have means of detecting intruders long before they detect it. This could magic items, along with traps and mundane alarms.</p><p></p><p>Telekinesis and disintegrate should be used liberally to drop stone down shafts that intruders must navigate to get to them, and the passages and shafts should be a maze of passages running in all different directions.</p><p></p><p>Larger caverns should exist with patches of natural light where the beholder can stay well out of range of dark vision and natural light sources but still see creatures in the lighted areas. Again, from a location that they can continue to drop rocks (portions of the ceiling), acid, flood rooms or passages, and other prepared hazards.</p><p></p><p>They should have the means to target one passage from another with their anti magic field to drop creatures flying through the use of magic.</p><p></p><p>A network of teleportation circles and/or portals with keys or command words to allow it to jump around the lair at will.</p><p></p><p>The most common trap would be to drop tons of stone down a winding passage, and blocking it off from whoever survives. Or a winding shaft that can be flooded. </p><p></p><p>The use of lesser rays through murder holes from adjacent passages to put a magically flying creature to sleep with a 400’ fall, for example.</p><p></p><p>Lots of side passages and dead ends, again with the means to seal them off, or use murder holes. Tracking a levitating creature should be nearly impossible.</p><p></p><p>A thorough knowledge of the acoustical nature of the lair, knowing where it can speak to the creatures from a different passage, great distance, etc.</p><p></p><p>They will always have means of escape, only sticking around to fight to the death when the intruders have found some way to thwart all of those means.</p><p></p><p>I don’t envision a direct assault/encounter with a beholder to happen except under extraordinary circumstances engineered by the party. They will have built an extensive network of minions and through them magical and mundane traps and many, many contingencies to avoid coming face to face with anything dangerous. At most, once the lair is breached, the PCs might get one chance to glimpse the beholder and perhaps get an attack before it’s gone and they have to start the procedure again. If it can’t actually escape the lair, then it will be a long game of cat and mouse, with the beholder staying out of range, and wearing down the resources of the PCs. </p><p></p><p>Essentially, the lair itself is both it’s best defense and primary attack. By the time it is face to face with hostile creatures it’s almost certainly too late.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilbranteloth, post: 7516125, member: 6778044"] The lair shouldn’t resemble anything that we would consider inhabitable. Other than natural caverns, the only way a beholder could build a lair is that somebody else builds it (charm, taking over something existing, etc) or disintegration. In addition, it has no need for a flat floor or passages. Everything is not just difficult terrain, but requires climbing, flying, or levitation. The beholder should have means of detecting intruders long before they detect it. This could magic items, along with traps and mundane alarms. Telekinesis and disintegrate should be used liberally to drop stone down shafts that intruders must navigate to get to them, and the passages and shafts should be a maze of passages running in all different directions. Larger caverns should exist with patches of natural light where the beholder can stay well out of range of dark vision and natural light sources but still see creatures in the lighted areas. Again, from a location that they can continue to drop rocks (portions of the ceiling), acid, flood rooms or passages, and other prepared hazards. They should have the means to target one passage from another with their anti magic field to drop creatures flying through the use of magic. A network of teleportation circles and/or portals with keys or command words to allow it to jump around the lair at will. The most common trap would be to drop tons of stone down a winding passage, and blocking it off from whoever survives. Or a winding shaft that can be flooded. The use of lesser rays through murder holes from adjacent passages to put a magically flying creature to sleep with a 400’ fall, for example. Lots of side passages and dead ends, again with the means to seal them off, or use murder holes. Tracking a levitating creature should be nearly impossible. A thorough knowledge of the acoustical nature of the lair, knowing where it can speak to the creatures from a different passage, great distance, etc. They will always have means of escape, only sticking around to fight to the death when the intruders have found some way to thwart all of those means. I don’t envision a direct assault/encounter with a beholder to happen except under extraordinary circumstances engineered by the party. They will have built an extensive network of minions and through them magical and mundane traps and many, many contingencies to avoid coming face to face with anything dangerous. At most, once the lair is breached, the PCs might get one chance to glimpse the beholder and perhaps get an attack before it’s gone and they have to start the procedure again. If it can’t actually escape the lair, then it will be a long game of cat and mouse, with the beholder staying out of range, and wearing down the resources of the PCs. Essentially, the lair itself is both it’s best defense and primary attack. By the time it is face to face with hostile creatures it’s almost certainly too late. [/QUOTE]
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