We started from the Starter Set and just went with my own story line in the Forgotten Realms roughly between 1480 DR and 1490 DR; they're currently level 9 and pursuing a Thay/Bane threat. Only houserule I can think of is more dangerous critical hits: we just add the max of all additional dice...
Very cool, and I've never even thought about vampire beholders... that might be fun!
I was also wondering about Mind Flayers: are there several entries and what CR range are they? I'm in the middle of trying to get a pseudo-Underdark adventure thought out and trying to get a feel for the CR of...
Are there any other variants to the Beholder other than the Spectator? I would love to know the CRs they cover as well as the CR for the Beholder itself. Thanks!