Beholder's Eye Rays

[ashockney]

Help me to clarify something, please.

One of my next BBEG in my epic campaign is going to be a Beholder.

Yes, an advanced fiendish paragon beholder...

So....

Can a beholder use all of his eye rays (with enough targets in a 360 degree direction) in the same round, or since these are ten unique supernatural abilities, which each would require a standard action to activate, must you decide which ray to choose and whom to target with the ray each round?

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

From the MMI 3.0: "each of the ten small eyes can produce a magical ray once a round, even when the beholder is attacking physically or moving at full speed."

AR

 

[the Jester]

Yup, beholders can fire them all every round. Even when they do something else too. Damn scary.

 

[Chris Parker]

And thats why you dont make contact lense jokes at a Beholder.

 

[Nifelhein]

A friend of mine used one and he decided that the creature could look to the ground with its central eye and fire all its rays in a single direction... it was the most scary thought of my whole life...

 

[Darklone]

I don't think a Beholder could do that... the description says pretty clearly how many eyes can look where, above or down is included IIRC.

It's scary enough since you always can position the beholder in such a way that he has targets in two areas...

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

The beholder used to be able to fire all it's eyes upwards in 3.0. That text is no longer in there for 3.5.

The only caveat is that all the eyes have to be fired at the same time so the beholder would have to position himself so enemies are all around him.

 

[ashockney]

Thank you for the responses. That will make this guy pretty tough.

Hmmm...Empowered Disintegrate Ray

 

[Longbow]

The beholder used to be able to fire all it's eyes upwards in 3.0. That text is no longer in there for 3.5.

The only caveat is that all the eyes have to be fired at the same time so the beholder would have to position himself so enemies are all around him.

How would he do that? Get in the middle of his enemys? If one or two characters survive his rays he´s pretty much dead (low AC, low hitpoints, bad saves). Or did I miss something?

I want to use a beholder in the future and I am unsure to use him right against my players.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

Well since the Beholder can fire his rays while moving he could very well move in the middle of his enemies, fire his rays, and move out... But you're right to assume that even if the Beholder can fire all of his eyes rays all at once, there aren't many situations in which he'll really be able too.