Feat: Assume Supernatural Ability (SS) and the Beholder

[spunky_mutters]

I think you are correct by the wording of the feat and the Eye Rays entry. Were I DM, I would rule that that the Beholder ability is an exception to the wording of the feat, and that a specific eye ray must be selected when the feat is taken. Savage Species tries to make everything an option, and I think it requires more DM adjudication than any other WotC book that I've seen. I think this is a circumstance where the feat designers did not consider that there was a single Su ability that would grant control of 10 devastating attacks, and that's how I would rule on it.

But by the text, I believe you are correct.

 

[phoneranger]

Ultimate Cheese

My DM approved my MMF taking the Assume Supernatural Ability for a Beholder's eye rays. I'm sure that he didn't quite understand what he was agreeing to. I waited until the critical moment in the big battle to reveal my ultimate cheese, and became a Beholder and started firing eye rays. The whole group was pretty upset that I appeared to be far superior to their characters.

However, the Will Save to use the ability helps keep it in check, and of the 6 rays that I fired, only 1 of them had an effect - saving throws to resist were only DC19. Not very difficult for a Truly Horrid Umber Hulk. The enemy spell casters were firing spells at us with DC24+. The DC makes all the difference.

So it appears quite powerful, but in practice is not as bad as you would expect.

 

[Rkhet]

Can it assume any SU ability? If so, then personally I'd have taken an at-will greater teleport over this, any day.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I'd say that your reading of the rules is correct, but that the assume supernatural ability is poorly designed and balanced.

One eye ray 1/day would be fine, and it would be easy to reinterpret the battle with the horrid umber hulk accordingly: the feat granted you one use of one eye ray; not unlimited use of all 10. The other rays appeared to work, but they are only colored lights- nothing happens if the targets fail their saves.

 

[Willraven]

Eye ream

I believe the feat is clear, given the choice you've made to assume it's one monster, one supernatural ability. You would be able to use that ability exactly as written for a beholder, as a beholder would.

However, let's review...

Your 11 Lvl Sorc would have DCs of about 20 (comparable o you 5th Lvl spell DCs) on these abilities for 11 minutes per Poly cast, which you can do 6 times day. You're now slinging 11 medium-high DC touch DEVASTATIONS at about +7 to-hit per (that blows), with no magic item help, but previously cast spells still in effect.

I'd say that, in a hyper-octane magic item world, where thri-kreen fighters have four +5 keen vorpal kukris and feats coming out their all thri-kreen holes, having 11 +7 devastations/round 6 times a day at 11th level is fine indeed for a sorc. But then, you're fellow gamers may not be playing that way.

*I vote YES 8 years late. *

Also, it is possible that, using the wording of Polymorph, you won't be able to use it's fly speed (which you gain) as a beholder because it has Flight as an extraordinary SQ (which ye don't gain). Since you chose a spell (or whatever) that in turn allows you to choose a monster, using a More Specific Rulings Trump theory, I'd just rule IMOHG that, yeh, you gain it's speed movement, but no permanent feather fall effect, as Flight.