D&D General Help with Beholder Eye Ideas

[Keaggan]

Hey all! I could really use some creative minds here.
I'm building a campaign around a cult that stole the literal eyes right out of the world's one and only beholder. It's a setting where there's only a single legendary creature of each type, so these eyes are a really big deal; each one is basically a unique magical artifact. The cult's priests each wear a silver-locked pendant containing one of the eyes, and the party will have to face off against these "minibosses" to reclaim them.
Here's where I'd love your help:

• - Which 6 beholder eyes would you pick (out of the classic options or your own homebrew ideas), and how could each eye's power shape the cult's vibe, the priest miniboss, and the quest to get it?
• - What are some wild, thematic encounters or locations that could be built around each eye's theme or magic?
• - How would you make each eye feel like a true artifact, full of lore, danger, or strange effects?
• - Any cool twists or traits for the cult priests so each miniboss stands out and feels memorable?
• - I haven't decided on the order yet, so I wanted to focus on which eyes would be the most interesting.

I want each encounter to feel dark or twisted, and I'm totally open to menessincing, difficult or off-the-wall ideas. Hit me with your best stuff!

 

[Savage Wombat]

Well, first, I wouldn't wear the eyes on a pendant. Each leader should have an eye grafted to a different part of their body.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Establish lore regarding this solitary beholder - creation or escape from the Outer Realms.
If from the Outer Realms perhaps the users of these artifacts become slightly mad or adopt certain beholder-like tendencies (diet, senses, metamorphosis...etc)

I would not have all of the priests graft or use the eyes as amulets. Develop each user with a different personality and quirks as they are just as important as the artifacts. Also think about what has happened to the cult since they started using these artifacts.

1. Telekinesis - A setting/lair where there appear to be animated inanimate objects floating or moving about, but it is just latent telekinetic energy. Characters and their missile fire are repelled and thrown back would be fun, or things hurled at them or shoved on them (table, a barrage of chairs, shelf, a stack of books, a candlestick stand...etc).
Use the artifact as a Legendary Action or as a Reaction.

2. Fear - Use the setting/lair to highlight this power by playing to the various fear types (acrophobia, gephyrophobia, arachnophobia..etc).
Perhaps there are latent fear energies that last for a moment or more.
Don't be shy to develop lesser condition effects such as Hesitant - disADV on initiative checks.
Perhaps the user of this artifact has become mad or is as calculating as the Scarecrow (Batman)

3. Sleep - This one is fun, the cultists of this lair are all comatose. One struggles to remain awake, PCs are unsure if they are in a dream or reality. The artifact may be sentient, and has taken over. The PCs need to "beat the dream" to awaken to destroy it or fall victim to slumber like its priest.

Anyways...think along these lines.

 

[mamba]

Well, first, I wouldn't wear the eyes on a pendant. Each leader should have an eye grafted to a different part of their body.

replaced an eye of their own with the beholder eye, so they can use it themselves

 

[jmartkdr2]

The charm one shouuld probably make the user beautiful (after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and grant an always-on charm effect. Give him/her lots of minions and ways to command them, but only give the eye-user themselves a cantrip-tier psychic blast.

In this case I'd probably put the eye on a diadem.

 

[aco175]

I'll help by listing the common powers for the eyes.

I might make each eye be like an Ioun Stone and float around the bosses head and shoot rays on its own initiative. As you collect more to float around your head, you gain more powers, but still one bonus ray per round. Once you collect all of them, you turn into the beholder and become a NPC in the game. Awesome cosmic power and itty-bitty living space, and all that.

There could be another faction who controls the central eye and the anti-magic part of this. They work against the bad faction trying to gather all the other eyes to summon the elder eye. They have the anti-magic eye and the last of the other eyes the PCs or this other group is looking to collect. They are both kept facing each other to cancel the other out. This brings balance to the force, or the Matrix thing where the two people were close but not touching.

I would start off the campaign with one of the lesser eyes showing up with the quest giver meeting the PCs and then dying from the bad group trying to take it or some other cliché. This sets in motion the fate of the world and hope that rest on the PCs and blah, blah, blah...

 

[Keaggan]

Well, first, I wouldn't wear the eyes on a pendant. Each leader should have an eye grafted to a different part of their body.

&

replaced an eye of their own with the beholder eye, so they can use it themselves

I am really leaning towards the amulets around their necks to make it seem like a piece of jewelry the cult wears, BUUUUUUUUT I think you are both right, and at least ONE of them has to HAVE it embedded because that would be a very cool surprise! Like I might wait to reveal which eye a priest has until AFTER the PCs take the necklaces from him. A scary twist when the priest uses the eye!

Establish lore regarding this solitary beholder - creation or escape from the Outer Realms.
If from the Outer Realms perhaps the users of these artifacts become slightly mad or adopt certain beholder-like tendencies (diet, senses, metamorphosis...etc)

This got me thinking in a totally different way. Having the eyes also influences the priest's personal habits in subtle ways!

1. Telekinesis - A setting/lair where there appear to be animated inanimate objects floating or moving about, but it is just latent telekinetic energy. Characters and their missile fire are repelled and thrown back would be fun, or things hurled at them or shoved on them (table, a barrage of chairs, shelf, a stack of books, a candlestick stand...etc).
Use the artifact as a Legendary Action or as a Reaction.

I can see this being near a town and strange things happen. Like objects randomly move or get rearranged. Doors shut randomly or a rope grabs a person. People think the town might have ghosts or a curse, but it is the power of the Eye "leaking" into the town, and the priest doesn't have complete control over it yet. Maybe it gets worse at night because when he dreams the power of the eye goes wild like some part of the Beholder is lashing out.

3. Sleep - This one is fun, the cultists of this lair are all comatose. One struggles to remain awake, PCs are unsure if they are in a dream or reality. The artifact may be sentient, and has taken over. The PCs need to "beat the dream" to awaken to destroy it or fall victim to slumber like its priest.

This is an interesting twist because the Priest isn't necessarily evil. The power of the eye might be too strong for him. But as long as he keeps meeting his "cult quota," then no one checks on him.

 

[Sorinth]

Is this supposed to be a recent event?

I think you might get more value from having this be something that happened at least several generations ago so that each eye would have time to change it's surroundings and the culture of those who hold an eye.

Telekenesis Eye. This one isn't worn by the cult but instead is used to power a floating city. The society would lean towards Artificer's and Magic/Steam punk type vibes.

Petrification Eye. Home is a mythical El Dorado type city in a jungle, but perhaps instead of gold there's a super valuable type of marble. The jungle is home to numerous Basilisks & Cockatrices. The people of the city live in relative harmony and have even partially domesticated these creatures. The "cult" is the only religion and worships the eye.

Death Eye. Buried in a tomb in the desert. Undead in and outside the tomb, Long Rests provide no benefits within 5-10 miles of the tomb. The desert itself and the LR effect is basically the long term effects of an area having prolonged expoure to the eye. It wouldn't move with the eye, but someone having the eye on them for a long period of time would probably suffer effects within a few years if not sooner.

 

[MarkB]

How about having the eyes have drawbacks or side effects due to them never having been meant to be controlled by mere mortal minds. Like, the Charm eye causes people to randomly become infatuated with you at inopportune moments, or the Sleep ray turns you into that one teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off whenever you're trying to host an important meeting.