How do Beholders digest their food?

[jester47]

My initial thought when I read the question was that they were bags of devouring that had matured.

The other thought that I had was that they fed off of fear and negative emotions. The mouth is just there to invoke fear.

But here is the best I can come up with:

What if a beholder was not necessarily evil as per a DMs whim? I figured that a good way to go about this if they were evil or not was that they live off of seeing beauty. Thus they try to reach out in the world and gather as many beautiful things as they can and keep them in their lairs, and just gaze at them. From maidens, to art, to views, they do things to gather beauty unto themselves, and when they see it, they grow in power and strength. They study the beauty and live under the illusion that because they have so much beauty they themselves must be beautiful. When somthing is broken, injured, aged, or otherwise if the beauty leaves it, the beholder destroys it. If it finds a flaw in somthing, the beholder destroys it. Basicly they are the worst of art critics and beauty pagent judges. Though I could see them being artists with tempers too.

This angle offers the most role playing potential for the monster that I have found.

Aaron.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Perhaps Beholders digest food the second its eaten. No mouth to stomach. Instead, mouth serves as all of the digestive system. The problem of waste comes up, but then again, a Beholder could be like a garbage disposal of sorts. It doesn't have wastes and its body can break down pretty much anything(things like swords and such it could just spit out)

This could also mean that Beholders need to eat a lot. Which means more tortured adventurers. And that is always a good thing.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Seriously. Their entire bodies are composed of eyes, a mouth, and presumably a large cranial cavity. So...how do they digest what they would eat with those ginormous mouths?

...and how exactly do they fly?

 

[Turanil]

What if a beholder was not necessarily evil as per a DMs whim? I figured that a good way to go about this if they were evil or not was that they live off of seeing beauty. Thus they try to reach out in the world and gather as many beautiful things as they can and keep them in their lairs, and just gaze at them. From maidens, to art, to views, they do things to gather beauty unto themselves, and when they see it, they grow in power and strength. They study the beauty and live under the illusion that because they have so much beauty they themselves must be beautiful. When somthing is broken, injured, aged, or otherwise if the beauty leaves it, the beholder destroys it. If it finds a flaw in somthing, the beholder destroys it. Basicly they are the worst of art critics and beauty pagent judges. Though I could see them being artists with tempers too.

This is the best I ever heard about Beholders, really.

 

[Turanil]

Maybe they're like vampires, and those biggie fangs latch onto stuff and suck the life juice right out of 'em when nobody's looking.

This is the whole point of this affair: when nobody is looking!

It took a whole thread to figure it out, but now you've pierced their secret!

 

[Breakstone]

...and how exactly do they fly?

Well of course, all that rapid digesting produces a whole lot of gas...

 

[shilsen]

Well of course, all that rapid digesting produces a whole lot of gas...

Ooh - beholders with a stinking cloud attack. I love it!

 

[Raven Crowking]

Removed

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I don't use beholders, but...

I would have them digest their food in their mouths, taking a bite large enough for a meal, then resting, mouths closed while the enzymes in their saliva break it down, absorbing the nutrients through the insides of their mouths, cheek pads and soft palette. After digestion they spit out tne bony remains.

Given a fairly inefficient digestive system they may prefer carrion to fresh meat, and meat to vegetable matter.

The Auld Grump

 

[tarchon]

Disintegrate and slurp.