So our trip through the Beholderkin takes us to the
Gauth. I got curious about how many kinds of Beholderkin have existed in the past; the answer, apparently, is “
a lot”.
Looking online, I actually managed to find the Volo’s Guide art; but I decided to keep using other sources, since that provides some nice variety, and also because this time I managed to find a Tony DiTerlizzi piece.
Fun, right? The Volo’s art is pretty decent, with an enjoyably complex arrangement of the eye-stalks and the texture of the skin being really well done, but it definitely lacks a sense of place or scale. That’s pretty common in the book, but the Gauth somehow really exemplifies it. I suspect that the art style was chosen specifically for making the pieces easy to see from across the table, when the DM holds up the book, rather than for being separate and complex ‘scenes’ in which the monsters appear. Also, I imagine that it is cheaper to have just the monster, not a whole painting.
One last note about the art: the tiny little eyes surrounding the central eye kind of freak me out a little. We’ve definitely reached eyeball overload at this stage.
The Gauth is basically a smaller Beholder. It is also mad, it is also tyrannical, and it also shoots eyebeams, unlike the Death Kiss. I’m really amused by the idea, outlined under ‘Accidental Summoning’, that a Gauth could arrive when someone tries to summon a Spectator (which is the small guardian-Beholder thing from the Monster Manual - one is guarding the forge in Lost Mine of Phandelver). The idea of a smart but not very wise Wizard, afflicted with +0 Insight and Perception scores, feeding all of his precious magic items to a Gauth in the mistaken belief that it will guard them loyally is really funny. Then add the fact that the Gauth is Int 15 and can speak, and you’ve got the potential for a comedic interlude when the party runs across this pair.
Party: “You sold us this potion, but it didn’t work. There’s no magic in it.”
Wizard: “Impossible! My loyal bodyguard, Evans the Eyeball, keeps my potions and scrolls safe from all harm.” [1]
Party: “That isn’t your loyal bodyguard, it’s a Gauth! A monster!”
Gauth: “No, I’m not. I’m a Spectator. Very loyal.”
Party: “You don’t look anything like a Spectator! You stole the magic!”
Gauth: “That’s hurtful, that is, jumping to conclusions based on my physical appearance. And you call yourself heroes.”
Maybe I’ve just read too much Terry Pratchett, though?
Otherwise, this variety of malevolent eyeball can turn up either as a hive of several of them (making a great Beholder battle if your party cannot handle the real deal) or as minions of a Beholder itself. I’ve mentioned earlier the benefit of smaller monsters in a boss fight or boss location, and these guys have especial advantage that you get much the same experience as fighting a Beholder. That lets you have the party fight multiple eye-ray monsters, but only kill the one Beholder, which keeps them as scary rare monster, rather than numerous victims of the PCs. I’m a big fan of not over-exposing the really famous monsters (Dragons, Vampires, etc) in the game, to keep that air of mystery and danger about them.
The Gauth works basically like a Beholder. It doesn’t get the top-tier rays - no Disintegration, Petrification or Charm here - but enough to keep things interesting. This edition they’ve gone for random rolling for the eye rays - which
this excerpt from the 3.5 MM reveals was not always the case. Apparently they also got to use all six rays at once then, which seems… unpleasant. Anyway, the random rays thing is intriguing. It definitely weakens the monster, letting it not just spam Paralysis every turn, and it can’t guarantee not rolling a useless one (Charm versus a Oath of Devotions Paladin, say). On the other hand, it also gives the fight some more drama (“You rolled paralysis again?! Guys, we’re in trouble!”), makes the monster easier to run for novice DMs, and ensures that the Beholderkin won’t just always use the best three rays available without variety. I’ve personally never had a Beholderkin combat, so I don’t have any experience to draw on either way.
One big change here - a Stunning beam, not Anti-Magic. I’d suggest that in some ways this is actually the stronger of the two options, just because it doesn’t stop the Gauth itself from attacking the targets inside the ray. The save DC is not terrible, at Wisdom 14, but it isn’t hard to imagine several party members failing that repeatedly. The easy way out is to avoid looking at it, as this stunning beam works essentially the same as a Medusa stare, and so (from experience with Marlos Urnrayle in PotA), most characters will just take the disadvantage on the chin, or stay more than 30 feet away.
As a final note, the Gauth is
really squishy - AC 15 and 67 HP for a CR 6 baddie. He’s going down pretty fast when the party focuses on him. So I think that makes it easier to use a Gauth in combination either with a Beholder or other Gauths: they have the hitpoints of minions, not of big bosses. So all in, I think that you’ll see these guys mainly as weaker, easier to massacre Beholders, used to give the same flavour but also let the players kill a few critters and feel good about it.
[1] Note that the Gauth can’t damage Potions, but let’s not have rules stand in the way of fun, shall we?
There are some super interesting monsters coming up, but feel free to jump in and discuss whatever catches your interest 
