Mearls Monster Makeover: Beholder

[RangerWickett]

I actually had a pseudo-prismatic beholder as the creation of a high-level mage. The party entered a room, the door's sealed, and out of a pit rose a whirling sphere of light, and inside the globe of colors floated a giant head with a single massive solid-gold eye, crowned with eight eyestalks that bled fire.

All of the beholder's power's (and the effects of its 'prismatic sphere') were unique, specifically designed to fit with the themes of the campaign, specifically teleportation, antimagic, and fire. If I recall correctly, it had the following abilities with its eyes:

1-4. Fire blast - like souped up scorching rays
5-6. Telekinetic rays
7-8. Forced dimension door rays

The central eye sucked magic, like a vampiric antimagic cone, allowing it to dispel effects in order to gain hit points back. It also muttered a strange chant in a constant drone that made spellcasting more difficult, and that would alter spell-based energy resistance in a ring, going in order from acid to cold to electricity to fire to sonic. So if you had protection from energy (fire) up, the first round of combat it would switch to prot energy (sonic), then (acid), and so on.

The 'prismatic sphere' stopped teleportation through the sphere, dealt intense fire damage to projectiles and to people who stepped through, and telekinetically shoved away anyone who it touched. Since I didn't want a 'smart' beholder that floated out of range of combat, this one's tactic was to bull rush PCs, hitting them with the sphere while blasting away with its eyes at other foes and in general causing a ruckus.

It was a good fight.

 

[grodog]

here is an example: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=108218
and this is with 3.11ed for Workgroups

And some other suggestions offered to the DM running the beholder in that same thread set: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=110145

I like the prismatic beholder idea, perhaps it's some sort of strange construct, or a variant beholder race, or a beholder angel, or somesuch....

 

[Garnfellow]

Applying the Makeover

Out of curiosity, I wanted to look at a beholder statblock with Mearls' changes incorporated. No one seems to like barrage, so I've left that ability out. This is what I've got:

BEHOLDER ___________ CR 13
LE Large aberration
Init +6; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft; Listen +18, Spot +22
Languages Beholder, Undercommon
------
AC 26, touch 11, flat-footed 24
hp 93 (11 HD)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +11
------
Spd 5 ft, fly 20 ft (good); Flyby Attack
Melee bite +7 (2d4)
Space 10 ft; Reach 5 ft
Base Atk +8; Grp +12
Atk Options antimagic eye (DC 22)
Special Actions eye rays (+9 ranged touch, DC 21)
------
Abilities Str 10, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 15
SQ fly
Feats Alertness, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will
Skills Hide +12, Listen +18, Search +21, Spot +22
------
All-Around Vision (Ex) Beholders are exceptionally alert and circumspect. Their many eyes give them a +4 racial bonus to Spot and Search checks, and they can’t be flanked.
Antimagic Eye (Su) The beholder can focus its large, central eye on an area, disrupting all spellcasting that takes place there. As a swift action, the beholder creates a 60 foot cone. Anyone in this area who attempts to cast a spell must make a caster level check (DC 22) to successfully complete the spell. This DC is Intelligence based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
Eye Rays (Su) Each of a beholder's ten eye stalks can produce a ray of magical energy. As a standard action, a beholder can produce one ray from each eyestalk. It can target up to three rays at a single target. Each ray aimed at a specific target must have a different effect, but a beholder can use the same ability twice per round. Each eye’s effect resembles a spell (caster level 13th) but follows the rules for a ray. All rays have a range of 150 feet and a save DC of 21. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

• Blast Ray: This eye ray inflicts 6d6 energy damage, no saving throw. The beholder can choose the ray's energy type.
• Charm Person: The target must succeed at a Will save or be affected as though by the spell. Beholders use this ray to confuse the opposition, usually employing it early in a fight. The beholder generally instructs a charmed target to either restrain a comrade or stand aside. The beholder can also this ray to stun a target with a failed Will save.
• Disintegrate: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or be affected as though by the spell. The beholder likes to use this ray on any foe it considers a real threat.
• Slow: This works like the spell, except that it affects one creature. The target must make a Will save to resist. Beholders often use this ray against the same creature targeted by their disintegrate rays. If one of the former rays fails to eliminate the foe, this ray might at least hamper it.
• Telekinesis: A beholder can use this ray to move a creature up to 20 feet; a Reflex save negates this movement.

Flight (Ex) A beholder’s body is naturally buoyant. This buoyancy allows it to fly as the spell, as a free action, at a speed of 20 feet. This buoyancy also grants it a permanent feather fall effect with personal range.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

With the eye rays and antimagic cone nerfed, that's a pretty wimpy CR13 critter.

 

[Fishbone]

Damn skippy. Needs another 4-8 HD and elite scores. You take away a creatures most potent abilities and make the cone more selective you gotta pants the creature up. For an iconic creature with a CR of double digits the Beholders stats are far below average. A Mind Flayer is stronger, smarter, more wise, dextrous, and tough for crying out loud!

 

[Kunimatyu]

Try this instead:

Antimagic Eye (Su) The beholder can focus its large, central eye on an area, disrupting all spellcasting that takes place there. As a swift action, the beholder creates a 60 foot cone. Within the cone, all active spells are dispelled, all magic items are inactivated, and all casters are unable to cast spells for 1 round.

 

[blargney the second]

Kunimatyu, the point of reworking the Antimagic Eye was to get rid of the 15 minutes of recalculation required by suppressing magic. You just put that back in...

 

[Kunimatyu]

Kunimatyu, the point of reworking the Antimagic Eye was to get rid of the 15 minutes of recalculation required by suppressing magic. You just put that back in...

True, true...

I'm still dissatisfied with the wimpiness of the central eye, so I attempted to juice it back up a bit.

I could always change the ability such that it prevents spellcasting and dispels buffs, but leaves items intact. I'd prefer if it disabled things like flaming swords but left stat bonus items intact, since they're the headache-inducing ones. Perhaps magic items that have to be activated also don't work?

 

[Fishbone]

I'm going to beat the dead horse again...
The Beholder should be significantly better than a creature of like CR. If its done with demons, devils, angels, and dragons why not a quintessential 3 decade old creature? Beholders must kick ass once again.

 

[blargney the second]

I'll take a crack at the central eye.

Central Eye (Su, free action): A beholder can focus the gaze of its central eye on one foe per round. The target can not use any spells, spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities, or magic items, nor can it be affected by any such effects from other sources, including the beholder's eye rays. In addition, the target takes a -3 penalty (HD/3) on attacks, damage, saves, skills, and ability checks, as well as losing the ability to deal magic damage with its attacks. The effect of the central eye ends at the beginning of the beholder's next turn.