Paladin vs. Beholder

[SlyFlourish]

I've had this discussion before but the situation is about to come up again and I need help.

We have a level 24 paladin in our group who is sticky as hell. When a challenged creature attacks anyone else, they're at -3, become weakened, takes a pile of radiant damage, and the target of the attack heals a bunch. Essentially, there is no good reason a marked creature would attack anyone else. That's fine, except when it comes to a single-targeting solo.

So now we have the beholder. The Beholder's primary attack is a free attack that targets anyone activating within 5. If the beholder is marked, it will trigger the paladin's onslaught of crap and essentially do no damage, become weakened, and take a bunch of damage.

Granted, I can pound on the party with a variety of environmental effects and other companion monsters but that paladin is sure to keep the beholder tied down.

So, should I simply not care or is there some tactic I can use to make the beholder actually work in this battle?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[fba827]

Your "simplest" way is the onslaught from environmental factors and lackeys running around the encounter as well, mixed in with some "just don't care - let the paladin feel special by pointing out, repeatedly, how much he's saving the rest of the party some serious hurt."

For an out of the box method, perhaps the beholder has a strange gem covering one of it's eyeballs - thus, when it shoots that beam, the gem refracts it, turning it in to a multi-target attack.
(essentially, replace one of the default attacks with a multitarget attack, reducing the attack roll by 2, and decreasing damage slightly or making it a recharge power; justifying it by the strange gem it has afixed over that particular eyeball). of course, it just works for beholder powers so the pcs can't use it as magical loot, but would fetch a hefty price on its own.

Or instead that gem being on the beholder, it can be a crystal afixed in the encounter room, making it an environmental feature (perhaps rechargable) that a PC could use as well if it's recharged and they understand how to use it. - either method has its drawbacks and advantages...

 

[Nightson]

Just say the beholder blasting everyone (including presumably the paladin) with eye rays counts as a single multi attack.'

Only for it's aura like ability, so there's some damage being spread around but most of it is focused on the paladin.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I would treat the Aura as a single attack, with random effects hitting the targets withing 5. Basically, the Eye lashes out with all its eye rays in every direction and rather than rolling a bunch of times, each character gets a chance of being hit by one of the blasts.


Most of the Epic level Beholders have a twin eye attack, so that shouldn't be a problem.

You could also use terrain and other effects to keep the Paladin away from the beholder and closer to other monsters.

And yes, the Paladin should also get a chance to feel special!

 

[AngryMojo]

Also, if a paladin fails to engage a foe for a round, the mark vanishes. Fly the beholder six squares up, so he's out of the range of the mark and out of melee with the paladin, and watch as the mark evaporates. Provided the paladin can't pull off a ranged attack.

In addition, remember that the mark only triggers if the beholder makes an attack that doesn't include the paladin. He's screwed on the aura, but not on his eye ray frenzy attacks, I believe.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

The standard version of divine challenge only works once per round. Is there something that increases that by epic? Otherwise it is probably fine for the beholder to take the one hit, then continue to blast other creatures as normal. It may still have the minus to attack, but a minus is better than not making the attack.

 

[Destil]

Radiant Damage: Standard.

-3 for the mark: two heroic feats can do this.

Weakned: Epic level feat?

Healing: Hospilitar

 

[Nightson]

Weakned: Epic level feat?

Weakening Challenge, epic level feat from Dragon 378, for clarity it only treats the attack that triggered the challenge as weakened.

Which actually means there isn't an issue with the beholder. Since only the first attack it makes against another target before the start of the paladins turn will trigger the divine challenge. All the other attacks will still be at -3 and trigger hospitaler's healing, but they will be non-weakened and he won't be taking extra radiant damage.

 

[SlyFlourish]

So you guys would rule that the Beholder's aura (I'm looking at the Beholder Death Emperor now from Death's Reach) would not trigger the paladin's mark as he is also within the aura? I hadn't thought of it like that. I think the paladin is going to scream nerf but its a good solution.