Using a Beholder for the first time.

[darthkilmor]

The Beholder was sent to investigate a strange occurance that affected a nearby Beholder dwelling. He's been roaming around looking for answers and killing whatever it finds useless to it. He'll start off asking the PC's questions.

IIRC as beholders are described in LoM + MM, they basically have a massive superiority complex, view every other being alive as inferior, and can back it all up. Imho an "investigative" beholder would start pummelling them with charm monster, charm person, and slow immediately. It would not parley unless the PC's appeared to be obviously more powerful than itself, which doesnt sound like it would.

Alternatively/in addition, it could charm a single PC and the use telekensis to kidnap him. And by kidnap I mean fly 1000 ft in the air with the PC to interrogate it, effectively out of range of the rest of them. And probably drop him when done(they should have feather fall anyway at that level).

<zap>, "Come with me friend", <woosh!>