When Beholders Attack

[Cylock]

For some reason, Beholders stump me as a DM.

The Monster Manual states that "Once each round, during its turn, the beholder decides which way it will face and whether the antimagic cone is active or not"

When during its turn is this decided? Can it use its eye rays and then turn on the antimagic cone?

Also, it seems kind of pointless to have an anti-magic cone when many of its own eye ray effects would be nullified by it.

Can someone post a typical Round 0--Round 5 tactics for these creatures.

Thanks in advance

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

Round 0: Aim Cone at most powerful caster. Blast all other opponents with eyestalks.

Round 1: Charge the poor wizard and eat him up, the cone still aimed at him.

Round 2: Go on your merry way.



Maitre D

 

[Cylock]

the problem with the whole anti-magic thing is that you couldn't fire into the front arc with the eye rays.

I imagine the wizard may have some friends in the front arc. Unless the PC's were spread out, you couldn't even affect them.

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

The beholder will try to keep the proeminent magic-users in his Anti-magic cone until he dispatches the more troublesome melee types with his eyerays.

But the beholder doesn't need to use his Anti-magic cone if it would be more effective to blast its opponents with eyerays (max 3 per "arc").

The beholder description doesn't state when during its turn it can shut off his eye or orient it. I'd say, any time it pleases, so, yes, it is a viable beholder tactic to shut your eye just before you petrify, desintegrate and scare a poor sod.

Note that if the beholder charms an individual, and the individual in question is caught in the anti-magic cone, he'll be (momentarily) freed of the charm effects, until the cone stops aiming at him. The anti-magic cone won't suppress the effects of Flesh to Stone.

Hope that helps.

Maitre D

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Round 0: Aim Cone at most powerful caster. Blast all other opponents with eyestalks.

Round 1: Charge the poor wizard and eat him up, the cone still aimed at him.

Round 2: Go on your merry way.



Maitre D

Round 3: Dance.

Round 4: Lather.

Round 5: Rinse.

Round 6: Repeat.