Like dragons, beholders are awesome and iconic, but they eventually get boring because you know what powers they have and so there's not much mystery or suspense in fighting them, so now most OSR referees don't even want to use them. Like dragons, this is easily solved by randomizing some of their abilities.
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| Artist: David Griffith |
Beholder base stats:
10 Hit dice, 50 HP, AC 14 (or as chain), Morale 8, Flies 120’ (40’)
Attacks up to twice per round, either with eyestalks or a bite
Bite: 1d8 plus target must save or be grappled
Can’t use the same attack twice in the same round
Random Central Eye Powers d8
All powers affect a 150 foot cone. They are always active as long as the eye is open and intact.
1-3 Antimagic field. Magic doesn’t work, no save.
4 Fear. Save or run away.
5 Slow. Everyone in the cone can move or act, not both, and loses initiative if you’re doing round by round initiative. No save.
6 Clumsiness. Everyone in the field has disadvantage on any test where coordination is important, and must pass a DEX check to not fall over if running.
7 Anti-language. Nobody in the field can understand or use language.
8 Fatigue. Everyone in the cone must save or take a level of fatigue each round. How that works depends on your system, but usually either a -1 to all tests or to all ability modifiers.
Random Eyestalk Powers, d4 ten times
No eyestalk can be used two rounds in a row. Eyestalk attacks at point blank range are made with disadvantage unless they're AoE. The beholder is not immune to its own AoE powers.
1– One of the ten usual powers a beholder has, unlimited uses
2– Random 1st level spell, unlimited use
3– Random 2nd level spell, three times a day
4– Random 3rd level spell, once per day
Henchmen, d6
1– 2d4 Human thugs. Mundane but well-armed.
2– 2d6 Goblins armed with McGuyvered together goblin gadgets.
3– d4+1 trained giant spiders. Poisonous.
4– Two spectators (those mini-beholder things)
5– d4+1 drow exiles with swords and poisoned crossbows.
6– 3d6 kobolds. Weak but tricky.
Random Special Thing, d6
1– Lair is filled with traps, plus knows the surrounding region like the back of its own hand.
2– Regeneration, d4 HP/round
3– Venomous bite, anyone damaged must save or be paralyzed.
4– It’s wearing a beholder-sized monocle! Looks super cool, but also gives it X-ray vision and the ability to zoom in at long ranges like a telescope.
5– This beholder is a freaking wizard, casting spells as a 5th level mage. Casting a spell replaces one of its attacks for that round. Can’t cast twice in the same round but can cast plus use an eyestalk or bite.
6– Despite being a “monster,” it’s actually a citizen in good standing of whatever polity controls the local area– you can’t just murder it without legal repercussions.
That last bit is gold. “You can’t just come in here like that! Where’s your warrant? There are laws, you know. Or would you like me to take this up with the privet marquess for trespassing against a private citizen inside his demense?“
ReplyDeleteImagine it in league with an Abhorrorer from Fire on the Velvet Horizon.
DeleteThat would be really cool. The beholder and the abhorer would hate each other's guts of course, there would be great divide and conquer potential.
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