BE'HOLDERS •J
One glance at a beholder is enough to assess its foul
a'nd otherworldly nature. Aggressive, hateful, and
greedy, these aberrations dismiss all other creatures as
lesser beings, toying with the m or destroying them as
they choose.
A beholder's spheroid body levitates at all times, and
its great bulging eye sits above a wide , toothy maw, while
the smaller eyestalks that crown its body twist and turn
to keep its foes in sight. When a beholde r sleeps, it closes
its central eye but leaves its smaller eyes open and alert.
Xenophobic Isolationists. Enemies abound, or
so every beholder believes. Beholders are convinced
that other creatures resent the m for thei r brilliance
a nd magical power, eve n as they dismiss those lesser
creatures as crude a nd disgusting. Beholders always
suspect others of plotting against them, even when no
other creatures are around.
The disdain a beholder has for other creatures
extends to other beholders. Each beholder believes its
form to be an ideal, and that any deviation from that
form is a flaw in the rac ial purity of its kind. Beholders
vary greatly in their physical forms, making conflict
between them inevitable. Some beholders are protected
by overlapping chitinous plates. Some have smooth
hides. Some have eyestalks that writhe like tentacles,
while others' stalks bear crustacean-like joints. Even
slight differences of coloration in hide can turn two
beholders into lifelong enemies.
Eye Tyrant. Some beholders manage to channel
their xenophobic tendencies into a terrible despotism.
Rather than live in isolation, the aptly named eye tyrants
e nslave those other creatures, founding and controlling
vast empires. An eye tyrant sometimes carves out a
domain within or under a major city, commanding
networks of agents that operate on their master's behalf.
Alien Lairs. Because they refuse to share territory
with others, most beholders withdraw to frigid hills,
abandoned ruins, and deep caverns to scheme. A
beholder's lair is carved out by its disintegration eye ray,
emphasizing vertical passages connecting chambers
stacked on top of each other. Such an environment
allows a beholder to move fr eely, even as it prevents
intruders from easily creeping about. When intruders
do break in, the height of its open ceilings allows a
beholder to float up and harry foes on the floor.
As alien as their creator, the rooms in a beholder's lair
reflect the creature's arrogance. It festoons its chambers
with trophies from the battles it has won, including
pe trified adventurers standing frozen in their horrified
final moments, pieces of other beholders, and magic
items wrested from powerful foes. A beholder judges
its own worth by its acquisitions, and it never willingly
parts with its treasures.A BEHOLDER's LAIR
A beholder's central lair is typically a large, spacious
cavern with high ceilings, where it can attack without
fear of closing to melee range. A beholder encountered
in its lair has a challenge rating of 14 (11,500 XP).