The Ultimate Guide To Beholders In Dungeons & Dragons 5e

GlimmerGlobe 13 Jun 2024

What are Beholders 5e?

Beholders are iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters known for their central eye, surrounded by ten smaller eyestalks, and their ability to unleash deadly eye rays. They are often found in underground lairs, guarding vast treasures.

Beholders are powerful and intelligent creatures that pose a significant threat to adventurers. Their eye rays can inflict a variety of effects, including disintegration, charming, and paralysis. Beholders are also highly resistant to magic, making them difficult to defeat.

Despite their fearsome reputation, beholders can also be a source of valuable information. They are often knowledgeable about the world around them and may be willing to share their knowledge in exchange for favors or safe passage.

Beholders have been a part of Dungeons & Dragons since the game's early days. They have appeared in numerous editions of the game, as well as in various spin-off products. Beholders are one of the most iconic and recognizable monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, and they continue to challenge and terrify adventurers to this day.

Beholders 5e

Beholders are iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters known for their central eye, surrounded by ten smaller eyestalks, and their ability to unleash deadly eye rays. They are powerful and intelligent creatures that pose a significant threat to adventurers.

Appearance: Beholders are large, spherical creatures with a central eye and ten smaller eyestalks.
Abilities: Beholders can unleash a variety of deadly eye rays, including disintegration, charming, and paralysis.
Habitat: Beholders are often found in underground lairs, guarding vast treasures.
Intelligence: Beholders are highly intelligent creatures that are often knowledgeable about the world around them.
Alignment: Beholders are typically chaotic evil, but there have been exceptions.
Challenge Rating: Beholders are a challenging encounter for adventurers, with a CR of 13.

Beholders are a versatile and deadly enemy that can challenge adventurers of all levels. Their eye rays can inflict a variety of effects, making them a threat to both melee and ranged attackers. Beholders are also highly resistant to magic, making them difficult to defeat with spells. However, beholders are not without their weaknesses. They are slow and clumsy, and they have a limited range of movement. Additionally, beholders are often arrogant and overconfident, which can lead them to make mistakes.

Name	Xanathar
Alignment	Chaotic Evil
Challenge Rating	13
Lair	Skullport, Undermountain

Appearance

The distinctive appearance of beholders makes them one of the most recognizable monsters in Dungeons & Dragons. Their large, spherical bodies, central eye, and ten smaller eyestalks give them a unique and intimidating presence.

Central Eye: The central eye of a beholder is its most powerful feature. It can unleash a variety of deadly eye rays, including disintegration, charming, and paralysis.
Eyestalks: The ten smaller eyestalks of a beholder give it a wide field of vision. They can also be used to cast spells and other magical effects.
Spherical Body: The spherical body of a beholder gives it a high degree of protection. It is difficult to hit a beholder with melee attacks, and its tough hide makes it resistant to damage.
Size: Beholders are large creatures, typically standing 10 feet tall and weighing 2,000 pounds. Their size makes them a formidable opponent in combat.

The appearance of beholders has a significant impact on their behavior and tactics. Their large size and tough hide make them difficult to defeat in melee combat. Their central eye and eyestalks give them a wide field of vision and the ability to attack from a distance. As a result, beholders are often found in underground lairs, where they can use their environment to their advantage.

Abilities

The eye rays of beholders are one of their most iconic and deadly abilities. They can unleash a variety of effects, including disintegration, charming, and paralysis, making them a threat to both melee and ranged attackers.

The disintegration eye ray is one of the most powerful attacks in the game. It can instantly kill a target on a failed saving throw. The charming eye ray is also very powerful, as it can force a target to obey the beholder's commands. The paralysis eye ray is less deadly, but it can still incapacitate a target, making it an ideal way to control the battlefield.

Beholders can use their eye rays in a variety of ways. They can target multiple targets with different eye rays, or they can focus their fire on a single target to quickly overwhelm it. Beholders are also intelligent creatures, and they will often use their eye rays in combination with other abilities, such as their spells and minions, to maximize their effectiveness.

The eye rays of beholders are a major part of what makes them such a challenging encounter for adventurers. Players need to be aware of the different effects of each eye ray and be prepared to them accordingly. Beholders are also very intelligent creatures, and they will often use their eye rays in combination with other abilities, so players need to be prepared for anything.

Habitat

The habitat of beholders is closely tied to their nature and behavior. As creatures of darkness and greed, beholders are drawn to underground lairs where they can amass vast treasures and hide from the light of day. Their lairs are often located in caves, dungeons, and other subterranean environments, where they can be protected from intruders and have easy access to food and water.

The vast treasures that beholders guard are a reflection of their avarice and greed. They will often spend their entire lives collecting and hoarding treasure, and they will go to great lengths to protect it from being stolen. Beholders are also known for their love of gems and precious metals, and they will often decorate their lairs with these treasures.

The connection between beholders and their habitat is significant because it provides insights into their behavior and motivations. By understanding where beholders live and why, adventurers can better prepare for encounters with these dangerous creatures.

Intelligence

The intelligence of beholders is a key aspect of their nature and behavior. As creatures of great intellect, beholders are able to learn and adapt quickly, making them formidable opponents for adventurers.

Strategic Planning: Beholders are known for their strategic planning and cunning. They are able to assess their surroundings, identify weaknesses, and develop plans to overcome their enemies.
Knowledge and Lore: Beholders are often knowledgeable about the world around them, including history, geography, and arcane lore. They may have access to information that is not available to other creatures, which can give them an advantage in combat.
Negotiation and Diplomacy: Despite their evil nature, beholders are capable of negotiation and diplomacy. They may be willing to make deals with adventurers or other creatures if it is in their best interests.
Manipulation and Deceit: Beholders are skilled manipulators and deceivers. They may use their intelligence to trick or mislead their enemies, gaining an advantage in combat or other situations.

The intelligence of beholders makes them a dangerous and challenging opponent for adventurers. They are able to adapt quickly, plan strategically, and use their knowledge to their advantage. Adventurers must be prepared to face the intelligence of beholders if they want to succeed in their quests.

Alignment

Alignment is a crucial aspect of understanding the behavior and motivations of beholders in Dungeons & Dragons. As creatures of chaos and evil, beholders embody the principles of selfishness, greed, and destruction. Their chaotic nature makes them unpredictable and impulsive, while their evil alignment drives them to commit heinous acts without remorse.

However, the fact that there have been exceptions to the typical chaotic evil alignment of beholders is significant. These exceptions provide valuable insights into the complexity of these creatures and the potential for redemption or change.

One example of an exceptional beholder is Xanathar, a beholder who appears in several Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Xanathar is unique in that he is not inherently evil. Instead, he is driven by a desire for knowledge and power. While he is still capable of great cruelty, he is also capable of forming alliances with other creatures and even showing mercy on occasion.

The existence of exceptional beholders highlights the fact that alignment is not always a fixed characteristic. Creatures can change and grow over time, and their alignment can shift accordingly. This is an important lesson for players to remember, as it shows that even the most evil creatures have the potential for redemption.

Challenge Rating

The challenge rating (CR) of a monster is a measure of its difficulty relative to a party of adventurers. A CR of 13 indicates that a beholder is a challenging encounter for a party of 4-6 adventurers of 5th level. This is because beholders have a number of powerful abilities, including their eye rays, which can inflict a variety of effects, and their high intelligence, which allows them to plan and adapt their tactics.

The CR of a monster is an important factor to consider when planning an encounter. A party of adventurers who are too weak for a particular encounter may be quickly overwhelmed and defeated. Conversely, a party of adventurers who are too strong for an encounter may find it too easy and boring.

The CR of beholders is a good example of how challenge ratings can be used to create balanced and challenging encounters. A party of 4-6 adventurers of 5th level should find a beholder to be a challenging but fair fight. However, a party of lower-level adventurers or a smaller party may find a beholder to be too difficult to defeat.

Understanding the challenge rating of monsters is an important part of being a successful Dungeon Master. By taking the CR of monsters into account when planning encounters, DMs can ensure that their players have a fun and challenging experience.

Beholders 5e FAQs

This section addresses common questions and misconceptions about beholders in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Question 1: What is a beholder's most powerful eye ray?

The disintegration eye ray is a beholder's most powerful eye ray. It can instantly kill a target on a failed saving throw.

Question 2: What is a beholder's challenge rating?

A beholder has a challenge rating of 13, indicating that it is a challenging encounter for a party of 4-6 adventurers of 5th level.

Question 3: What is a beholder's alignment?

Beholders are typically chaotic evil, but there have been exceptions.

Question 4: What is a beholder's habitat?

Beholders are often found in underground lairs, guarding vast treasures.

Question 5: What are a beholder's abilities?

Beholders can unleash a variety of deadly eye rays, including disintegration, charming, and paralysis. They are also highly intelligent and have a wide range of magical abilities.

Question 6: What are a beholder's weaknesses?

Beholders are slow and clumsy, and they have a limited range of movement. Additionally, beholders are often arrogant and overconfident, which can lead them to make mistakes.

Understanding these common questions and misconceptions can help players and Dungeon Masters better prepare for encounters with beholders in their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

Transition to the next article section: Beholder Variants

Conclusion

Beholders are iconic Dungeons & Dragons monsters that have challenged and terrified adventurers for decades. Their unique appearance, deadly eye rays, and high intelligence make them a formidable opponent for any party.

In this article, we have explored the various aspects of beholders in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, including their abilities, habitat, alignment, and challenge rating. We have also addressed some common questions and misconceptions about these creatures.

We hope that this article has provided you with a better understanding of beholders and their role in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Whether you are a player or a Dungeon Master, we encourage you to use this information to create memorable and challenging encounters with these iconic monsters.

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