Page 42 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

A newborn beholder possesses strong racial memories. usually exceeds the amount available to drink. As a general
Within minutes of emerging from the womb, it can speak the rule, a beholder can imbibe well over 10 gallons of wine before
beholder language and already displays powerful xenophobic getting drunk.
and intolerant attitudes. For these reasons, it is difficult for a Since beholders often overeat, their bodies are capable of

beholder to become anything but evil. dealing with sudden gluts of food. A beholder’s digestive

Newborn beholders grow quickly. For the first few months system can store a large amount of material (600 pounds or
of life, though, they are fairly helpless, since their eye rays more) inside the various folds of its stomach. The creature can
take some time to develop. A beholder needs to spend several process this stored food at the rate of about 20 pounds per day,
months observing magic before its eye rays develop fully. For during which time it need not eat (although it must still drink

beholders born in remote ruins or magic-filled dungeons, the normally). Food in excess of this simply cannot be swallowed.
proper development of their eye rays takes about two to three Although a sated beholder might chew on food simply for the
months. Until then, they keep low profiles and feed on smaller texture and enjoyment of eating, it allows the chewed food to TYRANTS CHAPTER 3

animals and beasts. In areas where magic is scarce, it can take drop from its mouth when the texture is gone. THE EYE
up to a year for a beholder’s eyes to absorb enough magic to A beholder’s favorite foods include small live mammals,
properly fuel its powers. exotic mushrooms and other fungi, gnomes, beef, pork, color-
Physically, a beholder reaches normal size and maturity at ful leafy vegetables, leaves, flower petals, insects, and birds.

two years of age. Afterward, its growth continues at a much
slower rate. In theory, a beholder becomes increasingly frail BEHOLDER VARIANTS
as it progresses beyond its ninetieth year. By the age of one Beholders are hateful creatures, and nothing inspires their
hundred, its eyestalks begin to lose their powers and wither hatred more than other beholders. In theory, a beholder could
away. Only rarely do beholders live past the age of one hundred get along well enough with another beholder that looked

twenty. In practice, though, a beholder cunning and strong similar to itself, but over time, beholders always find tiny
enough to survive attacks from powerful adventurers and imperfections in a companion that drive them to rage. Each
other beholders finds a way to extend its lifespan with magic. beholder’s physical characteristics are unique, and no beholder

If a beholder can stave off aging, it continues to grow slowly would regard another as anything other than an inferior, good
in size. Stories persist of immense beholders several hundred only for food.
years old and nearly 20 feet in diameter. Physical differences are the most minor of variations among
beholders. Two notable beholder variants, the elder orb and the
THE BEHOLDER DIET hive mother, possess wildly different abilities from those of
Despite its awesome power and magical might, a beholder normal beholders. Beyond these are the myriad forms of behold-
remains at its core a physical being. It must eat and drink, and erkin, true aberrations among the race. Creatures like gauths,
often these are its only vices and indulgences—apart from the overseers, and eyes of the deep are the subjects of wrath among
intellectual pursuit of magical knowledge or the domination true beholders, for they are similar enough in appearance and
of lesser races. ability to be regarded as mockeries of the beholder self-image.
A beholder is omnivorous and can gain sustenance from
anything organic. A typical beholder must consume about 10 Elder Orb
pounds of food and drink and at least 2 gallons of water per One in every several hundred beholders is born with amaz-
day. For beholders, the act of feeding and drinking is their ing longevity. These beholders are known as elder orbs, and
greatest physical pleasure, and as such, they often consume far the source of their longevity is hotly debated. The elder orbs
more than they need. For example, a beholder could eat a large themselves believe that it is proof that they embody the
fallen foe, consisting of up to 200 pounds of meat and several primal purity of the Great Mother. An elder orb is effectively
pints of blood, in one sitting. While this far exceeds what the immortal; it never grows senile or infirm from age and can live

creature needs for that day, it won’t turn down any additional forever unless it perishes from violence or disease.
offers of food or drink that happen to present themselves. Elder orbs have statistics similar to those of standard
Because a beholder’s sense of taste is so atrophied, it finds beholders, although most have significantly advanced Hit

satisfaction in the texture and visual qualities of the food. To a Dice. All elder orbs have at least six levels of sorcerer. They
beholder, desirable food has an interesting texture (the combina- favor spells without material components (or take the Eschew
tion of soft flesh and crunchy bones found in living creatures Materials feat), but they can easily produce a spell’s somatic

is considered a delicacy) or an interesting shape or color, since components with their eyestalks. Elder orbs never summon
it can observe its food with its front eyestalks as it eats. For this familiars. Naturally, they must close their central eye when
reason, a beholder prefers colorful food over drab food. casting spells.
Beholders find wine especially pleasing. Alcohol is one of the When an elder orb reaches venerable age, it stops losing

few tastes that beholders can experience, and this, combined physical ability score points for increasing age but continues to
with the colorful varieties of wine, make it an ideal beholder gain mental ability score points. The cumulative effect of middle
drink. A beholder’s body processes alcohol very efficiently, so age, old age, and venerable age therefore modify the elder orb’s

the quantity of wine required to intoxicate a typical beholder ability scores as follows: –3 Str, –3 Dex, –3 Con, +3 Int, +3 Wis,
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