Page 43 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

and +3 Cha. Elder orbs have enough additional racial Hit Dice Eye of the Deep: An eye of the deep rarely comes into
that their size increases to Huge; this helps offset their lower conflict with true beholders, for this aquatic variant dwells

Strength and Constitution scores, but, in the end, elder orbs deep underwater. It has only two eyestalks, but its massive
are less agile than standard beholders. pinchers make it a dangerous combatant.
Eyeball: An eyeball is a Tiny beholderkin with four eye-
Hive Mother stalks; they are popular familiars in some wizardly and
Even rarer than elder orbs are hive mother sorcerous circles.
beholders. Although their name implies a Gauth: Easily the most common of the behold-
feminine gender, these beholders are as gen- erkin, a gauth has six eyestalks and a central eye
der-neutral as typical members of their
that can stun its enemies.
CHAPTER 3 THE EYE TYRANTS species. Their name stems Gouger: A gouger’s ten eyestalks are
more from the fact that
magically useless. Its central eye retains
the antimagic proper-
they have the ability to
ties of true beholders,
magically dominate other
and four small legs hang
beholders. Hive mothers
form large commu- from the creature’s under-
nities of beholders side. A gouger’s most
to serve them. This hideous feature, though,
is how beholder cities is its long, barbed tongue,
originate; left to their own which is adept at temporar-
devices, beholders would rather slay ily neutralizing beholder
their kin than live in harmony with eyestalks.
them. Overseer: An overseer
Hive mothers are is the most dangerous of
Illus. by W. England and fiercer than much as a large, fleshy tree
the known beholderkin.
universally larger
Rivaling the power of a
hive mother, an overseer
typical beholders.
For hive mother statis-
resembles nothing so

tics, see page 135.
with mouths on its trunk
Death Tyrant and eyes on its branches.
These truly reprehensible creatures are Spectator: A spectator is an extraplanar
undead beholders akin to zombies, though beholderkin with four eyestalks. Somewhat mild
they retain some innate magical abilities. and even-tempered, spectators have even been
These creatures are used by powerful wizards known to form friendships with other creatures,
as guardians; they are almost never encoun- a trait that no other beholderkin or true beholder
tered near other beholders, who find them An elder orb is a foe ever displays.

abhorrent. Death tyrants are detailed on page to be feared
309 of the FORGOTTEN REALMS® Campaign Setting.
BEHOLDER MAGE
Beholderkin A normal beholder can become a wizard or sorcerer. The
A vast number of beholderkin exist. Not true beholders, these more ancient beholders are powerful arcanists (see Elder
creatures do not share the race’s xenophobia, although most Orbs, above) that have used magic to extend their lifespans.
are still quite evil and cruel in nature. True beholders consider Nevertheless, two practical limitations keep beholders from
beholderkin to be abominations. becoming spellcasters. First, their lack of hands makes it hard
The death kiss, eyeball, and gouger are detailed in Monsters for them to use large numbers of spell components. Second,
of Faerûn. The gauth is detailed in the Monster Manual. For their central eye’s antimagic cone makes the study and use of
statistics for the director, eye of the deep, overseer, and specta- arcane magic difficult.

tor, see Chapter 8. However, an increasing number of beholders are embracing
Death Kiss: This creature’s eyestalks are replaced with a practice once held to be vile and unthinkable to their kind.
blood-draining tentacles, and its body roils with a powerful Through ritual destruction of its central eye, a beholder can
electric aura. learn to channel and use magic much more quickly and effi-

Director: A director is often found dwelling in a beholder ciently than can almost any other race. These are the members
community led by a hive mother or an overseer. It has six of the beholder mage prestige class, and the power they wield
eyestalks and three clawed tentacles with which it bonds with is truly impressive.
monstrous vermin mounts.
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