Beholder
Aberration · Crown of Apostasy
T5d12Sovereign
Floating orbs of paranoia and magic, beholders rule lairs filled with traps and minions, their central eye nullifying magic while eyestalks unleash deadly rays.
Tier 5 · Role Sovereign · Pool Vigor 10 / Vitality 30 · AC 14 · ATK +8 · Save DC 19 · Dmg d12
| Stat | Score | Mod | Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 8 | -1 | -d3 |
| Mind | 22 | +6 | d12 |
| Sense | 20 | +5 | d10 |
| Heart | 20 | +5 | d10 |
| Cunning | 22 | +6 | d12 |
| Fate | 20 | +5 | d10 |
Passives
Spellcasting (eye-tyrant sorcery)
Each of the beholder's ten eyestalks is a font of raw magic; its gaze slays, charms, and unmakes at up to 120 ft without word or gesture.
Antimagic Cone
150 ft cone from the central eye; magic does not function inside it. The beholder can suppress or reorient the cone at the start of its turn.
All-Around Vision
Hovers off the ground, immune to prone, and its ring of eyes means it cannot be flanked or surprised.
Declarations
Declared in the enemy tactical window and resolved at the start of its next turn. Any Vitality it loses first forces the disruption roll: on a 1 the telegraph is lost.
Eye Barrage
Fires 3 eye rays at up to 3 targets within 120 ft; roll a d6 for each. 1 Fear Ray: Heart save (DC 19) or frightened for 1 round. 2 Paralyzing Ray: Body save or stunned 1 round. 3 Slowing Ray: Body save or slowed 1 round. 4 Telekinetic Ray: Body save or hurled 30 ft and knocked prone. 5 Enervation Ray: Body save or take 5 damage; on a success, 1 Vigor damage. 6 Death Ray: Body save or take 5 damage, and no wound can be spent against it: a creature driven past its last Vitality dies; on a success, 1 Vigor damage.
Reactions
Reactive Eye
When a creature casts a spell within 120 ft, an eyestalk snaps toward it and fires one random eye ray at the caster.
Tactics
GM tactics
Positions so antimagic cone covers enemy casters while Eye Barrage targets martial threats. Reorients the cone at the start of each turn to keep new casters covered. Saves Reactive Eye for whoever is casting the most dangerous magic. Paranoid-assumes all creatures are plotting against it.
Running it
Rules
- Shield of Tier + Heart mod over a Vitality pool of 10 + 4 x Tier. Full Vigor at combat start; at the start of its turn it rolls 5 exploding d4s and regains 1 Vigor per 4. Dead at 0 Vigor and 0 Vitality.
- A hit rolls d12. A crit rolls two: 2d12.
- Crits on a natural 14+ (Cunning 22).
- Two or three attacks in a normal turn: multiattack is the threat scaler, and one swing a round makes it a mook.
- Sovereign: 2 Sovereign Actions a round, spent after other combatants' turns, on top of its attacks.
- Any Vitality lost while a telegraph is pending forces its disruption roll; on a 1 the telegraph is lost.
- Never checks morale: it fights to 0 Vitality or to the exit written into its lowest phase.
- NPCs never take wounds.