Elemental Control (Spell Eyes) - 23 point reserve, restrainable (-1/2) - Cost 23/15
A. Dispel (Anti-Magic Ray) - 40D6, vs. all magical special effects at the same time (+2), continuous (+1), area of effect - cone (+1), can vary cone width (+1/4), reduced endurance - 0 END persistent (+1), no range (-1/2) - Cost 750/363
B. Telekinesis (Telekinesis spell) - STR 14, fine manipulation, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2) - Cost 46/15
Flight - 1 inches - reduced endurance - 0 END persistent (+1), can only make a half move (-1/2) - Cost 4/3
Flight - 7 inches - reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), can only make a half move (-1/2) - Cost 21/14
Killing Attack: Hand-To-Hand (Bite) - 1D6, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), no knockback (-1/4), restrainable (-1/2) - Cost 22/13
Life Support - Requires only 4 hours of sleep a night. - Cost 1
Mental Defense - 30 defense, only vs. beholderkin spell eyes (-1/2) - Cost 30/20
Multipower Reserve (Spell Eyes) - 135 point reserve, restrainable (-1/2), can only be cast once per turn (-1/2) - Cost 135/67
Drain (Slow spell)- 7D6 to SPD, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), return rate is per minute (+1/4) - Cost 122/8
Multipower Slot - Killing Attack - Ranged (Cause Moderate Wounds spell) - 2D6, no normal defense - defense is power defense (+1) does body (+1), reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), no knockback (-1/4), only vs. living targets (-1/2) - Cost 105/4
Multipower Slot - Killing Attack - Ranged (Disintegrate spell) - 5D6 damage, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), no knockback (-1/4), no stun (-1/2) - Cost 112/4
Multipower Slot - Mind Control (Charm Person and Monster spells) - 12D6 effect, telepathic command (+1/2), reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), one command - "I'm your friend." (-1/4) - Cost 90/4
Multipower Slot - Mind Control (Fear spell) - 12D6 effect, telepathic command (+1/2), reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), one command - "Run away!" (-1/4) - Cost 90/4
Multipower Slot - Mind Control (Sleep spell) - 12D6 effect, telepathic command (+1/2), reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2), one command - "Sleep!" (-1/4) - Cost 90/4
Multipower Slot - Transform (Death Ray spell) - 6D6 major effect, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2) - Cost 135/7
Multipower Slot - Transform (Flesh to Stone spell) - 6D6 major effect - reversed by same spell, reduced endurance - 0 END (+1/2) - Cost 135/7
Power Defense - 30 defense, only vs. beholderkin spell eyes (-1/2) - Cost 30/20
Language: choose one (native) - Cost 0
Lightning Reflexes - +4 - Cost 6
Optional
Life Support - 200 year life span - Cost 1
Disadvantage
Characteristics - -10 COM - Cost -5
Distinctive Features - big ugly floating ball of eyes, not concealable, extreme reaction - Cost -25
Hunted - by racial enemies, as powerful, 8 or less - Cost -10
Physical Limitation - large and odd body shape, frequently, greatly - Cost -20
Psych Limitation - arrogant, very common, strong - Cost -15
Conversion Notes: This package represents the minimum abilities of a beholder from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. I made the anti-magic ray powerful enough to counter all the spell eyes of the beholder. Since a beholder can make a full move and then use a spell eye, I doubled their movement rate then applied the limitation that they can only make half moves, allowing them to move and fire without penalty. I also made one inch of their flight persistent, since they float in their sleep. I didn't give the beholder the full value for not having any hands, since they do have telekinesis as well as eye-stalks and a tongue which can manipulate objects. Although all beholderkin are immune to humanoid diseases, they have similar beholderkin specific diseases which effect them, so I didn't include a cost for immunity to diseases. This write-up uses Champions 5th edition rules.
The beholder is the stuff of nightmares. This creature, also called the sphere of many eyes or the eye tyrant, appears as a large orb dominated by a central eye and a large toothy maw, has 10 smaller eyes on stalks sprouting from the top of the orb. Among adventurers, beholders are known as deadly adversaries.
The globular body of the beholder and its kin is supported by levitation, allowing it to float slowly about as it wills. There is much debate over the levitation power of a beholder. It doesn't seem to be magical in nature, since anti-magic spells are ineffective against it. Sages have theorized that beholders are naturally bouyant because of lighter-then-air gasses held in small sacks in their bodies. Others think the ability is related to psionic levitation.
The central eye produces an anti-magic ray, which covers a 90 degree arc before the creature. No magic, including the effects of the other eyes, will function within that area. Spells cast in or passing through that zone cease to function.
A beholder may activate the magical powers of its eyes' at will by opening and closing this eye.
The presence of the anti-magic eye of a beholder interferes with their ability to cast normal spells other then the ones from their eyes. Beholders can only learn magic if they have lost this eye. Some loose the eye through violence, but other beholders have been known to remove the eye on purpose to allow them to study magic.
The beholder can withstand the loss of its eyestalks. Slaying the body will kill the beholder and render the eyes powerless. Destroyed eyestalks, but not the central eye, can regenerate at a rate of one lost member per week.
The beholders are a hateful, aggressive and avaricious race, attacking or dominating other races, including other beholders and many of the beholderkin. This is because of a xenophobic intolerance among beholders that causes them to hate all creatures not like themselves. The basic, beholder body-type, a sphere with a mouth and a central eye, eye-tipped tentacles, allows for a great variety of beholder subspecies. Some have obvious differences, there are those covered with overlapping chitin plates, and those with smooth hides, or snake like eye tentacles, and some with crustacean-like joints. Something as small as a change in hide color or size of the central eye can make two groups of beholders sworn enemies. Every beholder declares its own unique body form to be the true ideal of beholderhood, the others being nothing but ugly copies, fit only to be eliminated.
Beholders will normally attack immediately. If confronted with a particularly powerful party there is a 50% chance they will listen to negotiations and bribery before raining death upon their foes.
Beholders can reproduce by themselves or with another beholder or beholderkin once they reach about 30 years in age. The core racial hatred of the beholders may derive from the nature of their reproduction, which usually produces identical individuals with only slight margin for variation. Beholders give birth live young.
The smaller eyes of the beholder may be used to produce a potion of levitation.
Note: Beholders are a widely varied race. The beholder presented here is for what is considered an average breed. Possible variants include those missing certain spell eyes or those who have spell eyes which cast other spells. Some beholder breeds specialize in certain spell eyes, for instance having all telekinesis eyes which allow them to move great weights. Although the life span of a normal beholder is nearly the same as a long lived human being, some beholders live hundreds of years.
Champions rules conversion by Mathew R. Ignash - mathewignash@comcast.net.
Last Updated - December, 2004
Conversion Notes: This package represents the minimum abilities of a beholder from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. I made the anti-magic ray powerful enough to counter all the spell eyes of the beholder. Since a beholder can make a full move and then use a spell eye, I doubled their movement rate then applied the limitation that they can only make half moves, allowing them to move and fire without penalty. I also made one inch of their flight persistent, since they float in their sleep. I didn't give the beholder the full value for not having any hands, since they do have telekinesis as well as eye-stalks and a tongue which can manipulate objects. Although all beholderkin are immune to humanoid diseases, they have similar beholderkin specific diseases which effect them, so I didn't include a cost for immunity to diseases. This write-up uses Champions 5th edition rules.
