Beholder-kin is a blanket term referring to all beholder-related creatures in the Spelljammer campaign setting, including distinct variations on the standard beholder form as well as those so-called abominations spawned by hive mothers.[3][4][5][6]
Hive mother[]
A hive mother, also known as a kawahak kru (spawner-boss), an ultimate tyrant or simply an ultimate, is a dominant type of beholder who establishes and rules all beholder communities. Technically considered beholder-kin by humans, hive mothers are in fact true beholders and are considered as such by their communities.[7]
Description[]
A hive mother is about twice the size of a standard beholder, typically about 8 feet in diameter. It has a full set of eyes, but no eyestalks; the smaller, secondary eyes are flush with the skull and are protected by tough mounds of flesh, so that they are impossible to sever.[7][8]
Combat[]
A hive mother's body is covered in a hard pebbly skin reinforced with chitinous plates, making it incredibly tough. An ultimate relies on its eye powers during combat, but is not adverse to biting opponents or using its bulk to crush or grind them into paste.[9] A hive mother's mouth is so large that it can even swallow a man-sized target whole. Once swallowed, its victim takes damage from the ultimate's digestive fluids until they either die or manage to escape. A hive mother's mouth isn't very deep, so a victim can successfully escape by cutting their way out.[8]
Each of a hive mother's eyes, including the large central eye, has a different function. The standard eye powers of a hive mother include:[10]
- Charm person as per the spell
- Charm monster as per the spell
- Sleep as per the spell, but can only affect a single target at a time
- Telekinesis as per the spell, but move 250 pounds in weight
- Flesh to stone as per the spell, with a range of 30-yards (90 feet or 27 meters)
- Disintegrate as per the spell, with a range of 20-yards (60 feet or 18 meters)
- Fear, as per a wand of fear
- Slow as per the spell, but can only affect a single target at a time
- Cause serious wounds as per the spell, with a range of 50-yards (150 feet or 46 meters)
- Death ray as per the death spell, but can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 40-yards (120 feet or 36 meters)
- The central eye produces an anti-magic ray with a 140-yard range (420 feet or 128 meters), which covers a 90° arc in front of the beholder. No magic (including the effects of the other eyes) will function within this area. Spells cast into or passing through the anti-magic effect cease to function.
Society[]
In wildspace, beholders are much more social and form organized communities known as "nations". A beholder nation is made up of clans, which in turn consist of a number of hives.[11] A hive consists of a single ultimate who controls up to 10 beholders or up to 20 beholder-kin and abominations, and will typically possess a single tyrant ship. The hive mother controls the actions of the common beholders that make up the crew of the tyrant ship, and is able to focus the magical energies of its subordinate beholders through the structure of the ship's shell, powering the vessel's magical weapons and interacting with the orbi that provide propulsion for the ship.[3]
Related hives of the same breed (usually two or more) may unite to form a clan (known as a city amongst groundlings). Each clan will be led by a single dominant hive mother, who will go on to form part of the ruling elite of a beholder nation. A beholder nation (also known as a swarm) is led by a single powerful hive mother (sometimes referred to as the Queen),[12] who will be advised by a governing council of ultimates selected from among the various clan leaders.[13] Most beholder nations number only 20 to 40 individuals, which is the complement of one or two tyrant ships; however, there are crystal spheres where beholder nations are significantly larger, numbering over ten thousand strong.[14]
Like all beholders, hive mothers reproduce through parthenogenesis, and give birth live (no beholder eggs have been found). They have been known to breed with other beholders and (rarely) with beholder-kin.[3][15] Unlike normal beholders, hive mothers appear to be able to control their reproduction to some degree, determining what type of offspring they wish to produce, including specific beholder-kin or abominations.
History[]
Ultimates were first encountered by a matriarchal elven society in the distant past who assumed they were female because they led beholder communities, spawned offspring, and worshipped a deity known as the Great Mother. Naturally these elves named these creatures "Hive Mothers". However, like all beholders, ultimates are genderless and have no specific female traits.[7]
Beholder-kin[]
Beholder-kin are closely related to beholders; so closely, in fact that beholders despise them and attempt to exterminate them whenever possible.[16] All beholders appear to be predisposed to mutation. During what are termed "mis-births" a beholder will produce offspring that do not resemble its particular breed. In some instances, these offspring may possess enough differences to qualify as beholder-kin. When such mis-births occur, the parent will become enraged and will attempt to destroy its flawed offspring, who will either flee or respond with violence. The occurrence of these mis-births account for the array of various beholder-kin that exist.[17] Unlike abominations, beholder-kin are self-sustaining and can interbreed with each other and true beholders.[16]
A hive mother will often form a hive or community that includes beholders, beholder-kin and abominations. However, upon the death of the ruling hive mother, the hive will fracture and dissipate as the beholders and beholder-kin turn on each other, or seek lairs of their own.[8]
Astereater[]
These creatures are space-bound beholderkin that have stone-like shells. Due to their stupidity, their inability to fire off antimagic from their central eye, and their lack of eyestalks to fire eye rays with, astereaters tend to be held with contempt by true beholders. Whenever it has its eye and mouth closed, the astereater can masquerade as a regular, inanimate asteroid. Magic is quenched in the astereater's mouth. Astereaters are hateful and cruel, and cooperate with others only to fuel their own ends.
Death kiss[]
A death kiss, also known as a bleeder or an eye of terror, is a fearsome blood-drinking predator. Preferring to reside in dark spaces, such as caverns or isolated ruins, it has a spherical body, 6 to 12-feet in diameter, with a large central eye which can see in the dark, but has no other special powers. The death kiss has no mouth. Instead, it feeds on blood which it drains from its victims using ten 20-foot long tentacles tipped with barbed orifices. When not in use, the tentacles partially retract, resembling a beholder's eyestalks. As a result a death kiss is nearly indistinguishable from a beholder in dim light. A death kiss can lash out with blinding speed, attacking one or more targets with its tentacles and draining blood as soon as it hits its target.
A death kiss uses the blood it ingests to generate electrical energy. It uses this energy for motor activity and healing, and is therefore constantly on the hunt for prey. A death kiss has phenomenal powers of recuperation and healing, but expends a great deal of stored energy to do so. If necessary, a death kiss may enter a state of hibernation for long periods of time, remaining motionless and unresponsive on the ground. It will remain in stasis until awoken by some external stimulus, including an influx of electrical energy, extreme heat, or physical trauma caused by a blow, a fall, or magical attack. Eyes of terror are solitary hunters, fully expressing the paranoia of their kindred, the beholders. If a death kiss encounters a beholder, the result is often a bloody battle to the death.[16][18]
Eye of the deep[]
An eye of the deep is an aquatic variant of a beholder, which prefers to dwell at great depths, slowly drifting about hunting prey. It has a spherical body, 3 to 5-feet in diameter, covered in reddish lobster-like chitin, two crab-like pincers and a large mouth full of sharp teeth. The eye of the deep has a large central eye which emits a cone of blinding light 30-feet long and 20-feet wide at its base. It also has two smaller eyes on long stalks which cast hold person and hold monster (as per the spells) respectively. Used together, the smaller eyes cast create illusion as per the spell.[16][19]
Gauth[]
A gauth is similar to a beholder except that it is able to feed on magical energy. It has a spherical body, 5-feet in diameter, that is brown in colour and mottled in purple and gray. It also has a large central eye surrounded by a ring of 12 to 15 smaller eyes protected by a serrated ridge of tough flesh. Below the central eye is a large fearsome mouth with a cluster of four feeding tentacles, while on top of its body is a crown of six eyestalks.[16]
In combat, a gauth begins to glow, similar in effect to a faerie fire spell, attracting the attention of its foes. Anyone meeting the gaze of the central eye may become subject to a feeblemind spell. The gauth may choose to bite with its great maw, using its four feeding tentacles to grab and hold potential victims. A gauth can also employ its six eyestalks in battle, which have the following powers:[20]
- Cause serious wounds as per the spell, with a range of 30-feet (9 meters)
- Repulsion as per the spell, 10-feet wide, with a range of 40-feet (12 meters)
- Cone of cold as per the spell, 50-feet long and 20-feet wide at its base
- Lightning bolt as per the spell, with a range of 80-feet (24 meters)
- Paralyzation as per the wand of paralysis, but can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 40-feet (12 meters). Only a dispel magic spell or the gauth's death will release a victim from this powers effects.
- Dweomer drain, which can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 40-feet (12 meters)
Perhaps the most feared of the gauth's powers, its dweomer drain, allows it to drain charges from magical items and temporarily preventing them from functioning. Permanent magical items, such as magical weapons, are rendered powerless for a minute. However, artifacts are unaffected by the dweomer drain. The gauth can use its dweomer drain ability to interrupt any spell being cast by its target, but is unable to drain memorized spells nor can it break the concentration of an opposing mage.[19]
Spectator[]
A spectator is perhaps the most moderate and even tempered of the beholder-kin. It is also capable of limited planar travel, and is often compelled via the instruct spectator spell[21] to serve as a guardian over a particular place or treasure. Once given a task, a spectator will stand watch over its charge for up to 101 years. It will allow no one to use, borrow, or inspect a treasure or item, except for the individual who gave it its instructions. A spectator has a spherical body, 4-feet in diameter, with a large central eye and four smaller eyestalks protruding from the top of its body.
A guardian spectator is difficult to surprise. It is basically passive by nature, and unless attacked immediately, will attempt to communicate with, and implant a suggestion (as per the spell) in any individuals it encounters. A spectator is resistant to magic and as long as its central eye is undamaged, will reflect a single spell per round back on its caster. All of a spectator's smaller eyes may be used at the same time on the same target, and include the following eye powers:[22]
- Create food and water as per the spell, producing enough food and water for up to six individuals
- Cause serious wounds as per the spell , but can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 60-yards (180 feet or 55 meters)
- Paralyzation ray, but can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 90-feet (27 meters)
- Telepathy, but can only affect a single target at a time with a range of 120-feet (36 meters). A spectator can use this power to communicate, as well as implant a suggestion. The suggestion is almost always to "leave in peace."
If approached peacefully, a spectator can be quite friendly, and is quite happy to inform those interested what it is guarding. Unless it or whatever it is guarding is threatened, a spectator can be very amiable and talkative, using its telepathy to communicate.
A spectator can be summoned from Mechanus using a monster summoning V spell, and then compelled to serve for a predetermined period via the instruct spectator spell. If blinded in all its eyes, a spectator will no longer be able to carry out its orders and will immediately depart for the plane of Mechanus. It will regenerate its eyes and will return after a day. If the items it was guarding is gone, a spectator will depart and live out its life. If it was originally from Mechanus, it will return to that plane.[22][23]
Beholder abominations[]
Abominations are very specialized creatures spawned by a hive mother in response to a specific community need - whether it be defence of a hive during times of war or additional firepower for a planned invasion of a well-defended territory. True beholders will only tolerate abominations when under the command of a hive mother. Abominations are sterile and are therefore incapable of breeding.[17][24][4]
Director[]
Directors are abominations created to serve as shock troops and cavalry, since they possess the ability to mindlink with various specialized mounts. A director resembles a beholder, with a spherical body about 9-feet in diameter. Its central eye, however, is proportionally smaller than that of a true beholder, and it only has six small eyes on retractable eyestalks. Below the central eye is a large fanged mouth, and on its bottom surface are three clawed tendrils, which a director uses to cling to and control its mount.[21]
A director relies on its eye powers during combat, which include:[25]
- Magic missile as per the spell
- Burning hands as per the spell
- Wall of ice as per the spell
- Slow as per the spell
- Enervation as per the spell
- Improved phantasmal force as per the spell
- The central eye produces a deflection effect, which inhibits the effectiveness of all physical and magical attacks of those within its field of vision.
Most of the specialized mounts utilized by directors appear to be derived from insect stock as they are covered in chitin, and have simple eye spots and multiple limbs. Crawlers resemble a cross between a centipede and a spider, and have two frontal antennae, ten legs, and two spider-like fighting fangs.[8] Crushers appear to be derived from massive pseudoscorpions, and have eight legs, two nasty pincers and either a venomous whip-tail or a bludgeoning tail. Hoppers resemble two legged, two limbed fleas; their giant cricket-like legs allow them to make jumps 30-feet long and 10-feet high, while their mantis-like arms allow them to make slashing attacks.[4]
Examiner[]
An examiner, also known as a four-eyes, is an abomination created to perform magical research and often acts as a knowledge repository or sage for the hive, advising the hive mother. An examiner appears as a hairy 4-foot diameter sphere, without a central eye, but with four jointed antennae tipped with small eyes mounted on top of its body. It has a small lamprey-like mouth located underneath its body, surrounded by four multi-jointed limbs ending in gripper pads, which the examiner uses to pick up and manipulate tools.[26]
Examiners serve as scholars and clerks for the hive, and are typically involved in magical research in an effort to create and enhance spells and magical items. They can use any artifact or tool, and can wield up to four at a time.[8][4]
An examiners eye powers include:[25]
- Enlarge or reduce as per the spell
- Identify or legend lore as per the spell
- Transmute form, similar to a stone shape spell but affects all types of non-magical, non-living material
- Spell reflection as per a ring of spell turning
Examiners are not the bravest of creatures, but are potentially the most dangerous due to their use of magical items. They always serve at the behest of beholders, overseers and hive mothers.
Lensman[]
Lensmen are near-mindless abominations created to serve as manual labour and shock troops, and are perhaps the least beholder-like of all abominations. In a dim light, they resemble a primitive humanoid, 5-foot tall, with a single eye and a huge gaping mouth in the center of its hairy torso. In truth, a lensman has a five-limbed starfish-shaped simian body. Four of its five limbs end in three-fingered, two-thumbed clawed hands, while its fifth limb, located on top of its body, is a prehensile whip-like tentacle. Lensmen typically wear some sort of webbing to carry tools and weapons, and prefer to wield two-handed double-headed polearms in combat.[26][27][4]
Each lensman possesses one of six possible eye powers, limited to the following:[28]
- Emotion as per the spell, or
- Heal as per the spell, or
- Dispel magic as per the spell, or
- Tongues as per the spell, or
- Phantasmal force as per the spell, or
- Protection as per any scroll of protection, but only one at a time.
Overseer[]
An overseer is second only to a hive mother in the hierarchy of a beholder community. Similar to a hive mother, each overseer is capable of controlling up to 10 beholders or up to 20 beholder-kin. However, an overseer can only command a single type of creature at a time. A particularly influential hive mother is capable of controlling up to 20 overseers, with each overseer commanding up to 20 beholder-kin, resulting in a single hive that theoretically could consist of up to 421 such creatures. Such a concentration of beholders and related creatures would spell certain doom for all communities within the local region of space.
An overseer's duties include the organization of the communities forces and the cataloging and analysis of information. An overseer resembles a small, 15-foot tall stunted tree with 13 limbs, each of which ends in a bud that conceals an eye. One oversized limb serves as the spine (or "trunk" of the tree); with three yammering mouths surrounding the spine at its midpoint. In addition, each overseer has eight vine-like tentacles covered with thorns that are used in defence or to grasp tools. An overseer sits on a base of root-like tentacles that allows them to slowly inch along when necessary (they cannot levitate or float). A strange symbiotic fungus covers an overseer's surface, and changes color as the overseer wishes, usually appearing as a mottled green, grey or brown, depending on its surroundings.[26]
An overseer can wield weapons and magical items, but also relies on its 13 eye powers, which include:[28]
- Cone of cold as per the spell
- Dispel magic as per the spell
- Paralysis as per the spell
- Chain lightning as per the spell
- Telekinesis as per the spell, but can move 250 pounds in weight
- Emotion as per the spell
- Mass charm as per the spell
- Domination as per the spell
- Mass suggestion as per the spell
- Major creation as per the spell
- Spell turning as per the spell
- Serten's spell immunity as per the spell
- Temporal stasis as per the spell
Overseers are very protective of their own well-being and will be guarded by 1 or 2 beholders and at least 6 directors.[27][4]
Watcher[]
Watchers are created to serve as reconnaissance experts and information gatherers. The least brave of all abominations, watchers prefer misdirection and flight to actual confrontation. They are opportunistic feeders, and will eat carrion and will sometimes devour enemies they have managed to stun. A watcher has a large spherical body, 6-feet in diameter, with three central eyes arranged equidistantly around its circumference. These eyes are large and unlidded, and cannot be closed. Another large unlidded eye, known as a compound eye, is located on the watchers' crown, staring straight up, and is surrounded by a ring of six eye spots, making it difficult to surprise a watcher. On its underside is a large prehensile tentacle with a barbed pad, located just behind a small mouth with a rasp-like tongue.[26][27][4]
Watchers can attack with their long tentacle, which can deliver a powerful electric shock, possibly rendering an opponent unconscious. A watcher's six eye spots do not have any special powers; however, the three main eyes have access to two powers each, namely:[29]
- True seeing and ESP as per the spells
- Advanced illusion and Demi-shadow magic as per the spells
- Teleport and Telekinesis as per the spells, but can move 1,000 pounds,
The top compound eye can draw on three powers, as follows:[29]
- Message as per the spell,
- Tongues as per the spell, and
- Suggestion as per the spell
Notable beholder-kin[]
- Baris to the Right was a hive mother who lead a beholder nation located on the western side of the Spindle on H'Catha. She was one of the oldest hive mother's on H'Catha (relatively speaking) and was believed to be responsible for exterminating entire beholder nations.[30]
- The Queen of the Sazaur was a hive mother of phenomenal power who led the Sazaur nation to dominate their crystal sphere, virtually exterminating all other beholder nations.[12] After her death, her eyes were used to create the Queen's Eyes relic.[31]
Signature spelljammers[]
Beholder ships are the most diverse class of ships in wildspace. Each reflects the individual nature of a particular beholder nation.[32] The arcane were commissioned to design ships for each nation, and maintain a register to ensure no two designs are alike.[33] Despite their unique shapes and designs, all beholder ships are classed either as tyrant ships or tyrant scout ships, depending on size.
Appendix[]
See also[]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Beholder-kin article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Hive_mother article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Beholder-kin article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
- Hive mother article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 4: Deities, pages 21-22
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 4: Deities, page 23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Beholder entry (pp.69–70)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Harold Johnson, MC7 Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Appendix, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Beholder-Kin entry
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, pages 21-26
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, pages 9-16
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, page 10
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, page 25
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), page 49
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 70
- ↑ Nigel Findley, The Cloakmaster Cycle, The Broken Sphere, 1993. (TSR Inc.), pages 101-103
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Allen Varney, SJA1 Wildspace, 1990, (TSR Inc.), The Sazaur section, Introduction, page 2
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 7: Beholder Society, pages 40-42
- ↑ Allen Varney, SJA1 Wildspace, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Introduction, pages 2-3
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, pages 21-22
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, page 11
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 3: History of the Beholders, page 20
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, pages 22-23
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, page 23
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 75
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, page 12
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 76
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, pages 23-24
- ↑ Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, pages 12-13
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 77
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Types of Beholders, page 13
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Beholder and Beholder-kin entry, page 26
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 78
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Aaron Allston, I, Tyrant, 1996, (TSR Inc.), chapter 12: Ready Reference Guide, page 78-79
- ↑ Dale "Slade" Henson, SJR2 Realmspace, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, H'Catha chapter, pages 49-50
- ↑ Allen Varney, SJA1 Wildspace, 1990, (TSR Inc.), New Magic section, page 61
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, chapter 2: Spelljammers (p.23)
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Arcane, The entry (p.68)