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Among the vast cosmos of D&D monsters, there’s something uniquely unsettling about a creature that can literally dream new versions of itself into existence. The beholder – a floating orb of eyes and paranoid genius - doesn’t just reproduce. It warps reality through its dreams, spawning new beholders that will seek to destroy out of despair of their imperfection. 

This bizarre reproductive cycle is a perfect encapsulation of what makes beholders such iconic (and terrifying) adversaries within the D&D universe. Let’s spend a bit of time getting to know these horrifying abominations and how you can incorporate them into your gameplay.

The History of the Beholder

Few D&D monsters can claim the distinction of being truly original to the game – but the beholder is one of these legendary creatures. The floating orb malevolence was created in 1975 when Terry Kuntz (brother of D&D pioneer Rob Kuntz) first imagined the monster. History has it that Gary Gygax was so impressed that he immediately brought it to life and added it to the compendium.

What started out as a simple floating eye with deadly beam attacks has since evolved into one of D&D’s most complex creatures. Through each edition, the Beholder has been updated and enhanced – from the 1st Edition Monster Manual introducing them as "eye tyrants" to the 2nd Edition’s xenophobic nature and hatred of other beholders. 

The most distinguishing feature of the Beholder is the reproduction of itself via dreams – where beholders use their supernatural powers to bring new versions of themselves to existence. This Lovecraftian style of cosmic horror means the Beholder stands alone in the monster canon – and is even more fun to play on the page. 

The 5th Edition keeps the Beholder true to its roots while making it an even more impressive adversary. Their legendary actions and effects reflect decades of gameplay, and Beholders have held some pretty impressive roles in DM storytelling (such as the infamous Xanathar of Waterdeep.)

Tips for Running Beholders

Running a beholder isn’t just about managing eye rays – you’ll want to make the most of D&D’s most intelligent (and barbaric) creatures. Here are some tips from our team to help bring the Beholder to life in any game you’re running:

Design The Lair

Beholders love their lairs – and you’ll want to take advantage of this unique environment by creating spaces where they can hover in all directions. 

This means vertical spaces and tight corridors, as well as wide chambers where eye rays can bombard players. Create escape routes only accessible by flying, and add elevated platforms or ledges that force players to split up as they fight.

Make It Personal

Beholders aren’t just paranoid – they’re intelligent creatures that adopt strange habits and quirks during their lives. 

Give yours its own personality to stand out, and remember that beholders love to talk – so create monologues to keep players distracted. Throw in minions or traps, and even consider making the Beholder a recurring villain that warps in and out of gameplay.

Tactical Tips

  • Start combat with the anti-magic cone active to strip away player buffs
  • Target saves strategically: use petrification rays on dexterous rogues, charm rays on low-wisdom fighters
  • Remember: eye ray targets are chosen intelligently, even if the rays are random
  • Use legendary actions to maintain pressure between turns
  • The telekinetic ray can suspend melee fighters helplessly in the air
  • Save the disintegration ray for cover that players are hiding behind

The Beholder Statblock

Beholder Large aberration, lawful evil

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 180 (19d10 + 76)

Speed 0 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)

STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 18 (+4) 

INT 17 (+3) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 17 (+3)

Saving Throws Int +8, Wis +7, Cha +8

Skills Perception +12

Condition Immunities prone

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22

Languages Deep Speech, Undercommon

Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Antimagic Cone. The beholder's central eye creates an area of antimagic, as in the antimagic field spell, in a 150-foot cone. At the start of each of its turns, the beholder decides which way the cone faces and whether the cone is active. The area works against the beholder's own eye rays.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage.

Eye Rays. The beholder shoots three of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one to three targets it can see within 120 feet of it:

  1. Charm Ray. DC 16 Wisdom save or charmed for 1 hour
  2. Paralyzing Ray. DC 16 Constitution save or paralyzed for 1 minute
  3. Fear Ray. DC 16 Wisdom save or frightened for 1 minute
  4. Slowing Ray. DC 16 Dexterity save or speed halved, no reactions, action or bonus action only
  5. Enervation Ray. DC 16 Constitution save for 36 (8d8) necrotic damage, half on success
  6. Telekinetic Ray. DC 16 Strength save or moved 30 feet and restrained
  7. Sleep Ray. DC 16 Wisdom save or unconscious for 1 minute
  8. Petrification Ray. DC 16 Dexterity save or begin turning to stone
  9. Disintegration Ray. DC 16 Dexterity save for 45 (10d8) force damage
  10. Death Ray. DC 16 Dexterity save for 55 (10d10) necrotic damage

Legendary Actions

The beholder can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the option below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn.

Eye Ray. The beholder uses one random eye ray.

Pro Tip: On Roll20, you can create a rollable table for the eye rays to quickly determine random effects during combat!

Ready To Face the Eye Tyrant? Play Now on Roll20

Are you ready to unleash the power of the beholder on your players? You can start playing right now on Roll20 – the leading D&D VTT experience available. With built-in dice rolling for random eye events and dynamic lighting for those vertically challenging lairs, Roll20 gives you everything you need to bring your adventure to life.