History Characters / DungeonsAndDragonsBeholderkin

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToJ I to J]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesK K]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesL L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToV U to V]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesWToZ W to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]]\\

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToJ I to J]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesK K]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesL L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]]\\

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToJ I to J]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesK K]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesL L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]]\\

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sn]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]]\\

* GadgeteerGenius: In a rarity for beholderkin, examiners have limbs capable of picking up and manipulating objects. This lets them utilize magic items just as easily as humans, and since they can fly, examiners can use all four limbs to wield magic items at the same time.

* MasterOfIllusion: They hunt by attracting victims with a ''persistent image'' illusion of something like shipwreck survivors, small islands, or comely mermaids.

* MonsterLord: Hive mothers can telepathically control beholders and beholder-kin, and use this ability to set themselves up as the rulers of "hives" of magically ''dominated'' eye tyrants, often supported by overseers who serve as a sort of city council. They consider themselves to be the chosen of the Great Mother, on a mission to unify the beholder race... which means that beholder cities ruled by rival hive mothers are their greatest foes, representing "all that is tainted and wrong about the beholder race."

[[folder:Overseer]]
[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_overseer_3e.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:275:3e]]

'''Classification:''' Aberration (3E)\\
'''Challenge Rating:''' 15 (3E)\\
'''Alignment:''' LawfulEvil

Appearing like rubbery, fleshy trees, these beholderkin often serve as lieutenants to hive mothers in beholder cities.

* CombatTentacles: They can make eight tentacle attacks in melee, which can also [[TentacleRope grab and constrict]] foes.
* MindControl: Overseers can use ''dominate person'' with an eye ray, as well as a variant of ''dominate monster'' that affects beholders and beholderkin, with the exception of other overseers and hive mothers.
* LivingMoodRing: The thick, wiry fungus that covers an overseer not only provides bonuses to their Armor Class, it changes color in reaction to the creature's emotions.
* ManipulativeBastard: In the rare event an overseer isn't keeping order in a beholder city, it seeks out another community it can infiltrate and dominate from behind the scenes, amassing a number of minions to tend to its real (or imagined) needs.
* MightyGlacier: Overseers can't fly and can only move one square per round, but they have a very high Armor Class, and are nearly as effective with their physical attacks as they are while using eye rays such as ''chain lightning'' or ''polar ray''.

* TokenHeroicOrc: They're more Lawful Neutral than Evil, "and are often content to leave well enough alone," especially when traveling the planes... though in their home domains, all this goes out the window, and they'll ruthlessly attack any perceived threats.

* AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder: The beholders' creator deity is the Great Mother, who they venerate so much that each chooses to remember being personally birthed by her, regardless of the actual circumstances of their creation. Sometimes her avatar appears to a crowd of beholders, which would seem to settle the question of which is the true ideal beholder form -- except for the fact that any beholder who looks upon the Great Mother only sees their own features, scaled up. In other words, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.

* DisintegratorRay: One of the eye beams they can project functions as the spell ''disintegrate'', which they like to use against any foe that seems like a real threat.

* StrongerWithAge: Once they reach "venerable" age, elder orbs stop taking physical ability score penalties, but keep gaining bonuses to their mental ability scores. They also slowly continue growing, so that the oldest elder orbs are Huge creatures.

* MonsterLord: Hive mothers can telepathically control beholders and beholder-kin, and use this ability to set themselves up as the rulers of "hives" of magically ''dominated'' eye tyrants, often supported by directors who serve as a sort of city council. They consider themselves to be the chosen of the Great Mother, on a mission to unify the beholder race... which means that beholder cities ruled by rival hive mothers are their greatest foes, representing "all that is tainted and wrong about the beholder race."

Rare, powerful beholders capable of magically controlling other beholderkin, hive mothers rule over cities of beholders with iron wills.

* HiveQueen: Hive mothers can telepathically control beholders and beholder-kin, and use this ability to set themselves up as the rulers of hives of mentally linked eye tyrants.

* MonsterLord: Hive mothers are very rare, large and powerful beholders capable of magically dominating their lesser kin, and are usually found ruling over communities of beholder and beholderkin with iron wills.

* KingMook: They're bigger and more powerful beholders, and can become leaders of their lesser kin.

* EliteMook: Elder orbs, unusually long-lived and ancient beholders that are biologically immortal and develop sorcerous powers.

[[folder:Hive Mother]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d&d_beholder_hive_mother_3e.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:3e]]
->'''Origin:''' ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}''\\

'''Challenge Rating:''' 16 (3.5E)\\

Rare, powerful beholders capable of magically controlling other beholderkin, hive mothers rule over cities of beholders with iron wills.

* HiveQueen: Hive mothers can telepathically control beholders and beholder-kin, and use this ability to set themselves up as the rulers of hives of mentally linked eye tyrants.
* KeystoneArmy: A hive mother's telepathic control is usually the only thing keeping the other beholders' hatred for each other under control. If she's killed her minions will instantly turn on each other or disperse.
* MindControl: Hive mothers can exert complete control over beholders and beholderkin, and can additionally cast ''charm monster'' and ''charm person'' from their smaller eyes to attempt to control other beings.
* MonsterLord: Hive mothers are very rare, large and powerful beholders capable of magically dominating their lesser kin, and are usually found ruling over communities of beholder and beholderkin with iron wills.

!Beholderkin
Beholderkin are a broad grouping of creatures related and physically similar to, but distinct from, true beholders. Almost all are as evil and cruel as beholders are, although they do not share their intense xenophobia. Beholders consider beholderkin to be abominations -- although, of course, beholders also consider each other to be abominations.

Beholders, sometimes referred to as eye tyrants, are bizarre creatures that live deep underground. They resemble fleshy orbs dominated by a single huge eye above a fang-filled mouth, topped by a cluster of smaller eyestalks, but exhibit extreme mutability within this template in terms of flesh color, skin and eyestalk texture, or the size of their body parts. Beholders believe themselves to be the pinnacle of living things, and each and every beholder views itself as the apex of beholderkind. When two beholders meet each other, they will scrutinize each other for the smallest flaws and deviations from the ideal beholder form (that is, from their own personal form); on inevitably finding some minute difference, they will then attempt to kill each other for being repulsive abominations.

* BizarreAlienPsychology: Beholders have two brains, an emotional one and a logical one. They process their data through the emotional part before transferring it to the logical part, which means that if something is against a beholder's beliefs (which, through genetic memory, always amount to an AlwaysChaoticEvil racist monster) it won't ever get far enough to apply to its logic.

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sl]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCrossoverCreatures Crossover Creatures]]\\

* EmotionBomb: An oculorb's eyes unleash waves of negative emotions, which flood enemies with despair and ire.
* ExtraEyes: An oculorb resembles a slimy conglomeration of eyes in many sizes and shapes.

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartOne Sa-Sl]], [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesSPartTwo So-Sy]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] \\

''[[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatures Creatures]]'': [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreatureTypes Creature Types]] ([[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesA A]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesB B]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesC C]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesD D]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesE E]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesF F]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG G]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesH H]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesIToL I to L]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesM M]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesNtoQ N to Q]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesR R]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesS S]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesT T]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesUToZ U to Z]]) | '''Beholderkin''' | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDemons Demons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsDevils Devils]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsDragons Dragons]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsGiants Giants]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsMindFlayers Mind Flayers]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsUndead Undead]] | [[Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsFiendsYugoloths Yugoloths]] \\

* AntiRegeneration: instead of the anti-magic cone of a regular Beholder's gaze, the Death Tyrant's central eye prevents healing both magic and non-magical for anything in its line of sight.

* KingMook: Hive mothers are very rare, large and powerful beholders capable of magically dominating their lesser kin, and are usually found ruling over communities of beholder and beholderkin with iron wills.

* StraightForTheCommander: A hive mother's telepathic control is usually the only thing keeping the other beholder's hatred for each other under control, and if she's killed her minions will instantly turn on each other or disperse.

An incredibly powerful HybridMonster combining traits of beholderkin and Gibbering Mouthers, and suggested to be a common ancestor of both. See Characters/DungeonsAndDragonsCreaturesG.

Three-foot-wide spherical animals that are either a distant relative of true beholders or the product of a mage's experiments

* SanityHasAdvantages: Beholders are ''incredibly'' destructive and would be a terrifying threat to the world if they weren't so batshit crazy. They can disintegrate matter at will, control minds, kill with a glance and nullify any magic, but they're also all individually convinced that they and they alone are created in the true image of their goddess, and any beholders that look slightly different must be destroyed, even their own offspring. They can't even come together to form a coherent society because they all hate each other so much.