[3.5] Question About Beholders

[Jergmo]

Lords of Madness has the following on magic items for Beholders:

Although they are naturally potent adversaries, beholders
understand the value of augmenting their capabilities with
additional magic. Yet beholders are not known for their skill
or even their interest in creating magic items. Therefore, most
of a beholder’s magic gear has been stolen from others.
Since most magic items are crafted by humanoids, a beholder
cannot use all of the items it finds. Still, it hoards weapons,
armor, cloaks, boots, gauntlets, and similar magic items so it
can study them to charge its dweomerlobes.
A creature with a beholder-shaped body can wear the following
magic items:
• One headband, hat, or phylactery on the body. A beholder
can only wear a helmet specially designed to fi t over the
creature’s entire body.
• Three pairs of eye lenses or goggles over the central eye and
up to two eyestalks (one pair per eye or eyestalk).
• Three amulets, brooches, medallions, necklaces, periapts,
or scarabs on up to three eyestalks (one item per eyestalk).
• One belt worn about an eyestalk.
• One pair of bracers or bracelets on a pair of eyestalks.
• Up to three rings on up to three eyestalks (one ring per
eyestalk).

Now...okay, all is good - we know what kind of items a beholder can wear, but are those all it can utilize? Could a beholder, for example, wrap one of its eye stalks around a wand, using both the wand and that eye ray?

[Zergrusheddie]

Technically, the DM could do whatever the hell they want. The eyestalk and wand thing is possible, but would you allow a Monk to use a wand and than punch with the same fist?

[Jergmo]

Technically, the DM could do whatever the hell they want. The eyestalk and wand thing is possible, but would you allow a Monk to use a wand and than punch with the same fist?

No...but the monk's arm isn't a tentacle-thing. Although, shooting lasers from their hands would probably be a powerful boost. :smalltongue:

[Zergrusheddie]

It's on the same level of thinking though. It mostly breaks down to the Action Economy. Can a Monk use a Wand in his left hand and throw a Shuriken with right hand?

[Starbuck_II]

Now...okay, all is good - we know what kind of items a beholder can wear, but are those all it can utilize? Could a beholder, for example, wrap one of its eye stalks around a wand, using both the wand and that eye ray?

You can't use an eye ray and a wand with same eye. You'll need to get a graft for an actual arm if you want to use the eye stalk freely.

[The Glyphstone]

The Monk is a bad example, because using a Wand (in most cases) is a standard action, as would punching be, and because Monks can attack with other parts of their body. Beholders fire their rays as a free action.

[Cicciograna]

If I were a DM confronted with this issue, I'd say that the Beholder uses the wand with its Telekinesis.

[arguskos]

Considering the action for the eye rays (free), I'd say that a Beholder could easily use a Wand, assuming it could make the UMD check or had levels in a class that permits it to use the wand freely. Their eyestalks seem to be fairly mobile, so I don't see the issue.

[Runestar]

Is there some way for the beholder to activate the wand by holding it in its mouth or strapping it to its body or something? Since it fires all its eye rays as a free action, this leaves it a standard action unutilized. For example, I could tack on the half-fiend template to give it additional SLAs to cast.

[AslanCross]

Is there some way for the beholder to activate the wand by holding it in its mouth or strapping it to its body or something? Since it fires all its eye rays as a free action, this leaves it a standard action unutilized. For example, I could tack on the half-fiend template to give it additional SLAs to cast.

Well, Lords of Madness does give Beholders mouthpick weapons. I guess you could do the same for wands.