Battling with Beholders

[wulfire]

Hi guys,

My Group and I are in dire need of help.

Our DM has created a maze that we have conquered, however the exit is guarded by a Beholder.

It has instantly killed my Druid's companion (wolf) and our wizard familiar (hawk) while we scouted ahead.

How can 5 level 4/5 characters (including a Rogue, Dwarf and Duelist) beat a Beholder?

Our DM insists that by working together we can prevail, but we can't think of any weaknesses that it has that we can expoit.

Any tips?

[Emperor Tippy]

What resources do you have access to? Especially spells and magic items. How's the maze exit laid out and what kind of distance do you have to cross to get within melee range of the Beholder?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If your characters are level 4-5, then it's most likely a Gauth (CR 6) and not an actual Beholder (CR 13). A Gauth is considerably weaker, but it can still be deadly if you're unprepared.

The greatest disadvantage a Beholder has is that it can only point a few of its eye rays in a given 90-degree arc. All of its eye rays are single-target, so grouping up puts you at a significant advantage. Beholders are Aberrations, which get good Will saves but poor Fort and Reflex saves.

Your party is a Druid, a Wizard, a Rogue, a Dwarf (that's not a class!), and a Duelist, of 4th-5th level. The Druid can prepare Creeping Cold, Earthbind, and Wall of Smoke. The Wizard really depends on what spells he knows, but Wall of Smoke, Web, and Glitterdust are the gold standard Batman choices. The idea is to use Earthbind to prevent it from flying, which will severely limit its mobility. Wall of Smoke is basically a 1st level version of Stinking Cloud, it's an area effect that you can cast on top of creatures to force a Fort save vs. nauseated. If it's nauseated then it cannot use its eye rays. Creeping Cold deals damage over time, and it's especially deadly if you cast it (Lesser Rod of) Extended. If the Wizard knows Power Word: Pain, it too can deal a significant amount of damage over several rounds. You can also use a net to drag it into melee range if Earthbind doesn't work. Get it into reach of your party's full-attackers, prevent it from using its special abilities via status effects that target its weak saves, and keep hurting it until it dies.

[Erik Vale]

Supporting the Not Enough information call, What are all your classes/general builds? Equipment? Rough layout?

[superjudas]

I would say avoid all forms of confrontation with the beholder unless you have the spell "ray deflection". I think it is level 3 wizard spell that basically makes you immune vs rays for 1rnd/lvl.

I would try to lure the beholder away from the exit and then run. He only has 20foot speed, so that is a weakness :)
Other options is to kill him in his sleep, coup de grace him in his sleep, or run away from the dungeon when he sleeps. Just make sure to check for magic traps when sneaking up on him. -20 to listen checks when sleeping should be enough to not distrub him :)

Other options might be a cave in, but if the beholder survives that he has disintigrate at will.

If there is a direct confrontation you will be at your DM`s mercy, several save or die spells per round is not something a level 4/5 character can take.

[superjudas]

If your characters are level 4-5, then it's most likely a Gauth (CR 6) and not an actual Beholder (CR 13). A Gauth is considerably weaker, but it can still be deadly if you're unprepared.


If it instantly killed his wolf animal companion it should be a Beholder and not a Gauth. But like the others said, not enough information.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If it instantly killed his wolf animal companion it should be a Beholder and not a Gauth. But like the others said, not enough information.

It most likely used its Sleep or Paralysis ray on it, then floated over and delivered a CDG with a bite.

[wulfire]

Sorry guys.

Right more info:
The corridor leading up to the exit is 30 feet long and 4 feet wide (so single file) and the walls are 7 feet high with no ceiling, if you go above the walls there are extremely powerful winds that even the hawk couldn't fly in.
The corridor leads into a room of 20x20 feet with the exit on the far side. This is where the Beholder is located.

As for classes: Half-elf Druid, Halfling Rogue, Human Duelist, Dwarf Paladin, Elf Wizard.

The Druid and Wizard choose their spells at sunrise, so this will help if you suggest different spells. I must also stress that we are using 3.5.

The only magic items we have access to is a Magic Tower shield for the Paladin, which casts an aura in a bubble for the user which is almost impenetrable, an attacking monster has to roll a fortitude save when making contact with it. We also have a crossbow with +2 against undead, which doesn't matter against this. The only other thing is the Duelist has a cloak that activates when dodging, it creates a dark suffocating cloud... but the Beholder has Dark vision doesn't it so can see through this.

I didn't think you creep up on a sleeping Beholder as the listening skills are quite high up (being he managed to kill a wolf which makes no sound).

Have I missed anything? I'm really sorry, I'm completely new at this.

[Arc_knight25]

Another option is to go all Blasty McBlasterson on him. Ready all your high damaging Range attacks. Take cover while popping them off(Lying prone from behind the Tower shield should do if there is no corners or debris to hide behind). Retreat to where your Melee can take it by surprise and beat down.

If you say you know the maze you can easily run back to a safer place. If beholder doesn't chase, blast him again after another rest. He isn't going to get that much HP back in one rest. Of course he could be using wands and potions, but its not like he has alot of those.

Summon as many speed bumps as you can between Summon Monster and Summon Natures Ally. They should keep him busy for a little while while you get into postion.

[Segev]

Depending on how the "dark choking cloud" manifests, Darkvision won't help: Darkvision only works in non-magical darkness; it doesn't work in fog or magical darkness. This gives you at least 20% concealment against its attacks. Even in a 4-ft.-wide corridor, the concealment applies, greatly reducing the Beholder's ability to successfully hit with its eye rays. Of which it can bring no more than 3 to bear, as somebody else mentioned.

Tell us more about this bubble effect of your paladin's shield: can he move while using it? Does it do anything against ranged attacks? What about rays? Can he advance down the corridor with it up and just deflect all the rays? Sadly, rays are "targeted spells," so he can't use the shield's "total cover" to hide from them entirely.

If the wizard has Unseen Servant, he could have that take the shield and advance up the corridor; the beholder won't be able to see that it's an invisible force holding the shield rather than a dwarf. Everybody hold their actions until the beholder takes its turn. When it blasts the shield (and the Servant behind it), everybody jump out. In fact, with only a 40 ft. corridor, everybody except the dwarf can be halfway through the room on a mere double move.

If you have Silent Image, you can even send the Image up the corridor as the party cowering behind the tower shield to make it waste its turn on that. That way, there's no risk of losing the shield by leaving it behind.

If you have Obscuring Mist or similar, you can cast it and charge up the corridor; the Beholder still has to guess which square to target AND has a 50% miss chance with each ray. Only if you come within 5 feet of it can it tell which square you're in, and if you move right away to avoid it, the worst that happens is it gets an AoO with its bite. At a full run, you guys could actually bolt up the corridor and be out the other side (with only the dwarf having the problem of nto quite making it out of the room in one round).


Finally, there's no roof, but really high winds? You know that the exit is beyond the beholder. Can you just climb up onto the walls above, moving straight in that directly, and avoiding that room? Use ropes and teamwork to climb up and over each bit and keep from being blown away; you're not flying, so you should be okay. But just exit the maze by going over walls, since you know the direction to the exit.

[Gwendol]

Have you tried talking to it? See what it wants.

[Chronos]

Your greatest strength against a beholder is that it can't force you to confront it: Beholders move slower than most PCs, and their eye rays are shorter range than most weapons and spells. If you can get it into a corridor longer than 60', you win. Of course the beholder knows this, and will not allow itself to get into that situation. But it does mean that if you can get to a corridor that long somewhere in the maze, you're safe from pursuit.

Then, leave the maze by the top. Yeah, the winds are too strong to fly in, but that's only a problem if you plan to fly. 7' walls are pretty short; just climb to the top of them. No matter how strong the winds are, you should at least be able to crawl along the tops of the walls.

[Icarusthefallen]

Have you tried talking to it? See what it wants.

Best solution! (as a DM I once actually set up an encounter like that and they killed it instead of talking starting a war)

[SciChronic]

prevent to from being able to use its gaze attacks i.e.: Glitterdust and blind it then you can either kill it or run past it and hope nothing ahead will kill you.

[wulfire]

Thanks for all the advice!!

I know a few of you have suggested to scale the walls and crawl along them, but it might be worth mentioning that none of the group have climb as a skill, and also, I doubt (if it came to a strength test) that we could get the dwarf up there!

I must admit, I laughed when I read that you wanted us to try and talk to it. I'll be at the back if we decide to go that way!!

Biffoniacus_Furiou - are all those spells you mentioned in the 3.5 spell books? I haven't come across those ones yet and I'm always changing my set-up.

[Segev]

At 7 feet high, the climb DC can't be that high. Have the dwarf boost people up, then have everybody haul together on a rope to pull the dwarf up. Heck, do you have Fly or Levitate? You don't have to fly above the walls; just fly up high enough that you can put your weight on them. Use fly/levitate to get to just below the top, then put your full weight down on the wall-tops.

[Icarusthefallen]

Climb DC Example Surface or Activity
0 A slope too steep to walk up, or a knotted rope with a wall to brace against.
5 A rope with a wall to brace against, or a knotted rope, or a rope affected by the rope trick spell.
10 A surface with ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a very rough wall or a ship’s rigging.
15 Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a very rough natural rock surface or a tree, or an unknotted rope, or pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.
20 An uneven surface with some narrow handholds and footholds, such as a typical wall in a dungeon or ruins.
25 A rough surface, such as a natural rock wall or a brick wall.
25 An overhang or ceiling with handholds but no footholds.
— A perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed.
Climb DC Modifier1 Example Surface or Activity
–10 Climbing a chimney (artificial or natural) or other location where you can brace against two opposite walls (reduces DC by 10).
–5 Climbing a corner where you can brace against perpendicular walls (reduces DC by 5).
+5 Surface is slippery (increases DC by 5).
These modifiers are cumulative; use any that apply.

Just as a reference for anyone looking for it. But as stated above, a 7' climb would be next to negligable in my book and as for hauling up the dwarf... As long as the half-elf and human work together they should be able to lift the 200lb ish dwarf or at least provide "handholds" for the dwarf to decreas his climb dc even further. Granted this whole idea might anger the DM but I would not only reward the party the exp for the encounter successfully completed but additional exp for thinking outside the box.

[Segev]

Granted this whole idea might anger the DM but I would not only reward the party the exp for the encounter successfully completed but additional exp for thinking outside the box.

I see what you did there.

[Icarusthefallen]

I see what you did there.

Thank you very much Segev. @ OP: Have you talked with the other players to see if any of these ideas strike their fancy?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Biffoniacus_Furiou - are all those spells you mentioned in the 3.5 spell books? I haven't come across those ones yet and I'm always changing my set-up.

Creeping Cold, Earthbind, and Wall of Smoke are in the Spell Compendium. Web and Glitterdust are in the PHB. Power Word: Pain is in Races of the Dragon. You probably don't need Earthbind if it can't fly higher than seven feet up due to the wind, but I'd still have it prepared just in case.

[Baroknik]

Have you considered trying to knock the beholder upwards? Those high winds may cause some problems for a slow-flying ball of gas...

[Icarusthefallen]

If all of the environmental solutions provided here fail, and you are unable to sneak up on it while it is sleeping, then perhaps you should jump it by surprise with an all out frontal assault and hope the DM had a fiat planned to make the whole encounter flashy and awesome... I am very curious to hear how it ends up.

[Silva Stormrage]

Have you considered trying to knock the beholder upwards? Those high winds may cause some problems for a slow-flying ball of gas...

Column of ice from Frostburn might help you with that. It would knock the Beholder up into the winds which would then probably send it flying away from the exit. Then you make a break for it (Make sure not to block the exit with the column of ice).

[SciChronic]

i still jsut say Heightened Glitterdust the thing, then stab it to death, but thats the solution to most encounters isnt it?:smallfrown:

[John Longarrow]

Silence and Invisibility to just walk past, open the door, and head out.

[superjudas]

I didn't think you creep up on a sleeping Beholder as the listening skills are quite high up (being he managed to kill a wolf which makes no sound).


Sure he got good listen, but when somebody sleeps they get -20 to listen checks. Sneak up on him in his sleep and coup de grace him



It most likely used its Sleep or Paralysis ray on it, then floated over and delivered a CDG with a bite.

Are you sure it is a beholder and not a Gauth like Buffoniacus thinks? Because if it is a beholder I would say just back off, do not fight it under any circumstances if you want to keep your character. If you try to fight it you have a very high chance of transmuting to a pile of dust, or worse.
I support the try to talk to it, (or murder it in its sleep).

[wulfire]

Hi everyone!

We had a session last night, and I must say we spent 20 minutes discussing a plan on what to do...

In the end we decided to try and talk to it... but as we are all Lvl 4 or lower we had no real protection if it didn't want to talk.

The Beholder turned out to be a Juvenile Beholder, who did not like my attempts at flattery. After several attempts at talking to it round corners, we had to show that we weren't cowards and face it down... which we eventually agreed to after fighting each other to see who stood at the back!!

In the end it transpired that we had to tell it something it did not already know of in this world and once we basically told it EVERYTHING we knew of, and some things we had guessed at, it let us pass without incident.

Thanks for all your ideas and help!!