[3.5] Bad@$$ Beholder

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

I'm just wondering - how would you go about optimizing an enemy Beholder (http://dungeons.wikia.com/wiki/SRD:Beholder), within the following limits: no additional HD, levels or templates; focusing on feats, skills and gear.

How would you optimize it's feat selection (Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron), skills (Hide, Knowledge Arcana, Listen, Search, Spot, Survival - bearing in mind others would be cross-classed), and how would you use 26,000gp worth of gear to make it a more effective opponent?

Emphasis on feat selection and gear.

Cheers - T

[ChaoticDitz]

For feats, I must instantaneously recommend Quicken Spell-Like Ability. Other than that, I don't really know how to help.

(Doesn't work by the rules, I think. But I don't know any players who would hate on you fir it.)

[Urpriest]

For feats, I must instantaneously recommend Quicken Spell-Like Ability. Other than that, I don't really know how to help.

(Doesn't work by the rules, I think. But I don't know any players who would hate on you fir it.)

Quicken SLA doesn't just not work, it would be completely useless, since everything the guy does is a free action.

That said, that does mean that normally a Beholder has a standard action sitting around for biting. Since biting is dumb, give the guy a Mouthpick Spiked Chain. That plus some BFC feats (maybe just Combat Reflexes, and Stand Still, Improved Trip line if you really want it) keeps the dumb fighters away while AMF hoses the casters.

A few iterations of ability focus would be snazzy. Arguably, you just need one for the eye rays. Definitely check out the Beholder gear in Lords of Madness, a few gems there.

[Cog]

The Eye Rays are all a single Su ability: Enlarge Supernatural Ability will apply to a single round's use of all of them. Your players think they've successfully kited and are out of range? Nope.

[The Glyphstone]

Is it fighting defensively on prepared ground? A beholder in the open is mildly annoying, but tends to be quite class-cannon. A beholder in a looping, multi-tunneled warren it has dug out with Disintegrate and Telekinesis is utterly terrifying.

[Phelix-Mu]

Is it fighting defensively on prepared ground? A beholder in the open is mildly annoying, but tends to be quite class-cannon. A beholder in a looping, multi-tunneled warren it has dug out with Disintegrate and Telekinesis is utterly terrifying.

Indeed. If you aren't using a beholder encounter to make your players fear enemy-controlled territory/terrain, then you should. I remember a certain multi-beholder encounter that I set up in a beholder hive, with three of them converging on a party in a large cavern with strategically placed columns and sheer tunnels bored down into the ground. The beholders would pop up like whack a mole, coordinated with each other to hem in enemy spellcasters while allowing their own telekinesis to toss an endless stream of rocks at the party.

Anyway, as to suggestions, I think a staff of wall of force and one of those extra hand items (I think it's a belt) might be called for. Wall of force dovetails well with their other abilities, as I recall.

Alternatively, minions are always good for a beholder (and in keeping with the fluff). Use part of the money to allow the beholder to acquire some kind of ogre + war hulk levels, mindraped/dominated into obedience.

[KillianHawkeye]

Definitely check out the Beholder gear in Lords of Madness, a few gems there.

Lords of Madness also has a couple Beholder-specific feats to look at, but I don't remember if they're any good or not.

[HunterOfJello]

Air Heritage from Planar Handbook will boost the Beholder's Fly speed by 20ft (can't increase more than current fly speed). That could make it quite dangerous since it would then have a 40ft fly speed that it could use to constantly retreat while shooting eye rays at the PCs chasing it. Few if any of the PCs would be able to catch up to it without using the Run action and none are likely going to be able to charge it this way.

For the 3rd and 4th feats you could take Martial Study (Action Before Thought) and Martial Stance (Pearl of Black Doubt). You would need to dump a bunch of ranks into concentration for this method. This lets the beholder boost up its reflex save by quite a bit and gives it the ability to potentially increase its AC substantially.

[NotScaryBats]

Lens of Ray Chaining for 11k, and Lens of Ray Doubling for 16k, page 46 of Lords of Madness.

[strider24seven]

no additional HD, levels or templates
Intentionally level drain yourself with your method of choice, fail your save intentionally to permanently lose your racial HD, and take levels in Beholder Mage.
Probably not what you intended, but arguably the most optimal path.

[The Viscount]

Disintegration finesse opens up a lot of possibilities.

[EugeneVoid]

Beholder Mage
Make your players cry forever

Edit: Have traps everywhere. Beholders float. Have like lava everywhere and just make the terrain terrifying.

[Segev]

Wand of Wind Wall used to keep the party's archers at bay, while he uses his anti-magic central eye to keep the spellcasters neutralized.

Give him a lair with dangerous ground that he flies over; when the party attempts to follow with magical flight, he can drop them onto it. (A classic would be if his lair included a magma chamber with a small lake of the molten stuff at the bottom. May want fire-immunity from an item or a wand so he can maneuver more freely in there.) A wand of Grease can do a lot to MAKE the ground a bit more hazardous, as well, but the spell dissipates under his gaze so is less useful to drop people on.

To use the wands, you'll need to get him ranks of Use Magic Device, but you can get 7 ranks for 14 of his skill points, for a +9 total. He'd need +10 more to always be able to activate wands, and that would be 10,000 gp if you wanted to just give him an item of +10 competence to UMD.

To be really cheesy, you can knock that down to a +8 item (6400 gp) if you add a masterwork item that gives its +2 circumstance bonus. Perhaps a bandolier in which to store them that can be oriented by twisting his body to point them.

[NotScaryBats]

Give the beholder Improved Flight and Agile Tyrant, and it'll have perfect flight and be able to hover around effortlessly, directing four rays at the party from a position they will have a tough time counter-attacking.

Maybe make there be lots of ducts and tunnels about 20-30 feet up in a large, dark cavern. The beholder hangs out in one of these, then uses its Doubled Finger of Death to double tap the party wizard with two F save or dies, whacks the rogue with Chained Disintegrate, chains it to the cleric. Throws a Charm Monster at the Fighter, uses Agile Tyrant to Flesh to Stone someone who survived the initial blast, and then Telekinesises a boulder from up above down to cover its hidey hole. It then flies to another vantage point, but there are like 50 possible openings up there, and the party doesn't know where it'll come from.

[Thurbane]

To use the wands, you'll need to get him ranks of Use Magic Device, but you can get 7 ranks for 14 of his skill points, for a +9 total. He'd need +10 more to always be able to activate wands, and that would be 10,000 gp if you wanted to just give him an item of +10 competence to UMD.
If you're willing to burn the feats, Skill Focus and Magical Aptitude could up this from +9 to +14, and a masterwork item* could make it +16. Then it could have a wand in it's mouth and fire that each round in addition to it's eye beams.

*I personally consider masterwork UMD items rather cheesy.