Beholders(?) (3.5, maybe other editions)

[Beholder1995]

A while ago in Town I got into a discussion with another board member about how Beholders manage to float in the air. I said that they were naturally bouyant, whereas my other was saying it was a magical effect.

So... what do you guys up in Gaming have to say?

[Tsotha-lanti]

I can't be assed to look up my MM, but in 3.X the answer is very simple. Is their buoyancy ability (they have one, with an associated permanent feather fall, rather than just having a fly speed) Supernatura or Extraordinary? If it's (Su), it's magical, and if it's (Ex), it's natural.

Of course, even if it's (Su), they're naturally magical (which we already know from all their other abilities). There's no difference, in almost all D&D worlds. "Natural" just means "found in nature," and "nature" just means "universe" (sometimes "universe outside of human[oid] influence," although that's a crap definition).

[AmberVael]

Naturally buoyant. Their flight ability is listed as an Ex ability, which means it is definitely not supernatural/magic in any way.
Plus, the description specifically says "naturally buoyant." That's probably a big hint. :smallamused:

[hamishspence]

MM uses words "Naturally buoyant" and its Extraordinary- antimagic would not affect it. They have real mass- in the vicinity of 8000 pounds, according to Lords of Madness. Whatever causes it is property of internal organs- chop beholder up and organs float. They propel themselves with jets of air through tiny holes in body (LoM).

[AmberVael]

Whatever causes it is property of internal organs- chop beholder up and organs float.

...hmmm... balloons...

[Eldariel]

Yea, balloons disintegrating other balloons. I wonder if they make funny popping sound when they die?

[hamishspence]

a four ton 10 by 10 by 10 ft balloon would not float. Call it Organic Phlebotium if you like. But LoM doesn't imply they go pop, more- chop it up and bits will still be hovering.

[Beholder1995]

Wait- it says so in the MM? *rifles through pages*

Who put that kernel of information there?? :smalltongue::smallredface:


Yea, balloons disintegrating other balloons. I wonder if they make funny popping sound when they die?

Well, when my Town character gets stabbed he starts to deflate... 'course, he only weighs thirty-something pounds, so I'm apparently misinformed... >_>...

[Keld Denar]

a four ton 10 by 10 by 10 ft balloon would not float. Call it Organic Phlebotium if you like. But LoM doesn't imply they go pop, more- chop it up and bits will still be hovering.

Beholders must have tissue constructed from what would be similar to closesd-cell foam, that is, foam who's air pockets have an independant structural integrity from the mass. That would be why they continue to float after a choppity death.

Otherwise, you could poke enough holes in a living beholder and it would sink like the Titanic...

[ChaosDefender24]

Lords of Madness goes into this a little bit; AFB but it doesn't offer a precise mechanism for how the beholders fly. What is known is that the beholder's individual internal organs are buoyant, and will float for up to 12 hours after being removed from a living beholder's body.

[Tsotha-lanti]

You'd think they'd shoot up into the sky if they offer a four-ton beholder enough lift to move up and down freely.

[afroakuma]

I seem to recall that older editions had it as a magical ability - it was a plot point in a large Dungeon adventure that a beholder lost its levitation in an antimagic field.

I'm going the closed-cell foam route on this one; it makes a reasonable degree of sense. The fact that the giant head weighs 8000 pounds? not as much, no.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Can anyone find an exact weight on the Beholder? The MM1 gave it an approximate volume of 9.255 meters, meaning that a weight greater than 11.939 KG(26.321 lbs) will be denser than air and require an additional method of lift.

[Kizara]

Wait- it says so in the MM? *rifles through pages*

Who put that kernel of information there?? :smalltongue::smallredface:



Well, when my Town character gets stabbed he starts to deflate... 'course, he only weighs thirty-something pounds, so I'm apparently misinformed... >_>...

Yea, the MM has information aside from generic and repetitive stat-blocks sprinkled with silly abilities and too many HP.

You know what I mean.

[hamishspence]

Lords of Madness- 8000 pounds.