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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICEOpen Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wiz-

ards of the Coast, Inc.System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards

of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook,Skip Williams, based on original material by E. GaryGygax and Dave Arneson.

The Complete Guide to Beholders, by KeithBaker, Neil Gamache, and Matt Sprengeler, Copyright2003 Goodman Games (contact goodmangames@mind-spring.com, or see www.goodman-games.com)

This printing of The Complete Guide to Beholders isdone under version 1.0 of the Open Gaming License andthe draft versions of the System Reference Document, by per-mission from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Subsequent print-ings will incorporate final versions of the license, guideand document.

Designation of Product Identity: The followingitems are hereby designated as Product Identity in accor-dance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version1.0: Any and all logos and identifying marks and tradedress, including Complete Guide and Goodman Games;any original elements presented herein and not found in theSystem Reference Document; all proper nouns; names ofcharacters, areas, factions, dominions, and creatures; theterms eyekin, aberrant warrior, the void, eye of the void,and knight of cleansing; and all artwork, stories, story-lines, plots, thematic elements, symbols, depictions, and il-lustrations, except such elements that already appear in theSystem Reference Document.

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Some of the portions of this book which are delin-eated OGC originate from the System Reference Documentand are copyright © 1999, 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.The remainder of these OGC portions of these book arehereby added to Open Game Content and, if so used,should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “The CompleteGuide to Beholders, by Keith Baker, Neil Gamache, andMatt Sprengeler, Copyright 2003 Goodman Games (con-tact goodmangames@mindspring.com, or see www.good-man-games.com)”

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The following legal text is required by the open gaming license. For more information on open gaming, go to www.opengaming-foundation.org or www.wizards.com/d20.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Chapter One: Beholder PhysiologyBasic Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Sight, Sound, and Thought . . . . . . .6The Sovereign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Beholder Subspecies . . . . . . . . . . .6Reproduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Eye Rays and Their Uses . . . . . . . .8Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8The Eyekin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Chapter Two: The Secret Life of BeholdersThe Dominions . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Beholder Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . .12

Sovereigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Subspecies . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13The Eyekin . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Slaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Geopolitics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Myths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14Rites and Rituals . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Humanoid Interactions . . . . . . . . .16Beholder Cults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Cult Organization . . . . . . . . .18War Between Dominions . . . . . . .21Conflicts with Other Species . . . .21

Chapter Three: The Tyrants in BattleRunning Sovereigns . . . . . . . . . . .22General Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . .23The Deadliness of the Sovereign .24Eye Rays in Combat . . . . . . . . . .24The Antimagic Cone . . . . . . . . . .26Adventurer Classes . . . . . . . . . . .27Beholders with Allies . . . . . . . . . .28Multiple Sovereigns . . . . . . . . . . .28

Chapter Four: Characters with Many EyesBeholders as Player Characters . .29Eyekin as a Character Race . . . . .29

Character Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Beholder Cultist . . . . . . . . . .32

Cultist Eyebeams . . . . . .34Aberrant Warrior . . . . . . . . . .36Eye of the Void . . . . . . . . . . .38Juggernaut . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Beholder and Eyekin Feats . . . . .41Metamagic Feats and Eye Rays . .45Metamagic Feats and Eyebeams .46

Chapter Five: Beholder EquipmentWeapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48Special and Superior Items . . . . .49Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Chapter Six: The Beholder CampaignAlternate Settings . . . . . . . . . . . .55Conversing with Beholders . . . . .56Nine Dominions . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Consuming Eye . . . . . . . . . . .57Enigma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Eternal Vigil . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Final Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64First Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Flesh Reborn . . . . . . . . . . . .68Poisoned Eye . . . . . . . . . . . .69Revelations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72Watching Wheel . . . . . . . . . .73

Beholder Encounters . . . . . . . . . .75The Endless Children . . . . . .75The Experiment . . . . . . . . . .77Subversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

Chapter Seven: Beholder ArchitectureTraps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Beholder Lairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83Beholder Outposts . . . . . . . . . . . .85The Eyehold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87The Citadel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Urban Beholder Settlements . . . .90Architecture and Dominion . . . . .91

Cultist Temples . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Chapter Eight: Creature StatisticsBeholder Sovereign . . . . . . . . . .93

Dominion of Enigma . . . . . .94Dominion of Flesh Reborn . .96Dominion of Revelations . . .98

Beholder Monitor . . . . . . . . . . .100Beholder Overseer, Greater . . . .102Beholder Overseer, Lesser . . . . .103Beholder Skirmisher, Greater . . .104Beholder Skirmisher, Lesser . . .106Besieger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107Incubator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108Laborer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109Observer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Shaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Template: Eyetouched Creature .112Alternate Eye Rays . . . . . . . . . .113

Chapter Nine: Fighting the TyrantsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

The Cleansing Light . . . . . .114The Second Eye . . . . . . . . .115The Unseen . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

New Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Knight of Cleansing . . . . . .116Tyrant Hunter . . . . . . . . . . .117

Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Purity Domain . . . . . . . . . .120New Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

([SDQVLRQV� Look for the article“Tools for the Tyrant Hunter” in EN WorldPlayer’s Journal #2, and the “Abbey Inn”scenario in the Free Materials section atwww.goodman-games.com!

3

Table of Contents

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³<RX�WKLQN�WKDW�,�FRPH�WR�GHVWUR\��WR�VXEMXJDWH�\RXU�SHRSOH�´WKH�W\UDQW�UDVSHG��³<RX�VHH�D�EDWWOH�EHWZHHQ�RXU�NLQG�DQG�\RX�DV�VXPH�WKDW�ZH�DUH�XQUHDVRQLQJ�EHDVWV��LQWHUHVWHG�RQO\�LQ�FRQTXHVWDQG�SRZHU��)RRO��,I�FRQTXHVW�ZHU H�RXU�RQO\�JRDO��ZH�ZRXOG�KDYHWDNHQ�\RXU�ZRUOG�IU RP�\RX�ORQJ�DJR��/RRN�XSRQ�PH��< RXU�OLIH�\RXU�ERG\��\RXU�PLQG�±�ZLWK�EXW�D�JD]H��,�FRXOG�WDNH�DQ\�RQH�RIWKHVH��:HUH�LW�P\�GHVLU H��,�FRXOG�VODXJKWHU�HYHU\�VRXO�ZLWKLQ�WKLVWRZQ��:K\��WKHQ��KDYH�,�QRW�GRQH�WKLV"�:K\�LV�LW�WKDW�P\�NLQG�KDYHQRW�HUDGLFDWHG�\RXU�SDWKHWLF�FLYLOL]DWLRQV��RU�FODLPHG�WKHP�DV�RXURZQ"´

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In a world filled with strange and terrifying creatures, the be-holder is one of the most dangerous foes an adventurer will face.Possessed of great intelligence and horrifying power, a single be-holder can devastate an army. The spells of wizards wither awayunder the gaze of the beholder’s central eye – and warriors whoseek to close with the monster can be enslaved, slain, or even dis-solved into dust with but a gaze of one of the creature’s lessereyes.

But for all the fearsome legends and nightmarish tales in-volving the eye tyrants, little is truly known about the beholder.Sages say that these creatures are hateful beings, so xenophobicand filled with prejudice that they will kill their own kind based

on the placement of eyes or the color of scales. Most say that be-holders are driven by the desire to conquer all other creatures –despite the fact that few nations have ever come under direct at-tack by the tyrants. In fact, the truth is far more complex. Behold-ers are highly intelligent creatures, and their behavior is rooted inancient philosophies and religious beliefs. Not all beholders in-herently hate humanoids; familiarity with the different beholderstrains and their beliefs could be the difference between getting atyrant to talk to an adventurer and ending up as a statue or pile ordust.

The book is divided into nine chapters: %HKROGHU�3K\VLRORJ\ provides a look at the beholder itself,

examining its unusual anatomy and astonishing powers, alongwith a brief look at the many beholder subspecies.

7KH�6HFUHW�/LIH�RI�%HKROGHUV covers the rituals, customs, andpolitics of beholders and their humanoid servants, the eyekin.

7KH�7 \UDQWV�LQ�%DWWOH discusses tactics and strategies thegamemaster can use to make the most of the beholder’s uniqueabilities.

&KDUDFWHUV�ZLWK�0DQ\�(\HV provides statistics for generatingbeholder or eyekin characters. In addition, this chapter is packedwith new core and prestige classes, new feats, and all the detailson how to acquire and use your very own eyestalks!

%HKROGHU�(TXLSPHQW presents armor, weapons, and magicitems designed specifically by beholders for beholders.

7KH�%HKROGHU�&DPSDLJQ provides a host of ideas for incorpo-rating the eye tyrants into an ongoing game and takes a detailedlook at the beholder nations – the Dominions.

%HKROGHU�$UFKLWHFWXUH takes a look at beholder communities,including the theories behind construction and defense, and lay-outs for sample beholder settlements.

&UHDWXUH�6WDWLVWLFV provides statistics for all of the new sub-species and other creatures presented in this book.

)LJKWLQJ�WKH�7\UDQWV looks at life on the other side of the bat-tle. It presents a handful of groups that oppose the beholders, dis-cusses tactics adventurers can use to overcome the tyrants, andpresents new spells, skills, and prestige classes for the would-bebeholder slayer.

For reference, the stat block of a standard beholder (referredto in this work as a sovereign) can be found on page 93.

4

Introduction