Beholder

From DDO wiki

Type: Aberration

Race: Beholder

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Boss: no

CR: Based on area

Attack: Ten eye-rays, each of which can kill or disable a character who fails a saving throw.

Special Qualities: Anti-magic beam, which prevents spellcasting and removes ongoing spells (which includes turning summoned creatures against you)

Organization: Unknown

Habitat:

Description: The notorious Beholder is one of D&D's signature monsters. It has ten offensive eyes on stalks, and one large antimagic eye on its face. The large fangs are an afterthought compared to the incredible magic damage a Beholder can cause.

Eye-beam attacks:

FRONT:

• Disintegrate (Fort save or take 120+ damage)
• Enervation (save or take 1-4 temporary negative levels, prevented by Death Ward)
• Telekinesis (thrown through the air, can take no actions)
• Anti-magic cone This antimagic cone is cast by the Beholder's central main eye every 3-4 seconds and the antimagic cone effectively dispels any and all arcane and divine spells currently on the player. However, this antimagic cone has no effect on the songs of bards. Also, whenever you are hit by this antimagic cone, you are unable to cast any kind of spells for 3 seconds. This can make it difficult for casters, as just before that 3 seconds is over you're bound to be hit by another Anti-magic cone.

LEFT:

• Flesh to Stone (Fort save or be petrified, until succeeding a later saving throw every minute)
• Slow;

BACK:

• Finger of Death (Fort save or die, prevented by Deathblock and Deathward)
• Scorching Ray
• Bestow Curse

RIGHT:

• Hold Monster (Will save or be immobilized)
• Inflict Serious Wounds

Other abilities: See Invisibility, Levitate

Weapons to use: Holy, Pure Good, Vorpal, Paralyzer, True Chaos, Anarchic, Aberration Bane

Spells to use: Destruction, Finger of Death, Phantasmal Killer, Flesh To Stone, Feeblemind

Note that although the Death Ward spell can deflect several of a Beholder's rays, they will customarily dispel all such protection at the start of any combat. A permanent Deathblock item however, while only good against the Finger of Death cannot be dispelled. Alternately, the Silver Flame Talisman (3rd tier necklace upgrade of the Silver Flame Nugget) has Protection from Evil, Deathblock AND Negative Energy Absorption (10/rest) making it a very handy item for battling Beholders.

Fortunately, a Beholder's defenses are not equivalent to their tremendous damage, and the aberration can be quickly dispatched if you react fast. Weapon damage can kill them quickly, and the Phantasmal Killer or Finger of Death spell is notably worthwhile.

A useful tactic for spellcasters to quickly dispatch a beholder is to either use the Enlarge Spell feat to kill them from a safe distance without being affected by their antimagic cone, or to simply wait for it to turn its backside to you and cast spells at it then.

Note: in the Eberron setting, some Beholders may have DR 3/Byeshk. DDO does not include that ability.