In light of 2024 being the 50th anniversary of the famous tabletop roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, it felt right to investigate more iconic monsters from the game. A few months ago, I wrote about Tiamat, the dragon that stands over The Strong Museum’s Hasbro Game Park, so now it’s time to investigate another monster that has been around since the beginning of Dungeons & Dragons. Thankfully, I did not need to look far because right on the cover of the 5th Edition Monster Manual was the perfect monster— well it certainly thinks it is perfect, but adventurers may feel differently—the beholder!
In SYFY WIRE’s 2019 article on “The 9 scariest, and most unforgettable monsters from Dungeons & Dragons,” Beholders ranked at number 6. These early Dungeons & Dragons monsters differ from other monsters which draw upon various mythologies in the world; beholders are an original creation of the game. According to Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: a Visual History, this one-large-eyed, ten-smaller-eye-stalked, flying spherical creature was originally drawn by Greg Bell for the 1975 Greyhawk supplement. His initial sketch labelled “Big Eye,” was turned down by Gary Gygax. Later in another drawing, Bell labeled the monster as “Sphere of Doom.” This sketch became the one we now recognize from the Greyhawk supplement’s cover.
Within the supplement, Beholders are noted to have the nicknames “Spheres of Many Eyes” or “Eye Tyrants.” Within the first description they are given, their bodies are only 3 feet in diameter and had 40 hit points (HP). The monster’s armor class, which is a term used to describe a creature’s defense, was 0. To 5th-edition (5e) players this may sound strange since the Armor Class rules are quite different now. But previously 0 was a difficult Armor Class to hit. One would need to calculate based on armor and weapons their character’s “To hit armor class zero,” commonly known as THAC0. This mechanic has seen a bit of a change since then, but the idea is similar: you need to roll a certain number to hit an enemy creature in the game. The stat blocks for beholders mostly remained the same in the 1977 Monster Manual for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, but now we have a little more information about these rare creatures. They are said to be commonly found underground, and each of their 11 eyes has a different magical effect:
- Charm person
- Charm monster
- Sleep
- Telekinesis
- Flesh-Stone ray
- Disintegrate ray
- Fear
- Slow
- “Cause serious wound”
- Death ray
- Anti-magic ray
The note about their nature states: “The beholder is hateful, aggressive, and avaricious. They will usually attack immediately. If confronted by a particularly powerful party, there is a 50% chance they will listen to negotiations… to be bribed not to attack… they can speak their own language as well as that tongue known to lawful evil creatures.” Lawful evil refers to the monster’s alignment. This is a tool in Dungeons & Dragons that helps both players and the Dungeon Master (DM) know how to have a creature react to certain situations. A lawful evil creature, simply put, is one that follows clear rules and order but is not acting in everyone’s best interest.
While the behavior of the monsters has remained the same, beholders mechanically have changed with each edition. In the 2014 Monster Manual for 5e, they have an 18-armor class. And have an average of 180 hit points. Their central eye can create a 150 foot “antimagic cone” that prevents adventurers from using magic against them when active and, while each eye stalk eye does still have its own special ability, they are slightly different from the 1977 Monster Manual’s description. Now it is:
- Charm ray
- Paralyzing ray
- Fear ray
- Slowing ray
- Enervation ray
- Telekinetic ray
- Sleep ray
- Petrification ray
- Disintegration ray
- Death ray
Next to the beholder’s image and stat block, in 5e, is an interesting quote: “Every beholder thinks it is the epitome of beholding, and the only thing it fears is that it might be wrong,” which is why I mentioned previously this famous creature certainly believes it is the “perfect monster.” In the 3.5 edition supplement, Lords of Madness, it notes that beholders’ very xenophobic and intolerant attitudes are present “within minutes” of birth. It is mentioned it takes beholders about 2 years to become “normal size,” in this case the normal size now is 8 feet in diameter instead of the original 3 feet!
One of the most famous beholders that players of 5e will recognize is the current Xanathar from the 2018 adventure module Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. This specific beholder is known to consider his goldfish Sylgar his most prized possession, hence Xanathar being featured in art with a little goldfish beside him, including on the cover of its own 2017 supplement: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. The traits displayed by this character in the adventure module match what is typical of a beholder, “having an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, taste for gold, and a general disdain for most living things.” According to Michael Mearls’ description in Dragon #313, “beholders style themselves as the ultimate race” but due to them believing themselves to be perfect, they believe they are better than even their follow beholders. This leads to the creatures constantly bickering among themselves and this “inherent animosity usually prevents beholders from working together in large numbers.” He goes on to explain that while they may be arrogant, beholders are actually “brilliant thinkers and cunning strategists” who use their intellect to create new weapons, armor, magic items, and tactics… which may explain why Xanathar has a guide to everything!
Due to their lengthy history in Dungeons & Dragons there are of course variations on the monster as well as their lore. This iconic creature has evolved alongside the game and remains on the covers of multiple source books for the 5th edition. So next time you roll initiative to face a beholder in Dungeons & Dragons, remember to tell them how perfect they are to get on their good side… or try to avoid that death ray, if nothing else!