In exceedingly rare cases, a beholder might experience a dream in which it sees itself in a mirror, or encounters several copies of itself, or imagines a sensation akin to what humanoids call multiple personalities. At such a time, the beholder’s dream-birthing creates a beholder hive—a group of “newborns” that are identical to its own shape bu t smaller. Most of the beholders in the world live apart from others of their kind, and they like it that way. When a solitary beholder dreams another beholder into existence, the creatures’ basic nature often means that the first thing they do is try to destroy one another. A solitary beholder lairs within a cave system or a ruined structure, either one of its own making or a place the creature took over after killing or driving off the beholder that gave it birth. Most of the guild’s low-ranking members have an idea that the boss isn’t human, especially given how long the Xanathar has been in power (they aren’t aware that several beholders have held the job). Most believe their leader is a member of a long-lived race, perhaps a dwarf or an elf. Some think the truth is more monstrous, and that the Xanathar is a drow or perhaps a dragon in huma noid form.

A beholder’s greater minions are formidable opponents. In the lair, they might be stationed where they can catch intruders in an ambush, or they could be a last line of defense against foes that threaten the inne r sanctum. Pets Common rooms found in a beholder’s lair are described in the sections th at follow. Central Gallery When the dreamer awakens, it treats the newborns as extensions of its own self in other bodies, and therefore isn’t consumed with an urge to kill them. This united group of identical beholders doesn’t truly have a hive intelligence, but their personalities and goals are so similar that they can predict and assume each others’ behavior, much as especially close human siblings can. The original beholder is usually the dominant one and takes a leadership role. A hive consists of three to ten beholders, plus whatever minions the y control. Death Tyrants Clutter is treasure that has intrinsic value, but isn’t immediately useful to the beholder or its minions. This category includes currency, gems, jewelry, and magic items that nobody in the lair can use or use well. These items are stored somewhere in the lair until they’re disposed of—sometimes by distributing them among the minions as gifts, other times by disin tegration. In the safety of its lair, outside the view of any would-be enemies, a beholder can use any of its eye rays whenever it wants to. Many of them serve as tools. Antimagic ConeFor death tyrant lairs, use this table, but replace approximately half of its humanoid minions with zombies. Antimagic Cone: mirage arcane, power word stun (affecting the weakest non-stunned target in the cone e ach round) The magic-nullifying effect of a beholder’s central eye has a number of possible uses outside combat, but if it’s not needed, the beholder can turn it off by simply closin g the eye. Negative Energy Cone It is common for a beholder to charm a hostile monster, lure the creature to the beholder’s lair, and confine it there so it can’t escape under its own power. In this way, even monsters that can’t be bribed or coerced can be useful to a beholder, making its lair a confusing zoo of hosti le beasts.

Outside combat, the paralyzing ray is most often used to restrain a fleeing minion that it doesn’t want to destroy outright. Fear RayEach beholder thinks it is the epitome of its race, and therefore all other beholders are inferior to it—even though, at the same time, it considers other beholders to be its greatest rivals. A beholder might be willing to cooperate with adventurers who have news about another beholder’s lair or activities, and might be nonhostile toward adventurers who praise it for being a perfect example of a beholder. The tables that follow present possibilities for personal characteristics that you can use to make a beholder di stinctive. fire giants, 1d3 frost giants, 2d4 hill giants, or 1d6 stone giants (as appropriate to the terrain) Because the cone suppresses ongoing magical effects, the beholder might create a secure area in its lair behind a permanent wall of fire or wall of force, make use of an existing magical hazard (such as a pool that transforms any creature that touches it), or an area with magical guardians (such as an old shrine with a demon bound to it) that it c an bypass. Use Eye Rays to Best Effect