#Beholder dnd how to

The Xanathar holds sway over dozens, if not hundreds, of low-level goons and keeps the company of other powerful lieutenants that help keep the Xanathar Guild running smoothly. For example, the Xanathar is the master of the Xanathar Guild, a gang of thieves and killers that strives to control the city of Waterdeep from beneath the Masked Lords’ very noses. This paranoia is only amplified by power, a thing which a beholder craves over all other things. While a human tyrant might be rightfully paranoid about unperceived threats, a beholder is paranoid even though it perceives everything, because that attitude is the natural companion to eternal vigilance.” This way of thinking could be interpreted as a form of paranoia - and if so, it would be the most extreme form imaginable. “The mind of a beholder is powerful and versatile enough that it can envision literally any possibility, and it prepares accordingly, making it virtually impossible for any invaders to catch it unawares. As described in Volo’s Guide to Monsters: And for good reason: beholders are paranoid to a degree that defies human comprehension, and the Xanathar wishes to protect its mysterious identity. The average citizen or criminal of Waterdeep only knows the Xanathar to be the city's most powerful gangster only the Xanathar's closest lieutenants and the most powerful mages in Waterdeep know that this gang lord is actually a beholder. They are maniacal tyrants, one and all-but no beholder is more famous than the legendary Xanathar, a crime lord that rules the underworld of Waterdeep from his lair in Skullport. Not if I possess enough power.”īeholders are alien creatures from an unknown realm of horror and madness. I will never be usurped, not if I possess enough knowledge. To control the underworld, I must be able to see all of the pieces on the board.

I cannot relax my vigilance for even an instant, my sweet pet. “Yes, yes, it was only me this time, but… it could be a shadow demon… an invisible stalker… anything! I could be attacked from any angle, by anyone-even my most trusted lieutenants. “Did you see that, Sylgar?” the Xanathar growled. The beholder cackled low and at length, and floated towards the shadow-only to scowl with disappointment at what it saw. It snarled, and a ray of guttering black energy burst from one its eyes, scouring the stone wall. A shadow flitted across the wall of the Xanathar's sanctum. The beholder paused for a moment, triumphant, then gasped and looked about, its eye-stalks tense. I am the Xanathar, dear Sylgar! I am invincible!” At every turn! But no, no, they never will. “Spies and traitors, all seeking to supplant me. “Spies… everywhere,” it panted, its gaze flitting back and forth. The beholder roared and hurled a scrying orb to the ground with its telekinetic eye beam, shattering the invaluable magic item upon the stone floor of its sanctum.

“There are so many villains all about me. “Oh, Sylgar,” the Xanathar cooed, its unearthly voice growling with blood-curdling sweetness. The gaze of its massive central eye, however, was cast upon Sylgar, its beloved pet fish. The Xanathar gazed upon its many minions through myriad scrying pools, scanning the entirety of its criminal operation with its ten terrible eye-stalks.

#Beholder dnd how to

How to Play a Beholder like a Paranoid Mastermind