Dex saves and attacks are described as shooting across the way. Charisma saves tend to create lights around the target instantly. Wisdom and Intelligence saves go directly into the mind. Con and Strength saves are often big blasts that hit instantly. When I describe the eye rays of my beholders, I consider what a saving throw or attack might represent if I wrote it in a story. The remaining three might be duplicates of one of the defenses, or they might be things without saves (Power Words, Magic Missile type effect, Create Walls, etc.) GENERALLY SPEAKING (there are exceptions) - I try to give all beholders at least one eye ray that impacts each defense (AC, 6 saves). And I have a wide spectrum of 'normal' beholders that can do a wide array of things, with mostly single target attacks - but the occasional cone, explosion or even summoning popping up. I have beholders that are divine, natural, psionic and arcane in nature. I've assembled beholders that have beneficial eye rays that use their powers to buff armies. I have dozens of central eye powers, and hundreds of eye stalk powers I've used over the editions. When I add a beholder the to the game, I give it unique eyes. It should be a required supplement for the Monster Manual and the DMG.īingo - All eye rays do not need to be described the same. It really helps making tactical combat decisions interesting and portraying monsters differently in 5e. If succeed, then slowed or dazed or something for 1 round? I don't know. DEX, then if hit, CON to resist petrification. The save to avoid the beam itself makes sense, but then a second one should be used to resist the effects (i.e. I agree with you about petrification, to an extent. Others might send telepathic or psychic waves that invisible to sight. Some may be physical beams that can be evaded. Think of "eye rays" are a generic expression. So however you envision "eye rays", it can't be a universal definition that can be defeated by a single mechanic. In other words, the beholder is designed to be the antithesis of an adventuring party. Overlooking the very concept that a floating eye-monster with spell powers even exists, the beholder was probably born from the idea of what constitutes a monster that can threaten an entire group of adventurers with magic powers of their own. If the latter, then maybe none of them should require a Dex save, since it’s pretty hard to avoid being looked at and so all you can do is try and resist the effect. If the former, I feel like the rays should all require Dex saves, as they all ought to be dodge-able. I suppose it depends on how you envision the rays working: are they physically visible “laser beams” that shoot from the beholder’s eyes, or does the beholder just need to look at you to “hit” you with a ray? (And having to make a second Dex save, with disadvantage due to being restrained, to avoid being fully petrified is somewhat nonsensical). For instance, almost every other effect that causes petrification requires a Con save. On top of that, I think the four rays that do require Dex saves would make more sense requiring Con saves instead. If we accept that as being the case, why then can some rays be dodged while others can’t? Why can’t I dodge the telekinesis ray or the fear ray? to physically avoid being “hit” by the beholder’s eye ray. In this context, I see a Dex save as representing a target’s attempt to physically dodge out of the way of an incoming effect - i.e. There are a number of factors that don’t sit right with me here, but I’ll start with the main one, which is that I don’t like how some of the eye rays require a Dex save while others don’t. I was just reading through his bit about beholders, and it reminded me that I don’t like the mechanics for beholder eye rays in 5e. I was given Keith Ammann’s The Monsters Know What They’re Doing book for Christmas.
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