volo guide to monser

VOLO'S GUIDE ro MONSTERS�

CREDITS ABOUT THIS BOOK

Lead Designer: Mike Mearls Monsters are the heart of this book-where they live,
Lead Rules Developer: Jeremy Crawford how they think, how they might befriend you, and how
Designers: Adam Lee, Kim Mohan, Christopher Perkins, they might harm you. Chapter 1 delves into the stories of
some of the monstrous groups presented in the Monster
Sean K Reynolds, Matt Sernett, Chris Sims, Steve Winter Manual. Chapter 2 supplements the race options in the
Additional Design: Ed Greenwood Player's Handbook, and chapter 3 introduces a host of
Managing Editor: Jeremy Crawford monsters and their stat blocks. Appendix A provides a
Editors: Kim Mohan, Christopher Perkins, Michele Carter few new beasts, and appendix B is stocked with non­
Editorial Assistance: Chris Dupuis, Ben Petrisor, Stan! player characters to populate your D&D adventures.
Art Director: Kate Irwin Appendix C lets you look up stat blocks in this book by
Additional Art Direction: Shauna Narciso, Richard Whitters challenge rating, creature type, and environment.
Graphic Designer: Emi Tanji
Cover Illustrator: Tyler Jacobson Sprinkled throughout the book are observations and
Interior Illustrators: Tom Babbey, John-Paul Balmet, Thomas musings from two denizens of the Forgotten Realms:
the legendary explorer Volothamp Geddarm (Volo to
M. Baxa, Mark Behm, Eric Belisle, Christopher Bradley, Filip his friends) and the Archmage of Shadowdale himself,
Burburan, Christopher Burdett, Sam Burley, Conceptopolis, Elminster Aumar. For the benefit of DMs and players ev­
Stephen Crowe, Daarken, Eric Deschamps, Dave Dorman, Mike ery where, Volo and Elminster share their insights with
Faille, Scott M. Fischer, Lars Grant-West, Rebecca Guay, Lake regard to some of the monsters found herein, and their
Hurwitz:, Tyler Jacobson, Jeremy Jarvis, Jorge Lacera, Daniel words hold a measure of truth regardless of the D&D
Ljunggren, Howard Lyon, Warren Mahy, Brynn Metheney, Scott world in which these monsters are met.
Murphy, Marco Nelor, Jim Nelson, Marc Sasso, Chris Seaman,
Craig J Spearing, Cory Trego-Erdner, Franz Vohwinkel, Richard Playtesters: Robert Alaniz, Jay Anderson, Kevin Baumann, Jerry
Whitters, Eva Widermann, Shawn Wood, Ben Wootten Behrendt, Bill Benham, Stacy Bermes, Matthew Budde, Mik
Cartographer: Jared Blando Calow, Anthony Caroselli, Chris Eadie, Frank Foulis, Jason
Other D&D Team Members: Greg Bilsland, Bart Carroll, John Feil, Fransella, Jason Fuller, Jeffrey Fuller, Nick Graves, Richard Green,
Trevor Kidd, Christopher Lindsay, Shelly Ma:i:zanoble, Hilary Gregory Harris, Ken Hart, Sterling Hershey, Eric Hufstetler, Paul
Ross, Liz Schuh, Nathan Stewart, Greg Tito Hughes, Mark Knapik, Yan Lacharit�. Shane Leahy, Tom Lommel,
Project Manager: Heather Fleming Jonathan Longstaff, Matt Maranda, Chris "Kong" McDaniel, Lou
Product Engineer: Cynda Callaway Michelli, Mike Mihalas, Daren Mitchell, William Myers, Kevin
Imaging Technicians: Sven Bolen, Carmen Cheung, Kevin Yee Neff, Robert Quillen II, David "Oak" Rice, Sam Robertson, Arthur
Art Administration: David Gershman Severance, Pieter Sleijpen, Phil Tobin, Steve Townshend, Kyle
Prepress Specialist: Jefferson Dunlap Turner, William Vaughan, Arthur Wright

ON THE COVER

Tyler Jacobson illustrates a fateful meeting between a suspicious
frost giant and a lone adventurer armed with Vo/o's Guide to
Monsters. Will the giant cleave our learned hero in two, or will
diplomacy win the day?

Disclaimer: Wizards of t.Jt, Coast does not voud1for, guarantee, or provide an)' p,romiu
r,gardlng lhe validily oflh• information provided in this volume by Vololhamp Geddarm.
Do not trust Volo. Do not go on quests offend by Volo. Do not listen to Volo. Avoid being
seen with him for risk of guilt by association. ifVolo appears in yoi.,r campaign, your DM is
i.,ndoubtedly trying to kill your character in o manner that con be blamed on rour own a,.
lions. The DM is probably lrying ta do lhat anyway, &ul with Vo/o's appearance, you know
for sure. We're not ,orwinced that Elminster's commentary is all that trustworthy •ithcr,
but he turned us into flumplts the last time we mentioned him in one of these disclaimers.

620B8682000001 EN CE
ISBN: 978 -0-7869-6601-l
First Printing: November 2016
987654321

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampers.1nd, Plal"r's Handbook, Monsl<r Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide, all other Wizards of
the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks ofWizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property
ofWizards ofthe Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States ofAmerica. Any reproduction or unauthorized use ofthe material or artwork contained
herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.

Printed In the USA. 4:)2016 Wizards ofthe Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Bokhat 31, 2800 Dei�mont, Oi.
Rcpre$COted by Hasbro Europe 4The Square Stockley Park lJxbridge Middlesex lJBJJJET UK

CONTENTS

Preface .......................................................... 4 Ch. 2: Character Races.........................103 App. A: Assorted Beasts......................207

Ch. 1: Monster Lore................................... 5 Aasimar......................................................104 App. B: Nonplayer Characters ...........209

Beholders: Bad Dreams Come True....... 5 Firbolg........................................................105 App. C: Monster Lists ............·-············ 221

Giants: WorId Shakers............................. 18 Goliath........................................................108 Maps or Monster Lairs
Gnolls: The Insatiable Hunger ............... 33 Kenku .........................................................109
Lizardfolk.................................................. 111 Beholder Lair.............................................. 14
Goblinoids: The Conquering Host.........40 Goblinoid War Camp ................,y,.,•••....... 51
•Tabaxi...-................................................... 113 HagLairs..................................................... 60
Hags: Dark Sisterhood ............................. 52 Kobold Lair ................................................. 69
Kobolds: Little Dragons ........................... 63 Triton ..........................................................115 Mind Flayer Colony........·-···················-·· 79
Ore Stronghold .............-........................... 91
Mind Flayers: Scourge of Worlds .......... 71 Monstrous Adventurers ......................... 118 Yuan-ti Temple ......................................... 101

Ores: The Godsworn ................................82 . .Height and Weight...................................120
Yuan-ti: Snake People ..............................92
Ch 3• Bestiary.........................................121

INDEX OF MONSTER STAT BLOCKS

Abjurer .......................................................209 Flind.........................................,..................153 Ore Nurtured One ofYurtrus................. 184
Alhoon ........................................................ 172 Froghemoth ..............................................145 Ore Red Fang of Shargaas .................... 185
Annis hag..................-............................... 159 Frost giant everlasting one....................148 Ox (cow) .............................................,.,.....207
Apprentice wizard ...................................209 Gauth ..........................................................125 Quetzalcoatlus...............................,.......... 140
Archdruid .................................................. 210 Gazer ..........................................................126 Quickling ................................................... 187
Archer......................................................... 210 Giant strider..............................................143 Redcap .......................................................188
Aurochs......................................................207 Girallon ...................................................-.152 Rothe (cow) ································-··········-·207
Babau.................- ....................................... 136 Gnoll flesh gnawer ·····················-···-··-154 Sea spawn-··············································· 189
Banderhobb............................................... 122 Gnoll hunter..............................................154 Shadow mastiff........................................190
Bard ............................................................211 Gnoll witherling .......................................155 Shoosuva ...................................................137
Barghest .........•..........................................123 Grung .........................................................156
Bheur hag ..................................................160 Grung elite warrior.................................157 Slithering tracker ·······:····················ou·····191
Blackgua rd.......................... ,..................... 211 Grung wildling .........................................157
Bodak .........................................................127 Guard drake.............................................. 158 Spawn of Kyuss .......................................192
Boggle ........................................................128 Hadrosaurus............................................. 140 Stegosaurus .............................................. 140
Brontosaurus............................................ 139 Hobgoblin devastator._...........................161 Stench kow (cow)..................................-.207
Catoblepas................................................. 129 Hobgoblin Iron Shadow..........................162 Stone giant dreamwalker ..................,...150
Cave fisher............................,................,... 130 Illusionist...�.............................................. 214 Storm giant quintessent...,..................... 151
Champion ..................................................212 Ki-rin ..........................................................163 Swarm ofcranium rats ...........................133
131Chitine ......._..............n•••••••••••••••••••-....y.... Kobold dragonshield...............................165 Swarm ofrot grubs .,.............,..............., 208
Choldrith....................................................132 Kobold inventor........................................166 Swashbuckler........................................... 217
146Cloud giant smiling one .....m................. Kobold scale sorcerer............................. 167
Conjurer.........,..............,............................ 212 Korred···················································-··· 168 Tanarukk·-····················-···············-·-·····186
Cow .............................................................207 Kraken priest............................................215
Cranium rat............................................... 133 Leucrotta ................................................... 169 Thorny........................................................ 197
Darkling..................................................... 134 Martial arts adept................,....................216 TlincaUi......•. 193y••••••••-............................,-...
Darkling elder ..........................................134 Master thief..............................-...............216 Transmuter ................................................ 218
Death kiss........._.......................................124 Maw demon........................................,......137 Trapper.......................................................194
Deep scion...............................-............... 135 Meenlock ................................................... 170 Ulitharid ....................................................175
Deinonychus ..............-,............................ 139 Mind flayer lich......................................... 172 Vargouille .................................................. 195
Devourer ....................................................138 Mindwitness .................."'........................ 176 Vegepygmy ................................................196
Dimetrodon...............................................139 Morkoth..........................................�.......... 178 Vegepygmy chief.....................,................197
Diviner.-.....................................................213 Mouth ofGrolantor.................................. 149 Velociraptor............................................... 140
Dolphin ..................................................... 208 Necromancer ............................................ 217 War priest,........................,.�·-·········-"'""'· 218
Draegloth................................................... 141 Neogi...........................................................180 219Warlock of the archfey..y..,.....................
Elder brain ................................................ 174 Neogi hatchling........................................ 179 Warlock ofthe fiend ................................219
Enchanter ..................................................213 Neogi master.............................................180 Warlock of the Great Old One ..............220
Evoker ........................................................ 214 Neothelid ................................................... 181 Warlord ......................................................220
Fire giant dreadnought .......................... 147 Nilbog .........................................................182 Wood woad.........................................-..... 198
Firenewt ···············································-·· 142 Ore Blade of Ilneval ................................ 183 Xvart .......................................................... 200
Firenewt warlock oflmix ...................-. 143 Ore Claw ofLuthic ..................................183 Xvart warlock ofRaxivort..................... 200
Flail snail..................................-..........�..144 Ore Hand ofYurtrus ...............................184 Yeth hound ................................................201
Yuan-ti anathema.....................................202

Yuan-ti broodguard ........................,..,.....203

Yuan-ti mind whisperer..........................204
Yuan-ti nightmare speaker.....................205

Yuan-ti pit master ................................... 206

PREFACE

Well mett adventurer. You seem like a curious sort NOTES FROM ELMINSTE/:l AUMAR, ARCl-4MAGE OF 5HAD0W0ALE,
who enjoys the finer thin&•· P•rmit me to thrust upon SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE OPEN LORP OF WATERDE£P:
you my latest masterwork, years in the makin&, I
think you'll Snd it well worth your time and money. t. LAV IT ON tHICI(, WILL YE?
FirsG a warnin&: here there be monsters!
2. IF THIS IS MODEST, I DARE NOT THINK WHAT PREENING BE.
No 1•11 a peerleaa font of aaAacity as Elminater of 3. Cot-tERENCE, INOEED.1 VOLO, THY CLARITY IS AS THE CHURNING
Shadowdale1 has attested that more worlds than this
one teem with monsters. At a ~&lllt, that "Here there SURFACE OF A LARGE CITY CESSPIT-WHEN TENTACLES ARE
be monsters" line haa appeared. on maps of worlds far ABOUT TO ERUPT FROM BENEATt-t.1
iron\ tkia o...., and hidae11 from your modest2 1cribe.
4. THE MODESTY IS BLINDING.' SucH A PARAGON OF ELUCIDATION,
And who am t you ukt
S-ELFLESSLY SERVING ALL. OFTEN ON A PLATTER, WITH AN
Vcdethamp Geddarm at yo~ •ervice, aettin& forth APPLE IN EVERY MOUTH.
truths like the deep and anoieii.\ secrets whispered
into my ears by the &uardian i>iTits of the hidden 5. EARPl.UGS SOLO SEPARATELY.
tomba of fallen archma&ea now dust. Yes, in this very
tome, I set forth diven detail,._ never before &athered C:,, HERE IT COMES, GET IN FIRST.' HEAD OFF Tt-lY LEGITIMATE
with such coherence~ in one ,j,llce, of the creatures CRITICS,
varied and stran&e that it pl•ie• Auman& and moat
other civilized races to deea ",nonaters." 7, THE SANITY OF THOSE WHO BABBLE OF PROBES IS SELDOM HELO

I cannot recommend the es,.ntial lore contained IN Hl<iH REGARD.
in this volume hi&hly eno11Ah;' and cry it to be
"life•savin~y nece11ary• to e"f'ery adventurer and 8. Ye MAV, THOUGH YE'RE OBVIOUSLY UNAWARE, YOUNG VOLO, HOW
wayfareT in the wilderlanda. asid the Underdark, be
they prospector, minet', or mejlly aeekin& shelter in a OFTEN AND FOR HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN TELLING DRAGONS,
cavern from prowlin& beast,' ot the claws of winter, MINO FLAYERS, ANO EVEN GOBLINS HOW TRULY VILE
over the world •nfrte,' And: &lt6uld you .ind it within VOLOTHAMPS TASTE, RAW OR COOKED. YE'RE WELCOME.
yoursetrto complain tha1-f1i.ii- or thafltntry· 18 lackiii&
in v•racity or comprehensive completeness,6 let it 9, BETIMES VOLO MISCONSTRUES THE MEANING OF \VOROS. HERE,
be known that I, Volo, took no shortcuts, and stinted
not in the depth of my probin&s' or the courtin& 0
of discomforts in &atherin& the moat extensive and
authoritative lore possible. At &reat personal l'iakt FOR EXAMPLE, HE MEANS, ' NONEXISTENT,"
mit,ht I addl8 10. UNTIL WE KILL EACH OTHER, USING VOLO's HANOV TIPS,

Betimes I used my not-inconsiderable9 ma&ic to BUNDLED UP NEATLY HEREIN.
cli1&1aiae myself 88 a tree, atone, or even a puddle,
and so prepare the very beat ~uide I poaaibly could. , .. VOLO'S GUIDE TO FLEEING ANGRY MOBS. I FORESEE A
In the doin&, I have seen the moat wondrous vi1ta&, SHORT WORK, BUT A CLASSIG.
from frosty hiAh mountain J>"ks where &iant castles
drift peat, to the deepest icy lakes beneath the earth, '2. LET ME BE FAIR. THE LAD MEANS WELL AND HAS DONE \VE"LL.
where nameleaa tentacled thin&& stir and slither, and
.: w..a_s awed anew at the Ma,,ty_~ __the world that we all, BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. So_Mli- cw WH,\T's 1N THIS sooK ts
monstrous or otherwise, sharei1°
TRUE, ANO CAN EVEN BE TRUSTED.
If you find this tome of use, please tell your
friends, busineaa partners, and acquaintances met
in pasain& in the street. Then perhaps I'll have the
chence to pen an even more useful Auide, in future.u
And whatever befalls you or me in our unfoldin&
lives, I remain your humble scribe and obedient
sefvant. and am now (and if the Aods &rant, forever
in ~aatin& fame),

V~othamp Oeddarm12

F

OLO HAS ENCOUNTERED MANY MONSTERS You might be wondering why certain monsters were
chosen above others. Where are dragons and githyanki?
in his day, few as odious or as ornery as What, no fiends or undead? We hope to tackle other
the ones described herein. This chapter monsters in other products over time. Until then, mind
takes several iconic D&D monsters and the kobolds hiding under the stairs, and beware of hags
provides additional information about bearing strange gifts.
their orjgins, their dispositions and
behaviors, and their lairs-above and BEHOLDERS: BAD DREAMS
beyond what is written in the Monster Manual. To give
every monster such grand treatment would require too COME TRUE
many pages to count, so we winnowed down the list to
nine groups of creatures that have a lot going for them To those who would seek to conquer beholders or
and tend to get used often in D&D campaigns: merely understand them, nearly everything about their
quarry is unfathomable. These bizarre creatures are
Beholders Goblinoids Mind flayers possessed of alien intelligence, inhuman forms of per-
Giants Hags Ores ception, and the ability to shape reality through force
Gnolls Kobolds Yuan-ti of will-or even by their mere presence. Inside the
comfortable confines of its subterranean lair, a beholder
If you plunder this chapter for ideas and maps the is nearly unassailable thanks to the combination of its
next time you create an adventure or a villain, then this peerless intellect and the brutal effects of its eye rays.
material has served its purpose. We hope that, as you
explore each monster section, you'll come up with new Some of the behaviors and motivations that beholders
ways to challenge and entertain your players, as well as exhibit are analogous to those of humans and other in-
find new things that you can borrow for your own D&D telligent creatures. The difference is one of degree. For
campaign. Let each entry spark your imagination! instance, where a prideful, confident human might be

CHAPTER 11 M

Tt41NI< YE WEAVE CUNNING SCHEMES AND

ELABORATE INTRIGUES WITH FALLBACI( PLANS adventurers arrive at its lair with summoned angel allies
or enslaved demons, by breaking through the floor, by
AND POSITIONS? BEHOLDERS CHANGE, REFINE, teleporting or riding dinosaurs, or girded with layers of
magical defenses and armed with advanced weapons. In
OISCARO, ANO SPIN ANEW SCORES OF SUCH PLAN~, any case, the beholder's reaction is calculated, because
it has thought about what it and its minions must do in
ToALL THE TIME. THE AVERAGE BEHOLDER, HUMAN response to every situation.

INTRIGUES ARE THE FUMBLINGS OF BABIES. • DESPOTIC PERSPECTIVE

-CLMINSTER A beholder believes it is superior to all other entities.
Unintelligent foes are regarded as food or pets. An in-
cowed by a serious threat, the arrogance of a beholder telligent creature is seen as food or a potential minion.
knows no such bounds: it believes that it is superior to A beholder's true rivals are other beholders, for only
every other creature, even including other beholders. A another beholder has the intellect, power, and magic to
human chess player becomes a master by honing the threaten another of its kind.
ability to look several moves ahead during a game-
which is still no match for what a beholder can accom- Most of a beholder's mental activity is devoted to
plish with its superior intelligence and awareness. unearthing plots against itself (real or imaginary), plan-
ning attacks against known rivals, and preparing its
The mind of a beholder is powerful and versatile defenses against all possible threats. It considers itself
enough that it can envision literally any possibility, and the center of the world, in a narcissistic way; of course
it prepares accordingly, making it virtually impossible the clan of duergar moving into its territory is because a
for any invaders to catch it unawares. This way of think- rival is trying to oust it, of course the gang of adventur-
ing could be interpreted as a form of paranoia- and ers in its lair were sent to kill it by a cowardly rival, and
if so, it would be the most extreme form imaginable. so on, because it is the perfect example of beholderness
While a human tyrant might be rightfully paranoid and all other creatures are jealous.
about unperceived threats, a beholder is paranoid even
though it perceives everything, because that attitude is A beholder's arrogance is a prominent aspect of its
the natural companion to eternal vigilance. personality. Although it isn't inclined to brag of its su-
periority, especially in combat, it is dismissive of its
Beholders are among the few creatures that can shape opponents' efforts and insulting of their abilities and
reality in their vicinity. In addition, beholders don't failures. An exceptional challenger can earn a measure
truly sleep when they rest. Instead, a beholder's mind of respect- enough that the beholder might be merciful
remains semiconscious even as it dreams. As a result, and pacify the creature with a charm ray or a sleep ray
on rare occasions when a beholder dreams of another instead of killing it outright. Of course, this mercy has
beholder, the dream-reality becomes warped and takes a purpose; the defeated opponent is interrogated, subju-
on physical form, becoming another actual beholder. gated, and offered a role in the beholder's retinue once
To call this process reproduction would be inaccurate, its will is broken. A beholder might consider a group
because in most cases the old and new beholders fight of skilled adventurers to be a valuable prize and use
to the death- a fact for which the rest of the world its abilities to capture them all for this purpose, giving
is thankful. them the opportunity to serve as guards, spies, or assas-
sins against a rival. Refusal means, at best, servitude as
INHUMAN INTELLECT a charmed minion, and at worst, disintegration.

A beholder sees in all directions. It is always looking for BIRTH OF A BEHOLDER
concealed attackers. Even when it sleeps, its smaller
eyes remain open, scanning its lair for threats. If a hu- Beholders can produce others of their own kind, but the
man acted this way, the constant vigilance and lack of process has nothing to do with biology and everything to
truly peaceful rest would lead to a dangerous level of do with psychology.
psychosis, but a beholder's mind accepts this attitude as
normal and necessary- it is always alert to the possibil- When a beholder sleeps, its body goes briefly dormant
ity of assassination or betrayal by unknown threats that but its mind never stops working. The creature is fully
stand ready to pounce on the beholder the instant it lets aware, even though to an outside observer it might ap-
its guard down. pear oblivious of its surroundings. Sometimes a behold-
er's dreams are dominated by images of itself or of other
Complementing this ever-present, passive paranoia is beholders (which might or might not actually exist). On
the beholder's genius-level intelligence. Where another extremely rare occasions when a beholder dreams of
creature would ignore the occurrence of two seemingly another beholder, the act creates a warp in reality- from
unrelated events as merely coincidental, a beholder which a new, fully formed beholder springs forth un-
imagines multiple ways they could be related, finding bidden, seemingly having appeared out of thin air in a
or fabricating a pattern out of supposed or actual ran- nearby space. This "offspring" might be a duplicate of
domness. By thinking of all these possibilities- however the beholder that dreamed it into existence, or it could
implausible they might be-and extrapolating its own take the form of a different variety of beholder, such as a
actions in response, a beholder is truly prepared for any death kiss or a gazer (see "Beholder-Kin"). It might also
situation and has a strategy to counteract it. be a truly unique creature, such as could be spawned

A beholder has plans on top of plans, even for the
least likely circumstances. It doesn't matter if invading

!;:•• ~eholdera dreaJll o

.. • tlie real tro,n..bJe • taIrtbs.eholder,, that'.•.
-Volo

only from the twisted imagination of a beholder, with behavior, much as especially close human siblings can.
a set of magical abilities unlike that of its parent. In The original beholder is usually the dominant one and
most cases, the process yields one of the three principal takes a leadership role. A hive consists of three to ten
forms of the beholder: a solitary beholder, a hive, or a beholders, plus whatever minions they control.
death tyrant.
DEATH TYRANTS
SOLITARY BEHOLDERS As a beholder ages, it spends more and more time
Most of the beholders in the world live apart from others worrying about its mortality. The dreams of such a
of their kind, and they like it that way. When a solitary death-fearing beholder might reach into strange corners
beholder dreams another beholder into existence, the of reality and imagine circumstances in which the crea-
creatures' basic nature often means that the first thing ture can live on after death. When the beholder awak-
they do is try to destroy one another. A solitary beholder ens, it finds itself transformed into a death tyrant. It now
lairs within a cave system or a ruined structure, either exists in a state of undeath- yet its fear of being killed
one of its own making or a place the creature took over remains unabated.
after killing or driving off the beholder that gave it birth.
A death tyrant's paranoia about its enemies tends to
A solitary beholder gathers (or inherits) inferior crea- be related to how it fears it will be destroyed, and its
tures that it uses as minions. These creatures help plans take that fear into account. For example, a death
defend the lair and also serve as shock troops if the tyrant who imagined it would eventually be slain by frost
beholder vacates its lair to prey on the inhabitants of giants might relocate its lair to the inside of a volcano,
the surrounding area. Often, it plunders its neighbors' send its minions to hunt down all frost giants within 100
homes for knowledge and treasure. After the beholder miles, or take some other drastic measure to ensure
secures the spoils it desires from its enemies, it allows that the fear never becomes reality.
its minions to divide the remaining booty.
BEHOLDER-KIN
EYE TYRANTS The lesser creatures known as beholder-kin bear a
An eye tyrant is a solitary beholder that has suppressed superficial resemblance to true beholders in that each
its xenophobia and paranoia and chooses to live as the has a floating spherical body with eyes. That's where the
leader or ruler of a community or an organization that similarity ends.
includes other creatures. This doesn't mean that the
eye tyrant likes, respects, or understands the creatures Chapter 3 of this book introduces several new types
it chooses to associate with, but it does distinguish be- of beholder-kin. A death kiss is usually the result of a
tween individuals of other races and communicates with nightmare about blood, such as what a beholder might
them on a regular basis. An eye tyrant is still ruthless at experience after an encounter with a vampire or after
eliminating threats to itself, whether from another be- being severely wounded in battle. Gazers are "born" out
holder or some other powerful creature-it just doesn't of a poisoned or ill beholder's feverish dreams, in which
have an insane fear that any creature not under its its sense of perspective and scale is warped. A specta-
direct control is working for an enemy. Most known be- tor (see the Monster Manual) is a kind of lesser beholder
holders who choose to interact with humanoid society in summoned from another plane of existence to watch
any way are eye tyrant,s. For an example of an eye tyrant
that leads an organization of humanoids, see the section
on the Xanathar Guild.

BEHOLDER HIVES
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 but smaller.

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'

over somethingt such as a treasure hoard. A gauth hails BEHOLDER IRIS SHAPE d20 Iris Shape
from the same plane as spectators, or one that overlaps 11-14
it enough that they can take advantage of a flawed at- d20 Iris Shape Slit
tempt to summon a spectator. Although true beholders 1-4 Circle 15 Square
can be found on a spectatorts or gauth's home plane, the 16 String-of-pearls
creatures' actual place of origin is unknown (whether 5 Crescent 17-18 Triangle
another plane, a world beyond the stars, or some 6 Hourglass 19 Wave
stranger location), and spectators and gauths aren't be- 7 Irregular 20 Double iris (roll
lieved to originate from dreams as other beholders do. 8 Keyhole twice, ignoring
9-10 Oval results of 20)
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
BEHOLDER EYE SIZE
As a byproduct of their unique method of propagation,
beholders in one part of the world tend to look similar, 2d6 EyeSize
with variations becoming more pronounced the farther 2 50 percent normal
one travels from that area. Even a slight variation in the
shape of an eyestalk or the texture of its skin is enough 3~4 75 percent normal
for one beholder to consider another a flawed abomina- 5-9 Normal
tion, which should be destroyed. 10-11 125 percent normal
12 150 percent normal
Use the following tables to produce a variety of differ- Roll once for the central eye and once for all the smaller eyes.
ent appearances for beholders.

BEHOLDER BODY DIAMETER

2d6 Body Diameter BEHOLDER EYESTALK TEXTURE
2 4 feet
41/2 feet d6 Eyestalk Texture
3-4 5 feet l-2 Smooth
5-9 51/2 feet 3-4 Ridged (earthworm)
10-11 6 feet 5-6 Segmented (insectile)
12

BEHOLDER SKIN COLOR BEHOLDER EYESTALK SHAPE

dl2 Skin Color d4 Eyestalk Shape
Brown Thick and short
2 Brown -yellow
3 Cray 2 Thin and short
4 Green 3 Thick and long
5-7 Pinkish 4 Thin and long
8-9 Purple-blue
10-11 Mottled (rolt twice, ignoring results above 10) BEHOLDER MOUTH SHAPE AND SIZE
12 Shaded (roll twice, ignoring results above 10)
d6 Mouth Shape and Size
BEHOLDER SKIN TEXTURE Small/narrow

dlO Skin Texture 2-5 Normal
1-2 Pebbled 6 large/wide
3 Pitted
4-5 Plated dlO Skin Texture BEHOLDER TEETH SHAPE
6 Scaled 7-8 Smooth
9 Warty dl O Teeth Shape
10 Wrinkled 1-4 Thick and pointed
5-6 Humanlike
BEHOLDER EYE COLOR dlO Eye Color
6 Violet 7 Humanlike, fanged {vampiric}
dlO Eye Color 7 Pink 8-9 Thin and needle-like
1 Red 8 Brown 10 Double row (rolt again, ignoring results of 10)
2 Orange 9 Black
3 Yellow 10 Metallic (roll d6 ROLEPLAYING A BEHOLDER
4 Green for color)
5 Blue A beholder constantly fears for its safety, is wary of any
creature that isn't one of its minions, and is aggressive
in dealing with perceived threats. It might react favor-
ably toward creatures that humble themselves before it
and present themselves as inferiors, but is easily pro-
voked to attack creatures that brag about their accom-

MONSTER LORE

plishments or claim to be mighty. Such creatures are BEHOLDER FLAWS
seen as threats or fools, and are dealt with mercilessly.
d6 Flaw
Each beholder thinks it is the epitome of its race, and I usually ignore advice from my minions.
therefore all other beholders are inferior to it-even
though, at the same time, it considers other beholders to 2 I enjoy taunting rivals with hints of my plans.
be its greatest rivals. A beholder might be willing to co- 3 I am very quick to take offense. -· ···
operate with adventurers who have news about another 4 I frequently have terrifying dreams.
beholder's lair or activities, and might be nonhostile 5 I often take out my frustrations on my minions.
toward adventurers who praise it for being a perfect ex- 6 I sometimes forget that others don't have access to
ample of a beholder.
all of my knowledge.
The tables that follow present possibilities for per-
sonal characteristics that you can use to make a be- BEHOLDER NAMES
holder distinctive.
A beholder picks its own name, piecing together sounds
BEHOLDER PERSONALITY TRAITS and syllables that have significance and meaning to it.

d8 Personality Trait BEHOLDER NAMES d20 Name

I er.jQy fording my superiority over others. d20 Name 11 Orox
2 Cold, emotionless logic is the way I defeat my foes. Barixis 12 Qualnus
3 I determine if a creature is worth keeping alive within 13 Ralakor
2 Chelm 14 Selthdrych
the first minute of speaking to it. 3 Derukoskai 15 Sokhalsh
4 I frequently dream of [a particular creature] and am 4 Edda Ix 16 Thimnoll
5 Famax 17 Velxer
certain it is trying to manipulate me. 6 Irv 18 Xeo
5 I pretend to-b;i-~sane so my enemies underestimate 7 Jantroph 19 Zalshox
8 Khoa 20 Zirlarq
me. 9 Lanuhsh
6 I am weary offrequent interruptions. 10 Nagish
7 Assassination attempts are the only events that queU
BATTLE TACTICS
my feelings ofloneliness.
8 I sometimes fear that I am a flawed abomination. A beholder analyzes its opponents, makes note of armor,
weapons, and tactics, and adjusts its strategy to elimi-
BEHOLDER IDEALS nate the most dangerous threats as quickly as possible.
Although a beholder's specific actions will vary with
d6 Ideal each encounter, the creature's behavior is largely gov-
1 Greed. My trophies are proofof my success. (Evil) erned by the tactics discussed below.
2 Community. My hierarchy of minions keeps me safe.
STAY OUT OF RANGE AND SIGHT
(Lawful) A beholder's natural ability to fly is essential to many of
3 Intolerance. All other beholders are imperfect and its defenses and habits. Portions of its lair- especially
the remote part where it sleeps- usually aren't reach-
must be destroyed. (Evil) able on foot, which makes it harder for its minions to
4 Stability. I must maintain the current balance of take over the lair, and forces intruders to find ways to
overcome steep vertical climbs.
power in the region. (Lawful)
5 Perfection. Although I am perfect as I am, I can strive Also, a beholder's natural levitation means it doesn't
risk activating any floor-based traps, and therefore it is
to be even better. (Neutral) likely to use such defenses to protect its inner sanctum,
6 Power. I will be secure when I rule over all. (Evil) allowing it to roam freely through the area while hos-
tiles must dodge or overcome multiple obstacles.
BEHOLDER BONDS
Unless its opponents are concealed by fog, invisibility,
d6 Bond or some other magic, a beholder can lurk in the dark
My followers are all spying on me, and I seek moti-
vated, powerful allies to destroy them. -

2 I miss the kinship of my identical twin, who disap-
peared years ago.

3 I must recover an artifact that was stolen from me.
4 I have foreseen the moment of my death and know

what will kill me. I hope to curry favor with my slayer
to forestall my end.
5 I was lucky to escape my enemy, and I worry that I
might be discovered again before I am ready.
6 I scheme endlessly to recover an ancient tome that
contains the secret ofcreating perfect, obedient
clones of myself.