Our party has recently suffered a harsh butt kicking at the hands of an eye tyrant. Our tanks have been turned to stone, and the rest of the party dispersed to different places. Those of us who were petrified rolled new characters, with the premise we may be going for a round 2 to get our characters back eventually.
I rolled a lvl 10 death cleric, and was wondering if there were any good tactics against beholders? Our defeat was the product of horrendous consecutive rolls, so I'm aware luck plays a big role in these damned saving throws.
I was thinking Bestow Curse, give it disadvantage on Con saves, then follow up with Contagion, eventually giving it the Slimy Doom effect. But if I understand correctly, one look from the beholder and my Curse would drop immediately as it's a concentration spell. Contagion would keep going, but it would take 3-5 turns to set in, and thats IF the beholder fails its saves.
Another approach could be Blindness/Deafness? Not sure how this affects the anti-magic field, but perhaps it renders the eye stalks useless since it cannot see. Would be useful until it managed to snap out of it.
An insect plague to obscure it's vision? Highly contextual, and would hit anyone in melee range of the creature.
A Wall of Stone to protect magic users from the anti magic cone? IIRC the beholder has to be looking at you, so popping out to blast a spell then retreating back to cover could work. Unless the second you pop out you actually walk into the cone.
I was also planning on having Animate Dead and Spiritual Weapon doing some consistent damage, but that darn anti-magic field would nullify both....wouldn't it? If the field acts exactly like "Antimagic Field" (except a much longer radius/cone), would my summons return the second its gaze shifted elsewhere?
For your party members who will be attacking it with weapons, remember that it's anti-magic eye also blocks it's other eyes from working so if they stay in the anti-magic zone they're able to attack it somewhat safely. Their magical weapons will be non-magical, but they won't be affected by the other eyes unless it turns so that it's eye is facing a different direction.
Don't face it in it's lair if at all possible. Get it out of it's lair and into an environment where it doesn't control everything if you can, especially one where it won't be able to simply hover out of reach of your melee characters.
Distance can be your friend! The beholder's anti-magic field has a range of 150 feet and ti's other eyes have a range of 120 feet. Every bow except the hand crossbow has an attack range with disadvantage of more than 150 feet. A few ranged attack spells have long ranges too and the spell sniper feat doubles the range of spells that require an attack roll.
Banishment will work if it fails it's charisma saving throw. I wouldn't count on that happening though, not with a beholder.
My advice at 10th level though is to avoid beholders. Wait until you're higher level.
As long as you don't stand in the antimagic cone when you cast blindness you should blind it however some GM's might still let it attack with its blinded eyes, and as they dont need hit rolls that sucks, if they do that then at least ask if you can get adv on the save. Alternatively, smoke, magic darkness or even fog or other magical obscurement works well, if it cant see you then it cant shoot you, if it can see you because it drills a hole in the magic with the central eye then it cant hurt you as it would have to fire into its own magic deadzone, or blink and then cant see you so we are back to no attacks on you.
Not many people have thought this through over the years and editions - but an old school method if you had to approach was to advance in the cone and attack unless it could float up (in which case run for cover unless you can out damage it at range and back in the past if you attacked from multiple arcs it used more eyes) The group approach means your either not taking shots or you are but your spellcasters can fight back.
The Spaghetti western approach is to get a monster with a gaze attack - basilisks on a lead with a dog cone to limit head turns were the old favourite and play who blinks first. Obviously this requires a ridiculous outlay in expenses in capturing rearing and raising Basilisks to have any chance they wont just leave you stiff. Sure the beholder should kill it, but its smart enough to know what could happen.
If you cant use any of the above summoned minions might be the way to go, even 8 nearly useless ones are 8 potential 'not you' targets, and sure the beholder can temporarily remove them when they enter the antimagic but they pop back up when it moves away (spells are suppressed not dispelled).
Undead would be an answer (party acceptance permitting) unless conjured not animated they are permanent and antimagic wont work on them. (animated armor and weapons are an exception but antimagic on a golem is a way to get yourself killed) As for spiritual weapon, state it appears above the target and attacks from above, it wont dissipate from the antimagic unless the beholder can tilt upwards (interestingly in some editions beholders couldn't tilt, as there air sac's didnt work that way but your gm will decide) BUT if you the caster are in the antimagic I believe it is fair enough to say you couldnt control its movement or attack with it as you would have not way to magically move it.
Hope you have a better second attempt and enjoy the game, but remember, moon druids never sleep.
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Our party has recently suffered a harsh butt kicking at the hands of an eye tyrant. Our tanks have been turned to stone, and the rest of the party dispersed to different places. Those of us who were petrified rolled new characters, with the premise we may be going for a round 2 to get our characters back eventually.
I rolled a lvl 10 death cleric, and was wondering if there were any good tactics against beholders? Our defeat was the product of horrendous consecutive rolls, so I'm aware luck plays a big role in these damned saving throws.
I was thinking Bestow Curse, give it disadvantage on Con saves, then follow up with Contagion, eventually giving it the Slimy Doom effect. But if I understand correctly, one look from the beholder and my Curse would drop immediately as it's a concentration spell. Contagion would keep going, but it would take 3-5 turns to set in, and thats IF the beholder fails its saves.
Another approach could be Blindness/Deafness? Not sure how this affects the anti-magic field, but perhaps it renders the eye stalks useless since it cannot see. Would be useful until it managed to snap out of it.
An insect plague to obscure it's vision? Highly contextual, and would hit anyone in melee range of the creature.
A Wall of Stone to protect magic users from the anti magic cone? IIRC the beholder has to be looking at you, so popping out to blast a spell then retreating back to cover could work. Unless the second you pop out you actually walk into the cone.
I was also planning on having Animate Dead and Spiritual Weapon doing some consistent damage, but that darn anti-magic field would nullify both....wouldn't it? If the field acts exactly like "Antimagic Field" (except a much longer radius/cone), would my summons return the second its gaze shifted elsewhere?
Thoughts? Thanks!
For your party members who will be attacking it with weapons, remember that it's anti-magic eye also blocks it's other eyes from working so if they stay in the anti-magic zone they're able to attack it somewhat safely. Their magical weapons will be non-magical, but they won't be affected by the other eyes unless it turns so that it's eye is facing a different direction.
Don't face it in it's lair if at all possible. Get it out of it's lair and into an environment where it doesn't control everything if you can, especially one where it won't be able to simply hover out of reach of your melee characters.
Distance can be your friend! The beholder's anti-magic field has a range of 150 feet and ti's other eyes have a range of 120 feet. Every bow except the hand crossbow has an attack range with disadvantage of more than 150 feet. A few ranged attack spells have long ranges too and the spell sniper feat doubles the range of spells that require an attack roll.
Banishment will work if it fails it's charisma saving throw. I wouldn't count on that happening though, not with a beholder.
My advice at 10th level though is to avoid beholders. Wait until you're higher level.
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As long as you don't stand in the antimagic cone when you cast blindness you should blind it however some GM's might still let it attack with its blinded eyes, and as they dont need hit rolls that sucks, if they do that then at least ask if you can get adv on the save. Alternatively, smoke, magic darkness or even fog or other magical obscurement works well, if it cant see you then it cant shoot you, if it can see you because it drills a hole in the magic with the central eye then it cant hurt you as it would have to fire into its own magic deadzone, or blink and then cant see you so we are back to no attacks on you.
Not many people have thought this through over the years and editions - but an old school method if you had to approach was to advance in the cone and attack unless it could float up (in which case run for cover unless you can out damage it at range and back in the past if you attacked from multiple arcs it used more eyes) The group approach means your either not taking shots or you are but your spellcasters can fight back.
The Spaghetti western approach is to get a monster with a gaze attack - basilisks on a lead with a dog cone to limit head turns were the old favourite and play who blinks first. Obviously this requires a ridiculous outlay in expenses in capturing rearing and raising Basilisks to have any chance they wont just leave you stiff. Sure the beholder should kill it, but its smart enough to know what could happen.
If you cant use any of the above summoned minions might be the way to go, even 8 nearly useless ones are 8 potential 'not you' targets, and sure the beholder can temporarily remove them when they enter the antimagic but they pop back up when it moves away (spells are suppressed not dispelled).
Undead would be an answer (party acceptance permitting) unless conjured not animated they are permanent and antimagic wont work on them. (animated armor and weapons are an exception but antimagic on a golem is a way to get yourself killed) As for spiritual weapon, state it appears above the target and attacks from above, it wont dissipate from the antimagic unless the beholder can tilt upwards (interestingly in some editions beholders couldn't tilt, as there air sac's didnt work that way but your gm will decide) BUT if you the caster are in the antimagic I believe it is fair enough to say you couldnt control its movement or attack with it as you would have not way to magically move it.
Hope you have a better second attempt and enjoy the game, but remember, moon druids never sleep.