False Beholder

Haunting Presence. The false beholder's very presence creates an unsettling sense of paranoia and discomfort. Any creature of the false beholder’s choice that starts its turn within 120 feet of the false beholder must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma saving throw or become Frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the false beholder’s Haunting Presence for the next 24 hours.

Innate Spellcasting. The false beholder’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (+12 attack; spell save DC 20). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring only verbal components:

At will: Cause Fear, Detect Thoughts, Ray of Sickness

2/day: Dominate Monster, See Invisibility

1/day: Psychic Scream

*Suggested additional spells:

At will: Absorb Elements, Blade Ward, Command,  Silent Image.

2/day: Arcane Lock, Bane, Blur, Protection from Energy.

1/day: Fear, Haste, Spirit Shroud, Vampiric Touch.

(Warning! : adding spells to the false beholders stat block can drastically increase its effective challenge rating and subsequently, the likelihood of one or more character deaths occurring in an encounter.)

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the false beholder fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Multiple Heads. The false beholder gains an additional action per turn equal to the quantity of heads it has (minimum of 1 action). If the false beholder has 3 heads, it has 3 actions on it's turn, in addition to move and bonus actions. It does not gain additional move and bonus actions from having additional heads. Some of the false beholders actions may require the use of more than one of it’s heads as indicated by the action; which uses the available action for those heads. If the false beholder casts a spell requiring concentration, the head that cast the spell must use its action on subsequent turns to maintain concentration on the spell.

Reactive. The false beholder can take one reaction on every turn in a combat. If more than half of the false beholder’s heads are occupied with maintaining a grapple, or concentration on a spell; this trait does not function.

Grow Heads: As the false beholder consumes intelligent creatures, it has a cumulative chance of growing a new head. For each creature with an Int of 4 or higher that the false beholder consumes, it has a cumulative chance to grow a new head upon consumption. This chance increases based on the size of the mind (creature) consumed:

Multiattack. The false beholder makes one bite attack for each of its heads.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., or 5 ft. if attacking with its central head, one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 17) and takes 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage at the start of each of its turns until the grapple ends. The false beholder can grapple one creature per head at a time. 

Engulf (Central Head Only). The false beholder engulfs a Medium or smaller creature that is grappled by one of its heads. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 21 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the false beholder’s turns or take 12 (2d8 + 5) acid damage. When the false beholder moves, the engulfed creature moves with it. The false beholder can have only one creature engulfed at a time. If the target creature’s HP drops to 0 while it is engulfed, it dies and is immediately consumed (See Grow Heads). If the false beholder takes 25 or more damage from a single source or spell during a single turn (including its own), it vomits forth any creature it has engulfed into an unoccupied space within 5 ft of it.

Song of Sloth. The false beholder uses one of its heads to produce a sound that slows the reflexes and saps the will. Creatures within 60 feet of the false beholder that can hear it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom save. On a failed save, an effected creature’s speed is halved for 1 minute. In addition, the effected creature can’t take reactions, and it can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, but not both. An effected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

This song has no effect on constructs and undead.

Song of Slumber (Requires 3 Heads). The false beholder uses 3 of its heads to create a hypnotic, incapacitating melody. Creatures within 60 feet of the false beholder that can hear it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom save. Creatures that fail the saving throw fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. An effected creature awakens if it takes damage or another creature takes an action to wake it.

This song has no effect on constructs and undead.

Song of Suffering (Requires 6 heads, Recharge 5-6). The false beholder uses six of its heads to produce a vicious, agonizing scream. Creatures within 60 feet of the false beholder that can hear it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or take 40 (6d10 + 7) psychic damage and only half as much damage on a successful save. Creatures that fail the save by 5 or more are also stunned for 1 round.

This song has no effect on constructs and undead.

Mindsong. The false beholder sings a harrowing melody which is heard by any creature within 2 miles. While the false beholder sings it’s mindsong, the head that is singing cannot take other actions. Creatures hearing the song gain gaps in their memory that they have no recollection of; if a person enters a room with a false beholder, the song will cause the person to forget the beholder was ever there for example. This is commonly used to cause people who are close to the victims of the beholder to forget that those persons ever existed. 

This song does not alter reality, only the listener’s perception of it. A woman who lost her husband may find it confusing to find men's clothes in her house as she recalls no husband. This effect does not work on people who are deaf, or are focused on the item the gap is intended to replace. For example, the women above may witness the beholder eating a man, and recall all of it during the event, but forget the second she looks away. 

At the DMs discretion, intelligent creatures that are exposed to the false beholders mindsong for prolonged periods of time risk gaining a split mind. If a victims psyche becomes split, the left half of the mind separates from the right. The victim does not notice this, however the left half cannot hear and thus is immune to the mindsong (although it can still see). It may try to notify the victim of the false beholder, but it only controls half of the victims body. It does not control speech. This may appear as the left hand inserting text into a note the victim is writing, or scratch letters into their chest as they sleep. Since the right brain is still impacted by the mindsong, they may never notice the writing within the letter, however the scars on their chest are harder to blank out of their mind.

This song has no effect on constructs and undead.

(The false beholder is immune to the effects of its own Songs, and the songs of other false beholders.)

The false beholder can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The false beholder regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Detect. The false beholder makes a Wisdom (Perception) check with advantage.

Move. The false beholder moves up to its fly (hover) speed.

Bite. The false beholder makes one bite attack.

Spell (Costs 2 Actions). The false beholder casts a spell.

Sustained By Fear (Recharge 5-6, Costs 3 Actions). The false beholder’s empty eye sockets glow with crimson pint-points of light, sapping the life force of those that fear it. Each creature within 120 ft of the false beholder that is also Frightened must succeed on a DC 19 Charisma saving throw or take 21 (5d6) psychic damage, and the false beholder regains hit points equal to half of the damage dealt by this effect.