Bumble-Beholder

Bumble-Beholders (sometimes called beebees for short) are tiny flying aberrations found in the forrests of the Feywild. Their walnut-sized bodies are roughly spherical in shape, and covered with a soft layer of soft yellow fuzz with black stripes. They have a large, singular eye protruding from their front end.

Like their insectoid cousins, they live in small hives, collecting nectar from nearby flora. However, they tend to favor plants with strong magical properties. As such, experienced herbalists often seek them out, as their presence usually means that the area is abundant with good potion making ingredients. This also means that bumblebeholder honey itself tends to have strong magical properties. Honey from hives found in the wild is extremely dangerous, as it could be a mixture of any number of different local nectars. Arcane apiaries can produce usable honey by carefully controlling which plants the beebees collect their nectar from. Different sources can result in powerful honeys with a wide variety of different effects.

A single bumblebeholder is relatively harmless, and they are docile, curious creatures unless provoked. If someone behaves aggressively towards them or the hive, however, they will defend themselves as a swarm. Like full-sized beholders, their eyes can project small cones of antimagic, and their antennae can fire off tiny disintegration beams. A single hit from one of these beams will only produce a mild sting, but an attack from a large enough swarm can be enough to reduce a creature to dust if they do not retreat quickly enough. Their primary concern is defending their home, so if the attacker puts enough distance between them and the hive, the beebees will quickly abandon the pursuit and go back to their diligent work.