Keen Sight. The argoptix has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Weird Gaze. When a creature that can see the argoptix's central eye starts its turn within 30 feet of the argoptix, the argoptix can force it to make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, so long as the argoptix isn’t incapacitated and can see the creature. A creature that fails the save is charmed until the start of its next turn. If charmed in this way, the argoptix magically learns one fact or secret about the target.
The target automatically wins if it is immune to being charmed.
Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes at the start of its turn to avoid the saving throw. If the creature does so, it can’t see the Argoptix until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the creature looks at the Argoptix in the meantime, it must immediately make the save.
Death Throes. When the argoptix dies, the magical energy within it explodes, and each creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Multiattack. The nothic makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage.
Eye Rays. The gauth shoots 2 of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one or two targets it can see within 90 feet of it:
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Devour Magic Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or have one of its magic items lose all magical properties until the start of the gauth’s next turn. If the object is a charged item, it also loses 1d4 charges. Determine the affected item randomly, ignoring single-use items such as potions and scrolls.
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Putrefying Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
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Paralyzing Ray. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
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Confusion Ray. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, or it can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn. On its turn, the target can’t move, and it uses its action to make a melee or ranged attack against a randomly determined creature within range. If the target can’t attack, it does nothing on its turn.
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Pushing Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 30 feet directly away from the argoptix and have its speed halved until the start of the argoptix’s next turn.
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Sleep Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. The target awakens if it takes damage or another creature takes an action to wake it. This ray has no effect on constructs and undead.
Spell Reflection. If the argoptix makes a successful saving throw against a spell, or a spell attack misses it, the spectator can choose another creature (including the spellcaster) it can see within 30 feet of it. The spell targets the chosen creature instead of the argoptix. If the spell forced a saving throw, the chosen creature makes its own save. If the spell was an attack, the attack roll is rerolled against the chosen creature.
The argoptix can take a legendary action, using the Eye Ray option below. It can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The argoptix regains its spent legendary action at the start of its turn.
Eye Ray. The beholder uses one random eye ray.
Description
A baleful eye peers out from the darkness, its gleam hinting at a weird intelligence and unnerving malevolence. Most times, a nothic is content to watch, weighing and assessing the creatures it encounters. When driven to violence, it uses its horrific gaze to rot the flesh from its enemies’ bones. Rather than gaining the godlike supremacy they crave, some wizards who devote their lives to unearthing arcane secrets are reduced to creeping, tormented monsters by a dark curse Nothics retain no awareness of their former selves, skulking amid the shadows and haunting places rich in magical knowledge, drawn by memories and impulses they can’t quite understand.
Dark Oracles. Nothics possess a strange magical insight that allows them to extract knowledge from other creatures. This grants them unique understanding of secret and forbidden lore, which they share for a price. A nothic covets magic items, greedily accepting such gifts from creatures that seek out its knowledge.
A spectator is a lesser beholder that is summoned from another plane of existence by a magical ritual, the components of which include four beholder eyestalks that are consumed by the ritual’s magic. Appropriately, a spectator has four eyestalks, two on each side of the wide eye at the center of its four-foot diameter body.
Magical Guardians. A summoned spectator guards a location or a treasure of its summoner’s choice for 101 years, allowing no creature but its summoner to enter the area or access the item, unless the summoner instructed otherwise. If the item is stolen or destroyed before the years have all passed, a summoned spectator vanishes. It otherwise never abandons its post.
Erratic Servants. Though it can speak, a spectator communicates primarily by way of telepathy. It is civil while on guard, openly discussing its orders and its summoner. However, even a brief conversation with a spectator is enough to reveal quirks in its personality brought on by its years of isolation. It might invent imaginary enemies, refer to itself in the third person, or try to adopt the voice of its summoner.
When the ritual to summon a spectator goes wrong, a gauth might push itself through the flawed connection, arriving immediately or several minutes later. It might present itself as a beholder to ignorant creatures in an attempt to intimidate them, or as a spectator to its summoner in order to drain magic items it is expected to guard.