Homebrew Beholden Species Details
Hidden from sight and obscured from history, the beholden, a cruel mix of man and aberration. Many beholden find home in the depths of the Underdark, or conceal themselves in large cities and towns.
They are deceptors, masterminds, and thieves — yet conversely, scholars, monks, and bishops. The beholden are split between two minds.
Ever Watchful
Life in hiding can take a toll on the beholden, you may never catch one without an eye or three out for trouble. Beholden on average, stand at just over five feet and weigh 120 to 125 pounds. Their skin ranges from whites and grays to purples and reds, and is a patchwork of rough scales and slick flesh. A beholden's hair is greased back or tied as to not interfere with their paranoid gaze.
Immediately, their most prominent feature is their singular eye that rests just above their rather reptilian nostrils. However two or more eye stalks accompany their cycloptic faces, sprouting from the top or sides of their heads. The increasing amount of eye stalks typically represents age and power among the beholden, at a glance one can tell how much trouble they're in. For most beholden, clothing is kept simple and neat, in line with an ever obsessive personality, and to keep from drawing too much attention.
Double Living
As an aberration, common folk don't take naturally to the beholden. Humans relate them strongly as being offspring of the vile beholder, and while some beholden take pride in their lineage, carrying out the deeds of their fathers and bringing destruction, some also wish to distance themselves from such treachery. Due to that, those who don't embark on a life of evil, find themselves on the fringe of society, dedicating themselves to their studies or pursuing more regular lives in secret, their identities only known to safe few.
Good beholden are always looking over their shoulders for danger or any possibility that they might be found out for being monsters. Monasteries and churches occasionally take in beholden who've managed to escape their masters lair, swearing to oaths of peace and using their minds to improve society. In the Underdark, however, beholden are expected to be malicious and cunning, and will often adopt that persona to avoid suspicion.
Evil beholden don't care for the whims of society, they are brash and arrogant, thinking highly of themselves as intellectual superiors, their hubris is their downfall. They serve beholders and live in large underground ruins and dungeons. An evil beholden seek only to bring chaos into the world, planning schemes and games for their masters' amusement. They live freely in the Underdark, without fear of judgement, using their power to suppress anyone with argument. However all beholden hold a deep rooted xenophobic tendency and a sense of paranoia.
Beholden Names
Beholden choosing to leave the Underdark and pursue a meaningful living away from their Beholder masters take a more regular sounding name, depending on the society they choose to blend in with, for example a human name or elvish one. Those who choose to serve their master and wreck havoc on the Underdark are assigned a shorter formal name and take the last name of their master. There is very little distinction in names based on gender.
Formal Names: Pama, Jeqes, Rued, Idre, Rerzi, Qeet, Sita, Siqe, Daro, Kino
Beholder Names: Jilxylsh, Tharga, Zorthaks, Goalbulsh, Dothdraqsi, Gelshoseelm, Vaothucals, Ornaxoqsia, Xanathar
BEHOLDEN BACKGROUNDS
Backgrounds that most fit a beholden include the outlander, sage, criminal, and the urchin.
The only known areas where one is likely to find more than one beholden is in a Beholder's lair, serving as high level guards or even treated as second to the Beholder themselves. In the Forgotten Realms, evil beholden are found where ever Beholders can be, littered throughout the Underdark. Good beholders however can be found scattered across the entire plane, in high reaching monasteries and in dark alleyways, though they are few in number. Beholders serve as effective rogues or warlocks, some more aligned with their aberrational background are sorcerers.
Beholden Traits
As a beholden, you will have inherited powers of your aberrational bloodline. Being able to lower the ability scores of creatures can be incredibly powerful at low levels. As a result, playing a beholden requires special consideration by your DM.Ability Score Increase
Your Intelligence or Charisma score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Beholden age similarly to humans, reaching maturity at 20 and living roughly 100 years.
Alignment
Most Beholden are evil, but the few that are able to overthrow or escape their masters choose good. However all Beholden find a distaste for the law and are aligned chaotic.
Size
Beholden are about 5 feet tall. Compared to humans they are lithe and weigh on average anywhere from 120 to 125 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision
Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 80 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Passive Antimagic
You have resistance to any spell damage dealt to you while surprised.
Hover
You have a flying speed of 30 feet, but it is a low hover and cannot lift more than 10 feet off of the ground.
Eye Beam
Your Beholder heritage allows you to channel powerful magic through your eye stalks, while not as powerful as the Beholder's many rays, you can weaken your enemies in a variety of ways. This makes it difficult for your enemies to pass saving throws, which can ultimately aid your master or party.
As an action, you may blast a target creature with your eye beam. Make a ranged spell attack with INT or CHA as your spell casting ability. On a hit roll 1d6 and subtract your spell casting modifier from the target creature's ability score for the given ability, with a minimum of one. This effect lasts until target creature is cured by a spell such as lesser restoration or wish. You may use this ability once per short or long rest.
- Strength
- Dexterity
- Wisdom
- Intelligence
- Charisma
- Constitution
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common, Beholder, Undercommon, and Deep Speech.
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