Homebrew Gazer Species Details
A gazer is a tiny manifestation of a beholder’s dreams. It resembles the beholder who dreamed it into existence, but its body is only 8 inches wide, and it has only four eyestalks. It follows its creator like a devoted, aggressive puppy, and sometimes small packs of these creatures patrol their master’s lair for vermin to kill and lone creatures to harass.
Nuisance Pet. A gazer can’t speak any languages but can approximate mimicking words and sentences in a high-pitched, mocking manner. Beholders find gazers amusing and tolerate their presence like spoiled pets. A gazer can’t be tamed by anyone but its creator, except through the use of magic or by bonding with a spellcaster (see sidebar). Some beholders with wizard minions insist they take a gazer as a familiar because they can see through the eyes of these creatures.
Aggressive Vermin-Eater. A wild gazer (one living separately from a beholder) is territorial, eats bugs and small animals, and is known for playing with its food. A lone gazer avoids picking fights with creatures that are Medium or larger, but a pack of them might take on larger prey. A gazer might follow humanoids in its territory, noisily mimicking their speech and generally being a nuisance, until they leave the area, but it flees if confronted by something it can’t kill.
Gazer Traits
Gazers get the following traitsSpeed
You do not have legs, so you don’t have a walking speed. However you can hover (fly speed) of 30 feet, additionally you are immune to the prone condition.
Size
You are tiny and only weigh 40 pounds.
Darkvision
You can see in dim light within 60 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.
Ability Score Increase
Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Languages
You can read and write Common and Deep Speech, but you can speak only by using your Mimicry trait.
Pocket Space
Your mouth is a small bag of holding you can hold 80 pounds of material, this trait functions similarly to Heward's Handy Haversack central pouch.
Mimicry
You can mimic sounds you have heard, including voices. A creature that hears the sounds you make can tell they are imitations with a successful Wisdom (Insight) check opposed by your Charisma (Deception) check.
Eye Rays
As an action the gazer shoots one of the following magical eye rays at random, choosing one target it can see within 60 feet of it. The DC for your eye rays is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
1. Dazing Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the start of the gazer’s next turn. While the target is charmed in this way, its speed is halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls.
2. Fear Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of the gazer’s next turn.
3. Frost Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6)cold damage.
4. Telekinetic Ray. If the target is a creature that is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be moved up to 30 feet directly away from the gazer.
If the target is an object weighing 10 pounds or less that isn’t being worn or carried, the gazer moves it up to 30 feet in any direction. The gazer can also exert fine control on objects with this ray, such as manipulating a simple tool or opening a container.
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