View source for Beholder (EvilHack)

{{ monster
 |name=beholder
 |difficulty=14
 |level=8
 |experience=280
 |speed=6
 |AC=-8
 |MR=50
 |align=-10
 |frequency=1
 |genocidable=Requires killing [[Tal'Gath]]
 |attacks=Gaze [[slowing]], Gaze 2d25 [[sleep]], Gaze 0d0 [[disintegration]], Gaze 0d0 [[stoning]], Gaze 4d4 [[cancellation]], Bite 8d8
 |resistances conveyed=poison
 |resistances=cold,electricity,poison,petrification
 |attributes={{attributes|A beholder|fly=1|breathless=1|nolimbs=1|nohead=1|nopoly=1|hostile=1|nasty=1|neuter=1|greedy=1|jewels=1|magic=1|skittish=1|infravisible=1|infravision|notame=1}}
 |size=Large
 |nutr=200
 |weight=800
 |reference=[https://github.com/k21971/EvilHack/blob/v0.8.3/src/monst.c#L457 EvilHack 0.8.3 - monst.c, line 457]
}}
{{for|other implementations of the monster|beholder}}
A '''beholder''', {{monsym|beholder}}, is a type of [[monster]] that appears in [[EvilHack]]. The beholder is a large [[Eye or sphere|eye]] creature that can [[fly]], has [[infravision]] and can be seen via infravision - it will pick up [[gold]], [[gem]]s and [[magical item]]s that it comes across, and cannot be made [[tame]]. [[Warning]] will always display an unseen beholder within range of the [[player]] character as {{brightmagenta|5}}, regardless of its level.

A beholder has a [[slowing]] [[gaze]], a [[sleep]]-inducing gaze, a [[disintegration]] gaze, a gaze that induces gradual [[stoning]], a [[canceling]] gaze, and a powerful bite attack. Beholders possess [[cold resistance]], [[shock resistance]], [[poison resistance]], and [[stoning resistance]].

Eating a beholder [[corpse]] or [[tin]] confers 8% ({{frac|2|25}}) [[Partial intrinsic|additional poison resistance]].

==Generation==
Randomly generated beholders are always created hostile, and are not a valid form for [[polymorph]]. A normally-generated beholder will be created asleep {{frac|4|5}} of the time unless your character has the [[Amulet of Yendor]] at the time of its generation.

Three beholders are generated in the [[Hidden Dungeon]] at level creation. Two beholders are generated awake on the middle floor of [[Vecna's Domain]]. A beholder is generated behind a set of [[iron bars]] on the middle floor of the [[Wizard's Tower (EvilHack)|Wizard's Tower]].

Beholders cannot be targeted for [[genocide]] unless [[Tal'Gath]] is killed.

==Strategy==
Beholders pose a significant threat from the time they begin generating randomly: most beholders will be created asleep, but an awakened one will direct its many deadly gazes at you, which can slowly turn you to stone, disintegrate you, or cancel your inventory among other undesirable effects - [[reflection]] has no effect on any of them. This also makes them impossibly deadly for pets that lack a means of resisting their gazes, and even pets with proper resistances are likely to be debilitated.

Thankfully, [[blind]]ing yourself or the beholder will render its gaze attacks ineffective against you: neutralizing the beholder's gaze attacks leaves its strong bite as the sole remaining threat, which is much easier to mitigate and preferable by far to the many possibilities of [[instadeath]]. Beholders are an enticing genocide target, but doing so requires a character to reach the [[Castle]], access the Hidden Dungeon and successfully kill Tal'Gath, forcing them to remain thoroughly prepared for their threat in the interim.

==Origin==
The beholder is a well-known creature from ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', and is one of the franchise's most iconic original creations. Beholders have spherical bodies with a single large eye, ten smaller eyes on stalks above it, and a mouth full of teeth. The smaller eyes are used for offense or defense; each one has a different magical ability. Beholders are typically hostile to other creatures, and often hostile to one another.

==Encyclopedia entry==
{{encyclopedia|
	The beholder is the stuff of nightmares.  This creature,
	also called the sphere of many eyes or the eye tyrant,
	appears as a large orb dominated by a central eye and a
	large toothy maw, has 10 smaller eyes on stalks sprouting
	from the top of the orb.  Among adventurers, beholders are
	known as deadly adversaries.
		[ Monstrous Manual, AD&D 2nd edition ]
}}<!--{{variant-36X}}-->
[[Category:EvilHack monsters]]