This information is intended for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.
At a Glance
A beholder —also called an eye tyrant or a sphere of many eyes— is an aberration.
Beholders are believed to come from the stars; the most likely candidate is H’Catha.
In cases where individual beholders recognize anything greater than themselves, they tend to venerate a being they call Great Mother.
Intriguingly, this is one of 11 monsters in the Monster Manual which are considered “Product Identity” by Wizards of the Coast and therefore could not be included in the d20 SRD.
Climitat
Variations
Beholders are related to a wide array of creatures, collectively referred to as beholderkin.
Beholder Realms
Notable Individuals
- Araunglauth
- The Eye — true name uncertain
- Iquitik
- Manxam
- Many Eyes — true name uncertain
- Misker
- Quaervaxthanus — once the Magister
- Rilathdool
- Seirtych Xantaun
- Thaluul
- Uthh
- Uvixiq
- Veoyh
- Xanathar
- Xantilan
- Xantorth
- Xantriph
- Xaoch
- Xualahuu
- Xulla
Sources
Primary Sources
- Monster Manual [17755] page 25
- Monster Manual [2009] (1e) 10
Passing Mention
- 10 Sep 2014 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2014) — Xantorth
- 24 Apr 2014 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2014) — Althiunthlahlurmm’s hoard
- 24 Apr 2014 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2014) — powerful villains
- 22 Mar 2014 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2014) — Filfaeril’s fear
- 13 Mar 2014 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2014) — worship of Iltyr
- 31 Dec 2013 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Rahoringjak’s
- 30 Dec 2013 post in Questions for Ed Greenwood (2013) — Xuldelankh
- Cormyr [9410] page 10
- Drizzt Do’Urden’s Guide to the Underdark [11509] pages 14-16
- Old Empires [FR10/9274] page 9
- Forgotten Realms Adventures [2106] pages 2, 8, 11, 12, 62, 67, 120, 124, 125
- Elminster’s Everwinking Eye — Polyhedron #110 page 7
- WotC Monster Index
- Dragon Magazine #275 — The Adventures of Volo: The Crumbling Stair
Other Resources
- Search for beholder on the FR Wiki
Disclaimer
Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Forgotten Realms, and their logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the United States and other countries. This blog is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC.