beholder

Beholder, or eye tyrant, is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is a floating, spherical aberration about the size of a large head, with a central eye and ten or more eyestalks, each topped with an additional eye. Beholders are highly intelligent and xenophobic; they believe themselves to be the pinnacle of intellect and will dominate other beings to impose their will.

In a typical encounter the beholder uses its central eye's antimagic cone to suppress magical effects and rely on its variety of eye rays. Each eyestalk can unleash a different ray, with effects such as charming a target, inducing fear, draining life, putting opponents to sleep, telekinetically manipulating objects or creatures, teleporting, paralyzing, petrifying, or disintegrating. The specific rays and their frequencies vary by edition, but the concept remains that the creature wields numerous, unpredictable magical powers.

Beholders are usually depicted as solitary rulers who fashion elaborate lairs. They ward their domains with traps and guardians, collect magical treasures, and scheme to extend their influence or eliminate threats to their sovereignty. They view other spellcasters with particular contempt and seek to undermine rival wizards and dragons whenever possible.

Variants include undead beholders known as death tyrants, and the broader family known as beholderkin, such as lesser beholder species encountered in some settings. Beholders appear as iconic adversaries in many campaigns and have featured prominently in D&D lore and adaptations.