Magic-Bound Beholder-Kin
Habitat: Underdark; Treasure: Any
Invoking mysterious rites involving four beholder eyestalks, a spellcaster can mold aberrant dreams into a beholder-like guardian. Called a spectator, the being summoned by such a ritual resembles a beholder with five magical eyes—a central eye and four on stalks arrayed around the crown of the creature’s spherical body.
A spectator serves its conjurer for 101 years by guarding something of the spellcaster’s choice—typically a treasure or location. The spectator is a reliable guardian and allows only its summoner access to what it protects. A spectator might converse with other creatures, openly discussing its orders and the magic-user who conjured it, but it has no ambitions of its own and won’t abandon its post. Should an intruder ignore its warnings, a spectator attempts to drive away the intruder with its magical eye rays.
At the end of its service, a spectator might discorporate back into nothingness or wander away, seeking to learn more of the multiverse.
Multiattack. The spectator uses Eye Rays twice.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage.
Eye Rays. The spectator randomly shoots one of the following magical rays at a target it can see within 90 feet of itself (roll 1d4; reroll if the spectator has already used that ray during this turn):
1: Confusion Ray. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 12. Failure: 5 (2d4) Psychic damage, and the target can’t take Reactions until the end of its next turn. On its next turn, the target can’t move, and it uses its action to make a melee or ranged attack against a randomly determined creature within range. If the target can’t attack, it does nothing on that turn.
2: Paralyzing Ray. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12. Failure: The target has the Paralyzed condition and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically.
3: Fear Ray. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 12. Failure: 5 (2d4) Psychic damage, and the target has the Frightened condition until the end of its next turn.
4: Wounding Ray. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 12. Failure: 16 (3d10) Necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
Spell Reflection. Trigger: The spectator succeeds on a saving throw against a spell, or a spell’s attack roll misses it. Response—Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 12, one creature the spectator can see within 120 feet. Failure: 10 (3d6) Force damage.
