Beholder Summons

[Spiffy Has]

This summon has been around for ages. No complaints until now?

An oversight as it was never common to begin with.

[NecronomiconV]

i think it is a bit much, but getting rid of a cool summoning theme sounds just saddening.. Perhaps weaken the summons? I've never used the theme though i've seen it used and even fought against it a couple times and never had any real problems, yeah its tough, but like said its very hard to get. There are some themes that are powerful and -meant- to be that way. As to this one, having it as random loot does seem a bit sketchy... Perhaps replace whatever is giving it in the loot tables with one time regents for it, and saving the actual theme for DM-giving, just like the other very powerful themes.

[Stranger]

Revising the theme rather than erasing it seems like a sound idea.

Demon summoners are able to conjure succubi without their drain-level-on-hit, for example, even if I'd consider them a relatively neutered creature.

I'd like to see the Enslaved Beholder reduced in power, as a specific summon, or bumped up to a higher circle of summoning.

[Spiffy Has]

Weakening them is fine.

[NecronomiconV]

depends on how much they be weakened though, perhaps just remove the death ray, that should make them fine i think, that and reduce the amount of rays they let out all at once?

[LordOfBones]

They shoot 4 rays per round which I don't feel is too much, I don't understand the desire to make beholders a joke.

Beholders are scary monsters and should be respected as such.

[Spiffy Has]

They shoot 4 rays per round which I don't feel is too much, I don't understand the desire to make beholders a joke.

Beholders are scary monsters and should be respected as such.

The fact we have a summon that causes instant death, is however- a joke.

[xXCrystal_Rose]

Beholder summon theme is cool and fine. Aberrant summon theme is cool and fine. Slaad summon theme is cool and fine. These are all strong, but extremely rare and difficult to get, and can get you killed just for the principle of using them (so can demons/devils and ghosts though).


If it is a theme simply found on a quest and not a special reward then that might be something to take another look at.

[Ziya]

They shoot 4 rays per round which I don't feel is too much, I don't understand the desire to make beholders a joke.

Beholders are scary monsters and should be respected as such.

You misunderstand a little, I think, the concerns of those in this thread. We don't have anything against Beholders being scary monsters, and they should be as powerful as they are, even.

We are just against PCs being able to summon these tremendously powerful walking death-things that should be more in the sole domain of the DMs to spawn and send as evil villains and bosses of DM kwests. That's like "Balors are scary" and "PCs can summon Balors to fight other PCs with". Ironically, it makes Beholders less 'scary monsters' and less 'respected as such' by the mere fact that PCs can summon them at all.

[AllMYBudgies]

I like it :) The theme is plenty fine, I think suggestions to nerf the theme and the summons within it are a little over zealous honestly.

I understand the frustration with it being from an item, however, but I do question the validity of it being a common item in the first place.

[Moonlighter]

They shoot 4 rays per round which I don't feel is too much, I don't understand the desire to make beholders a joke.

Beholders are scary monsters and should be respected as such.

4 rays of unmitigated magic damage, save or die, and dispel. You don't think that's a bit much in a PVP scenario?

It's not like we witnessed a single beholder summon wipe a group and completely change the tide of a PVP encounter on it's own recently or anything.

[Arc]

They shoot 4 rays per round which I don't feel is too much, I don't understand the desire to make beholders a joke.

Beholders are scary monsters and should be respected as such.

Edit: Actually, as I wasn't there, I cant really comment. I will say, however, from a lore standpoint I don't really like the idea of weak beholders. But I know nothing about the balance in this situation, so I'll leave debate to those who saw it.

[Heavyfog]

There are numerous things in EFU that can quickly kill a PC. There are a few things that can even kill a group of PCs. It seems this summon is one of them. The item in question is rare enough as this is the first time we've seen such a thread. Personally, someone summons a Beholder to fight me, its time to run folks. When word gets out that Conan the Conjurer is out calling Beholders to do his bidding its high time a group (Society of the Ordered Mind anyone?) goes a hunting with someone able to cast "Dismissal" and a rogue to sneak up to the guy and just sneak attack him before the Beholder is even summoned.  I don't see the big deal.

[Moonlighter]

Dismissal doesn't help when it instantly fires off all of it's abilities as soon as it's summoned and instagibs someone, Heavyfog.

[Capricious]

I know that this is a suggestion thread, and not really the place for debate but...it seems to me that a beholder summons should be reserved for concepts that are thoroughly devoted to the endeavor of summoning aberrations. It really doesn't seem to be appropriate as a piece of loot that is found in the module without a significant amount of devotion to the theme.