Post by Crystallis on Jul 5, 2010 19:53:28 GMT -5
Originator: Videospirit
Name: Beholder
Origin: Dungeons and Dragons
Breakdown: A Beholder is an aberration comprising a floating spheroid body with a large fanged mouth and single eye on the front and many flexible eyestalks on the top. A beholder's eyes each possess a different magical ability; the main eye projects an anti-magical cone, and the other eyes use different spell-like abilities.
Files: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beholder
Name: Mind Flayer (Illithid)
Origin: Dungeons and Dragons
Breakdown: Mind flayers have four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth, and require the brains of sentient creatures as part of their diet. A mind flayer who snares a living creature in all four of its tentacles can extract and devour its living brain. One of the most feared powers is the dreaded Mind Blast, where the mind flayer emits a cone-shaped psionic shockwave with its mind in order to incapacitate any creature for a short amount of time. Mind flayers also have other psionic powers, generally telepathic in nature. Other powers include a defensive psionic shield and powers of psionic domination for controlling the minds of others.
Files: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illithid
So according to 4th ed., the toughest Beholder (an Eye Tyrant) is a Level 19 Solo Artillery, while the toughest Mind Flayer (a Mastermind) is a Level 18 Elite Controller. So the Beholder's quite a bit tougher, as he's a level higher and counts as five monsters instead of two. This makes sense, as beholders often fly solo while mind flayers are more group-oriented.
For the beholder, one of the signature abilities (the antimagic ray) is gone in 4th ed., but that's no big deal as it would be useless against psionics anyway. The beholder can daze with his central eye and his other eyes have many abilities. For direct offense, he can sear with radiant energy, wither with necrotic energy, and disintegrate enemies. For more tricky effects, he has a sleep ray, telekinesis ray, hold ray, confusion ray (not much good here as it makes the opponent attack an ally), fear ray (which does damage and makes the opponent run), petrifying ray (which slows its opponent at first, then immobilizes and petrifies him if he keeps failing saves), and death ray (necrotic damage, then weakens and dazes the opponent, then kills him if he keeps failing saves). He has a few abilities which let him use more eye rays than normal, and he really goes berserk with them when bloodied. Also can bite people.
The mind flayer makes people take penalties to Will defenses, can grab people with its tentacles, can bore into their brain if they're grabbed or stunned (deals lots of damage, if it reduces them to 0 hp it can eat their brain or make them a thrall), mind blast (damage, dazed), enslave (dominates), illusion of pain (psychic damage from illusory barbed tentacles), and teleportation (100 ft. range).
My money's on the beholder. He's tougher in raw power and has more nasty ways to kill his enemy. The mind flayer will have a tough time grabbing him because he's big and will break out easily, so his best bet would be enslave, and I think the beholder can pull off the will save. There's a reason beholders go solo and mind flayers work in groups and/or with slaves.
Name: Beholder
Origin: Dungeons and Dragons
Breakdown: A Beholder is an aberration comprising a floating spheroid body with a large fanged mouth and single eye on the front and many flexible eyestalks on the top. A beholder's eyes each possess a different magical ability; the main eye projects an anti-magical cone, and the other eyes use different spell-like abilities.
Files: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beholder
Name: Mind Flayer (Illithid)
Origin: Dungeons and Dragons
Breakdown: Mind flayers have four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth, and require the brains of sentient creatures as part of their diet. A mind flayer who snares a living creature in all four of its tentacles can extract and devour its living brain. One of the most feared powers is the dreaded Mind Blast, where the mind flayer emits a cone-shaped psionic shockwave with its mind in order to incapacitate any creature for a short amount of time. Mind flayers also have other psionic powers, generally telepathic in nature. Other powers include a defensive psionic shield and powers of psionic domination for controlling the minds of others.
Files: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illithid
So according to 4th ed., the toughest Beholder (an Eye Tyrant) is a Level 19 Solo Artillery, while the toughest Mind Flayer (a Mastermind) is a Level 18 Elite Controller. So the Beholder's quite a bit tougher, as he's a level higher and counts as five monsters instead of two. This makes sense, as beholders often fly solo while mind flayers are more group-oriented.
For the beholder, one of the signature abilities (the antimagic ray) is gone in 4th ed., but that's no big deal as it would be useless against psionics anyway. The beholder can daze with his central eye and his other eyes have many abilities. For direct offense, he can sear with radiant energy, wither with necrotic energy, and disintegrate enemies. For more tricky effects, he has a sleep ray, telekinesis ray, hold ray, confusion ray (not much good here as it makes the opponent attack an ally), fear ray (which does damage and makes the opponent run), petrifying ray (which slows its opponent at first, then immobilizes and petrifies him if he keeps failing saves), and death ray (necrotic damage, then weakens and dazes the opponent, then kills him if he keeps failing saves). He has a few abilities which let him use more eye rays than normal, and he really goes berserk with them when bloodied. Also can bite people.
The mind flayer makes people take penalties to Will defenses, can grab people with its tentacles, can bore into their brain if they're grabbed or stunned (deals lots of damage, if it reduces them to 0 hp it can eat their brain or make them a thrall), mind blast (damage, dazed), enslave (dominates), illusion of pain (psychic damage from illusory barbed tentacles), and teleportation (100 ft. range).
My money's on the beholder. He's tougher in raw power and has more nasty ways to kill his enemy. The mind flayer will have a tough time grabbing him because he's big and will break out easily, so his best bet would be enslave, and I think the beholder can pull off the will save. There's a reason beholders go solo and mind flayers work in groups and/or with slaves.
