Actually, to have a Beholder or other non-humanoid as a joinable NPC is a quite good idea. But now a serious question arises - how would the devs tackle the romance option for this NPC? Would "it" go both ways? Would "it" restrict the CHARNAME to only some race/sex possibilities? How to tackle the physical intimacy between a humanoid and a squid/beholder/snakeman/whatever sensibly enough? And to still keep the ESRB rating?
(going from experience, that since BG, every Bioware game had a "romance" of some sort...just look at Mass Effect)
oh jeez romance. Now all we need is a werebear NPC. Think of the untapped market potential!
As for me, no thanks. Human and humanesque only please - Human, elf, dwarf, halfling, etc. People can get behind playing a dwarf or a half-orc maybe. With a beholder, I'd be wondering as a giant eye with noodly limbs what's my motivation again?
But now a serious question arises - how would the devs tackle the romance option for this NPC?
Previously I asked on the forum how do Beholder's copulate with one another, but no one would give me an answer...
well... I am under the suspicion, that it would involve a mass of tentacles, a japanese schoolgirl, *CENSORED* *CENSORED* *CENSORED* with a rubber sheep.
something about beholders in a party makes me think of japanese tentacle monsters and school girls haha...
I was pretty meh about this whole idea until I read this post! No Beholders in my party. They would definitely try to rape me and Imoen and I'm not having that!
I personally do not like the idea at all. I don't have a problem with basically character 'like' races having classes and characterlike abilities being NPCs. I wasn't a huge fan of Dekin, but acknowledged that he was at least of a similar race to the party and therefore was a valid option. When they extend to NPCs that are not even remotely in the same mold, I begin to lose the immersion.
Now, if they were to include something like a dragon that could shape shift into a human form and who did so 99% of the time, that would be something different. They could reasonably have a class and wear gear appropriate to the rest of the party during their human incarnation.
But the point where things like Beholders or Basilisks or Mind Flayers or rust monsters or any of 99% of the Monster manual and/or Fiend Folio (etc...), I just think that it is a cheap gimmick and generally not to my liking. I suppose there are always exceptions, such as in Planescape Torment but even then they were mostly on the humanesque side of things. Call me human-o-centric, but that is the way I see it.
I, and my fellow paladins from the Allseeing Eye of Helm, would never inappropriately touch or even speak to a travel companion. Such despicable actions would lead to our fall, and for us, that is WAY worse than for regular paladins.
As to how Beholders reproduce... Are you familiar with the expression of "throwing an eye on something"? It comes from this very method. At some point, an eyestalk will fall off, and if it lands on fertile ground, the eye will continue to grow and ultimately levitate. This is why the Beholder familiar in Neverwinter Nights has only one eye - it is very young, and in captivity. Was it free to roam the realms, it would be the size of a regular Beholder a few hours into the game.
- Tough Tess, the fire giant with a werebear on her shoulder, as NPC (This would require the remodelling of all doors, and make it much easier for paladins like myself to fit through them.)
Beholder's reproduce asexually once they reach a certain age. (Several eggs grow under their skin, showing progressively larger lumps around the sphere until they burst out as miniature versions of their parent (it's quite painful for the parent, but ultimately with no lasting harm). They're extremely vain and take pride in the fact their offspring look just like them with extremely minor differences (since they "OBVIOUSLY" can't be as magnificent as the original, but are close enough to brag about).
Unless the enemies were loaded with Shields of Balduran every 5 feet, the a beholder party member would massacre everything. UNLIMITED, AT WILL USE of a bunch of effects that replicate high level spells, including finger of death, disintegrate, domination, cause critical wound, flesh to stone, telekinesis (for knocking back, grab/holding, or manipulating objects), anti-magic cone. And able to use 1 of each per round.
@luigirules Do you wear an eyepatch, or are you a Cyclops?
@the_spyder Open your eyes child! Open your eyes and SEE! The birds and the beasts are everywhere! Yet you only see birds! Embrace the beast brother! Embrace the beasts!
Lo, and behold. The beholden. A beholder brother. (or a lot of words beginning with b anyway...)
Can you not find room in your heart for a sister with the looks? (and gaze attacks?)
@Samus I was told Beholders fall in love at first sight... The look of love has rarely been seen, however...
...You can find it on the passion wagon, on the equality for all species express train... Give me a Hell yeah! Put those hands in the air and reach for me! REACH!
(Sorry brothers and sisters for being away... I was brought low, LOW BROTHERS! by @mlnevese using iron(y). But I am back. RESURRECTED! To GIVE the LOVE (in a totally appropriate non sexual way) GIVE ME A OH YEAH!
Beholder's reproduce asexually once they reach a certain age. (Several eggs grow under their skin, showing progressively larger lumps around the sphere until they burst out as miniature versions of their parent (it's quite painful for the parent, but ultimately with no lasting harm). They're extremely vain and take pride in the fact their offspring look just like them with extremely minor differences (since they "OBVIOUSLY" can't be as magnificent as the original, but are close enough to brag about).
Unless the enemies were loaded with Shields of Balduran every 5 feet, the a beholder party member would massacre everything. UNLIMITED, AT WILL USE of a bunch of effects that replicate high level spells, including finger of death, disintegrate, domination, cause critical wound, flesh to stone, telekinesis (for knocking back, grab/holding, or manipulating objects), anti-magic cone. And able to use 1 of each per round.
Top Tier monsters do not Party-members make.
I spend too much time thinking about how fantasy races exist. I read this and realized that due to no genetic information being exchanged beholders are a evolutionary dead end and would eventually be phased out of any natural environment they exist in.
@luigirules Do you wear an eyepatch, or are you a Cyclops?
@the_spyder Open your eyes child! Open your eyes and SEE! The birds and the beasts are everywhere! Yet you only see birds! Embrace the beast brother! Embrace the beasts!
Lo, and behold. The beholden. A beholder brother. (or a lot of words beginning with b anyway...)
Can you not find room in your heart for a sister with the looks? (and gaze attacks?)
@Samus I was told Beholders fall in love at first sight... The look of love has rarely been seen, however...
...You can find it on the passion wagon, on the equality for all species express train... Give me a Hell yeah! Put those hands in the air and reach for me! REACH!
(Sorry brothers and sisters for being away... I was brought low, LOW BROTHERS! by @mlnevese using iron(y). But I am back. RESURRECTED! To GIVE the LOVE (in a totally appropriate non sexual way) GIVE ME A OH YEAH!
That's why they're aberrations. Also, they're some of the most innately magical creatures in existence (shown the by limitless founts of inner power their eye-beams draw on). That innate magic causes various minor mutations as the beholder ages, to the point when they reach adult-hood and are ready to start baring their own children, they're often quite a bit different then their parent. So yes, there's is diversity, but it's cause a wizard did it...basically.
They also don't develop a gender identity (or the closest they have to one) until after they spawn (Spawning occurs on reaching adulthood), which determines whether they grow into an Elder (Elder Orbs only spawn once) or Mother Orb (Spawn multiple times in their life-time, though the time between spawns increases each time).
How about a beholder mage like the unseeing eye? Beholder mages remove their eyes and learn arcane magic instead. That way you could have an interesting character, without the overpowering abilities .
How about a beholder mage like the unseeing eye? Beholder mages remove their eyes and learn arcane magic instead. That way you could have an interesting character, without the overpowering abilities .
Kobolds are actually about the most sorcerous race in DnD, of the commonly encountered races. Erm, note the dragon disciple... Kobolds are draconic beings.
Actually, upgrade previous idea to a kobold dragon disciple!!!
Comments
As for me, no thanks. Human and humanesque only please - Human, elf, dwarf, halfling, etc. People can get behind playing a dwarf or a half-orc maybe. With a beholder, I'd be wondering as a giant eye with noodly limbs what's my motivation again?
"Go for the eyes, Boo!! Go for the eyes!!!"
Beholder says:
"fuck, i'm doomed!!"
Now, if they were to include something like a dragon that could shape shift into a human form and who did so 99% of the time, that would be something different. They could reasonably have a class and wear gear appropriate to the rest of the party during their human incarnation.
But the point where things like Beholders or Basilisks or Mind Flayers or rust monsters or any of 99% of the Monster manual and/or Fiend Folio (etc...), I just think that it is a cheap gimmick and generally not to my liking. I suppose there are always exceptions, such as in Planescape Torment but even then they were mostly on the humanesque side of things. Call me human-o-centric, but that is the way I see it.
all in my own personal view.
As to how Beholders reproduce... Are you familiar with the expression of "throwing an eye on something"? It comes from this very method. At some point, an eyestalk will fall off, and if it lands on fertile ground, the eye will continue to grow and ultimately levitate. This is why the Beholder familiar in Neverwinter Nights has only one eye - it is very young, and in captivity. Was it free to roam the realms, it would be the size of a regular Beholder a few hours into the game.
To add a few requests:
- new priest kit: Televangelist for @Anduin
- Tough Tess, the fire giant with a werebear on her shoulder, as NPC (This would require the remodelling of all doors, and make it much easier for paladins like myself to fit through them.)
Unless the enemies were loaded with Shields of Balduran every 5 feet, the a beholder party member would massacre everything. UNLIMITED, AT WILL USE of a bunch of effects that replicate high level spells, including finger of death, disintegrate, domination, cause critical wound, flesh to stone, telekinesis (for knocking back, grab/holding, or manipulating objects), anti-magic cone. And able to use 1 of each per round.
Top Tier monsters do not Party-members make.
@the_spyder Open your eyes child! Open your eyes and SEE! The birds and the beasts are everywhere! Yet you only see birds! Embrace the beast brother! Embrace the beasts!
Lo, and behold. The beholden. A beholder brother. (or a lot of words beginning with b anyway...)
Can you not find room in your heart for a sister with the looks? (and gaze attacks?)
@Samus I was told Beholders fall in love at first sight... The look of love has rarely been seen, however...
...You can find it on the passion wagon, on the equality for all species express train... Give me a Hell yeah! Put those hands in the air and reach for me! REACH!
(Sorry brothers and sisters for being away... I was brought low, LOW BROTHERS! by @mlnevese using iron(y). But I am back. RESURRECTED! To GIVE the LOVE (in a totally appropriate non sexual way) GIVE ME A OH YEAH!
@luigirules is a rare breed, known as the cross-eyed cyclops. Can't look that guy straight in the eye; it's very irritating.
They also don't develop a gender identity (or the closest they have to one) until after they spawn (Spawning occurs on reaching adulthood), which determines whether they grow into an Elder (Elder Orbs only spawn once) or Mother Orb (Spawn multiple times in their life-time, though the time between spawns increases each time).
I remember of read sometime ago that all beholders had come to life by the will of the "Great Mother", their main deity, but i can't confirm this.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Great_Mother
Realm and Dogma points in the article below are the ones that most approach this idea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mother_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)
The below article speaks of an "unknow" proccess of reproduction
http://www.dotd.com/mm/MM00019.htm
And here's the forgotten realms article about the beholder, which has no info about the breed proccess.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Beholder
Beholder mages remove their eyes and learn arcane magic instead. That way you could have an interesting character, without the overpowering abilities .
Can you not see the cruelty. THE CRUELTY!
This leads to BLINDNESS... THIS LEADS TO DARKNESS!
Step into the light and rejoice. REJOICE!
Can't we except the beholder for what he is? A BEHOLDER!
Do we not except an Elf for an Elf?
A Gnome for a Gnome?
A Dwarf for a Dwarf?
A hamster for a giant miniature space hamster?
Do not change what is...
If power is an issue make him an older beholder losing his eye sight... Or perhaps a itsy bitsy baby beholder...
BUT NO MORE CRUELTY TO NON HUMANS! End the CRUELTY! Get on the lurve train!
Actually, upgrade previous idea to a kobold dragon disciple!!!