Beholder Aspirant (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Low - Moderate - High - You embrace the powers of beholders, gaining eyestalks which can launch your spells out at range. 10 3 Poor Poor Poor Good Prepared Arcane Spellcasting, Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting, Prepared Divine Spellcasting, Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting Partial
Beholder AspirantEdit
| “ | I've got my eye on you. | ” |
| —Lord Oculus, Cyclops Beholder Aspirant, Terror of the Watchful Mountain | ||
The insane eyeballs from the Far Realm are rarely anyone's idea of something inspiring, but none can doubt their magical prowess and abilities. It is this power that some mages would indulge in, and they seek out the mysteries of the beholders to make their own. Some discover the secret on their own, while others find it in ancient tomes and spellbooks. Some have even said that the first beholder aspirants were made by secret ritual of beholders themselves, an attempt to make things more like themselves and, upon failing, releasing their rejected experiments into the wilds. Whatever the cause, those who go down the path of the beholder aspirant will find the power they seek, possibly at the risk of their sanity, and certainly their mortal forms.
Becoming a Beholder AspirantEdit
| Skills: | Knowledge Dungeoneering 6 ranks, Spellcraft 6 ranks |
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| Feats: | Alertness or Skill Focus (Spot). |
| Spellcasting: | 3rd level spellcasting. |
| Special: | Must have encountered an aberration and studied its biology, or if using dark insight a score of 0 or greater. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Aberrant Blood, Darkvision, Eyebolt, Great Orb's Magic | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Eyestalk, Floating Body (hover) | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Eyestalk, All-Around Vision | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Eyestalk, Split Mind | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Aberrant Apotheosis, Eyestalk | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +5 | Eyestalk, Floating Body (flight) | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Eyestalk, Swift Gaze | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Eyestalk, Chaos Mind | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Eyestalk, Improved Eyebolt | +1 spellcasting level | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Primary Eye, Summon Observers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class FeaturesEdit
All of the following are class features of the Beholder Aspirant.
Spellcasting: At each level except 10th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Beholder Aspirant, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Aberrant Blood: The beholder aspirant counts as both a member of his original type and an aberration. As they level they begin to show more and more signs of alteration, the most obvious of them being the eventual eyestalks they will grow. While none alter the physiology of the body, a disguise check is required to appear unaltered. If using dark insight rules, at each level a beholder aspirant gains in this class they gain +1 dark insight as they fall deeper and deeper into the eldritch truth before them.
Darkvision (Ex): The beholder aspirant gains darkvision out to 60 ft, or improves their pre-existing darkvision by +60 ft.
Eyebolt (Su): Beholder aspirants channel magical power through their eyes, even before the appearance of any body alterations. At will the beholder aspirant can shoot a bolt of arcane energy from their eyes, a ray out to 60 ft as a ranged touch attack that deals 1d10 points of damage as a standard action. This minor but reliable attack grows stronger once they begin acquiring eyestalks (see below). Instead of the eyestalk's normal function they can fire additional eyebolts at an opponent instead as per the eyestalk ability.
Great Orb's Magic: The beholder aspirant becomes aware of the secrets of the great mother orb. They add the following spells to their spells known or spellbook at the listed levels, or the level they appear on their own list, whichever is lower: 1st-charm person; 2nd-magic eye; 3rd-alien limb; 4th-telekinesis; 5th-passage of the warp; 6th-disintegrate; 7th-insanity; 8th-spawn eye tyrants; 9th-eye of the gods. Knowledge of a spell does not impart the ability to cast it until the appropriate level is reached.
Eyestalk: At 2nd level and every level beyond except 10th, the beholder aspirant gains an eyestalk. This alien growth can appear anywhere but is typically placed upon the head of the aspirant. An eyestalk can be assigned a non-personal spell from your class spell list up to the highest level spell you know -1 (maximum 8th) with a standard action or less casting time, and you gain this spell as a spell-like ability you may use at will. Unlike most spell-like abilities, you must still pay expensive material components and XP. The range is always 60 ft as a ray, even if a touch spell, and it always only affects a single target regardless of the original targets of the spell. You cannot target yourself.
You can fire a single eyestalk as a standard action, but when you gain two or more eyestalks you may fire all eyestalks as full round action. You are limited to a maximum of three eyestalks per individual target and the total effective spell level of all your used eyestalks cannot exceed the maximum spell level you are able to cast. For example, you could use charm person (1st), scare (2nd), and ray of enfeeblement (1st) so long as you are able to cast up to 4th level spells. As a result, low-level spells are encouraged to be used.
For every eyestalk you possess, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on Search and Spot checks. Every time you level you can alter which spells are tied to which eyestalks.
Floating Body (Ex): The strange biology your body has adapted removes you from the whims of gravity. At 2nd level the beholder aspirant gains a hover speed (perfect) equal to their land speed, and no longer takes damage from falling. At 6th level their ability improves. They gain a fly speed (perfect) equal to their land speed.
All-Around Vision (Ex): Surrounded by eyes, the 3rd level beholder aspirant is ever alert. They can no longer be flanked and creatures do not gain flanking bonuses against them. However they take a -2 penalty against gaze attacks.
Split Mind (Ex): Beholders are not sane creatures thanks to their dual-brains, and the 4th level beholder aspirant has already fallen to the same trap. They gain slippery mind as a rogue. Even if they fail, they can choose to ignore any charms or compulsions in favor of babbling randomly instead as their minds fall into conflict with each other. There simply isn't time to act, they are too crazy to do otherwise.
Aberrant Apotheosis: A 5th level beholder aspirant actually gains the Aberration type, though they still count as a member of their previous time. Their strange biology allows them to count as native on their home plane as well as the Far Realm, granting them immunity to the planes baneful effects. You learn the language of Beholders, and if you have dark insight it no longer counts as a penalty against effects such as madness.
Other beholders often will recognize you as kin. This is not actually a benefit, since they also hate other beholders anyway and you are likely a particularly ugly one with your... limbs... and torso... and more than one eye on your face.
Swift Gaze: As long as you have not used a full round action to attack with all your eyestalks, the 7th level beholder aspirant may use one of their eyestalks as a swift action.
Chaos Mind (Ex): The 8th level beholder aspirant has a dangerous mind. Divination spells and spells or powers involving telepathy or the contact or reading of the mind can be subject to your madness. As a non-action you can have any who attempts such make a Will save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + your highest mental ability modifier or take 1d6 points of Wisdom damage as long as they continue making contact with you. In addition your Split Mind ability improves, allowing you to take move actions (but no other actions) instead of babbling.
Improved Eyebolt (Su): The 9th level beholder aspirant has their eyebolt ability improve to 2d10 damage, and the range for their eyebolt as well as their eyestalks increases to 120 ft. In addition the eyebolt now counts as a disintegrating effect, working against [Force] effects as well as turning creatures to ash when they hit 0 hp. You can bore through a 5 ft cube of material each round by focusing three eyestalks upon an object.
Primary Eye (Su): The beholder aspirant possesses many of the powers of a beholder, but now their normal eye gains the ability to devour magic as well. As a swift action they may toggle their primary eye to emit a 60 ft line of magical suppression which you may redirect as a free action each round. This acts like antimagic field Magic cannot pass through the suppressed line, including your own eyestalks and eyebolt abilities. While it is simple enough to simply step out of the line to cast spells, the fact you force their movement can prove detrimental.
If you cast antimagic field you may instead make the shape a 60 ft cone instead and toggle its presence on and off with your primary eye for as long as the duration of the spell lasts.
Summon Observers (Su): What is a beholder without minions. The dominating ego of a 10th level beholder aspirant can call other minor beholders to your cause. Once per day as a 1 round action you can summon up to 10 eyeballs. While very weak, each is under your thrall and you can see through them, speak through them via telepathy out to 60 ft from them, and use a single eyestalk through them using your statistics and actions. However the latter destroys the eyeball in the process. They persist for 24 hours, until destroyed, or a new batch is summoned. They make excellent scouts and could also potentially use them in combat, though they would not last very long.
Campaign InformationEdit
Playing a Beholder AspirantEdit
Combat: Your eyestalks, typically weak, are many and you win the action economy with a flurry of beams in all directions. No matter what you do in combat you are always hitting something somewhere.
Advancement: As a caster class, any caster friendly classes that can increase your spellcasting will aid you.
Resources: The path of the beholder aspirant is a lonely one and you are, perhaps rightly, seen as a monster. Such is your fate, but it is just as fine enough to you. You don't need those terribly un-perfect people anyway.
Beholder Aspirants in the WorldEdit
| “ | What's this? An imperfection. I am not spherical enough! Who has done it, was it you? Was it me? I MUST REMOVE MY LEGS AND IT WILL ALL BE BETTER! | ” |
| —Spherius the Mad, Mutilated Half-Elf Beholder Aspirant | ||
NPC Reactions: If the common folk knew what you were, they would hate you. They envy your perfect form. You should kill them all. Wait, no, don't do that. You might catch a disease from them and make yourself less ideal. They will live now, we'll just plot against them for the moment because you never know.
Beholder Aspirant LoreEdit
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Dungeoneering can research Beholder Aspirants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 10 | A beholder aspirant is an often mad mage who has chosen to model themselves after the terrible eye tyrants known as beholders. They are said to shoot lasers from their eyes and some may actually have eyestalks. |
| 15 | Covered in eyestalks, the aspirant shoots many spells at will from them. Fortunately they cannot aim all at once, but this does not mean you are safe. Their minds have become more chaotic and can be difficult to interact with. |
| 20 | Powerful aspirants disintegrate things with their eyes, and some have even obtained an eye that devours all magic made in its presence. |
| 30 | Those who reach this level of success can research specific beholder aspirants, their whereabouts, behaviors, favorite eyebeams, and other details. |
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