Art by Gore-giaOKeefe: Source
Prismatic Beholder
Beholders that create their lairs near areas with a close connection to the Feywild are often influenced and changed by the magics of the chaotic and vivid realm. These beholders develop the ability to manipulate light and color itself, decorating their lairs with the most vibrant and brilliant patterns and designs. Their eye rays change as well, shooting rays of color instead of the normal rays. A prismatic beholder tends to decorate their lair not with trophies, but with color and, strangely, often menageries of unnaturally colored, such as purple, pink, blue, and rainbow, animals.
A Prismatic Beholder's Lair
A beholder's central lair is typically a large, spacious cavern with high ceilings, where it can attack without fear of closing to melee range. The cavern is unnaturally bright with vibrant colors and vivid patterns such as rainbows, clouds, and stars against bright backdrops. The designs seem to radiate light all their own, and everything in the lair is illuminated as if it were in direct sunlight, affecting creatures with Sunlight Sensitivity. A beholder encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 15 (13,000 XP)
Lair Actions
When fighting inside its lair, a prismatic beholder can invoke the ambient magic to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the prismatic beholder can take one lair action to cause one of the following effects:
A colored wall of light--up to 60 feet long, 30 feet high, and 1 inch thick--appears within 120 feet of the prismatic beholder until it is destroyed. These walls amplify the effects of chromatic rays if a same-colored ray passes through a wall, but creatures and objects can pass through the walls freely and without penalty. Prismatic walls can cross, but cannot overlap.
The prismatic beholder can't repeat a color until they have all been used, and the color wall is destroyed. An antimagic field, including the prismatic beholder's antimagic cone, has no effect on the walls.
- Red. If a red chromatic ray passes through a red wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) fire damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 cold damage to it.
- Orange. If an orange chromatic ray passes through an orange wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) acid damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 poison damage to it.
- Yellow. If a yellow chromatic ray passes through a yellow wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) lightning damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 thunder damage to it.
- Green. If a green chromatic ray passes through a green wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) poison damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 acid damage to it.
- Cyan. If a cyan chromatic ray passes through a cyan wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) thunder damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 lightning damage to it.
- Blue. If a blue chromatic ray passes through a blue wall, the creature takes an additional 55(10d10) cold damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 fire damage to it.
- Violet. If a violet chromatic ray passes through a violet wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) necrotic damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 25 radiant damage to it.
- Magenta. If a magenta chromatic ray passes through a magenta wall, the creature takes an additional 55 (10d10) psychic damage on a failed save against the ray, or half as much damage on a successful one. The wall can be destroyed by dealing at least 50 physical damage to it.
Prismatic Beholder
Large abberation, chaotic evil
- Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 180 (19d10 + 76)
- Speed 0ft., fly 20ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 15 (+2) 20 (+5)
- Saving Throws Int +8, Wis +7, Cha +13
- Skills Perception +12
- Damage Immunities radiant
- Condition Immunities blinded, prone
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
- Languages Deep Speech, Undercommon
- Challenge 13 (10,000 XP) or 15 (13,000 XP) when encountered in lair
Antimagic Cone. The prismatic beholder's central eye creates an area of antimagic, as in the antimagic field spell, in a 150-foot cone. At the start of each of its turns, the prismatic beholder decides which way the cone faces and whether the cone is active. The area works against the prismatic beholder's own eye rays.
Innate Spellcasting. The prismatic beholder's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18). The prismatic beholder can innately cast the following spells, requiring only verbal components:
At will: color spray
3/day each: blur, hypnotic pattern
1/day each: prismatic spray
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage.
Chromatic Rays. The prismatic beholder shoots three of the following magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), choosing one to three targets it can see within 120 feet of it. If a Chromatic Ray passes through a same-colored wall before reaching its target, the target takes an additional 55 (10d10) damage of the wall's damage type if the target fails its saving throw against the ray, or half as much on a success.:
Red. The target begins to smolder, becoming engulfed in a thick smoke. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or become unable to breathe through the smoke. A creature affected in this way is incapacitated and suffocating, and its space is heavily obscured with smoke. As long as it is conscious, a creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on it on a success
Orange. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. The target repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Yellow. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Green. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Cyan. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep and remain unconscious for 1 minute. The target awakens if it takes damage or another creature takes an action to wake it. This ray has no effect on constructs and undead.
Blue. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target's speed is halved for 1 minute. In addition, the creature can't take reactions, and it can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Violet. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Magenta. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the beholder for 1 hour, or until the beholder harms the creature.
Legendary Actions
The prismatic beholder can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The prismatic beholder regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Chromatic Ray. The prismatic beholder uses one random chromatic ray.
Rainbow Ray (Costs 3 actions). The prismatic beholder shoots a single, brilliant ray containing all colors of the rainbow at a target within 120 feet of it. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the target takes 55 (10d10) radiant damage. If Rainbow Ray passes through any prismatic walls before it reaches its target, that color refracts through the wall, creating a split ray of that color to target a different creature within 60 feet of the wall. Each new targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 35 (8d8) of that color wall's damage type. Each color can only refract this way once.