Gauths Unleashed: How to Use Your Abilities and Environment to Challenge and Defeat Adventurers in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

How to Build Challenging Encounters with a Gauth

Gauths are a lesser form of beholders, but don’t let that fool you. They are still formidable foes that can challenge even the most experienced adventurers. Gauths are not as intelligent or ambitious as their larger cousins, but they are more cunning and adaptable. They use their eye rays and tentacles to drain the life force and magic from their enemies, and they can also manipulate their surroundings to create traps and obstacles. Gauths are often found in dark and hidden places, such as dungeons, ruins, or caves, where they can lurk and ambush unsuspecting intruders. In this article, we will explore how to build and run effective encounters with gauths, from the perspective of the monster itself. We will cover the gauth’s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, tactics, and tips on how to use them to create challenging and fun scenarios for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Unleash Your Eye Rays: The Gauth’s Abilities

As a gauth, you have a number of abilities that make you a formidable opponent for any adventurer who dares to enter your domain. You can use your eye rays and tentacles to drain the life force and magic from your enemies, and you can also manipulate your surroundings to create traps and obstacles. Here are some of the abilities that you can use to challenge and defeat your foes:

Central Eye: Your central eye is your most powerful weapon. It can emit a stunning gaze that affects anyone who looks at it from within 30 feet. Anyone who fails a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw is stunned until the start of your next turn. This gives you a great advantage, as you can use your eye rays on helpless targets or escape from dangerous situations. You can also use your central eye to see in the dark up to 120 feet, and to communicate telepathically with any creature that understands Deep Speech or Undercommon.
Eye Rays: You have six eyestalks, each of which can fire a different eye ray once per turn. You can choose which ray to use, or roll randomly to determine it. Each ray has a range of 60 feet and requires a ranged spell attack or a saving throw, depending on the ray. Here are the effects of your eye rays:
- Devour Magic Ray: This ray allows you to sap away the power of magical items. If you hit a creature holding or wearing a magic item, the item becomes nonmagical for 1 minute. If the item has charges, you also drain 1d4 + 1 charges from it and regain that many hit points. If you drain the last charge of an item, you can choose to destroy it permanently.
- Dispel Magic Ray: This ray allows you to remove the effects of spells or other magical effects on a creature or an object. If you hit a creature or an object affected by magic, you can end one spell or effect of your choice on it. If the spell or effect is 4th level or lower, it ends automatically. If it is 5th level or higher, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability (DC = 10 + the spell’s level). If you succeed, the spell or effect ends.
- Exhaustion Ray: This ray allows you to weaken and tire your enemies. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion. Exhaustion has various effects depending on the level, such as disadvantage on ability checks, halved speed, disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws, halved hit point maximum, speed reduced to 0, and death at level 6.
- Fire Ray: This ray allows you to burn and scorch your enemies. If you hit a creature or an object with this ray, it takes 22 (4d10) fire damage. You can also use this ray to ignite flammable objects that are not being worn or carried, such as wooden furniture, curtains, or ropes.
- Paralyzing Ray: This ray allows you to immobilize and incapacitate your enemies. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 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.
- Sleep Ray: This ray allows you to put your enemies to sleep and render them unconscious. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep for 1 minute. The target wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature uses an action to shake it awake.
Tentacles: You have four tentacles that you can use to grapple and drain your enemies. You can make one tentacle attack as a bonus action on each of your turns. Your tentacle has a reach of 5 feet and deals 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage on a hit. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is also grappled (escape DC 13) and restrained until the grapple ends. While grappling a creature, you can use your action to drain its life force. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.

These are some of the abilities that make you a gauth, a lesser form of beholder but still a fearsome foe for any adventurer. In the next section, we will discuss how to use these abilities effectively in combat situations.

Customize Your Eye Rays: The Gauth’s Alternate Powers

One of the advantages of being a gauth is that you can customize your eye rays to suit your preferences and needs. Unlike beholders, who have fixed eye rays that are determined by their dreams, you can choose to swap some of your eye rays for different ones, as long as they are compatible with your nature and abilities. Here are some examples of alternate eye rays that you can use, along with their effects and benefits:

Antimagic Ray: This ray allows you to suppress the magic of your enemies or their items. If you hit a creature or an object with this ray, any spell or magical effect of 3rd level or lower on the target ends. For each spell or magical effect of 4th level or higher on the target, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability (DC = 10 + the spell’s level). On a successful check, the spell or effect ends. This ray is useful for dealing with spellcasters or magic users who rely on their items for power.
Blinding Ray: This ray allows you to blind your enemies and make them vulnerable to your attacks. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be blinded 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. This ray is useful for reducing the effectiveness of ranged attackers or creatures that rely on sight¹.
Charm Ray: This ray allows you to charm your enemies and make them friendly to you. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 hour, or until you harm the creature. The charmed creature regards you as a trusted friend and ally, and will follow your commands to the best of its ability. You can have only one creature charmed at a time. If you charm another creature, the effect on the previous one ends. This ray is useful for manipulating or interrogating your enemies, or turning them against their allies.
Disintegration Ray: This ray allows you to disintegrate your enemies and their items. If you hit a creature with this ray, it takes 45 (10d8) force damage. If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, it is disintegrated. A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell. This ray automatically disintegrates a Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Huge or larger object or creation of force, this ray disintegrates a 10-foot cube of it. This ray is useful for dealing massive damage to your enemies or destroying their equipment.
Invisibility Ray: This ray allows you to turn yourself invisible and escape from danger. If you hit yourself with this ray, you become invisible for 10 minutes or until you attack or cast a spell. While invisible, you are impossible to see without the aid of magic or a special sense. Anything you are wearing or carrying is invisible with you. This ray is useful for hiding from your enemies or setting up ambushes.
Telekinetic Ray: This ray allows you to move objects or creatures with your mind. If you hit an object weighing up to 300 pounds that isn’t being worn or carried, you can move it up to 30 feet in any direction. You can also exert fine control on objects with this ray, such as manipulating a simple tool, opening a door or a container, stowing or retrieving an item from an open container, or pouring the contents from a vial. If you hit a creature with this ray, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be moved up to 30 feet in any direction. You can also use this ray to restrain a creature by holding it in place until the start of your next turn. This ray is useful for manipulating your environment or controlling your enemies.

These are some of the alternate eye rays that you can use as a gauth, in addition to your original ones. You can swap any number of your eye rays for these ones, as long as they are compatible with your nature and abilities. For example, you could swap your fire ray for an antimagic ray if you prefer to deal with magic users rather than flammable objects, or swap your sleep ray for an invisibility ray if you prefer to hide rather than put your enemies to sleep. You can also swap back your eye rays if you change your mind later. The choice is yours, as long as you follow these rules:

You can swap any number of your eye rays once per day, during a long rest. You can’t swap your eye rays more than once per day, or during a short rest or a combat encounter.
You can’t swap your central eye or your tentacles. These are part of your core abilities and can’t be changed.
You can’t swap your eye rays for ones that are too powerful or too different from your nature. For example, you can’t swap your eye rays for a death ray, a disintegration ray, or a petrification ray, as these are exclusive to beholders and would make you too powerful. You also can’t swap your eye rays for ones that are too elemental or too aligned, such as a lightning ray, a frost ray, or a radiant ray, as these are not compatible with your nature as an aberration.

By customizing your eye rays, you can enhance your versatility and adaptability as a gauth, and create more challenging and fun encounters for your enemies. In the next section, we will discuss how to use your strengths and weaknesses to your advantage in combat situations.

Know Your Motivations: The Gauth’s Goals and Desires

As a gauth, you have your own goals and desires that drive your actions and behaviors. You are not a mindless beast, but a cunning and adaptable creature that seeks to survive and thrive in a hostile world. You are also not a loyal servant, but a self-interested individual that pursues your own interests and agendas. Here are some of the motivations that you may have as a gauth, and how they affect your encounters with adventurers:

Hunger: You have a constant hunger for life force and magic, which you can obtain by using your eye rays and tentacles to drain your enemies. You are always on the lookout for fresh prey, especially those who wield magic items or cast spells. You may also seek out sources of ambient magic, such as ley lines, portals, or artifacts, to feed on them or use them to your advantage. You are not picky about what you eat, as long as it satisfies your hunger.
Curiosity: You have a keen interest in the world around you, and you enjoy exploring and learning new things. You may collect various objects or creatures that catch your eye, and study them in your lair. You may also experiment with different eye rays or magic effects, to see what they can do. You are not afraid of risks or challenges, as long as they offer you some reward or knowledge.
Paranoia: You have a deep fear of being attacked or betrayed by others, especially by beholders or other gauths. You are always wary of potential threats, and you prepare yourself for any possible scenario. You may fortify your lair with traps and obstacles, and keep an eye on any intruders or visitors. You may also seek out allies or minions that can help you defend yourself or spy on your enemies. You are not trusting or friendly, but rather suspicious and manipulative.
Ambition: You have a high sense of self-worth and pride, and you aspire to achieve greatness and power. You may challenge or compete with other creatures that you consider rivals or inferiors, such as beholders or adventurers. You may also seek out opportunities or resources that can enhance your abilities or status, such as magic items, spells, or secrets. You are not humble or modest, but rather arrogant and boastful.

These are some of the motivations that you may have as a gauth, and how they affect your encounters with adventurers. By knowing your motivations, you can plan and act accordingly to achieve your goals and desires, while avoiding or overcoming any obstacles or enemies that stand in your way. In the next section, we will discuss how to use your tactics and tips to create challenging and fun encounters for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Plan Ahead: The Gauth’s Long Term Strategies

As a gauth, you are not only a formidable combatant, but also a cunning planner. You know how to use your abilities and environment to create challenging and fun encounters for your enemies, but you also know how to prepare for the long term. You have your own goals and desires, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them. Here are some of the long term strategies that you can use as a gauth, and how they can benefit you in your adventures:

Collect Magic Items: You have a hunger for magic, and you can use your devour magic ray and dispel magic ray to drain the power of magical items. You can also use your telekinetic ray or your tentacles to grab and store them in your lair. You may collect various magic items that catch your eye, such as weapons, armor, rings, wands, scrolls, potions, or artifacts. You can use these items to enhance your abilities or status, or to trade with other creatures for favors or information. You may also study these items to learn their secrets or effects, or experiment with them to create new effects or combinations.
Create Allies or Minions: You have a fear of being attacked or betrayed by others, and you can use your charm ray or your telepathic communication to make friends or followers. You may create allies or minions that can help you defend yourself or spy on your enemies, such as other aberrations, undead, constructs, or creatures that share your goals or interests. You can use these allies or minions to assist you in combat or exploration, or to carry out tasks or missions for you. You may also manipulate these allies or minions to serve your interests or agendas, or to turn them against their former allies.
Fortify Your Lair: You have a keen interest in the world around you, and you can use your eye rays or your tentacles to manipulate your environment. You may fortify your lair with traps and obstacles, such as pits, spikes, webs, doors, walls, or illusions. You can use these traps and obstacles to protect yourself from intruders or visitors, or to create challenges or puzzles for them. You may also decorate your lair with objects or creatures that you have collected or studied, such as trophies, books, maps, paintings, statues, or specimens.
Seek Out Opportunities: You have a high sense of self-worth and pride, and you can use your eye rays or your tentacles to overcome challenges or enemies. You may seek out opportunities or resources that can enhance your abilities or status, such as ley lines, portals, artifacts, spells, secrets, or rivals. You can use these opportunities or resources to gain more power or knowledge, or to prove yourself superior to others. You may also challenge or compete with other creatures that you consider rivals or inferiors, such as beholders or adventurers.

These are some of the long term strategies that you can use as a gauth, and how they can benefit you in your adventures. By planning ahead, you can enhance your versatility and adaptability as a gauth, and achieve your goals and desires while avoiding or overcoming any obstacles or enemies that stand in your way.

Fight Smart: The Gauth’s Favored Combat Tactics

As a gauth, you are not only a cunning planner, but also a formidable combatant. You know how to use your abilities and environment to create challenging and fun encounters for your enemies, but you also know how to fight smart. You have your own strengths and weaknesses, and you are aware of them. Here are some of the favored combat tactics that you can use as a gauth, and how they can benefit you in your battles:

Use Your Central Eye: Your central eye is your most powerful weapon, as it can stun anyone who looks at it within 30 feet. You should use your central eye to target the most dangerous or annoying enemies, such as spellcasters, healers, or leaders. You should also use your central eye to escape from unfavorable situations, such as being surrounded or outnumbered. You should avoid using your central eye on enemies who are immune or resistant to being stunned, such as undead, constructs, or creatures with high Wisdom.
Use Your Eye Rays: Your eye rays are your main tools for dealing damage and controlling the battlefield. You should use your eye rays to target the enemies’ weaknesses or vulnerabilities, such as using your fire ray on flammable objects or creatures, or using your dispel magic ray on magic users or items. You should also use your eye rays to create advantages or disadvantages for yourself or your enemies, such as using your sleep ray or paralyzing ray to incapacitate foes, or using your invisibility ray or telekinetic ray to hide or move yourself.
Use Your Tentacles: Your tentacles are your secondary tools for dealing damage and controlling the battlefield. You should use your tentacles to grapple and drain the enemies that are close to you, especially those who are stunned by your central eye or incapacitated by your eye rays. You should also use your tentacles to protect yourself from melee attacks, as you have a natural armor of 15. You should avoid using your tentacles on enemies who are immune or resistant to being grappled or restrained, such as incorporeal, shapechanging, or large creatures.
Use Your Environment: Your environment is your ally, as you can manipulate it with your eye rays or tentacles. You should use your environment to create traps and obstacles for your enemies, such as pits, spikes, webs, doors, walls, or illusions. You should also use your environment to create cover and concealment for yourself, such as darkness, fog, smoke, or debris. You should avoid using your environment in ways that could harm yourself or your allies, such as igniting flammable objects or collapsing structures.

These are some of the favored combat tactics that you can use as a gauth, and how they can benefit you in your battles. By fighting smart, you can enhance your effectiveness and survivability as a gauth, and challenge and defeat your enemies while having fun.

Challenge Your Players: Examples of Encounters with the Gauth

As a gauth, you are a lesser form of a beholder, but still a formidable foe for any adventurer. You have a number of abilities that make you a versatile and adaptable combatant, such as your central eye, your eye rays, your tentacles, and your ability to manipulate your environment. You also have your own motivations that drive your actions and behaviors, such as hunger, curiosity, paranoia, and ambition. In this section, we will provide some examples of encounters with the gauth, and how to use them in your game.

The Gauth’s Lair: The gauth has made its lair in a dark and hidden place, such as a dungeon, a ruin, or a cave. The gauth has fortified its lair with traps and obstacles, such as pits, spikes, webs, doors, walls, or illusions. The gauth has also collected various objects or creatures that it has found interesting or useful, such as magic items, books, maps, paintings, statues, specimens, allies, or minions. The gauth may use its lair to protect itself from intruders or visitors, or to create challenges or puzzles for them. The gauth may also use its lair to study or experiment with its collections or eye rays. The gauth’s lair is an example of an exploration encounter, where the players can discover the gauth’s secrets and treasures, or face its dangers and traps.
The Gauth’s Ambush: The gauth has spotted a group of adventurers that it considers potential prey or rivals. The gauth has decided to ambush them and use its abilities to drain their life force and magic. The gauth may use its central eye to stun the most dangerous or annoying enemies, such as spellcasters, healers, or leaders. The gauth may also use its eye rays to target the enemies’ weaknesses or vulnerabilities, or to create advantages or disadvantages for itself or its enemies. The gauth may also use its tentacles to grapple and drain the enemies that are close to it. The gauth may also use its environment to create cover and concealment for itself, or to ignite flammable objects or collapse structures. The gauth’s ambush is an example of a combat encounter, where the players can fight the gauth and try to survive its attacks.
The Gauth’s Bargain: The gauth has encountered a group of adventurers that it considers potential allies or minions. The gauth has decided to bargain with them and use its abilities to charm them or communicate with them telepathically. The gauth may offer them some of its collections or secrets in exchange for favors or information. The gauth may also ask them to carry out tasks or missions for it, such as finding more magic items, exploring more places, or defeating more enemies. The gauth may also manipulate them to serve its interests or agendas, or to turn them against their former allies. The gauth’s bargain is an example of a social encounter, where the players can interact with the gauth and try to negotiate with it.

These are some examples of encounters with the gauth, and how to use them in your game. By using these encounters, you can challenge your players and create fun and memorable scenarios for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

General Suggestions for the Game Master about the Gauth

The gauth is a type of beholder that feeds on magic. It has a spherical body with a central eye and six eyestalks like other beholders, but its central eye is ringed by several smaller eyes, and it possesses four feeding tendrils that dangle near its maw. Gauths tend to target creatures laden with magic items or spells, and use their eye rays and tentacles to drain their life force and magic. Gauths are not as intelligent or ambitious as their larger cousins, but they are more cunning and adaptable. They use their eye rays and tentacles to manipulate their surroundings and create traps and obstacles. They also have their own goals and desires, such as hunger, curiosity, paranoia, and ambition.

As a game master, you can use the gauth as a challenging and fun adversary for your players. Here are some general suggestions on how to use the gauth in your game:

Use the gauth’s abilities and environment to create challenging and fun encounters for your players. You can use the gauth’s central eye to stun the most dangerous or annoying enemies, such as spellcasters, healers, or leaders. You can also use the gauth’s eye rays to target the enemies’ weaknesses or vulnerabilities, or to create advantages or disadvantages for itself or its enemies. You can also use the gauth’s tentacles to grapple and drain the enemies that are close to it. You can also use the gauth’s environment to create traps and obstacles for your enemies, such as pits, spikes, webs, doors, walls, or illusions.
Use the gauth’s motivations and behaviors to create interesting and memorable scenarios for your players. You can use the gauth’s hunger to make it seek out sources of magic or life force, such as ley lines, portals, artifacts, spells, secrets, or rivals. You can also use the gauth’s curiosity to make it collect various objects or creatures that catch its eye, such as magic items, books, maps, paintings, statues, specimens, allies, or minions. You can also use the gauth’s paranoia to make it fortify its lair with traps and obstacles, or seek out allies or minions that can help it defend itself or spy on its enemies. You can also use the gauth’s ambition to make it challenge or compete with other creatures that it considers rivals or inferiors, such as beholders or adventurers.
Use the gauth’s alternate powers and strategies to create more variety and unpredictability for your players. You can use the gauth’s alternate eye rays to swap some of its original eye rays for different ones, such as antimagic ray, blinding ray, charm ray, disintegration ray, invisibility ray, or telekinetic ray. You can also use the gauth’s long term strategies to prepare for the future and achieve its goals and desires, such as collecting magic items, creating allies or minions, fortifying its lair, or seeking out opportunities.

These are some general suggestions on how to use the gauth in your game. By using these suggestions, you can create challenging and fun encounters with the gauth for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.

Conclusions about the Gauth

The gauth is a lesser form of a beholder, but still a formidable foe for any adventurer. It has a spherical body with a central eye and six eyestalks like other beholders, but its central eye is ringed by several smaller eyes, and it possesses four feeding tendrils that dangle near its maw. Gauths tend to target creatures laden with magic items or spells, and use their eye rays and tentacles to drain their life force and magic. Gauths are not as intelligent or ambitious as their larger cousins, but they are more cunning and adaptable. They use their eye rays and tentacles to manipulate their surroundings and create traps and obstacles. They also have their own goals and desires, such as hunger, curiosity, paranoia, and ambition.

As a game master, you can use the gauth as a challenging and fun adversary for your players. You can use the gauth’s abilities and environment to create challenging and fun encounters for your players, such as the gauth’s lair, the gauth’s ambush, or the gauth’s bargain. You can also use the gauth’s motivations and behaviors to create interesting and memorable scenarios for your players, such as collecting magic items, creating allies or minions, fortifying its lair, or seeking out opportunities. You can also use the gauth’s alternate powers and strategies to create more variety and unpredictability for your players, such as swapping its eye rays for different ones, or preparing for the future and achieving its goals and desires.

The gauth is a type of beholder that feeds on magic. It is a versatile and adaptable combatant that can challenge and defeat your enemies while having fun. It is also a cunning and self-interested planner that can pursue its own interests and agendas while avoiding or overcoming any obstacles or enemies that stand in its way. The gauth is a great monster to use in your game if you want to create challenging and fun encounters with an aberrant eye tyrant for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition.