Gauth
Volo's Guide to Monsters p. 125
- Size
- Medium
- Type
- aberration
- Alignment
- lawful evil
- AC
- 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points
- 67 (9d8+27)
- Speed
- walk 0 ft., fly 20 ft.
- Saving Throws
- Int +5, Wis +5, Cha +4
- Skills
- Perception +5
- Condition Immunities
- prone
- Senses
- darkvision 120 ft.
- Passive Perception
- 15
- Languages
- Deep Speech, Undercommon
- Challenge
- 6
- Environment
- underdark
Traits
Stunning Gaze
When a creature that can see the gauth's central eye starts its turn within 30 feet of the gauth, the gauth can force it to make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw if the gauth isn't incapacitated and can see the creature. A creature that fails the save is stunned until the start of its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the creature looks at the gauth in the meantime, it must immediately make the save.
Death Throes
When the gauth dies, the magical energy within it explodes, and each creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Actions
Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) piercing damage.
Eye Rays
The gauth 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:
Eye Rays:
| d6 | Ray |
|---|---|
| 1 | Devour Magic Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or have one of its magic items lose all magical properties until the start of the gauth's next turn. If the object is a charged item, it also loses 1d4 charges. Determine the affected item randomly, ignoring single-use items such as potions and scrolls. |
| 2 | Enervation Ray. The targeted creature must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. |
| 3 | Pushing Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 15 feet directly away from the gauth and have its speed halved until the start of the gauth's next turn. |
| 4 | Fire Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 22 (4d10) fire damage. |
| 5 | Paralyzing Ray. The targeted creature 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. |
| 6 | Sleep Ray. The targeted creature must succeed on a DC 14 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. |
Other data
description
A gauth is a hungry, tyrannical beholder-like creature that eats magic and tries to exact tribute from anything weaker than itself. Its body is about 4 feet in diameter, with six eyestalks, a central eye (sometimes surrounded by multiple smaller eyes), and four small grasping tentacles near its mouth. It has color and texture variations similar to a true beholder.
Magical Metabolism. A gauth can survive on meat but prefers to sustain itself with power drained from magic objects. If starved of magic for several weeks, it is forced back to its home plane, so it constantly seeks new items to drain. A gauth might employ creatures to serve it by bringing it items that provide it with sustenance.
Accidental Summoning: When the ritual to summon a spectator goes wrong, a gauth might push itself through the flawed connection, arriving immediately or several minutes later. It might present itself as a beholder to ignorant creatures in an attempt to intimidate them, or as a spectator to its summoner in order to drain magic items it is expected to guard.
Inferior Tyrant. A beholder usually drives away or kills any gauths that enter its territory, but it might choose to enslave them and use them as lieutenants. Gauths are less xenophobic than beholders, so they might form small clusters and work together, though they're just as likely to ignore each other entirely.