- For other Beholder & Beholder-kin, see Beholder & Beholder-kin.
The Gauth is a relative of the beholder that feeds on magic. Its spherical body is 5 feet in diameter and brown in color, mottled with purple and gray. Located in the center of the gauth's forward hemisphere is a large central eye surrounded by a ring of smaller eyes that are protected by ridges of tough flesh. These secondary body eyes provide the creature with normal vision in lighted areas and infravision to 90 feet. On the underside is the beast's fearsome mouth with its accompanying cluster of four feeding tendrils, while the top is adorned with a crown of six eye stalks. Attacks on the creature hit as follows:
| Roll | Location | AC | Hit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-85 | Body | 0 | As listed |
| 86-90 | Central Eye | 7 | Part of Body |
| 91-00 | Eyestalk/Tendril | 2 | 6 hit points |
While the gauth is similar to the beholder, its ability to feed on the energy of magical objects makes it even more dangerous in some ways.
When a gauth moves into combat, it begins to glow, much as if it were the object of a faerie fire spell, to attract the attention of its foes. A creature that meets the gaze of the central eye must roll a successful saving throw vs. spell, with a -2 penalty, or be affected as if the victim of a feeblemind spell.
If a gauth chooses to bite with its great maw, the sharp fangs inflict 3d4 points of damage. The four tendrils around the mouth can grab and hold victims as if they had a Strength of 18, but they can inflict no damage.
A gauth in combat can also employ its six eye stalks. These eyes have the following powers:
- Cause serious wounds (as spell, 30-foot range)
- Repulsion (as spell, 10-foot wide path, 40-foot range)
- Cone of cold (as spell, inflicts 3d4 points of damage and has an area of effect 5 feet wide at the start, 50 feet long, and 20 feet wide at the base; this eye can be used only three times per day)
- lightning bolt (as spell, inflicts 4d4 damage with 80' range; this power can be used up to four times per day)
- Paralyzation (as wand, 40-foot range, single target; only a dispel magic or the beholder's death can free the victim)
- Dweomer drain (see below)
Perhaps the most feared of the gauth's powers, its dweomer drain, permits the gauth to drain charges from magical items. It has a 40-foot range and can be targeted on one individual per round. In addition to preventing one object from functioning for the duration of that round, this power drains one charge from one charged object. Permanent objects, such as magical swords, are rendered powerless for one round by this ability. Artifacts are not affected by the dweomer drain. The eye has no effect on spells that have been memorized (but not yet cast) and it will not break the concentration of a wizard. It does neutralize any spell cast by its target that round, however.
A dispel magic spell cast on any of the gauth's eye stalks prevents its use for 1d4 rounds. The central eye, any fully retracted eye stalks, the body's ability to glow, and the gauth's natural levitation are not subject to injury by such a spell.
If a gauth is slain, its magical energy dissipates. Usually, this is a harmless event, but there is a 2% chance that it is catastrophic, inflicting 4d4 points of damage to all creatures within 10 feet (no saving throw). Gauth are immune to their own powers and to those of other gauth. They have an unusual physiology that enables them to regenerate 1 hit point every two turns.
Although gauth are not known to fight over territories or prey, they do go to great lengths to avoid each other. Even when they encounter another of their kind in the wilderness, they often ignore them utterly.
A gauth can survive by eating meat but it greatly prefers to devour magical objects. In some unknown manner, the creature is able to absorb magical energy and feed on it. Each turn that an object spends in the gauth's stomach causes it to lose one charge. A permanent object is rendered inoperative after one day (artifacts are not affected, nor do they provide sustenance). Magical objects that cannot be entirely digested by a gauth are spat out after they have been drained of all their power.
Gauth are thought to live a century or so. Within a week of their natural
death, two young gauth emerge from the corpse. Although smaller than their parent (each has 2+2 or 3+3 HD and a bite that causes only 2d4 points of damage), they have all the powers of a full-grown adult.
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