A gazer is a tiny manifestation of the dreams of a beholder. It resembles the beholder who dreamed it into existence, but its body is only 8 inches wide and it has only four eyestalks. It follows its creator like a devoted, aggressive puppy, and sometimes small packs of these creatures patrol their master's lair for vermin to kill and lone creatures to harass.
A gazer can't speak any languages but can approximate words and sentences it hears, mimicking them in a high-pitched, mocking manner. Beholders find gazers amusing and tolerate their presence like spoiled pets. Some beholders with wizard minions insist they take a gazer as a familiar because the beholders can see through the eyes of these creatures.
A wild gazer (one living separately from a beholder) is territorial, eats bugs and little animals, and is known for playing with its food. A lone wild gazer avoids picking fights with creatures that are Medium or larger, but a pack of them might take on larger prey. A gazer might follow the folk in its territory, noisily mimicking their speech and generally being a nuisance, until they leave the area, but it flees if confronted by something it can't kill.
A gazer is a tiny manifestation of a beholder's dreams. It resembles the beholder who dreamed it into existence, but its body is only 8 inches wide, and it has only four eyestalks. It follows its creator like a devoted, aggressive puppy, and sometimes small packs of these creatures patrol their master's lair for vermin to kill and lone creatures to harass.
I met a wizard in the Yawning Portal tavern who had a tiny beholder pet. A gazer, she called it. When I reached to pet it, the creature struck me with one of its eye beams and flung me back against a wall with such force that I almost spilled my ale.
Nuisance Pet
A gazer can't speak any languages but can approximate mimicking words and sentences in a high-pitched, mocking manner. Beholders find gazers amusing and tolerate their presence like spoiled pets. A gazer can't be tamed by anyone but its creator, except through the use of magic or by bonding with a spellcaster (see sidebar). Some beholders with wizard minions insist they take a gazer as a familiar because they can see through the eyes of these creatures.
Aggressive Vermin-Eater
A wild gazer (one living separately from a beholder) is territorial, eats bugs and small animals, and is known for playing with its food. A lone gazer avoids picking fights with creatures that are Medium or larger, but a pack of them might take on larger prey. A gazer might follow humanoids in its territory, noisily mimicking their speech and generally being a nuisance, until they leave the area, but it flees if confronted by something it can't kill.
Variant: Gazer Familiar
Spellcasters who are interested in unusual familiars find that gazers are eager to serve someone who has magical power, especially those who make a point of bullying and harassing others. The gazer behaves aggressively toward creatures smaller than itself, and it tends to randomly attack house pets, farm animals, and even children in town unless its master is very strict. A gazer serving as a familiar has the following trait.
Familiar
The gazer can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master, provided that the master is at least a 3rd-level spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the gazer senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. If its master causes it physical harm, the gazer will end its service as a familiar, breaking the telepathic bond.
A gazer is a tiny manifestation of the dreams of a beholder. It resembles the beholder who dreamed it into existence, but its body is only 8 inches wide and it has only four eyestalks. It follows its creator like a devoted, aggressive puppy, and sometimes small packs of these creatures patrol their master's lair for vermin to kill and lone creatures to harass.
A gazer can't speak any languages but can approximate words and sentences it hears, mimicking them in a high-pitched, mocking manner. Beholders find gazers amusing and tolerate their presence like spoiled pets. Some beholders with wizard minions insist they take a gazer as a familiar because the beholders can see through the eyes of these creatures.
A wild gazer (one living separately from a beholder) is territorial, eats bugs and little animals, and is known for playing with its food. A lone wild gazer avoids picking fights with creatures that are Medium or larger, but a pack of them might take on larger prey. A gazer might follow the folk in its territory, noisily mimicking their speech and generally being a nuisance, until they leave the area, but it flees if confronted by something it can't kill.
A gazer is a tiny manifestation of a beholder's dreams. It resembles the beholder who dreamed it into existence, but its body is only 8 inches wide, and it has only four eyestalks. It follows its creator like a devoted, aggressive puppy, and sometimes small packs of these creatures patrol their master's lair for vermin to kill and lone creatures to harass.
I met a wizard in the Yawning Portal tavern who had a tiny beholder pet. A gazer, she called it. When I reached to pet it, the creature struck me with one of its eye beams and flung me back against a wall with such force that I almost spilled my ale.
!!Nuisance Pet
A gazer can't speak any languages but can approximate mimicking words and sentences in a high-pitched, mocking manner. Beholders find gazers amusing and tolerate their presence like spoiled pets. A gazer can't be tamed by anyone but its creator, except through the use of magic or by bonding with a spellcaster (see sidebar). Some beholders with wizard minions insist they take a gazer as a familiar because they can see through the eyes of these creatures.
!!Aggressive Vermin-Eater
A wild gazer (one living separately from a beholder) is territorial, eats bugs and small animals, and is known for playing with its food. A lone gazer avoids picking fights with creatures that are Medium or larger, but a pack of them might take on larger prey. A gazer might follow humanoids in its territory, noisily mimicking their speech and generally being a nuisance, until they leave the area, but it flees if confronted by something it can't kill.
!!Variant: Gazer Familiar
Spellcasters who are interested in unusual familiars find that gazers are eager to serve someone who has magical power, especially those who make a point of bullying and harassing others. The gazer behaves aggressively toward creatures smaller than itself, and it tends to randomly attack house pets, farm animals, and even children in town unless its master is very strict. A gazer serving as a familiar has the following trait.
!!Familiar
The gazer can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master, provided that the master is at least a 3rd-level spellcaster. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the gazer senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. If its master causes it physical harm, the gazer will end its service as a familiar, breaking the telepathic bond.
