Eye of the Deep - Dungeons and Dragons - Monster lore

[@ianyoder2537]

Water Walk is probably one of if not the most dangerous spells an aquatic creature can learn. 30ft range, no save, and the effected creature gets hurtled towards the surface at 60 ft per round. It's like a worse banishment for underwater creatures. It takes you out of the fight, and depending on the DM's reasoning you have to deal with decompression sickness and possibly fall damage from resurfacing. I've been thinking about what spells would and would not be legal to use depending on the location of my setting. Water Walk could very well be one of those seemingly harmless spells in one culture but a horribly cruel one to another. (Now I'm wondering, by the spell's description you get sent towards the surface. what happens if you cast that spell in the plane of water where the surface doesn't exist?)

[@zacharyweaver276]

You think that's bad have dispel magic cast on you to remove your water breathing effect

[@adamsuperdork]

@ianyoder2537 I would rule that the impacted creature would be hurtled in the direction of the nearest air pocket, regardless of distance and direction.

[@ianyoder2537]

@@zacharyweaver276 Dispelling water breathing for non aquatic creatures. Water Walk for aquatic creatures. Bit of a difference there.

[@HumbleMemeFarmer]

"get vacuum tubed, nerd" -EotD before violently decompressing someone

[@derskalde4973]

Maybe they get hurled to where the plane of water borders the plane of air. Which, if so, could make this even more dangerous, as it could throw you into the para-elemental plane of ice. So instead of getting torpedoed for who knows how long through the water, only to get shot into the plane of air, where you either get flung into the air and then drift away, or get flung into the air before crashing back into the water surface, you get torpedoed through the water only to enter the para-elemental plane and crash full force int a Glacier...

[@carlborneke8641]

The intro to this video was absolutely hilarious. The idea of a scholar from the Forgotten Realms getting their hands on a Dragon Magazine or better yet a Monster Manual from Earth is brilliant.

[@derskalde4973]

That Intro was hilarious! I now have the desire to see a colaboration between you and Sir Ed of Greenwood.

[@LawrenceofCanadia]

Deep Sea and Underdark aberrations are by far my favorite category of creature. Reading the descriptions of aberration-type creatures was what got me into DnD lore in the first place.

[@brotherhoodz97]

Referencing dragon magazine from earth on edd of the Greenwood is DEVIOUS

[@TheHornedKing]

Clearly the most evolved beholder. All become crab in the end.

[@joshuazane3210]

Even on Toril, there's no escaping carcinisation.

[@PippenPA]

Ed of the Greenwood? Doubt THAT guy knows what he's talking about...

[@zacharyweaver276]

2:05 my personal theory is a beholder fell asleep with "Under the sea" from the little mermaid stuck in their head and that's how the first eye of the deep was made

[@zacharyweaver276]

0:45 my theory is those coastal mages flunked out of magic school so they took a portal to Earth and are selling stories about ancient Toril history to make coin because they aren't creative or adventurous enough to make their own stories. That's why everything is so far in the past

[@malcolmt7883]

He's just a little stranger than real deep-sea critters like gulpers, and angler fish.

[@Bl00dBl055um]

Your videos are treasures! Thank you AJ!

[@trajanfidelis]

Thanks for the video AJ

[@AJPickett]

You are most welcome! Thanks for being such a loyal and long time viewer, it is very much appreciated!

[@nattyboom6470]

I love your content AJ. I look forward to every new video and often return to your older ones. Thanks for all the research, work, and creativity you put into your videos.

[@AJPickett]

You are most welcome! Glad you enjoy them.

[@KS-PNW]

​@@AJPickettyou really do put out some great work. More times than I can count it's been a pleasant surprise or distraction after/during rough days

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

3:45 what absolute madman gave a beholder a nose!? 😂

[@ConcerninglyWiseAlligator]

I love how Picaroon is so detailed as to repeat the mathematical gibberish 2:17, even though, by his own admission 0:46, he doesn't understand any of it.

[@AJPickett]

He thinks its some sort of arcane spellcraft used by the mysterious Earth Wizards. He's not entirely wrong...

[@Moose9490-ls9yr]

Awesome Lore of the Eye of the Deep ! Always was sad it didn’t show up in 5E officially . Keep up the good work ! I’ve been watching your videos for a long time . I watched you alot while I was going through cancer treatment . Focusing on my 5E campaign and dnd lore kept me going .

[@Kargoneth]

I love the metadiscussion. Merging the Forgotten Realms and our universe. Very cool.

[@zqw93idnf03]

can you feel it mr. krabs?

[@Scianta]

*cough* Ed of the Verdant Trees? Lord Gosumba on twitch- two beer minimum nights, some nights on the Greyhawk All Stars and occasional lore nights *cough*

[@AJPickett]

Pity I don't do Twitch.

[@zacharyweaver276]

9:06 sounds like an alchemist would love to get their hands on that part of an eye of the deep to make water proof glue and solvent

[@Kargoneth]

A double-pincered creature that is restrained, grappled, and that is incapacitated and stunned by the [MON]'s eyeflash by failing the saving throw by 5 or more (as though the DC is 10) should become paralyzed while incapacitated in this way.

[@MythologicalStories-q1z]

Great video! How do encounters between the Eye of the Deep and sahuagin or ixitxachitl usually play out? Are they hostile or cooperative? Also, do you think its rarity makes it an underrated threat in campaigns?

[@AJPickett]

Those species are hostile to damn near everybody.

[@chriscalvin5083]

Great video AJ

[@AJPickett]

Thanks Chris

[@adamsuperdork]

The Beholder-kin are a fantastic subset of baddies! I'm imagining a Moby Dick entity swallowing sailors and then suffering whalefall. Prime opportunity for an Eye of the Deep I feel.

[@lakeofrot4198]

Even beholders evolve into crabs! 😮

[@zacharyweaver276]

Awesome. I hope you cover those other beholderkin like the ones used by mounts by that one species and their other minions from that one beholder war

[@Xevents15]

It’s both funny and strange: I’ve never been a big fan of cosmic horror. I’m not that big a fan of horror in general, but especially cosmic horror is something I genuinely dislike. Despite this, I am always fascinated by the myriad of Aberration Type creatures, and this one is no exception. If I ever run a Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign, I am definitely going to throw one of these at my players.

[@joemerino3243]

Beholders aren't cosmic horror. They're just ugly things you kill. In cosmic horror, the *existence* of the monster is the horror itself--the realization of what the monster being there *means* to you and everything you thought was meaningful or safe. It's not about what Cthulhu does with his tentacles that makes him scary. It's that Cthulhu being there means the Earth doesn't belong to humans and we're just a temporary fad here. In D&D, the beholder is just a speedbump between you and a pile of magic items. It's a chance for you to use your skills cleverly and for your saves and cloaks of resistance to be meaningful. No warrior sees a beholder and screams 'oh God! It was all a lie! *It was all a lie!*'

[@venkelos6996]

I'm feeling compelled to go flip through my aged tomes and remember the types of beholders that Wizards has forgotten...even though I think it's one of only a handful of "unique creatures" they actually own a copyright on? ☺️ I liked Beholder Mages, Elder Orbs, and the big Hive Mothers, who didn't have as vulnerable eye stalks! These ones were neat enough, but I might just be being simple; I didn't totally understand some of how they used terrain features, like pit traps, deep underwater, where things either swim/move in 3D, or were already in so much more trouble, if they lacked a swim move speed. Still, a neat assortment of powers, and different to what more "typical" Beholders have, so cool!

[@postapocalypticnewsradio]

PANR has tuned in.

[@tatsusama3192]

Professor Pickett has entered the multiverse😂❤🍿

[@iskandarthegreat0487]

I love the idea of an aquatic beholder

[@amberrountree269]

Holy shit bro I thought I heard of almost everything thank u I grew up on island so this is extra delicious reminds me of rock fish 🐠

[@Rallarberg]

I had a lengthy argument with a player of mine about this guy. We agreed on if this creature was suddenly exposed to normal air pressure, that it would immediately explode in a glorious burst of goo and possibly treasure. What we disagreed on was that, since it's an aberration and more or less spherical, is it all head or does it have no head. And, if it was all head, if it could be lured to accept having an Air Bubble spell placed upon itself. As far as I remember, we never agreed on an answer. Halp? 😅

[@Rallarberg]

I went with it has no head, so even if it agreed on having the spell cast upon it, no air bubble would appear around it.

[@AJPickett]

@@Rallarberg Sudden exposure to normal air pressure and it will explode, however, it CAN gradually decompress, though it takes DAYS to do so and Eye's of the Deep are not that patient, even when they do discover what decompression is. As for spell hacks to do a insta-kill on the creature, yes, case by case basis, if the player thinks of something that clever at the table, I say let them.

[@galdalversgravekeeper5158]

Beholder crab? Friends with ixitichitils?

[@AJPickett]

Friends is a stretch...

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

That thumbnail art looks like someone photoshopped some crab claws onto Abyssal Eye from LoR though lol

[@benthomason3307]

"eyes of the deep are bisexual, but never fertilize their own eggs." I think the word he was looking for was "hermaphroditic;" Ed actually made the same mistake in the wingless wonder article.

[@tomkerruish2982]

Just like McCoy describing tribbles.

[@burningbronze7555]

yeah aberration time

[@popechucky]

OMG!!! I’ve been waiting for this since ‘83!!! For some reason, when I bought my first Monster Manual (1983) 3 creatures stood out… Gas Spires, Ki Rin, and (probably my favorite for a reason I can’t explain) the Eye Of The Deep!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU🦀👁️🦀 I’m also BIG into the whole ‘undersea settings’. Also, if there is 0 gravity in the elemental plane of water then what’s keeping my 👁️’s from exploding?? Considering their interior gas is there to equalize the pressure, and they explode above a certain depth. Today… you have officially become my new ‘Special Jesus’🥰🥰🥰 Thank you

[@AJPickett]

Sages can be wrong about some things, in this case, the Sage has a bit to learn about the nature of decompression sickness (The Bends)

[@lukaarsovski2995]

Intro to the vid, absolute cinema, truly. Also, this has probably been said many times, but perhaos you and Ed Greenwood could do a collab since he has a youtube channel

[@TheIdealofGreed]

Huh. So is this the only Beholder(kin or otherwise) proven to biologocally reproduce?

[@KS-PNW]

Oh good question

[@AJPickett]

The only example I have seen so far.

[@TheIdealofGreed]

@@AJPickett Thanks

[@TheGenericavatar]

Nice meta humor. :)

[@davidlewis8814]

Sea-holder! Ha ha!!! Brilliant.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Love the wet look 😂

[@derskalde4973]

So, these guys basically have the swimming ability of a seahorse, the body of an anglerfish, and the pincers of a crab. Ideas: How about one, that is a bit more like a squid? As in, it's Body can change colour and glow like some squids. And maybe it could create the baleful flash with its body instead of its eye, so it has an AoE of á sphere with itself as the center, but only a radius of 30 (or 40) ft to compensate. How about one, that camouflages itself as a reef, so it has damage reduction, as the corals and stuff on its body absorb some of the damage, and creatures within 5 ft that attack the seaholder take slashing damage from the sharp reef parts. Or one that works like some crabs, having placed sea anemones all over its body, so creatures within 5 ft take some piercing and poison damage. Or maybe one, that looks like a giant jellyfish, with basically all the seaholder parts hidden inside. I also think, that there'd most likely be a few, that adapted to living in more shallow water, maybe even swimming up some deeper rivers from time to time.

[@KS-PNW]

The great thing about beholders is their near infinite ability to mutate

[@Adam_First]

Great video

[@m3w]

Great deep dive ;)

[@MrJudeWanamaker]

Nice

[@shawnhowe7311]

BleuEye