The Hive Mother is a high-powered Beholder. One is found in a party with Diaytha who is located in Sendai's Enclave. Others can be encountered on the Watcher's Keep Final Seal dungeon.
The Hive Mother has several potent attacks, the most notable being Hive Mother Anti-Magic Ray.
Gameplay[]
This creature can See the invisible.
The Hive Mother is able to fire most available beholder eye beams (it does not use the lower-level Charm Ray or the Petrification Ray. It liberally fires any of the eye rays shown in the InfoBox, under the triggers/conditions shown.
Spell casting is also performed mostly in-between eye ray firing, as scripted by target detection and type.
The Hive Mother will notice when its eye rays are bouncing back at itself, and cease using certain rays at that protected creature, such if they were protected with the Shield of Balduran or the Cloak of Mirroring.
As these attacks are scripted, it does not actually run out of these eye beams or spells through use, the only limitation on them is a timed delay interval between applied uses at detected targets. None of the eye beams or spells can be interrupted via damage.
The Hive Mother will cast a spell or fire an eye beam at a target, at least once every round.
When an enemy is detected, the creature will apply a contingency that protects the creature with a Stoneskin and Improved Mantle. Another contingency will be applied when the creature's stoneskin is depleted.
Summoned creatures are recognized, as well as undead creatures, with different eye rays and spells designated for them.
If required, the beholder can launch a regular wizard Death Spell in the area to destroy detected summoned creatures, but just once.
Cut content[]
- A different creature file for hive mothers,
HLHIVE.cre, exists already in the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, but remains unused. The original expansion Throne of Bhaal introduces a tougher mother.
Gallery[]
Mod Content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Installation of the Sword Coast Stratagems Mod and the "Tactical Challengers for BG2" component will add a Hive Mother to the Beholder Cave in Underdark, as well as some other gauths and or Death Tyrants and standard Beholders, depending on the game difficulty level you have selected.
With this mod, beholders are given different colored animations to distinguish between normal beholders, Death Tyrant, Elder Orb and Hive Mother varieties.
With this mod, the creature has a level 20 Mage class assigned and 200 HP. It casts spells in the same round as beholder blast rays (of various types), although it waits one round after an Anti-Magic Ray (Hive Mother), because with SCS the victim has one round of 100% magic resistance after exposed to it.
These memorized spells include Magic Missile (×5), Dispel Magic, Chain Lightning(×3), Prismatic Spray(×3) and Maze (×3). Unlike the unmodified creature, when all the spells are cast, they are expended.
SCS Hive Mother Beholders have been provided with a more potent Anti-Magic Ray (SPIN550.SPL), that drains spells from memory and charges from items and wands in quick slots or if equipped.
The Hive Mother's rapid firing Cause Serious Wounds ray (SPIN551.SPL) now bypasses magic resistance and deals 5d8 Magic energy damage and has power level 0 so it will ignore spell level protections such as Spell Trap and Spell Deflection.
The Hive Mother has a super potent Disintegration eyestalk (SPIN552.SPL), that has a -4 penalty to saving throws. If you are playing SCS with Spell Revisions, the disintegrate beam also deals massive magic energy damage (35d6), even if you make your saving throw, you'll take at least 5d6. The Hive Mother's telekinesis eyestalk will steal the Shield of Balduran and or the Cloak of Mirroring from an opponent in range, after a few rounds.
In addition to the abilities, immunities and special powers of the unmodded variety. the SCS Hive Mother is innately protected from its own beholder blasts, in case they were reflected. SCS also includes a permanent Improved Alacrity to the creature, so that there is no spell launch/beholder beam "cool down" period between attacks. The Beholder is able to cast a spell and at least two beams every round of combat. Sometimes it will be a spell cast and three beholder beams per round.
The SCS Hive Mother version's Anti-magic ray will take down a Protection From Magic scroll's protection and get rid of it. If Icewind dale spells are being used, it will also remove the Anti-magic shell spell.
Mod gallery[]
External Links[]
- Hive mother on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.Dispel