Gauth

A Gauth is a type of beholderkin that resembles a smaller version of a Beholder. However, they actually only have six eyestalks instead of ten. Instead of eyestalks, there are four tendrils that sprout from the lower half of their body, and these tendrils are able to pick up and wield particular kinds of items if needed. Unlike beholders, gauths are interested in obtaining treasure and magical items. While gauth are capable of surviving on the flesh of other beings, they would rather consume magic by swallowing a magical item and draining it of its magic.
Gauths, like all beholder types, appear to levitate and move about in a hovering fashion when in fact it's their natural buoyancy that allows the creature to float and fly. They are often encountered in the company of their bigger, xenophobic beholderkin.
Gauth's can be encountered as early as . If the Investigate and Destroy the Cult of the Eyeless side quest is undertaken for the Temple of Helm, access will be allowed into The Old Tunnels.
Beholder & two Gauth in the Southern Tunnels 
==Locations==
===The Old Tunnels===
*Lower Reaches
**a hidden proximity trap will spawn the following behind the Broken Bridge: 
***one gauth if Gorion's Ward has an XP value of 399999 or less.
***three gauths if the Ward's XP value is between 400000 and 999999.
***two gauths and one beholder if the Ward's XP value is between 1000000 & 1999999.
***two gauths and three beholders if the Ward's XP value is 2000000 or greater.
*Beholder Hideout
**both the CULTBH1.cre & CULTBH2.cre gauths are encountered within this area. The first is at the intersection where the western side cave tunnel and the main cave complex meet. The second is just east of the side tunnel to the southern side cave. The third is located in the side cave on the east side of the cave complex.
**the same hidden proximity trap found in the Lower Reaches will spawn the same creatures in the southern tunnel in the same spot where the second solitary gauth is located. 
**attempting to rest within the cave may spawn a gauth. 
===Spellhold===
*Bodhi's Hunt Level 3
**during exploration of this area, the hollowed-out cavern at the north end of the passageway where the cistern is located contains a gauth and three Minotaurs.
===Underdark===
*Southern Tunnels
**three gauths are battling three Mind Flayers in the southern section of the cave complex, near the tunnel entrance to the southern side cave. 
***Note: Unlike all other gauth encountered during adventuring, these three creatures are capable of using the same set of nine eye rays as a typical beholder. They will disregard the mind flayers move to engage any member of the party that comes into their line of sight. However, they will only use their Paralyze Ray on the party member and then begin melee combat by using their bite attack.
**two gauths are located in the northern section of the cave complex, near the tunnel entrance to the northern side cave.
**gauth may spawn in the northern side cave. 
**there are two of the same hidden proximity traps found in the Lower Reaches located within the western side cave entrance tunnel to the cave complex that will spawn the same XP-dependent creatures in the center of the cave and in a tunnel to the east of the center of the cave. 
**attempting to rest within the cave complex may spawn one to three gauth. 
*Western Tunnels
**two gauths and a beholder are located in the western chamber of the cave complex.
===Temple District===
*Sewers
**if the sewers are explored during Chapter 6, a hidden proximity trap will spawn two gauths and a beholder in the southwest tunnel intersection (just north of the location of the Sea Troll). 
===The Abyss===
*Fear
**two gauths and three Elder Orbs are located on the north side of the central "teeth" rock structure towards the rear of the chamber.
===Abazigal's Lair Iycanth the Mad Bondari===
*Elder Orb Cave
**a gauth and three Elder Orbs are located inside the cave. This gauth drops the Gauth Eyestalk. 
===Area outside Sendai's Hideout===
*a hidden ambush trap will spawn two gauth and five Drow. 
==Abilities==
A gauth utilizes its array of eyestalks to project magical power in the form of beholder eye rays at an enemy. They can target a single creature at a time with a specific type of eye ray. If the eye ray strikes the target, it will cause a spell effect. They are unable to project the dreadful eye ray ability known as the Anti-Magic Ray and they only have five different beholder eye ray capabilities.
In battle, gauth's will project the following magical energy eye rays: 
*First Cycle:
**HP >55: — Cause Serious Wounds Ray (target any party member)
**HP >5: — Lightning Bolt Ray (target the second closest party member)
**HP >15: — Paralyze Ray (target the party member with the highest remaining hit points)
**HP >25: — Slow Ray (target any party member)
*Second Cycle:
**HP >45: — Paralyze Ray (target any party member)
**HP >25: — Slow Ray (target second closest party member)
**HP >35: — Hold Person Ray (target the party member with the highest remaining hit points)
== Gameplay==
*Most eye ray effects can be blocked by magic resistance and allow saving throws to negate or reduce their potency. Also, as the eye rays are spell effects, protective magics such as Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Globe of Invulnerability or Spell Deflection and similar can protect the target, but this is dependent on the specific eye ray type and its associated spell power level. 
*Gauths cannot be backstabbed. As a gauth's eyestalks project magical energy, it is not possible to "disrupt" these attacks by damaging the creature, like it is with a spell caster attempting to cast a spell.
*Gauth's are unprotected against some effects that a beholder is immune to. For instance, Web, Grease and Entangle won't affect a beholder, but will be able to ensnare a gauth since beholders are under a free action type protection effect and gauths are not. This is not the case if playing with the Sword Coast Stratagems mod.
*Since they will rapidly project Cause Serious Wounds rays, you will probably need some form of protection.
*Suggested methods to handle gauths:
**The Shield of Balduran reflects some gauth eye rays back to the creatures.
**The Cloak of Mirroring blocks Offensive damage type spells. 
**A Protection from Magic scroll or Potion of Magic Blocking will block all magic effects trying to penetrate the globe it creates, either from the inside or from the outside.
**Polymorph Self: Mustard Jelly form will render the caster immune to their effects. The Cloak of the Sewers can cast this once a day.
**The gauth eye rays are spells. So, get your tank's save vs. spells down, through gear or potions (for example, Potions of Invulnerability and/or Potions of Magic Shielding/Potion of Magic Protection
**Gauth eye rays can be fooled by Mirror Image.
**All eye rays are magical and can be blocked by magic resistance.
**Protection From Magic Energy provides immunity to cause serious wounds rays.
**Chaotic Commands can help against charm person rays.
**Free Action protects against slow and paralyze rays. 
**Minor Spell Turning, Minor Spell Deflection, Spell Turning, Spell Deflection, Spell Trap and Shield of the Archons can protect spellcasters, some may eventually 'burn through' by successive attacks that exceed the spell's protection capacity.
**The Cloak of Reflection sends their Lightning Bolt Rays (which are single-target) right back to them (while the wearer is immune to Electricity damage).
**Spell Immunity can protect against individual eye ray effects. For example, Spell Immunity: Necromancy nullifies the rapid-release cause serious wounds ray.
**Gauths don't carry treasure. So, it's pretty "safe" to use instant certain spells like high level Chromatic Orbs, Disintegrate, and Flesh to Stone against gauths.
**Skeleton Warriors (either from the cleric or the wizard spell Animate Dead) have high Magic Resistance and can be used effectively against gauths.
**The eye rays ignore Improved Invisibility, once the target has lost their full invisibility.
**Gauths can not see through full invisibility, so Mislead works against them. Also they seem to be unable to target the mislead clone with eye rays, only attacking it with physical bites.
**Gauths don't have any way to banish summoned creatures, and some summoned beings will be able to shrug off the gauth's attacks very effectively.
==Gallery==
Gauth.jpg
ST OG PC Held.png|A lone gauth in the Beholder Cave in Underdark hive gets 'lucky" and connects with its Paralyze ray - the PC's magic resistance failed and the saving throw was missed. Now the hapless CHARNAME is going to be subjected to a large quantity of other beam attacks - the poor adventurer is Helpless.
== Mod content==
Installation of Sword Coast Stratagems Mod and the "Smarter Beholders" component will change beholder intelligence and some other abilities in your game. Note that gauths are less likely to have some of the more deadly eye stalk beholder blast rays. From the Mod Author:
This component upgrades the AI of the beholders, gauths, elder orbs and hive mothers in SoA and ToB. It basically tries to do it non-cheesily, but it's hard to define this exactly since beholder powers are almost all scripted. Beholders get to use their eyestalks about once per ten seconds each, but they will tend to manage to get through more of them in a round; their targeting has also been drastically improved (the new scripts are about 150 times the length of the old ones!)
In accordance with the 2nd edition rules, beholders are now immune to most (not all) of their own eyestalks, which makes them more willing to bombard their way through Spell Deflection. I have added a Telekinesis eyestalk (more for fun than for increased challenge). And I have borrowed, with thanks, the Quest Pack component which allows beholders to lose their eyestalks when damaged. Beholders are also unable to use eyestalk powers when blinded (although their allies may use anti-magic rays to remove the blindness).
This component is sensitive to the difficulty setting:
* BASIC: Beholders use mostly their less-lethal eyestalks (Charm, Fear, Domination, Paralysis, Cause wounds, Slow) and do not use their magic-suppressing central eye. Hive Mothers use only their weaker magic.
* IMPROVED: Beholders also use their central eye against mages and party defenses. Hive Mothers use their full range of spells.
* TACTICAL: Beholders use their Death, Petrification and Telekinesis eyestalks; they use the Telekinesis eyestalk to steal some party items (notably the Shield of Balduran, if you have it).
* HARDCORE: Beholders steal items slightly more quickly.
* INSANE: Beholders use their Disintegrate eyestalk.
==External links==
*