[Pit Fight] Mi-go vs. Beholder

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:01 pm

This combat was broached in a Lovecraft group on Facebook. There were some good ideas either way, but I thought it would go well here.

So here it is, the Pit Fight:

Mi-go, the fungi from Yuggoth

vs

Beholder, the eye tyrant

Rules of order:
Since both monsters are known for fighting via proxy and patsy, no allies are allowed. This is a straight up pit fight. Personal equipment- weapons, armor, utility items, etc.- is allowed.

In the discussion I saw, it was pretty divided. Most everyone will admit that an individual Mi-go is not that big of a scrapper, but geared up for a fight and exploiting their "mythos-creature-composed-of-weird-matter" status could certainly be formidable.

Yes, I know that Mi-go are statted up in Pathfinder and are not particularly tough, but I don't think it was an adequate write-up. I will admit to some Mythos bias, though, so that is why I put it to the group.

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:03 pm

My money is on the Beholder in general, but the Mi-Go could potentially obtain bizarre crap to counter the eye rays.

Grek · Post by **Grek** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:21 pm

Unless the Mi Go has some way to counter the magical death beams, it's going down hard.

Kaelik · Post by **Kaelik** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:22 pm

The statement "both parties are known to fight by proxy, so fuck proxies" is nonsense. You might as well say "Wizard v. Sorcerer, but since both parties are known to fight with spells, it will occur in an AMF field."

If they both fight by proxy then they shouldn't fight, they should attempt to out proxy each other and the one with better proxy gaining and using abilities should win.

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:29 pm

Batman vs Superman, Lovecraftian D&D nerd style?

EDIT: I'd like to see a Wizard v Sorcerer fight in a massive AMF.

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:34 pm

Kaelik, feel free to exercise the privilege of starting a "[Proxy Fight]The Grays vs. Zhentarim" thread.

silva · Post by **silva** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:34 pm

Mi-Go wins easily by transforming itself into bazillion microscopic fungi and infesting the beholder.

But it would give a poor FATALITY!, I know.

Ice9 · Post by **Ice9** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:50 pm

An important factor would be which if any of the Mi-Go's abilities/technology counts as "magic", for the purpose of the Beholder's AMF.

Also how much time in advance they have to prepare - the Beholder doesn't need much (although if allowed to sculpt the arena, it could prepare some traps), but the Mi-Go would definitely benefit from it.

Ice9 · Post by **Ice9** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:53 pm

virgil wrote:EDIT: I'd like to see a Wizard v Sorcerer fight in a massive AMF.

Assuming neither one prepared for that scenario, I guess the Sorcerer would have a slight edge (better weapon proficiencies). But not much of one either way. Choice of familiar might end up being the deciding factor.

If either of them put any serious effort into it - like a level in anything martial, or even some feats, that would probably be enough to win.

silva · Post by **silva** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:54 pm

Mi-Go abilities has nothing to do with magic. Its simply his biology at work.

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:59 pm

Obviously Beholder wins. I'm actually really curious what abilities the Mi-go side would be citing as helping it win a straight up fight. Mi-go have lots of useful abilities but Beholders are combat engines. Bristling with various kinds of disintegrating or killing rays. A Mi-go has no hope of winning a one on one encounter as far as I can see.

What are the pro Mi-go arguments?

silva · Post by **silva** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:03 pm

The argument is simple:

How can a disintegrating ray stop a microscopic cloud of fungi coming from all sides ?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:29 pm

silva wrote:The argument is simple:

How can a disintegrating ray stop a microscopic cloud of fungi coming from all sides ?

That's a stupid argument. The Disintegration eye destroys things in ten foot cubes. Mi-Go last long enough for the Beholder to decide it's time to bring out the Death eye, the Inflict eye, the Charm eye, or the Disintegration eye. Then it's fucking over.

Mi-Go only have a chance in hell if spaceships are allowed, because Mi-Go are from a science fiction setting instead of a fantasy setting. Beholder space ships are from the Spelljammer universe, and not very impressive.

-Username17

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:09 pm

If the fight is underground, the Mi-Go can win if it starts out of ray range, immediately runs away, and then uses an earthquake machine to collapse the whole cave network... unless the beholder is fast reacting and just zaps a tunnel up through the collapsing ceiling.

Since Mi-Go can be held off by some angry dogs (Whisperer in Darkness), the beholder probably wins a proxy fight.

Uuuhhh... if the Mi-Go fell through a rift into the Cthulhutech setting, it might be driving a giant battlemech and have a contingent spell that gives it invulnerability and reflection of attacks aimed at it for minutes. The Mi-Go probably wins that one.

hyzmarca · Post by **hyzmarca** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:53 pm

FrankTrollman wrote:
silva wrote:The argument is simple:

How can a disintegrating ray stop a microscopic cloud of fungi coming from all sides ?
That's a stupid argument. The Disintegration eye destroys things in ten foot cubes. Mi-Go last long enough for the Beholder to decide it's time to bring out the Death eye, the Inflict eye, the Charm eye, or the Disintegration eye. Then it's fucking over.

Mi-Go only have a chance in hell if spaceships are allowed, because Mi-Go are from a science fiction setting instead of a fantasy setting. Beholder space ships are from the Spelljammer universe, and not very impressive.

-Username17

Migo don't have space ships. They have wings that let them fly though outer space. On rare occasions that the abduct humans, they just remove the brain and put it in a life-support jar that they carry with them back to Yugoth.

Midnight_v · Post by **Midnight_v** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 2:29 am

hyzmarca wrote:
FrankTrollman wrote:
silva wrote:The argument is simple:

How can a disintegrating ray stop a microscopic cloud of fungi coming from all sides ?
That's a stupid argument. The Disintegration eye destroys things in ten foot cubes. Mi-Go last long enough for the Beholder to decide it's time to bring out the Death eye, the Inflict eye, the Charm eye, or the Disintegration eye. Then it's fucking over.

Mi-Go only have a chance in hell if spaceships are allowed, because Mi-Go are from a science fiction setting instead of a fantasy setting. Beholder space ships are from the Spelljammer universe, and not very impressive.

-Username17
Migo don't have space ships. They have wings that let them fly though outer space. On rare occasions that the abduct humans, they just remove the brain and put it in a life-support jar that they carry with them back to Yugoth.

Either way... 10-ft cube disintegration is a thing in any pit fight. I mean fuck... its a spamable deathray. pretty impressive for these purposes really?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:09 am

Even in the presumably-weighted Call of Cthulhu d20 where Azathoth does 42d12 squamous damage, a Mi-Go is just 'CR 2, advances by class.' The average Mi-Go is not a particularly impressive specimen.

However, he is likely to be carrying a lightning gun, which fires 300-foot long lightning bolts, allowing him to engage from well outside the Beholder's effective range and possibly kite for a good long time given Beholder 'speed.' The bolts are 1d6/charge, Reflex 20 Partial, and the gun has 32 charges at full steam. Except that there's a 5% chance per charge in excess of four used in one bolt that the gun will burn out and not fire. So the Mi-Go can't just drop 32d6 in round 1 (what with the 140% chance of failure); but if it can keep its distance, rough calculations suggest that gun will do about 98 hp (out of the Beholder's 93), based on a 25% successful save rate for the Beholder. One more successful save than average would leave the Eye Tyrant alive and the fungus with an empty gun (unless it brought more power packs).

At that point I think it comes down to tactics and terrain. But on an open plain you might call it a draw.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 4:43 am

It's a pit-fight, which implies a fairly small arena. 50-feet across, maximum. So point death ray, activate and

TheFlatline · Post by **TheFlatline** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:27 am

Yeah I'm going with the Beholder unless the Mi-Go decides "fuck it" and goes scorched earth, winning initiative.

Mi-Go wins init:
Thinks *Fuck it. I'm dead, and have nothing to lose*
*summon Yog-Sothoth*
Yeah, yeah, I'll never get to *bind* him, because I'll be killed imminently, but Yog-Sothoth will be in a particularly pissy mood.

Beholder: Eye zap, mi-go disappears...

Yog-Sothoth: Whoever summoned me is chow for my 10,000 young goddamnit... and I only see one entity here... You must be the unlucky bastard.

A Man In Black · Post by **A Man In Black** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:39 am

This is just sad.

rasmuswagner · Post by **rasmuswagner** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:10 am

A straight-up pit fight? No contest at all.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:03 am

In Pathfinder Mi-Go are a mere CR 6.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:08 am

TheFlatline wrote:Yeah I'm going with the Beholder unless the Mi-Go decides "fuck it" and goes scorched earth, winning initiative.

Mi-Go wins init:
Thinks *Fuck it. I'm dead, and have nothing to lose*
*summon Yog-Sothoth*
Yeah, yeah, I'll never get to *bind* him, because I'll be killed imminently, but Yog-Sothoth will be in a particularly pissy mood.

Beholder: Eye zap, mi-go disappears...

Yog-Sothoth: Whoever summoned me is chow for my 10,000 young goddamnit... and I only see one entity here... You must be the unlucky bastard.

I approve of any plan centered on fatalistic Elder God summoning.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:23 am

Summoning a Great Old One is a virtual guaranty of a tie against almost every D&D monster. A Beholder is not one of those monsters, because their central eye shuts down dimensional rifts before they get big enough for the Great Old one to step through.

The Mi-Go has no chance at all unless you allow spaceships and giant robots.

-Username17

CatharzGodfoot · Post by **CatharzGodfoot** » Wed Feb 12, 2014 9:21 pm

The mi-go wins hands-down in terms of cool, but doesn't stand a snowball's chance against a beholder in a fight. Unless you're going from some strange non-canon source that gives them super powers beyond hard vacuum survival and relativistic flight, tasers, 1980s Hollywood disguises, and brain-in-box technology.