Behirs: The Most Underrated Monster in Dungeons and Dragons

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to run a one-shot that followed my friends following a rumor that a nearby cave held some treasure that would allow them all to retire and live like lords for the rest of their lives. Their hopes were crushed when they entered the den of one of Dungeons and Dragon’s most underrated Monsters: The Behir.

The Behir

Placed snuggly between the basilisk and the beholder (Luigi the Beholder?)in the Monster Manual, the behir is a fascinating creature for your players to fight against. Even outside of combat, the amount of lore that is included in the Monster Manual and in wikis across the internet makes this a creature that can provide social encounters that have real depth.

Behirs were Shaped by Storm Giants

The Monster Manual gives us two brief sentences explaining that times long forgotten (a forgotten realm perhaps?), giants and dragons had war after war. During these conflicts, we are told that Storm Giants created the first behirs in order to combat dragons. Which explains why they have the ability to use lightening as part of their defense. Why did the Storm Giants decide to give them 12 legs and make them slimy? We may never know.

On top of this, when the Storm Giants created the behirs, they also gave them dark vision (up to 90ft) and immunity to lightning damage. This is already a beefy encounter that any party would have a hard time defeating and I haven’t even gotten into the best of it.

This creature is a huge monstrosity, taking up a 15ft by 15ft block of space. Don’t think its size makes for a quick escape if things turn sour; the behir can run up to 50ft of space in a single turn or climb 40ft along any wall. That is nearly double the speed of a normal player and would only be 10 ft ahead if a person decided to use their bonus action to dash. Those 12 legs know how to run.

Why Fight a Behir in the First Place?

There are many different reasons on why your party might want to fight a behir. One adventure hook is that a local merchant would agree to offer you a free scroll of the Lightening Bolt Spell if you were to help her get the main ingredient: the horn of a behir. The horn of the behir can be crushed into a fine powder and mixed with ink to create the aforementioned spell scroll.

Another adventure hook could be that a huge creature has been spotted at night swallowing villagers whole before slurking off into the forest at alarming speeds. The villiage needs a group of heros to come in and slay whatever is slowly dwindling the population of this town.

If you want to surprise them a little more, you can do what I did during my one-shot I ran with my friends. Promise them treasure at the bottom of the cave and let them sort out the rest!

How to Run Combat with a Behir

First and foremost, the behir is a cavern predator. This means that you won’t often be fighting it in an urban setting or in the woods. If it fits your story, I say go for it, but the creature will be much more immersive if you play it where it was designed to be played.

Why do they prefer caverns? I would assume that this is because they were designed to go after dragons, that are well known for dwelling in caverns when not soaring through the air.

The behir’s lightning breath is its most powerful ability that resets on a 5-6 role, capable of doing significant damage to multiple foes in a line. It will likely open the combat with it or use it when it has a group of adventurers lined up. In the tight corners of a cavern, the straight path of the lightning can hit multiple party members at once, making positioning critical and something the players need to be more aware of.

With its long body, the behir can wrap around opponents, restraining them with its constrict ability. It’s a great way to isolate one of the party members, potentially taking them out of the fight for a round or two while the others scramble to help. Remember to use the environment to the behir’s advantage: it can corner an adventurer against a wall, wrap around them, and squeeze without giving them much room to escape. On top of that, it has a hell of a advantage to hit with a +10 added to their role. If you get unlucky enough to be trapped, you can expect to lose a big chunk of your health with a 2d10 + 6 bludgeoning damage and 2d10 + 6 slashing damage. Yikes. Additionally, you will have to role a 16 DC to leave their grapple.

Once a foe is constricted and weakened, the behir’s next step might be to go for the kill with their swallow ability. This is a terrifying moment in combat, as the swallowed adventurer has to deal with being trapped inside the creature while the rest of the party desperately tries to get them out. It adds a layer of urgency and danger to the fight, forcing the party to change tactics quickly.

When inside the behir the target is blinded and restrained (at least they have total cover from within the behir). At the beginning of the behirs turn, the swallowed player will take 6d6 acid damage. Luckily, the behir can only swallow one at a time. If a player can get a lucky hit adn do 30 damage in a single turn, the behir will be forced to succeed a DC 14 Con save or regurgitate the player.

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In a cavern setting, climbing should be a key part of how you run the encounter. It can scale the walls and even hang from the ceiling, making it a much more dynamic threat than a creature that just sits on the ground. Consider using this to keep the party on their toes—imagine the behir dropping down from above, or quickly climbing to escape a ranged attack only to strike from a new angle.

This is backed up by the +7 to stealth the Behir has under its belt. Utilizing hiding in the shadows, waiting for its prey to approach, should be apart of how you roleplay as the behir.

Roleplaying as a Behir

Behirs were originally created as dragon-hunters, and that legacy remains deeply embedded in their psyche. If your game involves dragonborn characters, the behir may target these individuals specifically. It could view dragonborn as abominations, allies of the hated dragons.

For a deeper roleplay experience, the behir may actively avoid territories near dragons, knowing its historical foes could pose a danger. The moment it senses a dragon has taken roost nearby, the behir might relocate, unwilling to risk a confrontation unless absolutely necessary. This is an adventure hook all in itself, your party might encounter a migrating behir that is looking for a new cave to dwell in, but still hunting on villagers while it’s on the hunt for a new home.

One of the things that blew me away when studying the behir is that it speaks common???? While Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition does not explicitly state that behirs speak Common there is a hint on page 25 of the Monster Manual that is a direct quote from a behir.

I’ve already eaten three giant bats, six troglodytes, and a mind flair today, but that’s okay. Plenty of room in my belly for you and your friends.
– Lludo the Behir, confronting adventurers in the Lost Caverns of Tsoucanth

Roleplaying a behir with the ability to speak opens up additional possibilities. It might speak to the party before initiating combat, warning them to leave its domain or to offer up important party information as long as they agree to let it live.

Despite its massive size, the behir is incredibly stealthy and speedy. When roleplaying, you can strike from the shadows. In its cavernous lair, the behir might hide among rocks or blend into the darkened walls, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. If the party has high perception checks, they may hear a low hiss or the scrape of scales against stone before the behir reveals itself. However, if they’re reckless, the behir could launch a surprise attack, using its climbing ability to descend from above.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the behir is a fascinating creature that can truly excite any game. Its deep lore as a creation of the Storm Giants, paired with its terrifying combat abilities offers DMs the opportunity to craft a fun and memorable encounters.

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