A description of party and gear would be nice, but hey... [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Since you're having a few problems, I'm assuming that you didn't pick up the cloak of
cheese mirroring from the place Dadams mentioned, and that you didn't buy the shield of
cheese Balduran from one of the bonus merchants.
From what I've seen, beholderkin can all do these things: anti-magic ray (removes buffing/protection spells), hold, horror/fear, some sort of cause wounds spell. Beholders can also dire charm and petrify, and probably maze. Elder Orbs do all that, can definitely cast maze, and as a special bonus, cast imprisonment. The priest spell Chaotic Commands can take care of most of a beholderkin's arsenal, as can a nice Death Ward.
The only way to dispel petrification is to cast the wizard spell Stone to Flesh or cast it from a green scroll of the same name. You can protect against petrification with the wizard spell Protection from Petrification. (NOTE: If you're in a romance with someone, try not to let them get petrified or imprisoned. Even if you cast the spells to free them, the romance is off.)
I have two suggestions.
--If you'd rather get it over and done with now, take 3 characters with good saves vs. spells and polymorph/petrify, buff them up (Chaotic Commands, Death Wards, free action, the works), and summon up a few friends. I recommend nishruu and hakeashar, but hardy elemental summons or a nice aerial servant wouldn't hurt. Maybe even the bears from the druid's Conjure Animals spell if you've got it. Try to reveal one beholderkin at a time, and stay in there with your pets. Your pets
will not stand up to beholderkin by themselves. They are not chunkable summons, nor are they meat shields. They are gladly giving their lives to help you rid the world of the many-eyeballed monstrosities. Treat them with care.
--Or, you can wait on the beholder lair for a bit. (Trying to be as low-spoiler as possible, please bear with me!) If you haven't explored the rest of the main map, I suggest you do so. The plot of the chapter will allow you to safely come back, and if you let the plot run its course, you can come back better armed and maybe gained an experience level. If you decide to leave and return, follow the above advice. No doubt you've picked up a thing or two that might help you in this situation.
(PS: If you're in the beholder lair looking for a particular something, if you've hit the cluster of beholderkin in the southeast wing (arm? eyestalk?), you've missed it. The answer might be closer than you realize.
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