Type: General
Source: Lords of Madness
A beholder with this feat can apply the effects of metamagic feats to its eye rays.
Prerequisite: True beholder or beholderkin, at least one metamagic feat.
Benefit: Once per round, as a standard action, the creature can enhance one of its eye rays with the effect of a metamagic feat that it possesses. Enhancing an eye ray in this manner burns the eyestalk out for a number of rounds equal to the amount by which the metamagic would normally increase a spell level. Since firing an eye ray that hasn't been enhanced with metamagic is a free action, the creature still can use its other eye rays in a round in which it enhances one ray with metamagic.
For example, if a beholder had the Maximize Spell feat and the Metaray feat, it could take a standard action to fire a maximized inflict moderate wounds eye ray that would cause 26 points of damage on a hit. Its inflict moderate wounds eyestalk would then not be usable for the next 3 rounds.
Special: The creature cannot use this ability with a metamagic feat that would increase the level of a spell by more than three levels.