Command a victim telepathically with total and precise control. Creatures of the elder brain's choice within 60 feet of it must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 32 (5d10 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. However, it might be less adversarial and could even be a useful ally for the side of good. With Mind Blast, the Mind Flayer will have no difficulty at all extracting the brain of at least one character. While a ton of wealth doesnt particularly make sense, I would suggest looking at options for magical items that you can give the party as a reward. Mimics are feared by D&D players around the world and with good reason. DnD mind flayers are one of the most iconic monsters in 5e. If the colony is too far away, they sacrifice having a reliable food source for security. Some would be devoured, others would be used as slaves, and others would be specifically used to propagate the Illithid race. Illithids consider themselves to be above other forms of life and seek power and dominance over all they survey. Mind Flayers are capable of speech, but they primarily communicate telepathically. If you want to bump up the challenge level, you could consider using the mind flayer arcanist basically the same creature, but with the kind of D&D spells a Wizard could learn. The huge ankylosaurus has an attack that does 4 dice. Similarly, because they achieve their goals by enslaving others and you know eating brains theyre pretty uniformly evil across the board. Mind Flayer (CR 8) Mind Blast (Sp): This attack is a cone 60 feet long. It can use the spells Detect Thoughts and Levitate at will, which perhaps arent that useful in combat, but are worth being aware of. That said, the Gith would not care about the Illithids alignment and would still exterminate it on sight. When attempting to conquer a humanoid settlement, one of three strategies is used by Illithids to achieve their goals. However, the primary variations that have been officially published in the 5e materials at this point include: Now that weve covered what they are, lets get into the practical stuff: how they affect your game! Avoid stuns and hit them with all you got. Most see life as a game, and one they plan to win. A mind flayer will take over your mind, turn you into its thrall, and then devour your brain Ew. It was a terrifying dragon with mind flayer powers. Conjoined by a collective consciousness, the illithids hatch plots as far-reaching and evil as their fathomless mind can conceive. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary. Oh, and when the mind flayer dies, its brain is returned to to Elder Brain pool and devoured. Hover to zoom. Mind Flayers are very rarely encountered alone even though encountering multiple Mind Flayers at a single time is somewhat rare. Mined flayers, also called illithids, are the scourge of sentient creatures across countless worlds. Challenge Rating: 7 (2,900 XP) Magic Resistance. Unbeknownst to many surface-dwellers, the dreaded mind flayers are devoutly religious beings. Its exactly what you might imagine: a single colossal brain that every Illithid in the colony is linked to. This creates a culture of servitude and order in which any level of dissent or intrusion is immediately found and dealt with. They can communicate with any creatures via innate telepathy; they have no spoken language, although they often accompany their thoughts with hissing, and the eager lashing of their tentacles. Mind Flayer Pantheon. Battle Master Maneuvers in D&D 5e | How They Work + Top Picks! They generally reside in the Underdark where they forever scheme and plot against other races that they deem "inferior". The inscriptions use four-line stanzas that must be read simultaneously as interlocked blocks. Ranged attacks. Mind Blast (Recharge 5-6). Shoot arrows, throw daggers, or launch your tinier comrades. They might seek to outright control the settlements population by turning the citizens into mindless thralls. These creatures skin is most commonly varying shades of mauve, though some have a slight greenish hue. No wyrmling dragon has a claw attack. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components: Innate Spellcasting (Psionics, suggested). (Possibly via political influence, sowing rumors of ancient magic/ruins that would appeal to intellectuals, or even just dropping an entire city into the Underdark). They are alien creatures, who once controlled vast empires, spanning dimensions. With free will, it is now able to make decisions for itself and could reasonably choose to be good. This mucus indicates that the creature is healthy and well-nourished. The mind flayer magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Bonus AC +5. Mind Flayers are naturally not very well built physically, and as such rely instead on mind effecting spells, mental powers, and psionics in D&D 5e. Have one . This entity had many names, including the Shadow Monster, the particles, and the Mind Flayer. 5th level (2 slots): telekinesis, wall of force. These Illithids are able to mimic certain spells purely with their own psionic abilities. Funneling all of this information into the Elder Brain as a type of massive repository of information, the colony focuses in perfect unison on their goals. Mind flayers possess Psionic powers that enable them to control the minds of creatures such as troglodytes, grimlocks, quaggoths, and ogres. In 5e, the typical one has challenge rating 7. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed at a Will save (DC 17) or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. In eons past, illithids controlled empires that spanned many worlds. A few mind flayers supplement their psionic power with arcane spells. An owlbear will eat you, big whoop. It might be possible for someone who touches a Qualith inscription to get a brief transmission of the authors thoughts. Does the dragon have a grapple range of 25 ft, because if so, all it's melee attacks need to be 25 ft range as well. Mind Flayer 5e ? If even a pinky is showing, your mind is toast. Hill Giants in D&D 5e | Big, Dumb, and Hungry! Mind Flayers only reproduce through tadpole ceremorphosis. A mind flayer begins life as a small, tentacled, tadpolelike parasite that invades the skull of a helpless humanoid victim, devours its brain, and then subverts the body to its own use. Its no wonder why these have been around so long! Hunger of the Mind. Innate Spellcasting(Psionics). Once the hosts body has been completely taken over, the new Illithid spends the next twenty years growing and being educated in the colony. A mind flayer arcanist has a challenge rating of 8 (3,900XP) and the following trait. Pound them if you have a chance. A subreddit for D&D 5e and One D&D homebrew. Of course, all of this would fly out the window if it finds itself back in proximity of another Elder Brain. With 4 Mind Flayers, you should be at least level 17. The mind flayer magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. As a giant brain, these beings are all but entirely incapable of movement. Everything within Mind Flayer culture revolves around serving the Elder Brain. The mind flayers innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15). Mind flayers and master mind flayers are especially perilous monsters, capable of eating your brain, resulting in feeling stupid, becoming forgetful, or perishing as your last thoughts fade away. Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Mind Flayers also sometimes use pet-like brains with legs called Intellect Devourers to snatch victims for them. Its Spellcasting ability is Intelligence (save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). Skills: Arcana +7, Deception +6, Insight +6, Perception +6, Persuasion +6, Stealth +4, Senses: Darkvision 120ft., passive Perception 16. 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, disguise self, shield, sleep, 2nd level (3 slots): blur, invisibility, ray of enfeeblement, 3rd level (3 slots): clairvoyance, lightning bolt, sending, 4th level (3 slots): confusion, hallucinatory terrain. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). Beyond using their telepathy, many Mind Flayers speak Undercommon in addition to any other languages that they might have learned. For example, look at the dinosaurs. Spellcasting. I love what you did with the brain stealer dragon. Mind flayers possess Psionic powers that enable them to control the minds of creatures such as troglodytes, grimlocks, quaggoths, and ogres. A monsters Challenge Rating (CR) is a good indicator of the level you should be to beat it. Lastly, the Elder Brain might instead dictate that total destruction is the answer. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Mind flayers are arrogant, viewing all other species only as cattle to be fed upon. Failure could have any number of results ranging from a small headache to short-term (or even long-term) madness! Because of this, it would still be very wary of a Gith hunting party. This is uncomfortable for everyone involved in this disgusting spectacle. If possible, try to keep a safe distance and dont be afraid to use your Inspiration when the Illithid uses its Mind Blast if you have it. Theres no shame in not having your mind flayed. That smell againonions, garlic, vanillaand death. [1] It constantly drips an oily slime. This voice is not mine. Mind Flayers will target strong ranged attackers since they are vulnerable. A mind flayer's four prehensile tentacles can be extended from around 2 feet to to around 4 feet in length, and the mind flayer can manipulate them with great precision. Hit: 15 (2dl0 + 4) pyschic damage. The Mind Flayer makes a melee weapon attack against one creature (+7 to hit, 5 ft. reach, 15 or 2d10 + 4 psychic damage). Mind Flayers are incredibly intelligent and very well-informed. Furthermore, the brains of slaves dont possess the same amount of psychic energy that the brains of surface-dwelling intelligent creatures have. The first monster previewed in. Yes. Half Mind Flayer is a template for a humanoids except to humans, humans transfor into a complete Mind Flayer. Well fill you in on this creatures biology, habits, powers, and stats. Within a single year, the Gith completely destroyed the Mind Flayers empire. For natural attacks, it varies dramatically. . After a few months without eating a brain, a Mind Flayer can starve to death. Also, as one user points out here on Stack Exchange, use spells like Protection from Evil and Good to better resist the Mind Flayers attacks and be immune to the Charm effect from Dominate Monster. They can also hit you with their tentacles, which do 2d10+4 damage. Just dont mistake a Mind Flayer that claims to be good as being entirely genuine. Though trusty spells like Magic Missile or Fire Bolt will help you lay down some damage from a safe distance. (Even though that discussion is about Pathfinder, this advice still applies in 5e!). On the other hand, it might be more efficient for the Mind Flayers to take control of a few key aspects of the settlement. Some Mind Flayers (such as the Mind Flayer Psion variant in Volos Guide to Monsters) dedicate themselves entirely to refining their innate psionic abilities. Some of these goals may be massive undertakings while others may seem simple by comparison. Spells that allow the target to make saving throws arent going to be very effective in this fight (at least not against the Mind Flayer itself) thanks to the tentacled ones natural resistance to magical effects. Mind Flayers are tyrannical, cruel, and ultimately alien due to their origins in the Far Realm, a place beyond the concepts of space and time so completely that even simple things such as Mind Flayer writing is so completely foreign that magic must be used to discern its meaning. It can be difficult (if not impossible) to truly tell where the Elder Brains influence ends and the Illithid, itself, begins.An Elder Brain. These patterns are virtually indecipherable by non-Illithid creatures. Mind Flayers can resist magic spells, but not ranged weapons. Mind flayers often hunt using this power and then drag off one or two of their stunned victims to feed upon. Have you ever used or fought against a Mind Flayer in your games? There was a time, thousands of years ago, when Illithids were the uncontested dominant power of the Inner Planes. With Mind Flayers being one of the original iconic monsters from the very earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons, there is no shortage of variations on these creatures. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one creature. All affected creatures must make a DC 15 saving throw or take 22 (4d8+4) psychic damage or be stunned for one minute (10 rounds). Using arcane powers, it enslaves or destroys its foes, which include such powerful creatures asdrowandkuo-toa. Mind Flayer 5e Stats Size: Medium AC: 15 (breastplate) HP: 71 (13d8 + 13) Speed: 30 ft. Their diet includes the brains of other intelligent lifeforms, which puts them at odds with virtually everyone. Brainstealers possess the conniving personalities and manipulative minds of their mind flayer creators. Particularly healthy Mind Flayers eat one brain every two weeks. Illithid Racial Power. 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