Species Name: Illithid, Mind Flayer
However and whenever it occurred, the Illithids arrived in the Material Plane thousands of years ago, immediately beginning to build an empire by enslaving many sentient creatures. Eventually, the primary slave race of the Illithids developed resistance to the mental powers of their masters, and revolted. The rebellion spread to all the Illithids' worlds in various dimensions, and the empire collapsed. The Illithids retreated to underground strongholds where they still dwell. These beings are feared throughout the Underground for their telepathic abilities and usually are not without two or more slaves, mentally bound to each individual mind flayer.
Type: Humanoid Squid
Physical Traits: Illithids have a humanoid body with an octopus-like head. They have four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth, and require the brains of sentient creatures as part of their diet. An Illithid who snares a living creature in all four of its tentacles can extract and devour its living brain. Their eyes are pale white, and they can see perfectly well in both darkness and light. Their sense of hearing is slightly poorer than a human's; they have difficulty distinguishing between several sounds mixed together, yet they are good at discerning from what direction sounds came from. Their skin is purplish blue to gray-green and covered in mucus, and is very sensitive to sunlight. They loathe sunlight, though it does not actually harm them.
Height: 6 - 7 feet
Weight: 150-250lbs
Abilities: One of their most feared powers is the dreaded Mind Blast, where the Illithid emits a cone-shaped psionic shock wave with its mind in order to incapacitate any creature for a short amount of time. Illithids also have other psionic powers, generally telepathic in nature, although their exact effects have varied over editions. Other powers include a defensive psionic shield and powers of psionic domination for controlling the minds of others.
Mobility: Legs
Sensory Organs: Visual
Communication: Vocal
Reproduction: Illithids are hermaphroditic creatures who each spawn a mass of larvae two or three times in their life. The larvae resemble miniature Illithid heads or four-tentacled tadpoles. Larvae are left to develop in the pool of the Elder Brain. The ones that survive after 10 years are inserted into the brain of a sapient creature. Hosts are determined in a very specific manner. Hosts generally are humanoid creatures that are between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 2 inches. The most desirable of races for hosts are Human, Drow, Elves, Githzerai, Githyanki, Grimlock, Gnoll, Goblinoid, and Orc. Upon being implanted, the larva then grows and consumes the host's brain, absorbing the host's physical form entirely and becoming sapient itself, a physically mature (but mentally young) Illithid. This process is called ceremorphosis.
INT: 3D6 +3, WIS: 3D6 +3, STR: 3D6 -3, DEX: 3D6, CON: 3D6 -3, CHA: 3D6, MR: 3D6, HPs: CON +D6
Orbit/Climate: See Earth
Feeding Habits: Omnivore
Lifespan: 125 years
Technology: Previously 9, now seemingly 2
Culture: Malevolent. Truly malicious race with no redeeming qualities at all. Currently, the Illithids are in a period of intense study and experimentation, gathering knowledge of all sorts that will enable them to eventually reconquer the universe and hold it for good. They frequently meddle in the politics of other races through subtle psychic manipulation of key figures, not to cause chaos but so as to better understand the dynamics of civilization. They regularly probe the minds of surface dwellers so as to gather intelligence and learn about new advances in magic and technology. They also do a good deal of research themselves, mainly focused on developing new psychic powers. Illithids regularly conduct raids on all sentient settlements to acquire new thralls, because their existing stock of sentient thralls do not breed fast enough to satisfy their food and labour needs. Typically, a group of mind flayers will teleport to the settlement and swiftly incapacitate them with their psychic powers. The captives will then be marched all the way to the Illithids' underground settlement by specially trained and conditioned thralls. Great care is taken to cover their tracks.
The only remaining Illithid city on Earth, Tellectus is ruled by a creature called an Elder Brain which lives in a pool of cerebral fluid in the city's centre. When an Illithid dies its brain is extracted and taken to the pool. Illithids believe that when they die their personality is incorporated into the Elder Brain, but this is not the case. When the brain of an Illithid is added to the Elder Brain, the memories, thoughts and experiences are consumed and added to the sum of the whole, but all else is lost. This fact is a closely guarded secret of the Elder Brains, since all Illithid aspire to a form of immortality through this merging process. Since the Elder Brain contains the essence of every Illithid that died in its community, it functions in part as a vast library of knowledge that a mind flayer can call upon with a simple telepathic call. The Elder Brain in turn can communicate telepathically with anyone in its community, issuing orders and ensuring everyone conforms. Illithids generally frown upon magic, preferring their natural psionic ability. Psionic potential is an integral part of the Illithid identity, and the Elder Brain cannot absorb the magical powers of an Illithid mage when it dies. They tolerate a limited study of wizardry, if only to better understand the powers employed by their enemies. However, an Illithid who goes too far and neglects his psionic development in favour of wizardry risks becoming an outcast. Denied the possibility of ever merging with the Elder Brain, such outcasts often seek their own immortality through undeath, becoming alhoons. Illithids typically communicate through psychic means. They project thoughts and feelings to each other in a way non-Illithids can scarcely comprehend.
Each mind flayer in the community likely has at least two slaves to do its bidding. In these communities, the number of slaves often far outstrips the number of mind flayers. All the slaves are under the effects of a charm person or charm monster, and obey their Illithid masters without question. When problems arise or the mind flayers wish to discover some secret, they form inquisitions. These inquisitions are made up of a team of mind flayers, not unlike an adventuring party – each mind flayer gives their own talents and abilities to achieve the inquisition's goal. If a situation is too large for just an inquisition to handle, the mind flayer community puts together a cult. A cult is much larger than an inquisition and is spearheaded by two mind flayers who constantly vie for the greater power within the cult. Although mind flayers willingly come together to achieve an end, they are always vying for more control in the community, but even then they are always beneath the elder brain.
Mind flayers hate sunlight and avoid it when possible. They live in underground cities of 200 to 2,000 Illithids, plus at least two slaves per Illithid. Mind flayers have no family structure. Their social activities include eating, communicating with the elder brain, and debating on the best tactics to conquer the Underground. For amusement, they inflict pain on their captives and force slaves to fight in gladiatorial games. Mind flayers are arrogant, viewing all other species only as cattle to be fed upon. They prefer to eat the brains of thinking creatures.
Government: Elder brain
Population: 815,550