Illithid Savant Question

[PowerGamer]

I'm seeing if a DM will let me play an Illithid Savant in a high level gestalt campaign. I was looking at race options to see what I could do.

Pre req for Illithid Savant is Race:Mind Flayer,
If I take the Half-Illithid template does it count?

I was looking at either a Feral Half-Illithid Werecheetah (ECL+12),
Feral Half-Illithid Weredeononychus (ECL+13), Feral Half-Illithid Weremegaraptor (ECL+17), or just a feral Illithid (ECL+12).

Any tips or suggestions?

[Urpriest]

WotC forgot to actually provide a definition of the Race needed in Race requirements, so that's pure ask your DM territory.

[Fouredged Sword]

I would recomend that you take the thrall herd class, to provide you with an easy food supply, and to give you a thrall who you kill until you get another illithid savant to eat for more brain slots.

As for race, you will have to ask your DM about the template, but if it DOES work, I would recommend Half-illithid Very Young Green Dragon, if for no other reason that to be an elder god in mortal form.

[atemu1234]

I'd say it should, but I'd forgive the DM for simply not letting you use that class. As awesome as it is, that class is broken. Brokener than broken. Ultra-super-broken. Too broken for words. But, if you use the half-illithid template, it'd be interesting to see it added to an Amphibious-templated creature. Granted, it's a third party template produced in the Advanced Bestiary, but you would be awesome. Really awesome. Broken, but awesome. I wonder, if you were a half-illithid black dragon illithid savant with a breath weapon, would you qualify as having the body parts to gain breath weapons from killing and consuming the brains of other dragons? This is the real question.

[dysprosium]

Half illithid does not equal mind flayer.

The half illithid template in the Fiend Folio has a sidebar accompanying it titled something like "how mind flayers make more." As I am away from my books right now, I can only recite from memory.

Basically an illithid is "born" when an illithid tadpole is inserted into a human's head cavity. A process called cerebromorphosis occurs and when it is completed, a new adult illithid is formed. Any other creature that gets an illithid tadpole becomes a half illithid, thus the template.

This process dates back into the annals of 2nd edition with the Illithiad.

Of course your DM could rule in your favor . . .

[TheMooch]

Just play a mindflayer 15/ thrallherd 5 //psion 10/illithid savant 10

done

[Urpriest]

Just play a mindflayer 15/ thrallherd 5 //psion 10/illithid savant 10

done

I'd crop out a few of those Psion levels, since they'd overlap rather than stacking with the Mind Flayer progression. Would also allow you to take more Thrallherd levels.

[PowerGamer]

Well I wasn't really looking for build help but thank you.

Speaking of build, while an endless supply of brain is nice, I don't have the room for thrallherd. I'm playing a grappler build that is looking something like

Illithid 15, Feral 1, Evolutionist 5// PsyWar 2, Barbar 1, Cleric 4, Illithid Savant 10, Barbar 4.

Possibly switch out the barbar 4 for black blood cultist 4

I know it's not the best, but I want to give it a shot. As for food supply, well... that'll be interesting. I can do it through leadership (I know thrallherd is better but no room for class levels).

The build should give me a very nice size, SR, DR, damage, and even some healing