Best way to knock an Illithid out

[TeslaJr]

So my current character runs around using Fusion + Astral Seed to steal the best features from his enemies, Borg style, and I've recently set my sights on the Acquire Class Feature from the Illithid Savant. The DMG (or is it PHB?) under targeting says that an unconcious character is considered willing, so I just want to knock the Illithid out long enough for me to assimilate him. Then I can kill it.

[A Tad Insane]

Hit it with a really big nerf bat a lot?
Seduce it so you can slip sleeping drugs in its drink?
Have a monk punch it for non-lethal damage?

But in all seriousness, non lethal damage is the go to strategy for "beaten to a pulp but not dead"

[Rubik]

You could always Dominate it and make it do what you want. But start with a Disjunction or a flurry of Dispels first, to knock out any immunities to [mind-affecting] effects.

[Necroticplague]

But in all seriousness, non lethal damage is the go to strategy for "beaten to a pulp but not dead"

Seconding this notion. Illithids aren't immune to nonlethal damage, so just punch them (or use a nonlethal weapon, like a sap or enchanted weapon) till unconciousness. Of course, since this is an illithid savant, they might have picked up immunity to that. In that case, mind-control is a good way to go. Failing either of those two, you can try using the Mosqiuto Bite skill trick to cut off a small peice without him noticing, and having it used to make either a simulacram or ice assasssin of the illithid, which you then Fuse with. And then use your newly acquired Acquire Class Feature to Acquire the Acquire Class Feature class feature of the original, just for sh*** and giggles. And because you're already on your way to game-splintering power, may as well go the whole 10 yards.

[Rubik]

Roofies might work...

How often do illithids visit bars, looking to pick up thralls for ceremorphosis?

[TeslaJr]

Roofies might work...

How often do illithids visit bars, looking to pick up thralls for ceremorphosis?

Huh. Illithid daterape. That's a new one.

[Psyren]

Concentrated sleep poison should do it - fort is their weakest save by far and this also gets around their SR. Have a rogue or someone else stealthy use Darkstalker to beat their telepathy and hit them with an arrow or dart.

[Phelix-Mu]

Daterape of an illithid, I think you mean. The other one happens all of the time.

Consider brown mold (DMG 76). If you can make it invisible (should be a valid target, as it's an object, just like all plants), it's a decent and low-price trap that is easy to spread around (apply fire damage). It deals nonlethal cold damage to anything within a certain distance. Cover all the walls and ceilings with it, make it invisible, maybe a dimensional anchor to keep things from teleporting away.

[TeslaJr]

Lol, yeah, that's what I meant.

[Necroticplague]

Daterape of an illithid, I think you mean. The other one happens all of the time.

Consider brown mold (DMG 76). If you can make it invisible (should be a valid target, as it's an object, just like all plants), it's a decent and low-price trap that is easy to spread around (apply fire damage). It deals nonlethal cold damage to anything within a certain distance. Cover all the walls and ceilings with it, make it invisible, maybe a dimensional anchor to keep things from teleporting away.

Word of warning for brown mold use: if it gets too big, it might come across a different source of fire that you didn't plan for, resulting in an apocalypse as it suddenly spreads over the world. Not very likely in the underdark lair of an illithid (since them and pretty much anything they associate with has darkvision), but keep the possibility in mind..

[Phelix-Mu]

Word of warning for brown mold use: if it gets too big, it might come across a different source of fire that you didn't plan for, resulting in an apocalypse as it suddenly spreads over the world. Not very likely in the underdark lair of an illithid (since them and pretty much anything they associate with has darkvision), but keep the possibility in mind..

Pro-tip for Druids: Always cast energy immunity (cold) at the start of the day.:smallwink:

More seriously, I have been working on a number of uses for brown mold, including rendering the tarrasque a large paperweight, terraforming Athas, and as a gestalt for the inevitable triumph of green slime over all sentient life.

Okay, that last one wasn't very serious.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Summon Storm Elementals. They get a shock ability for nonlethal electricity damage as a free action 1/round that gets some decent damage for the larger ones.

[Phelix-Mu]

Summon Storm Elementals. They get a shock ability for nonlethal electricity damage as a free action 1/round that gets some decent damage for the larger ones.

Oooh. Right. Yeah. Shocker lizards. Dump illithid in pit of shocker lizards. Shake vigorously.

[ArqArturo]

Re-introduce psionic combat.

[Psyren]

Re-introduce psionic combat.

You fool! What have you done???

*watches in horror as Ialdabode's brain melts into a puddle*

[ArqArturo]

You fool! What have you done???

*watches in horror as Ialdabode's brain melts into a puddle*

My work here is done-

*Rides an Asperi towards the sunset*

[Rubik]

What if you kill it then raise it as a death knight under your control? It can Metamorphosis into something living, which allows you to get all sorts of goodies, potentially.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

I think Vizzini has the best idea: "The minute his head is in view, hit it with the rock!"

[TeslaJr]

I think Vizzini has the best idea: "The minute his head is in view, hit it with the rock!"

Yeah, it's looking like my first tactic I'll try will be to use my believers to hold it down and beat it over the head. A lot.

[daremetoidareyo]

So my current character runs around using Fusion + Astral Seed to steal the best features from his enemies, Borg style, and I've recently set my sights on the Acquire Class Feature from the Illithid Savant. The DMG (or is it PHB?) under targeting says that an unconcious character is considered willing, so I just want to knock the Illithid out long enough for me to assimilate him. Then I can kill it.

When fishing for an octopus, one should prepare the correct bait. You should get a low level adventurer as your bait. Illithids love brains from experienced world travellers. You are going to knock this adventurer out, strap him down, and surgically inject a tiny vial of poison into his brain that does strength damage. Pouring the poison directly on the brain kills your adventurer:( The vial needs to be master work and crazy thin, so a weak octopus beak can break it, you should put some sharp ass needles, with recurves on them, in that vial as well, cuz the best poisons need to inflict damage to get into the bloodstream. You can alternatively put a contingency spell on the vial, with a weak explosive spell to shatter the vial, when an illithid eats the surrounding brain tissue.

Now, for this surgery, you want to avoid the top of the head, as you probably want the scar to be invisible, so you are going to have to go in through the palet, the roof of the mouth. Too far forward, and you'll mess up his sinuses. Go, rear of the mouth on the left and put this vial in the brain tissue. There is going to be serious swelling. You will need a cleric or a crazy high heal check. A good second best place is directly above the ear, in the religious portion of the bait's brain.

Poisons by highest damage on initial hit (non-epic) Strength
3d6 Str: Dragon Bile
3d6 Str: Ulathlasss Smoke (Serpent Kingdoms, Inhaled)
2d8 Str: Colossal Spider/Scorpion venom (pre-errata)
2d6 Str + 1d4 Con: Greensickness (DS)
Belladonna (Monster Manual). Ingested: DC 13, 1d6 Str damage/2d6 Str damage. No craft check necessary for just the raw plant, which is poisonous.
And of course, black lotus,


The real problem now, if you've ever hooked a minnow through the brain to catch a fish before, is that they swim all wrong. You are going to have to dominate or suggestion your bait, and put on some protection against thought detection, have a master bard take 20 disguising you as a fighter, and then get greater invisibility cast on yourself. Now, go fishing. God, I hope you're evil alignment. If the illithid detects through your magical ruse, at least he'll get the wrong visual for who you are.

Your "bait" has to play paladin to the hilt. "stop, wayward fiend!" "Charge!!!" Get him in there and have him get right up in the illithids grill. A +1 holy sword may cinch up the outfit nicely. Once the illithid has grappled him and extracted his brain, the poisons effect should be triggered. That strength damage should knock the bastard out. Most mind flayers peak at 14 strength, so double dosing is advised.

Then you shout AHA! And reel your squid in...

Now, dominating and suggestion are difficult when your bait has just had new material injected into his brain, and the DM may decide that they get a bonus against this sort of domination as they are probably in constant pain, acting strange compared to normals, if not catatonic. They may get +2 to their will save is all I'm sayin'

Bon apetit

[Rubik]

When fishing for an octopus, one should prepare the correct bait. You should get a low level adventurer as your bait. Illithids love brains from experienced world travellers. You are going to knock this adventurer out, strap him down, and inject a tiny vial of poison into his brain that does strength damage. The vial needs to be master work and crazy thin, so a weak octopus beak can break it, you should put some sharp ass needles, with recurves on them in that vial as well, cuz the best poisons need to inflict damage. You can alternatively put a contingency spell on the vial, shatter when an illithid eats the surrounding brain tissue.

Now, for this surgery, you want to avoid the top of the head, you probably want the scar to be invisible, so you are going to have to go in through the palet, the roof of the mouth. Too far forward, and you'll mess up his sinuses. Go, rear of the mouth on the left and put this vial in the brain tissue. There is going to be serious swelling. You will need a cleric or a crazy high heal check.

Poisons by highest damage on initial hit (non-epic) Strength
3d6 Str: Dragon Bile
3d6 Str: Ulathlasss Smoke (Serpent Kingdoms, Inhaled)
2d8 Str: Colossal Spider/Scorpion venom (pre-errata)
2d6 Str + 1d4 Con: Greensickness (DS)
Belladonna (Monster Manual). Ingested: DC 13, 1d6 Str damage/2d6 Str damage. No craft check necessary for just the raw plant, which is poisonous.
And of course, black lotus,


The real problem now, if you've ever hooked a minnow through the brain to catch a fish before, is that they swim all wrong. You are going to have to dominate or suggestion your bait, put on some protection against thought protection, have a master bard take 20 disguising you as a fighter, and then get greater invisibility cast on yourself. Now, go fishing. God, I hope you're evil alignment.

Your "bait" has to play paladin to the hilt. "stop, wayward fiend!" "Charge!!!" Get him in there and have him get right up in the illithids grill. Once the illithid has grappled him and extracted his brain, the poisons effect should be triggered. That strength damage should knock the bastard out. Most mind flayers peak at 14 strength, so double dosing is advised.

Then you shout AHA! And reel your squid in...Better yet, take a very large vial with dozens of different poisons in, PAO it into a human, use Craft Contingent Spell (Dispel Magic) on it (set for acid damage), trick the illithid into de-braining it, then watch as the Dispel Magic auto-Dispels the PAO.

Boom, de-Strength'd illithid.

[edit] On second thought, use Int damage poison.

No sense in letting it manifest powers against you if you don't have to.