Does a half-illithid qualify for the Illithid Savant PrC?

[atemu1234]

Question in the title, really.

[Zanos]

Requirements
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 10 ranks
Race: Mind flayer
Special: Must have consumed the brain of a creature of CR 9 or greater.
Nope. aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[dysprosium]

It may not be RAW but I would say this falls into ask your DM territory.

Personally I would say yes. According to the lore of the game, "mind flayer" is the name humans gave the illithids because humans could not understand what illithids were. So really mind flayer = illithid.

I mean the name of the class is called Illithid Savant, not Mind Flayer Savant after all.

[Lanaya]

Nope. You can't qualify for a class that requires you to be a mind flayer when you're half mind flayer any more than you can get into a PrC that requires +4 BAB when you have +2.

[Urpriest]

It's unknown. WotC writers never actually provided rules for how Race: requirements work, and how they interact with half-races, Polymorph effects, and the like.

Basically, if you want to use anything involving Race: requirements, you have to invent a whole new stat to do it, and figure out all of the rules for how it works.

[dysprosium]

Nope. You can't qualify for a class that requires you to be a mind flayer when you're half mind flayer any more than you can get into a PrC that requires +4 BAB when you have +2.

That's not really comparing the same thing.

Half dragons after all qualify for all dragon prestige classes, for example.


It's unknown. WotC writers never actually provided rules for how Race: requirements work, and how they interact with half-races, Polymorph effects, and the like.

Basically, if you want to use anything involving Race: requirements, you have to invent a whole new stat to do it, and figure out all of the rules for how it works.

And that falls into the "ask your DM" territory.

[Lanaya]

That's not really comparing the same thing.

Half dragons after all qualify for all dragon prestige classes, for example.

Because the template changes your creature type to dragon, just like a template that gives Alertness as a bonus feat would let you qualify for a PrC that requires Alertness. Half-illithid gives no such trait. You can of course discuss it with your DM and have them house rule something, but that applies to every rules question ever and is a bit of a useless answer.

[Seffbasilisk]

Half-dragon specifically changes your type to dragon though, while half-illithid only makes you an aberration.

Less apples and oranges, more bowling balls and bananas.

By RAW, I'd say no. Since the half-illithid does give you extract, a DM might work with you on it.

[Inevitability]

Stuff like half-orc or half-elf specifically mentions that they count as orc or elf. I don't think being a half-illithid should let you assume you count as a full-blown one if nothing indicates you do.

[Necroticplague]

Hmmm....Due to how ridiculous Illithid Savant is, I'd probably wager on the side of "no". However, I can see some arguments for either way.


For: "mind flayer" is not just one creature, and covers several, including the illithid, ulithard, and some variations. Its possible that a half-iillithid might fall under the category of "mind flayer"

Against: Nowhere is a half-illithid stated to be a mind flayer, so it might not fall under the umbrella.

[atemu1234]

Hmmm....Due to how ridiculous Illithid Savant is, I'd probably wager on the side of "no". However, I can see some arguments for either way.


For: "mind flayer" is not just one creature, and covers several, including the illithid, ulithard, and some variations. Its possible that a half-iillithid might fall under the category of "mind flayer"

Against: Nowhere is a half-illithid stated to be a mind flayer, so it might not fall under the umbrella.

I probably agree. As DM I don't let anyone/anything near that PrC anyway, so this is more or less curiosity and a thought exercise.