Uses of Quintessence

[Pinkcrusade]

Greetings, Playground.

I am playing an Illithid PC soon, as I was wondering what the actual applications of harvested quintessence is for a non-Madcrafter. Monster Manual V explicitly states that Madcrafters of Thoon are capable of producing Thoon-based creatures from harvested quintessence, but I don't recall the book mentioning what a single Mind Flayer can do with quintessence, or even what it does aside from Madcrafter use.

Any insight upon this topic would be greatly appreciated.

[Qwertystop]

It's normally produced by the psionic power of the same name. Anything touching it but not covered takes damage. Anything covered in it is frozen in time indefinitely, until not covered. It's a silvery gel.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Give it to a Lunar. They like drinking it.

Wait wrong game.

[Necroticplague]

Greetings, Playground.

I am playing an Illithid PC soon, as I was wondering what the actual applications of harvested quintessence is for a non-Madcrafter. Monster Manual V explicitly states that Madcrafters of Thoon are capable of producing Thoon-based creatures from harvested quintessence, but I don't recall the book mentioning what a single Mind Flayer can do with quintessence, or even what it does aside from Madcrafter use.

Any insight upon this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Is it the same quintessence as produced by the power? That stuff has a ton of uses. Keep food preserved forever. Place to store yourself so that your buff spells don't run out. Weapon coating for increased damage. Way of nonlethally dealing with enemies. Method to save people from diseases/death timer running down till you can get to a cleric. Way to safely store any object. Hindering enemy manifesters. Making some light sources (Sunrods, for example) lat forever. Preserve items with durations (i.e, make that bead of karma last all day). Use it to speed up your perception of your travels (have a mount put you in and pull you out of a bag filled with the stuff). Act as a safe place to put your body while Astral Projecting. Avoid the upkeep for living items (like the ones from complete scoundrel, not sure if any other book has them).
Some spells create temporary objects that Quintessence can be used with, like Soul Crystal, or Delayed Blast Fireball.

This stuff can do a whole lot once you get a bit creative.

[Werephilosopher]

Is it the same quintessence as produced by the power?

It isn't. It's some green stuff harvested from living creatures and rocks, used to make bizarre creatures. Whoever did the writeup for the Thoon illithids probably forgot the word was already used.

As for what you can do with it, the book doesn't say. It's rather vague in its description, and is probably meant to be just as mysterious as the mindflayers of Thoon themselves.

[atemu1234]

It isn't. It's some green stuff harvested from living creatures and rocks, used to make bizarre creatures. Whoever did the writeup for the Thoon illithids probably forgot the word was already used.

As for what you can do with it, the book doesn't say. It's rather vague in its description, and is probably meant to be just as mysterious as the mindflayers of Thoon themselves.

Wonder what happens if it was the same.

[Psyren]

It isn't. It's some green stuff harvested from living creatures and rocks, used to make bizarre creatures. Whoever did the writeup for the Thoon illithids probably forgot the word was already used.

As for what you can do with it, the book doesn't say. It's rather vague in its description, and is probably meant to be just as mysterious as the mindflayers of Thoon themselves.

Basically this. It's particularly confusing since Mindflayers are psionic creatures.

The only crunch purpose of it, besides being a macguffin (stop them from kidnapping townsfolk and harvesting their plot-juice before they power their plot-weapon!) is to make raising a dead creature whose quintessence has been stolen much harder. This of course adds to the plot even more - "the city constable was found murdered and our local priest's raise dead won't work, so we can't question the guy" kind of deal.

[KingAtomsk]

Create the Dream of Metal (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?121334-The-Dream-of-Metal) and become the master of time and undeath.