A Playable Mindflayer PC

[BilltheCynic]

I would really like to play a mindflayer because, seriously, they're mini-Chtuhlus that eat brains. The problem is that they have a staggering +7 LA and +8 racial HD, which makes it a bit hard to play as them. I was checking out the Savage species progression for them and thought it was a bit under powered. What really seems to hurt them is, because almost half of their levels don't have HD, for half of their levels they are not getting any increase in BAB, saves, or skills, and they get about half as many feats as someone who had taken class levels. After a bit of thinking I came up with an idea of how to make them playable as basically an Illithid class, but I wanted to run it through the Playground to see what you guys thought of it. Basically, my idea was to keep the savage progression from Savage Species page 185 (I don't think it is OGC so I'm not going to post it here) with the following changes:


Change racial HD from 8d8 to 15d4
Remove the LA
Change BAB from full (as fighter) to half (as wizard)
Give it common as an automatic language in addition to undercommon


This would give the Illithid an extra three feats, a small net bonus to BAB (+7/+2 vs 6/+1), a small average bonus to your health (roughly +2 hitpoints), more skill points, and better saves. The common as a bonus language is because a) you don't get telepathy until second level, and then it is only up to 10 ft, and b) they have it as an automatic language in the Monster Manual, so why not here too?

So my main question is, how balanced would this be as a player character? Specifically, what tier do you think they belong in?

[OldTrees1]

While that is better than the overpriced WotC version, I would consider it still underpowerd due to too low a interesting stuff:ECL ratio.

Quick link to gitp homebrew
Mindflayer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=7947714&postcount=13)
Mindflayer, Psionic (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=9159107&postcount=1357)

I would take these 8RHD, 8RHD/12RHD +0LA versions over a 15 RHD +0LA version.

[black-jack]

Half-illithid in fiend folio is much more manageable, and still eats brains. It doesn't get as many stat boosts or use it's SLA's as often, but only 5LA and no hit die.

[Grek]

Savage Progressions aren't really intended to be playable, and they're universally worse than normal classes. So I wouldn't base your class on that at all. Instead, here's my take on a playable Mind Flayer based on the Illithiad presentation of their society and biology.

Illithid

HD: 1d8
Saves: Will Good, Fort and Reflex: Poor
BaB: Poor

1. Larva, Psi Sense, Mind Slave OR Host.
2. Growth Spurt, Attach, Toil.
3. Insertion, Read Thoughts.
4. Ceremorphosis, Telepathy.
5. Mind Blast.
6. Psionics
7. Extract, Blast Cone
8. More Psionics

Larva (Ex): A newborn Illithid emerges from the spawning pool as a larval mind flayer. Treat this as a Tiny Viper, save that it does not have poison, is of the Aberration type and looks more like a tadpole than a snake. This ability is lost when the Illithid advances to level 2.

Psi Sense (Su and Ps): A larval mind flayer is capable of sensing the presence and number of sentient creatures within 100' of it using its nascent psionic abilities. It is also capable of manifesting detect psionics as a psi-like ability at will. Though unintelligent, it is capable of communicating in vague terms what it senses via a combination of hissing and drooling.

Mind Slave: Characters multiclassing into the Illithid class retains their previous character as a mind slave assigned to care for the larva that will some day consume them. This is regarded as as a (quite delicious) form of irony by his or her mind flayer captors. While the player is now technically playing as the larva, their previous character will still likely be doing all of the real work. Treat the larva as if it were a familiar (replacing his or her current familiar, if necessary) of the Mind Slave, with the exception that it never develops any ability to speak and does not gain increased intelligence. The effective master's class level is equal to the HD of the mind slave.

Host: Characters who take Illithid as their first class level receive a 1st level Warrior as their host instead. The player may select the race of their host from a list of LA +0 races provided by the DM, as well as its feats, skills, ability scores and other attributes. If their host is killed, it is replaced by another just like it as soon as the next slave raid returns. This is otherwise identical to the Mind Slave ability, save that it is lost when the Illithid advances to level 3.

Growth Spurt (Ex): Having been fed a steady diet of Elder Brain Juices, the larval Illithid grows in size. From now on, treat it as if it were a Small Viper, save that it does not have poison, is of the Aberration type, has an Intelligence of 2 rather than 1 and looks more like a tadpole with four tentacles growing from its head than a snake. These tentacles constitute a primary natural weapon which deals 1d6 damage. This supersedes the Larva ability and is in turn lost at level 3.

Attach (Ex): If an Illithid hits a Medium of smaller creature with a tentacle attack, it may use its powerful grip to latch onto the opponent's face, automatically dealing its bite damage every round it remains attached. The Illithid counts as grappling while attached. The attached Illithid loses its dexterity bonus to armour class and may be removed by being pinned in a grapple and pulled away from its victim. This ability is lost when the Illithid advances to level 3, but regained when the Illithid advances to level 4.

Toil: At the second level, the Illithid's Mind Slave gains one level in the Warrior class, representing its ceaseless toil and occasional usage in gladiatorial blood sports by the mind flayers which control it. This ability is lost when the Illithid advances to level 3.

Insertion: The Illithid larva is inserted into its host at last and promptly begins to devour the host brain. The host's personality, memories and will are completely subsumed into that of the Illithid, who is now in control of the host body. Though Illithid retains none of the skills, class features, or magical knowledge of the host, it does retain the host's mental and physical ability scores, completely replacing those of the larva. The Illithid still looks like the host at this point in the transformation, but may use its Psi Sense and other psi-like abilities freely in its new body. This supersedes the Host Growth Spurt, Attach and Toil abilities.

Read Thoughts (Ps): The Illithid's psychic powers blossom. It may now manifest Read thoughts as an at will psi-like ability, with a Will save equal to 12 + Int and a manifester level of 5.

Ceremorphosis (Ex): The Illithid's transformation progresses as it regrows the tentacles and beak which it uses to crack open skulls and devour them. The Illithid's type is once more Abberation, its Intelligence increases by 4, and it loses the ability to eat food other than brains. The Illithid's tentacle attacks now inflict 1d8 damage as well as a single point drain to each mental ability score. Should the Illithoid use its newly regained Attach ability, the mental ability drain is applied each round as well as the tentacle damage. Each point of successfully drained ability score will supply the mind flayer with as much nourishment as one meal wound for a humanoid. It may store up to two weeks of nourishment (42 meals) at a time this way.

Telepathy (Su): The Illithid gains telepathy out to 100'.

Mind Blast (Ps): The Illithid may blast a foe within range of its telepathy with mental energy, stunning it for 1d4 rounds. A Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Int modifier) negates this.

Psionics (Ps): The Illithid learns a number of psionic abilities. Pick 3 from the following list to gain as at will psi-like abilities: Suggestion, Levitate, Cloud Mind, Thought Shield, Detect Hostile Intent.

Extract (Ex): The Illithid may extract the brain of a helpless creature (such as one pinned in a grapple against the Illithid's tentacles) as a standard action, instantly killing it unless it has some way of surviving without a brain. Doing so feeds the Illithid as if it had drained all of the creature's remaining mental ability scores to zero.

Blast Cone (Ps): The Illithid's Mind Blast now effects all foes within a 60' cone.

More Psionics (Ps): The Illithid's psionic powers develop further. Pick 3 from the following list to gain as psi-like abilities usable once per day: Psionic Dominate, Psionic Charm Monster, Psionic Modify Memory, Psionic Plane Shift, Correspond.

[Deox]

Related: Complete Mage has the Flaying Tendrils spell which lets you grow tentacles and eat brains.

Either an item that has this continuously active, or just get it on your list, color yourself with pigments (disguise, whatever) and call yourself a mindflayer.

[atemu1234]

Related: Complete Mage has the Flaying Tendrils spell which lets you grow tentacles and eat brains.

Either an item that has this continuously active, or just get it on your list, color yourself with pigments (disguise, whatever) and call yourself a mindflayer.

...
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...
... BRB, making a Rogue for my next campaign.

[Deox]

...
...
...
... BRB, making a Rogue for my next campaign.

Automatically gives you Improved Grapple too. Not a whole lot of damage, but be sure to pump your grapple modifier. Also requires a full round action to attempt to latch to their face with your cthulu-head.

You do gain a bonus to your opposed grapple, IIRC +2 per tentacle that is attached.