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Mike_Lemmer
2007-04-21, 11:48 AM
Mind flayers have the Plane Shift ability at will. They can use it on unwilling creatures they touch as well (DC 16 Will save). I'm surprised this isn't emphasized in combat more often; they have an endless insta-death spell available that makes it extremely hard to recover the bodies, if not impossible. (Imagine plane shifting all your foes to the Negative Energy Plane.)

Is Plane Shift as powerful for mind flayers as I'm reading it as, or is there some limitation I'm missing?

Closet_Skeleton
2007-04-21, 12:04 PM
Mind flayers have the Plane Shift ability at will. They can use it on unwilling creatures they touch as well (DC 16 Will save). I'm surprised this isn't emphasized in combat more often; they have an endless insta-death spell available that makes it extremely hard to recover the bodies, if not impossible. (Imagine plane shifting all your foes to the Negative Energy Plane.)

Is Plane Shift as powerful for mind flayers as I'm reading it as, or is there some limitation I'm missing?

I think it is as powerful as you think it is.

However offensive teleportation (except from the slightly differant Baleful Teleportation power) is rarely used. Sending your opponent to an alternate dimension is possible but a bit cheap and it isn't a sure kill.

Tellah
2007-04-21, 12:09 PM
You're right; the spell plane shift can indeed be used on unwilling creatures:


Plane Shift

Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Clr 5, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched, or up to eight willing creatures joining hands
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

This doesn't seem terribly overpowered, though, since creatures of lower CR have death attacks, petrification and other nasty stuff. The power plane shift, psionic, however, does not allow use on unwilling creatures:



Plane Shift, Psionic
Psychoportation
Level: Psion/wilder 5
Display: Visual
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: Willing creature touched, or up to eight willing creatures joining hands
Duration: Instantaneous
Power Points: 9


If it bugs you, use the XPH version of the mindflayer in your games--I sort of think you ought to, anyway, as the mindflayer is fundamentally a psionic creature in my mind. If you run them right, they ought be in your players' minds as well.:smallbiggrin:

Mike_Lemmer
2007-04-21, 12:17 PM
However offensive teleportation (except from the slightly differant Baleful Teleportation power) is rarely used. Sending your opponent to an alternate dimension is possible but a bit cheap and it isn't a sure kill.

Mmm, I'd disagree. Sending just about anyone to the Negative Protection Plane is a sure kill unless they're a cleric. And mind flayers are all about cheap tactics; what do you call repeatable mass stuns and charms?

Ryuuk
2007-04-21, 12:21 PM
Well, it might not be the best choice for a mindflayer. It's a touch spell after all, and mindflayers rarely opt to melee unless their victims are stunned. If they are stunned, then why send them away when you could get a good meal in 18 seconds or new perfectly good thrall?

InfiniteMiller
2007-04-21, 12:30 PM
The first game of D+D I played was a teaching game for about 8 players that we ran at college. At the end of the semester, our DM decided that since it was just a teaching game, he'd kill us off in an over-the-top way. So he randomly gave us each one Wondrous Item and threw a mind flayer at us. We were all lvl 2 at the time.

I don't remember much of the ridiculous fight that ensued, but I do recall him opening a dimensional gate on one of our players, who failed his will save and was sentenced to spend the rest of his natural life falling through the Elemental Plane of Wind and Air.

We were seriously laughing our asses off through this entire massacre. Good times.