[3.5] Optimize Mind Flayer Knight 4

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

If you had to run with a Mind Flayer Aberration 8/Knight (PHB2) 4, using elite array, how would you do it?

Assume race and class are fixed. No templates allowed.

Using feats, skills and items, how would you make the most of this combo?

Cheers - T

[Inevitability]

Mind Flayer gives you good ability bonuses (though mostly to mental stats), spell resistance, telepathy, some psionic abilities, and some tentacle-related abilities.

Knight gives you challenges, mounted combat, armor mastery, bulwark of defense, and shield block.

You could try to make a grappler, but with a piddly strength bonus, medium size, and +10 BAB, you aren't going to be very threatening. You could take Hidden Talent (Expansion) and Inner Strength several times, which will give you large/huge size for at least a few encounters each day.

Ability Focus (Mind Blast) shouldn't be too bad a feat, as you're enhancing what amounts to a save-or-die with it.

You never said you have to be evil, right? Intuitive Attack could be used to create a build completely focused on mental stats. Your damage will suffer, but damage isn't your top priority anyway.

[mabriss lethe]

Also, is this the standard illithid from the MM or full psionic version in the EPH?

[d20familiar]

Obligatory mount advice:
http://i40.tinypic.com/29d7ezb.jpg

[Thurbane]

Also, is this the standard illithid from the MM or full psionic version in the EPH?

MM version please.

[Flickerdart]

I'm assuming that this is an NPC, since you didn't mention LA and it has Elite Array. This means it's CR 10 (8 base, +2 for 4 non-associated levels). This is good, because its DCs should be high enough to matter.

Do you have charmed minions? Use them! Test of Mettle means that enemies will focus on you, and your (weaker) mooks can use support abilities or battlefield control effects without being killed.

Pull out a reach weapon and grab the Stand Still feat. When your enemies try to attack you, freeze them in their tracks. Bulwark of Defense will make it more difficult for them to get out of your threatened area to attack you.

When you've got a cluster of enemies trapped around you, Tumble out of the way so they are all in the area of your Mind Blast, and prepare to eat brains.

[Irk]

Probably some sort of lockdown build, leveraging Bulwark of Defense with Martial Stance [Thicket of Blades]. Try going for a Knockdown-Improved Trip combo off of that. Maybe playing around with a Mancatcher to get free grapple attempts to segway into brain-sucking.

[WhamBamSam]

My thought would be to ride around on some charmed/enslaved intelligent creature using your free move action (from only being able to make one attack per round and not needing to direct your mount with Handle Animal) to Levitate it around to set up charges as a pseudo-Travel Devotion. Unfortunately, Knight 2 comes a level too late to leverage the bonus Mounted Combat into Spirited Charge without Psionic Reformation or similar.

The Plane Shift SLA could also be leveraged into keeping the Higher Order ability of a Planar Touchstone fueled. Monastery of Zerth'Ad'Lun or Catalogues of Enlightenment would be good choices.