I require a compendium of every Mind Flayer Variant

[PhantasyPen]

I am preparing to run a campaign right now centering around one of D&D's most iconic monsters: the Illithid. (Details in the spoilers below)

I am working off of a post I think I found here sometime back, theorizing that neothelids are the true forms of mind flayers, and that their current forms are creations of the Elder Brains, which have enslaved their race by taking over what used to be the psychic gestalt of their species. This has been discovered by a cult of mind flayer arcanists, who are working to resurrect a powerful illithilich for the sake of taking over and freeing their entire race from the control of the Elder Brains so that they might rule over the world as their true selves. The players are roped into this when both sides, gearing up for a major war, have begun kidnapping people en masse.

Needless to say, I want to try and include as much variety as I can in the enemies encountered while sticking to the central theme. To that end, I was hoping that the good people of the Playground could help me compile all the different variants of mind flayers throughout the years. I'm aware of the versions in Volo's and the Monster Manual, but I haven't had time to go through Mordekainen's yet (are there even any in there?) and I don't know what variants existed in previous editions, so any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Unoriginal]

There are few Illithid variants that don't work in 5e because how Illithids work change between editions. Do you still want them?

[Lombra]

Volo has some interesting stuff about them

[Millstone85]

Nothing in MToF.

Here are the illithids I know of:


Alhoon
not an illithilich
VGtM
p171


Brainstealer Dragon
much Cthulhu




Elder Brain

VGtM
p173


Mind Flayer

MM
p221


Mind Flayer Arcanist

MM
p222


Mind Flayer Lich
or illithilich, not an alhoon
VGtM
p172


Mind Flayer Psion

VGtM
p71


Mindwitness
beholder-kin
VGtM
p176


Neothelid

VGtM
p181


Tadpole





Ulitharid
seed of a new elder brain
VGtM
p175


Urophion
made from a roper

[Unoriginal]

Note that Urophion aren't in 5e anymore because they made the Ropers non-sapient.

[Bubzors]

I would suggest checking out the mind flayers of thoon. From 3.5, I forget what monster manual. But they are super cool and creepy and kind of fit into your story of a different sect of mind flayers against the general population.

THOON IS THOON! THOON IS ALL!

[Millstone85]

Note that Urophion aren't in 5e anymore because they made the Ropers non-sapient.You are right. Or urophions could be non-sapient themselves, just serving as a telepathic alert system.

Also, I think that demihuman ceremorphosis used to yield inferior illithid variants. But VGtM simply describes standard ceremorphosis as requiring a humanoid. So I guess the difference would now be purely cosmetic, like an illithid with a few remaining dragonborn scales.

[Zanthy1]

Millstone pretty much covered it, but I just wanted to say that I really like your campaign idea. What levels were you thinking your party would be throughout this? (because I intend to copy the idea lol)

[PhantasyPen]

Nothing in MToF.

Here are the illithids I know of:
<snip>

Much obliged thank you.


Millstone pretty much covered it, but I just wanted to say that I really like your campaign idea. What levels were you thinking your party would be throughout this? (because I intend to copy the idea lol)

I want to run them from levels 3-20, but there is a high likelihood it might just go to only level 16 or 17 if I don't find good filler enemies to pad out the ranks.

[Millstone85]

So, I am curious about your campaign.

What exactly do you mean by neothelids being the true form of the illithids? Is it to say that ceremorphosis did not happen until a particular experiment? How would the elder brains have existed before that change was made? In any case, why would illithids want to be neothelids? Will you homebrew a variant of the neothelid that is intelligent?

[Azgeroth]

if you look up TMG (The Mighty Gluestick) on youtube, he has a video on the Illithid that i think will help you alot, it goes over the societal structure, history, different kinds of illithid, their gods. really interesting stuff.

[Unoriginal]

if you look up TMG (The Mighty Gluestick) on youtube, he has a video on the Illithid that i think will help you alot, it goes over the societal structure, history, different kinds of illithid, their gods. really interesting stuff.

Is it covering the 5e Illithids, though? They've been different through the editions.

[PhantasyPen]

So, I am curious about your campaign.

What exactly do you mean by neothelids being the true form of the illithids? Is it to say that ceremorphosis did not happen until a particular experiment? How would the elder brains have existed before that change was made? In any case, why would illithids want to be neothelids? Will you homebrew a variant of the neothelid that is intelligent?

"Did Ceremorphosis not exist until a particular experiment?"
Yes, that is the idea, so to speak. Before the Elder Brains came into being, the neothelids existed as a "hive" mind, a mental collective with a gestalt conscious that linked their entire race, allowing them to grow more intelligent the more of them that were present (like a certain group of AI in a certain science fiction game). The Ceremorphosis process was still possible, but much rarer, and usually accidental, when a humanoid creature fell into a spawning pool.

"How did the Elder Brains come to be?"
Ah yes, here's the rub. Since the origins of the Elder Brains are the Ulitharids, one now has to ask how Ulitharids came to be. As I said before, Ceremorphosis was possible before the Elder Brains, however it was not the standard practice. The running theory is that an Ulitharid appeared through an accidental Ceremorphosis, which began to experiment and cause other neothelid tadpoles to Ceremorphosis intentionally. This would eventually become the first illithid colony.

"Homebrew intelligent Neothelid?"
Probably, although although it will probably be more likely to be a piece of "set dressing" for a group battle against them.

[Ettina]

Do the creations of illithids (eg intellect devourers) count? Or just illithids themselves?

[Millstone85]

Before the Elder Brains came into being, the neothelids existed as a "hive" mind, a mental collective with a gestalt conscious that linked their entire race, allowing them to grow more intelligent the more of them that were present (like a certain group of AI in a certain science fiction game).Sorry, I do not get that reference.

But there is an example of this process in D&D. One of the illithids' own creations, actually. The cranium rats.

[PhantasyPen]

Do the creations of illithids (eg intellect devourers) count? Or just illithids themselves?

This would help yes.

[Naanomi]

It depends on which lore continuity you accept, but at least in the 3e era lore it is implied that Elder Brains were created as psionic focuses to allow the 'racial time travel' thing; and maybe didn't really exist before then as part of the illithid life cycle

[PhantasyPen]

Which book says that? I don't think I ever came across that bit of lore.

[Zanthy1]

Sorry, I do not get that reference.

But there is an example of this process in D&D. One of the illithids' own creations, actually. The cranium rats.

Also the Slivers from Magic: The Gathering

[Millstone85]

Do the creations of illithids (eg intellect devourers) count? Or just illithids themselves?
This would help yes.Creations of the illithids:


Cranium Rats
modified rats
some loose
VGtM
p133


Derro
modified dwarves
rebelled
MToF
p158


Duergar
modified dwarves
rebelled
MM
p122


Gith
modified ?????
rebelled
MM
p158


Grimlocks
modified humans
obedient
MM
p175


Intellect Devourers
modified brains
obedient
MM
p191


Kuo-toa
modified ?????
abandoned
MM
p198


Oblexes
modified oozes
?????
MToF
p217



Other creatures found around them:


Flumphs
psionic parasites, spy for adventurers,
sometimes steal mindwitnesses
MM
p135


Psychic Gray Oozes
develop by mimicking psionics
MM
p240