Protect yourself from illithid

[Keeganwilson]

I'm currently playing in a mind flayer heavy campaign, what're the best ways to protect yourself against them and alhoon? Something a cleric would be able to do, I'm at a loss at how to benifits the party . We also have a druid and a wizard. We're level 19.

[Keltest]

Protect against what, specifically? Illithids have a few different things they can do, whats giving you trouble?

[Keeganwilson]

Mind blasts is the worst of it. 80% of us are stunned most rounds. It's getting really annoying.

[Keltest]

Well, off hand, bless is a wonderful spell that allows you to add a d4 to saving throws. Your Holy Aura spell also gives advantage on saves to everybody within 30 feet, and if the other spellcasters don't mind, an Antimagic Field will give the illithids a pretty bad day in general, if you have some martials to follow up with.

[Nagog]

Well, off hand, bless is a wonderful spell that allows you to add a d4 to saving throws. Your Holy Aura spell also gives advantage on saves to everybody within 30 feet, and if the other spellcasters don't mind, an Antimagic Field will give the illithids a pretty bad day in general, if you have some martials to follow up with.

This is the tea. Bless specifically if you have a smaller party, or a few party members that fail their Int saves most commonly.
If a party member dies and needs to roll up a new character, I'd strongly suggest Paladin for it, if they're willing. Their natural Aura will work wonders, and combined with Bless, could easily see your party all making their saves pretty much all the time.

[col_impact]

Headband of Intellect.

[Demonslayer666]

Find a smith that is skilled enough to work metal into very thin sheets and fashion yourself a tinfoil hat.

[Wildarm]

Half Elf GOOlock is another good choice if you're at 10th level. Advantages vs Charms(Dominate Monster) and resistance to psychic damage plus what damage you do take is redirected back to enemy. Illithid slave or experiment who rebelled/escaped but has a lingering voice in the back of their head is fantastic to RP in an mind flayer heavy campaign.

Deep Gnome Rogue would be another good choice. Decent Int save and advantage vs all the Illithid's tricks. Uncanny dodge to half or quarter the damage.

[MaxWilson]

I'm currently playing in a mind flayer heavy campaign, what're the best ways to protect yourself against them and alhoon? Something a cleric would be able to do, I'm at a loss at how to benifits the party . We also have a druid and a wizard. We're level 19.

Protection From Evil blocks illithid domination and intellect devourer possession, and makes attacks harder. Not sufficient by itself, but essential if you can get it. Heroes' Feast can also help against domination (gives advantage) and it doesn't cost concentration.

Nondetection may or may not prevent an Elder Brain or intellect devourer from locating you.

Also, use recon/illusions and keep your distance if you can.

[Deathtongue]

Flight and teleportation are huge deals while fighting, so you can break up your party. Even if you're a squishy mage-type that doesn't have a good AC and INT save, if you're unable to maintain a 60' distance (which is surprisingly hard given dungeon design and spell range) it's a really good idea to get up close to mind-flayers (and their variants) anyway so your entire party isn't subject to Mind Blast.

Mind Flayers also have surprisingly bad Constitution saving throws for their level. Even with Magic Resistance, they only have a 50/50 shot of making a save against, say, Blindness/Deafness.

Wall of Stone is your ace in the hole. It's hilarious how much this spell completely screws over Mindflayers, especially if you stack the panels. All they can do is Plane Shift away (winning you the combat) or try to Levitate over it. You can try Wall of Force, too, but it's easier for Mindflayers to levitate over and it's hard to capture more than one of them in one. There's also an open question whether it will block Mind Blast.