[3.5 + PF] Talking Heads & Brains in Jars

[Palanan]

Disembodied brains are a staple of science fiction, from B’omarr monks to the Ship Who Sang. I can’t think of any examples offhand from fantasy, perhaps because the concept has a bit of a 50s B-movie feel to it.

But that shouldn’t stop anyone. How would you do this in Pathfinder or 3.5 + Dragon mag? Are there any spells or rituals that would keep a brain alive and stable? And apart from telepathy, would there be any way for the brain to communicate with the rest of us?

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[Another Handle]

Pathfinder loves them some Lovecraft, so I'd go with their Brain Cylinder (https://www.aonprd.com/MagicWondrousDisplay.aspx?FinalName=Brain%20Cylind er). They may have also done something with the other brain types too, but the Mi-Go is the only one I recall off hand.

[DrMartin]

brains in a jar are sort of the starting point from From the Shadows, a classic Ravenloft adventure which almost goes bingo on the table of classic creepy hour B movies tropes

the brain cylinder has been introduced in the module Valley of the Brain Collectors, if memory serves part 4 of the Iron Gods adventure path. It features other brain-themed critters, like neh-thalghu and its evolved brethren the YAH-THELGAAD (the sort of name one can only pronounce at the top of their lungs)

[noob]

There is also the neurocam which allows to scan the mind of a creature then you can then upload it to a cloned body or in an ai/robot (the process might drive the mind insane)

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Another Handle
Pathfinder loves them some Lovecraft, so I'd go with their Brain Cylinder.

Hmm, okay. This looks like they’re essentially dropping the B-movie tech into the rules.

Is there any way to accomplish the same end with existing Pathfinder spells? I’m looking for something that fits more organically into a world with magic, without relying on technology from alien spaceships or whatnot.

[VoxRationis]

Part of the issue is that treating the brain as the seat of personality, such that preserving it is key to having the essence of a person remain, is something taken from modern understandings of human anatomy. Folklore and mythology, and thus fantasy, tend to use the idea of a personality existing in the form of an immaterial soul. If the story needs a dead person to interact with, there's no need to muck about with a brain in a jar when you can less messily have a ghost lingering about. While D&D and the sword-and-sorcery genre have a rich tradition of mixing in pulp sci-fi elements (such as the aforementioned mind flayers and Lovecraftian imports), it's very difficult to make them read as not being sci-fi imports.

[Palanan]

So, Pathfinder may have gone the 50s-tech route.

How about 3.5? Is there anything in official 3.5 sources, including Dragon content, which could lend itself to magically preserving a brain?

[spectralphoenix]

Libris Mortis has the Brain in a Jar monster, an undead psychic brain in a jar. Not very creatively named, but it sounds like what you're looking for.

[ShurikVch]

Vile Rebellion spell (Dragon #300): arms, legs, and even torso of the victim disconnecting (bloodlessly and painlessly) and "walk" away as a Zombie; head stays alive (regardless of inability to eat, drink, breath, or even time of their disembodied existence) and able to talk (somehow), but gradually going insane (constant Wis drain, with effect of Insanity (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/insanity.htm) at 0)


The Shaddoc (Jakandor, Isle of Destiny) is a preserved skull which contains not personality, but all the knowledge of its former "owner". Sure, Jakandor was never officially updated to 3.X - but you can do update by using the official 2E-to-3E update booklet


Also, how about the Unbodied (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm)?

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/d4/96/54/d4965437b07548f75741f75024cff745--aberration-material.jpg

[spectralphoenix]

Also in Libris Mortis is the Husk Globe, a magic item that is a preserved humanoid corpse that allows for telepathic questioning. It probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch to reflavor it as a preserved unliving brain, if you want a more passive brain in a jar. The only real kicker is weight - the husk globe weighs 700 pounds. You could suggest that the brain version requires a more expansive magical/alchemical apparatus to keep the brain (un)alive, though I don't think it would destroy game balance if it was a bit more portable.

[Analytica]

Brain Canister, Lords of Madness p67.

[redking]

Imbrudar The Brain in a Jar.
(https://web.archive.org/web/20080421102222/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20070803a)

[Gruftzwerg]

Intellect Devourer (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/intellectDevourer.htm) maybe?