Quote Originally Posted by GloatingSwine View Post
Except it's not, because it's a skill check you can pass. It just doesn't tell you what the check is going to be until you've passed another check to get to it.

It's presented as a realistic option you might choose for a high Intelligence character, because that's how all the other skill checks in the dialogue system have been presented, a thing you can do because you built your character a certain way, but what it actually requires is multiple attributes to be high (Int and Wis). You can't find that out until after you passed the Intelligence check, by which point it's too late.

It's a design trap because it's a badly implemented option with a badly designed consequence for failure (your entire party stands and watches with nothing to indicate they are affected).
The Mindflayer is tricking you.

I'm going to detail the scene to everyone since not everyone has 70 dollars or a desire to buy and download an 82 gig game.

After killing a bunch of folk who are being mind controlled by a Mindflayer, it will attempt to mind attack you. I had to use a Wisdom save to get away from it, and in doing so the Mindflayer lost control and the remaining mind thrall ran away, freed from the Mindflayer's effect. Then, I approached the Mindflayer again

The instant I do so, it begins bombarding me with mind control noise. Love me, worship me, save me, trying to overpower you- in fact, if not for the baby in your skull it WOULD HAVE overpowered you. this is made clear. Upon experiencing a psionic feedback from touching the baby in you, it suddenly starts building up mental energy... and then stops, turning away from you.

Then and only then are you given an option. Two, in fact. Kill it, or [Intelligence] Probe Further Yourself.

To me, it is BLATANTLY clear that Mindflayer buddy over here is faking us out, trying to get us to probe further- you know, since we have a baby flayer in us. We felt our brains touch. We know intrinsically we can do this. So he's enticing us. It's a trick to get us to lower our guard. If we succeed in linking our minds again... the Mindflayer, who is now waiting for us and as we know IS stronger than us mentally but is hurt by the baby inside of us, will bombard us with a charged up mental blast- and because we know from earlier that Wisdom helps resist these effects, it is now time to make a wisdom save because OOPS we tried to read books in cthulhu town.

This is telegraphed very obviously, it is foreshadowed abundantly, and if you stop and think about it for even a second it becomes obvious that trying to intentionally shove your brain and a Mindflayer's brain together is A Bad Idea. This is why if you FAIL the roll, you're safe; you aren't successfully probing its mind. This is why it works out the way it does. You saw the forbidden fruit and you grabbed for it, and damn your hide you succeeded in grabbing it.

Now you know why it's forbidden.