Illithid Hunter? [3.5]

[Niezck]

I'm looking for any and all advice regarding building an Illithid hunter.

I have 8 levels to work with*, pretty much any WOTC material and homebrew will be allowed so long as it's balanced. I'd prefer an arcane caster or a psionic character, but have found the classes in XPH, CPsi, LoM etc somewhat lacking.

A Keeper of the Cerulean Sign would be very nice, but the crafting requirement would be a large disadvantage as it'd put me back to level 7.

So, yeah, enough rambling. Does anybody have any tips or advice for building an Illithid Hunter?

*I also have 8 "bonus points" to work with. They can do the following:
1 point - Buy off a RHD
1 point - Acquire an abberant feat
1 point - 75,000gp worth of grafts
2 points - Buy off an LA
2 points - Gestalt 1 class level

[true_shinken]

Elan Psion 5/Illithid Slayer 3 does the job pretty well.
Gestalt 4 levels into Warblade and you are done.

[Grumman]

Elan Psion 5/Illithid Slayer 3 does the job pretty well.
Gestalt 4 levels into Warblade and you are done.

You can actually get into Illithid Slayer after level 4 instead of 5, if you want.

[Niezck]

Well that does seem the obvious option, but I was wondering if there were any other obscure feats, skill tricks, items, etc that people know about?

Or any funky prestige classes that work surprisingly well vs Illithids, etc?

[Flickerdart]

See if you can finagle an Illithid Illithid Hunter, for ultimate irony.

[Fouredged Sword]

throw your willsave through the roof, buy a custom magic item that only boost willsave through the roof, max out wis.

Do the above build, except take ardent and swordsage for Wiz Sad. Now take the feat that makes all saves VS psionic powers will saves. Can't find it anymore, Don't want to bookdive for the name. Just take mental juggernaut so you don't get stunned to death.

...

Profit?

[JeminiZero]

*I also have 8 "bonus points" to work with. They can do the following:
1 point - Buy off a RHD
1 point - Acquire an abberant feat
1 point - 75,000gp worth of grafts
2 points - Buy off an LA
2 points - Gestalt 1 class level

With a point system like this, I am tempted to suggest a whole stack of templates. If you are a dedicated Illithid hunter, you will more than likely want at least one that provides immunity to mind affecting, and the Illithid brain eating attack as well. A few possibilites come to mind:

1. Necropolitan (Libirs Mortis): Effectively LA +0, but lose 3000 XP if performed on level 3. Its probably more worthwhile to spend actual XP on this then your points. You can then buy the Evolved Undead Template 4 times with your 8 points, or some other template. (Buy Evolved at least once, though, the fast healing will take care of most of the healing problems being undead would otherwise entail). Immune to ability damage lets you take on fiend grafts without problems

2. Voidmind (MM 3): LA +3 so it will suck up 6 points. Provides almost as many immunities as undeath except for: Starvation, Suffocation, Death Effects, non-lethal, criticals, stunning, but you remain alive. On the whole, undeath is probably better unless you want to abuse some sort of regen/delay death combo (see Emerald Legion in my sig). But it IS very flavorful, since you can essentially fluff it as an escaped former illithid slave. Might or might not be immune to Illithid brain eating attack, depending on how you read the text (most of you brain is replaced by psionic slime, most but not all).

3. Woodling (also MM 3): Transform into a plant, and gain the associated immunities, and +7 natural armor and some SLAs as well. Also a rather expensive LA +3/6 points.

4. Fey Touched: LA +1, so it costs 2 points, and you can buy other strong templates with the leftover. Unlike the above 3, it still has an actual brain, and is hence still vulnerable to the Illithid brain eating attack.

Edit: One thing to note is that you can only ever gain one type of graft (e.g. only from dragon, or only from undead). So look through the grafts, and consider them by type.

[Niezck]

What about an arcane build to combat them? Any funky things I should include?

[true_shinken]

You can actually get into Illithid Slayer after level 4 instead of 5, if you want.

If you have Knowledge (dungeoneering) as a class skill, sure. Psion's don't get it.
Kinda hard to kill an illithid at levels 4/5 though.

[Kylarra]

Try to get a generic slayer instead and obviate the killing of an illithid req.

If you have Knowledge (dungeoneering) as a class skill, sure. Psion's don't get it.

The psion’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration* (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually)* (Int), Profession (Wis), and Psicraft* (Int).

[Niezck]

Would slayer really be that potent? And, again, what about arcane casters? Any interesting things I could take as, say, a sorcerer?

[Eldan]

Bad Thrall. No hunting your masters.

Anyway, all illithids will be Telepaths at least partially, so you really need to get either Mind Blank (unlikely at this level) or resistance to mental effects. That shuts down half their powers.

[Niezck]

Pffft, like I'm playing a conventional character in that campaign

If my celestial agent idea falls through I'm gonna roll up an Illithid slayer for shiz, gigglez 'n lulz.

[Fouredged Sword]

If you lack psionics, take closed mind. If you also have good con and wis, take psionic hole. Always take mental juggernaut. If you can swing the feat take iorn will. Add in hostile mind if you got good Cha. All in all, if you can swing the lot, you will have something like +7 to saves vs most everything the nasty will do to you, and then most stuff will backfire at them. Avoid the graple like crazy and go to town. Tangelfoot them, and grease the floor. Now hit them from ranged.

[Eldan]

Hehe. Oh yes, I'm building a grapple-titan. Get a source of Freedom of Movement as well.

[Niezck]

Ooooh, new idea! A gish! An illithid-hunting gish!

I need spells that will make Abberations go ka-boom

(And general gish help if somebody would be so kind as to PM me?)

[Lycanthromancer]

Pure (necropolitan + evolved undead x4) psychic warrior might be nice. Use all of those yummy feats on illithid tentacles, grab a psicrystal + metamorphosis for a construct mount, then mounted combat feats. Take a lance (and a dancing lance), psionic lion's charge, and deal a crapload of damage on a single charge with tons of attacks.

And don't forget to increase your mobility and sensory perceptions considerably using those powers of yours. You're gonna need 'em.

[Flob]

Make an Unbodied psion (telepath). Remove its level adjustment, and commence destroying EVERYTHING. Illithids can't grapple you, and your will save should be out the wazoo. Have fun.

[Lycanthromancer]

Do warforged have brains?

[Zaq]

Make a Totemist. Dare them to grapple you. Very high-risk, but incredibly satisfying when it goes well, I'd imagine. (Totemists, for the uninitiated, can get Grapple checks that rival or exceed those of Druids.)

Just shore up your Will save and you'll be ok.

[Lycanthromancer]

Make a Totemist. Dare them to grapple you. Very high-risk, but incredibly satisfying when it goes well, I'd imagine. (Totemists, for the uninitiated, can get Grapple checks that rival or exceed those of Druids the tarrasque.)

Just shore up your Will save and you'll be ok.

Fixed that.

[JeminiZero]

Do warforged have brains?

They ae still vulnerable to mind affecting and critical strikes. While they may not have a brain per se, I would reason they at least have a CPU of some sort located in their heads that is still vulnerable to Illithid removal.

[FoeHammer]

IIRC, the illithid's extract ability specifically excludes constructs from the vulnerable groups. As a warforged is a construct, albeit a living one, I don't think it could be effected. And even if it could, the mind-flayer wouldn't want to, as there is no brain for it to eat.

[Marriclay]

IIRC, the illithid's extract ability specifically excludes constructs from the vulnerable groups. As a warforged is a construct, albeit a living one, I don't think it could be effected. And even if it could, the mind-flayer wouldn't want to, as there is no brain for it to eat.

Nice! use Magic of Eberron to make it a Psiforged, then go Illithid Slayer and you have a menace to the mind flayer race. A non-edible one, at that.

[Keld Denar]

A feat thats great against Mind Flayers, and great in general is Quick Recovery from Lords of Madness. It gives you a 2nd save against most thing Illithid do to disable you, and also allows you to make a save vs things that NORMALLY DON'T ALLOW SAVES!@!!! That means you can shrug off Blasphemy off after a half a round simply by spending your move action. Its decent on low Will save characters, but its AMAZING for high Will save folks for that reason.