D&D 3.5 Illithids, Making their brains hurt

[Doc_Pippin]

Ok, so I am mid way through writing a campaign. A major part of which deals with a massive illithid empire. Now I think I have found every official source for illithids, illithid spawn, illithid kin, and primary illithid thralls, but I still feel as if I am missing some juicy if homebrewed illithid add-ons.

I was wondering if the Playgrounders had any additional brain munching minions to add to my Illithid Emperium.

I had vague thoughts about Illithid Fey, Winged Illithids, Giants undergoing Ceremorphosis (Gianthids?), New undead Illithids perhaps, or completely new forms of illithid.

Maybe New ideas for Illithid allies, innovative thralls, new or missed Illithidspawn, illithidkin, or servent races, Illithid flavored Classes, items, mounts, beasts of burden, lore, or ecology. Really anything and everything on these incredible little buggers.

Im am currently building on the Psionic version of the Illithid with magic being frowned upon but accepted for study purposes only. So Psionic or magical flayers could be adapted her.

My current list of Illithid related stuff that I have ecology for

Spoiler

Show

The Basic Illithid/ Mind flayer
Mindflayer paragon
Body Tamers (PRC)
Soul eaters (PRC)
Savants (PRC)
Ulitharids/ Noble Illithids
Elder Brain and God-Brain
Alhoon
Vampiric Illithid
Octopin
Voidmind creatures
Uchuulon
Larval Flayer
Illithidkin (PRC)
Kezreth
Urophion
Brainstealer dragon
Mindwitnesses
Mind Worm
Mozgriken
Tzakand
Nerve swimmers
Illithocyte
Neothelid
Phthisic
Nyraala Golem
Brain Golem
Intellect Devourer
Ustilagor/ Ustilagor fungi
Oortlings
Gholbrohn
Yaggol
Thoon
Thoon thralls
Ineffable Horror
Half-Illithids
Bluetspur Illithids
Bluetspur Vampiric Illithids
Athaekeetha
Illithidae
- Cessirid
- Embrac
- Kigrid
- Saltor

The 12 Illithid Creeds
The Adversary
Ceremorphosis

On Illithid Tech

I have the Dragon mag articles on Illithid symbionts, magical weapons, Illithid Graphs, and Spelljammers.

I don't think I missed any but if you have any others I will be happier than a clam to add it

[Bhu]

I think you have all the official stuff. I'm surprised there isn't more Mindflayer homebrew.

[gurgleflep]

I think you have all the official stuff. I'm surprised there isn't more Mindflayer homebrew.

You've got some though, I know `cause I've looked through them. Carnal Mind Flayers

[Doc_Pippin]

Carnal Mind Flayers?

I haven't been able to find a version of the 3rd party book Unveiled Masters: the essential guide to mind flayers but I hear it has new stuff in it. Does anyone know where a PDF or online reader of this book can be found?

Edit:

Also Does anyone have any information on

Tkhaluuljin "the Cephalopocalypse” (Or even where to find him)

or

Lugribossk Envoy & Proxy of Ilsensine

[Dracomortis]

Carnal Mind Flayers?

I haven't been able to find a version of the 3rd party book Unveiled Masters: the essential guide to mind flayers but I hear it has new stuff in it. Does anyone know where a PDF or online reader of this book can be found?

Edit:

Also Does anyone have any information on

Tkhaluuljin "the Cephalopocalypse” (Or even where to find him)

or

Lugribossk Envoy & Proxy of Ilsensine

The original Wizard's article for Tkhaluuljin (which was a collection of material for epic-level binders) appears to have been taken down, but here's a GitP post with all of the information copied over.

The only information I could find on Lugribossk is that it was originally introduced as a deity in The Astromundi Cluster and was later retconned into a proxy of Ilsensine.

[Doc_Pippin]

Dracomortis, you are a Gentleman and a Scholar, and have my thanks!

[Dracomortis]

Dracomortis, you are a Gentleman and a Scholar, and have my thanks!

Glad to help. Also, here's a link for Bhu's carnal mindflayers.

[inuyasha]

Do my mind howlers (found in my extended sig) count?

They're undead flayers who died on pandemonium

[Doc_Pippin]

Bhu's Carnal Mindflayer is hilarious but doesn't fit well with the illithid lore being used in my game. The Mind Howlers on the other hand seem to be a viable new form of Illithid undead, kinda like an Illithid Bodak with ties directly to a singular plane.

[Zaydos]

Well let's see...

I have brainstealer dragonbloods and degenerate illithid brutes hope one or both might be useful.

[inuyasha]

Bhu's Carnal Mindflayer is hilarious but doesn't fit well with the illithid lore being used in my game. The Mind Howlers on the other hand seem to be a viable new form of Illithid undead, kinda like an Illithid Bodak with ties directly to a singular plane.

so does it work? Will it get used?

[Bhu]

Carnal Mind Flayers?

The idea behind them was a group of mindflayers get kidnapped to an alternate dimension and are cut off from the Elder Brains and their gods, and have to psychically re-engineer their bodies to reproduce the old fashioned way as opposed to ceremorphosis. It does not end well for them...

[Doc_Pippin]

With your blessings I think I will add The Mind Howlers, Merrithidae, Ilustredi, im still on the fense about the Illithid brutes though, I might change the brute up to be ogres or trolls that underwent ceremorphosis but due to the low int deprived the tadpole of proper growth leading to brutish Illithids...

[Zaydos]

With your blessings I think I will add The Mind Howlers, Merrithidae, Ilustredi, im still on the fense about the Illithid brutes though, I might change the brute up to be ogres or trolls that underwent ceremorphosis but due to the low int deprived the tadpole of proper growth leading to brutish Illithids...

That works (especially as ogres were the main inhabitants of the regions they were found in).

[Doc_Pippin]

Solely for the aid of others coming here, this is the list of sources I have found (and can remember off the top of my head)

SOURCES:
Lords of madness
Underdark
Guide to the Astral Plane
Lords of Darkness
The Illithiad
A Darkness Gathering
Masters of Eternal Night
Dawn of the Overmind
Spelljammer box "The Astromundi Cluster."
Fiend Folio
Dragon issue # 296 Worshippers of the Forbidden
Dragon issue # 308 Armed to the tentacle – the illithid arsenal
Dragon issue # 313 Brain power – secrets of the illithids
Dragon Issue #117 "Hounds of Space and Darkness"
Dragon issue #150
Dragon Magazine #76
Sunset World
The Flow of Fresh Brains
Expanded Psionic Handbook
MM 1,3, & 5
Complete Psionics

Still looking for this one: Unveiled Masters: the essential guide to mind flayers

[Network]

You didn't put Complete Psionic into your list of references, but I suppose you have looked it up, didn't you? If not, the book contains Illithid Heritage feats that may be of interest to you, as well as the stats for mutant tadpoles (the ones that grow up to become neothelids).

The 3rd party supplement Bastards and Bloodlines also contains the stats for literal half-illithid (that is, the result of an illithid breeding with other humanoids). You may want to check it up.

[Doc_Pippin]

Your right I forgot to list Complete Psionics, on the second note, how would one mate with an illithid? They have not reproductive organs.

[gurgleflep]

Well let's see...

I have brainstealer dragonbloods and degenerate illithid brutes hope one or both might be useful.

ILLITHID BRUTE!? I can now die a happier person - I read their whole thing and fell in love. You have no clue how long I've been looking for something like that!

I love your Carnal Equivalent too Bhu mind flayers are among my all time favorite monsters.

[Network]

Your right I forgot to list Complete Psionics, on the second note, how would one mate with an illithid? They have not reproductive organs.

B&B states that mind rippers (half-illithids) are almost always the result of an humanoid female impregnated by an ooze made of the remains of dozens of mind flayers. Squickier than ceremorphosis, really. Note the insistence on ''almost always''.

CP wasn't as explicit. It just says ''illithid ancestor'', though I guess it is implied that mind flayers retain the reproductive organs of their host, or that the host keeps his reproductive functions until ceremorphosis is complete.

In both cases, given how much mind flayers tend to like experimenting with their reproduction process, neither of them are really that surprising.

[Vamphyr]

I love the idea of Giant Illithids. Massive, brain eating, boulder throwing, body guards.

Also, I think creating tentacle faced Illithid-dragons would be great guards for major citadels in the Illithid Empire. I'm not sure of the complete RAW legality of doing something as such, but I've always thought it would be very thematic to have the party crossing a vast bridge to a major Illithid Citadel in a gargantuan underground cavern. Suddenly half way across the gulf they hear a great roar and are blown backwards with the force of a mindblast. The great dragon claws it's way onto the walkway, raises itself, and spreads it's vast wings in all it's abberant glory.

Roll Initiative.

[Doc_Pippin]

I love the idea of Giant Illithids. Massive, brain eating, boulder throwing, body guards.

Also, I think creating tentacle faced Illithid-dragons would be great guards for major citadels in the Illithid Empire. I'm not sure of the complete RAW legality of doing something as such, but I've always thought it would be very thematic to have the party crossing a vast bridge to a major Illithid Citadel in a gargantuan underground cavern. Suddenly half way across the gulf they hear a great roar and are blown backwards with the force of a mindblast. The great dragon claws it's way onto the walkway, raises itself, and spreads it's vast wings in all it's abberant glory.

Roll Initiative.

The RAW of it is that wizards made an illithid dragon mix, its called the Brainstealer dragon



They actually kinda rock out loud. They advance through age, are strong enough and i guess respected enough because they can lead illithid communities that lose or lack an elder brain, they can also become powerful enough to overwhelm the illithid side retain sentience and rebel against an elder brain, and I can't remember where I read it but I vaguely remember a Great Wyrm Brainstealer Dragon that rebelled against a God brain and triumphed. The kick the crud out of Gem Dragons as far as Psionic dragons go

[Zaydos]

I am reminded that since brainstealer dragons still technically breed as opposed to undergoing cerebromorphosis they might be the source of so-called "illithid ancestors" as it would be (vaguely) possible to inherit more of the illithid traits than the dragon ones from one.

Is this the real reasoning behind these things? No. But it is a possible explanation that hurts my head less than most of the others (though for the Illithid Heritage feats I prefer the explanation that you don't have Illithid Ancestors you are just one of the people who are the first step towards mutating into illithids in the distant future).

[Doc_Pippin]

I got it, Illithid+(metamorphosis power+curiosity)-the number of partners killed before finding a masochist= Illithid Heritage

FOR SCIENCE!

[LordErebus12]

I got it, Illithid+(metamorphosis power+curiosity)-the number of partners killed before finding a masochist= Illithid Heritage

FOR SCIENCE!

Doesn't Matter, Had Cerebromorphosis

[JeminiZero]

Perhaps the Emerald Legion in my sig may interest you... its old and in dire need of updating though.

[qazzquimby]

If it's not too much trouble, or if it's already written up somewhere, could you post what you've put together for your massive empire with working ecology? There are not nearly enough brains being stolen in my game.

[SassyQuatch]

Dragonstar books have a couple of options you missed.

Galactic Races had the Ith-Kon, a race engineered to be psionic commandos. They were designed to be a LA +0 race with a strong Illithid association and some toned down psi abilities.

Imperial Supply had the Kjanoth, a zero-g guard aberration used by mind flayers. Unexceptional monster that doesn't even have a picture.

[old school man]

Illithids give me the creeps.




John

[asnys]

I haven't been able to find a version of the 3rd party book Unveiled Masters: the essential guide to mind flayers but I hear it has new stuff in it. Does anyone know where a PDF or online reader of this book can be found?

Isn't that the one that got pulled from the shelves and pulped?

[JoshuaZ]

Isn't that the one that got pulled from the shelves and pulped?

This sounds interesting. Story?

Edit:It looks available on RPGnow.