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how to draw the mind flayer

Written By Tuesday, February 15, 2022 Add Comment Edit

Fictional monster from Dungeons & Dragons

Illithid
Illithid Sorcerer.png
Outset appearance The Strategic Review #one, Leap 1975
Information
Type Abnormality
Alignment Well-nigh always Lawful Evil

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy function-playing game, illithids (ordinarily known every bit mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. In a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, they live in the moist caverns and cities of the enormous Underdark. Illithids believe themselves to be the dominant species of the multiverse and use other intelligent creatures as thralls, slaves, and chattel. Illithids are well known for making thralls out of other intelligent creatures, equally well as feasting on their brains.

Licensing [edit]

The illithid is considered "Product Identity" by Wizards of the Coast and as such is non released nether its Open Game License.[1]

Publication history [edit]

Listen flayers were created by Gary Gygax, who has said that one of his inspirations for them was the cover painting of the Titus Crow book The Burrowers Beneath by Brian Lumley.[two] [3] Tim Kirk's cover art on the book, then in its first printing, depicted only the tentacles of the titular burrowers, the Chthonians.[4]

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976) [edit]

Mind flayers first appeared in the official newsletter of TSR Games, The Strategic Review #1, Bound 1975. Here, the mind flayer is described as "a super-intelligent, human-shaped brute with four tentacles past its mouth which information technology uses to strike its casualty."[5] When it hits prey with a tentacle, the tentacle penetrates to the brain and draws it forth, assuasive the monster to devour it. A mind flayer'due south major weapon is given every bit the Mind Blast, a 5-foot radius moving ridge of "PSI force" which affects each opponent differently based on how intelligent it is; possible effects include permanent insanity, rage, defoliation, blackout, and death.[vi] They were also included in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement,[7] [eight] for the original (white box) Dungeons & Dragons game (1976), wherein they are described as super-intelligent, man-shaped creatures of great (and lawful) evil, with tentacles that penetrate to the brain and draw information technology forth for nutrient.

Avant-garde Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988) [edit]

The mind flayer appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977).[9] Roger E. Moore authored "The Environmental of the Mind Flayer," which featured in Dragon #78 (Oct 1983).[10]

The article "The Sunset World" by Stephen Inniss in Dragon #150 (October 1989) presented a world that had been completely ravaged by mind flayers. The "Dragon's Bestiary" column, in the same consequence and by the same author, described the illithidae, the strange inhabitants of this world.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2d edition (1989–1999) [edit]

The mind flayer appears showtime in the Monstrous Compendium Book Ane (1989),[11] and is reprinted in the Monstrous Transmission (1993).[12]

The ulitharid, or "noble illithid" was introduced in the Dungeon adventure Thunder Nether Needlespire past James Jacobs in Dungeon #24 (July/August 1990), and later on included in the Monstrous Compendium Annual One (1994).

The Complete Psionics Handbook (1991) presented means on using mind flayers with psionic powers.[13]

The alhoon, also known as the illithilich or mind flayer lich, was introduced in the Menzoberranzan boxed ready, in the booklet "Book 1: The City" (1992).

The book The Illithiad (1998),[14] and the Monstrous Arcana module series that accompanies it, greatly develops the mind flayer further. The Illithiad introduced the illithid elder brain and the illithid-roper crossbreed, the urophion. The module Dawn of the Overmind featured an origin story for the illithids.[15]

Dungeons & Dragons three.0 edition (2000–2002) [edit]

The heed flayer appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).[16] Savage Species (2003) added the mind flayer "racial grade", assuasive Mind Flayers to be played from level one onward until they reached parity with normal Heed Flayers, and added the "Illithid Savant" prestige class.[17]

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007) [edit]

The heed flayer appears in the revised Monster Transmission for this edition (2003), in both playable and not-playable forms. I of the differences between the playable Listen Flayer in the Monster Transmission and the Mind Flayer racial class in Fell Species is that the racial class has simply itself as a favored course, while the normal Mind Flayer has wizard as a favored class. The listen flayer received its own chapter in the volume Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations (2005).[18]

The Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004) re-introduced the psionic heed flayer, detailing the differences between psionic and normal listen flayers, although creating a Psionic Mind Flayer notwithstanding requires the information from the Monster Transmission.[19] Monster Manual V (2007) introduced the concept of "thoon", a driving strength (be information technology some alien god, exterior philosophy, or other driving incentive) which has inverse several mindflayers' world outlooks.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014) [edit]

The mind flayer appears in the Monster Transmission for this edition (2008).[xx]

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014–present) [edit]

The heed flayer appears in the Monster Transmission for this edition (2014).[21]

Additional information about the listen flayers is found in Volo'south Guide to Monsters (2016).[22] The information includes details about their origins, their reproduction, their dispositions and behaviors, and their elder brain.

Fictional physical characteristics [edit]

Illithids have a humanoid torso with an octopus-like head. They have four tentacles effectually a lamprey-like mouth, and require the brains of sentient creatures equally part of their diet. An illithid who snares a living creature in all four of its tentacles tin extract and devour its living brain. Their optics are pale white, and they tin can see perfectly well in both darkness and calorie-free. Their sense of hearing is slightly poorer than a man'due south; they have difficulty distinguishing between several sounds mixed together, yet they are good at discerning from what direction sounds came from. Their skin is purplish blue to gray-green and covered in mucus, and is very sensitive to sunlight. They loathe sunlight, though it does not actually harm them.

One of their near feared powers is the dreaded Listen Blast, where the illithid emits a cone-shaped psionic shock moving ridge with its listen in society to incapacitate any fauna for a short amount of time.[5] Illithids likewise have other psionic powers, generally telepathic in nature, although their exact furnishings take varied over editions. Other powers include a defensive psionic shield and powers of psionic domination for decision-making the minds of others.

Biology [edit]

Illithids are hermaphroditic creatures[23] who each spawn a mass of larvae two or three times in their life.[24] The larvae resemble miniature illithid heads or 4-tentacled tadpoles. Larvae are left to develop in the puddle of the Elder Brain. The ones that survive afterward 10 years are inserted into the brain of a sapient brute.[3] Hosts are determined in a very specific manner. Hosts generally are humanoid creatures that are between 5 feet 4 inches and half dozen feet 2 inches. The most desirable of races for hosts are humans, drow, elves, githzerai, githyanki, grimlocks, gnolls, goblinoids, and orcs. Upon being implanted (through whatsoever cranial orifice), the larva so grows and consumes the host's brain, absorbing the host's concrete course entirely and becoming sapient itself, a physically mature (but mentally young) illithid. This process is chosen ceremorphosis.[24] Illithids frequently experiment with non-humanoid hosts, simply ceremorphosis involving other creatures commonly fails, killing both host and larva. The transformation between the host (almost e'er a human or similar humanoid, such every bit an elf or dwarf) takes about a week, unless detected and removed within about 30 minutes of injection into the incapacitated host.

When an illithid undergoes ceremorphosis, information technology tin can occasionally take on some elements of the absorbed host animate being's old mind, such every bit mannerisms. This typically manifests as a minor personality feature, such every bit a nervous habit or reaction (east.k., nail-biting or tapping one'south human foot), although the process that determines the blazon and number of traits so inherited appears to be stochastic. Some developed illithids have fifty-fifty been known to hum a tune that its host knew in life. Usually, when a listen flayer inherits a trait like this, it keeps information technology a closely guarded secret, considering, were its peers to acquire of it, the illithid in question would most likely exist killed. This is due to an illithid legend of a being called the "Adversary". The legend holds that, eventually, an illithid larva that undergoes ceremorphosis will take on the host's personality and memory in its entirety. This Adversary would, mind and soul, withal be the host, but with all the inherent abilities of an illithid.

Occasionally, ceremorphosis can partially neglect. Sometimes the larva does not contain enough chemicals to complete the process, sometimes there is psionic interference. Whatever the reason, it has happened that ceremorphosis has ended after the internal restructuring, resulting in a man body with an illithid'due south brain, personality and digestive tract. These unfortunates must still consume brains, typically by cutting open up heads (as they lack the requisite tentacles). These beings are oft used every bit spies, where they hands alloy in with their respective host types.

Illithid order as well maintains a long-standing taboo related to deviations to or failures of the ceremorphosis procedure and hunt and destroy such exceptions. Occasionally mind flayer communities are attacked (often by vengeful githyanki and githzerai) and their inhabitants must abscond. This leaves the larvae unattended. Bereft of outside nourishment, they brainstorm to consume ane another. The survivor will eventually leave the pool in search of food (brains). This unmorphed larvae is known as neothelids. If the neothelid consumes an intelligent creature it volition awaken to sapience and psionic abilities and grow to immense size, while retaining its memories of savage survival. In Complete Psionic, it was revealed that illithids have a footstep between larva and neothelid called a Larval Flayer, which looks like an overgrown tadpole. The existence of these beasts is a guarded hush-hush among illithids, and information technology is considered boorish to speak of them.

Variants [edit]

Alhoon [edit]

Alhoons (also called illithiliches) are illithids that choose to focus on developing arcane abilities in addition to their psionic ones,[25] and have grown powerful enough in magic to become undead liches. Alhoons are generally pariahs in illithid club because they go confronting almost illithids' eventual goal: to merge with the Elder Brain, both physically and psionically. Alhoons, on the other hand, are more concerned with their ain personal survival. When discovered almost illithid communities, Alhoons are mercilessly hunted downward.[xviii]

The alhoon start appeared in second edition Ad&D for the Forgotten Realms setting in the Menzoberranzan boxed fix, in the booklet "Volume One: The Urban center" (1992),[26] and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).[27] The creature was farther detailed in the supplement The Illithiad (1998).[28] The alhoon as well appeared in 3rd edition in Monsters of Faerûn (2001)[29] and Lords of Madness (2005).[eighteen]

Ulitharid [edit]

Ulitharids are created from tadpoles much like standard illithids; fewer than 0.1% become ulitharids, and it is incommunicable to decide whether a tadpole will become an ulitharid until ceremorphosis is consummate.

Superior in well-nigh all means to a regular mind flayer, ulitharids possess two extra tentacles, which are twice as long every bit the others, and an extreme arrogance, even by the standards of their ain kind. Only the Elder Brain holds more sway within an illithid community.

Vampiric illithids [edit]

The origins of these unique undead mind flayers are unclear. All that is known of these creatures is that they cannot create spawn, demand both fresh claret and fresh brains to survive, are more feral than typical illithids, and are barely intelligent. I possible origin is given in the Ravenloft adventure Thoughts of Darkness, where "vampiric heed flayers are either the result of a Listen Flayer tadpole infecting a vampiric host or a host that becomes a vampire before the tadpole fully converts them".[30] [31] These creatures are hated and feared by typical illithids.[eighteen] Christian Hoffer, for ComicBook.com, wrote, "Not only practise the vampiric mind flayers possess the psionic powers of a listen flayer, they likewise have the undead strength and bloodlust of a vampire, making them twice as mortiferous".[32] Hoffer also highlighted that they "were created when Lyssa von Zarovich (a descendant of Strahd) attempted to create a creature powerful enough to overthrow her bully uncle".[32] Jacob Creswell, for CBR, highlighted that "Vampiric Mind Flayers are a classic Dungeon & Dragons monster that combines two terrifying concepts. [...] Originally known equally vampiric illithids, vampiric mind flayers were a forcefulness to exist reckoned with in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Their superior strength stat meant that they'd exist able to overpower most adventurers".[30] Creswell included them on list of the seven best monsters introduced in the 5th Edition entrada guide Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.[30]

[edit]

Brain Golem: An eight-foot-tall humanoid-shaped construct made entirely of brain tissue, these creations exist just to serve an elder brain and its illithid community.

Brainstealer Dragon: A mix of illithid and dragon, these powerful wyrms occasionally rule over illithid communities that lack an elder brain.[33] [34]

Illithidae: Illithidae are to mind flayers as less intelligent animals are to humans. Known types include the cessirid, embrac, kigrid, and saltor. Dragon mag once published a template for use in creating an illithidae beast, for use with the 1st Edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. They were updated in 3.5 in the Lords of Madness supplement.

Illithocyte: Illithid tadpoles that survived the fall of a mind flayer empire, they evolved into a new life grade and now crawl nigh in groups seeking psychic radiation on which to feed.[33]

Kezreth: A living troop send and battle platform created from the severed head of a shamed illithid. They serve in this chapters in the promise of redeeming themselves and being allowed to render to the elder encephalon.

Listen Worm: Created by illithids to serve as assassins and compensation hunters, these powerful psionic creatures resemble smaller royal worms. They tin attack from far distances with their probe worms.[33]

Mindwitness: Inserting an illithid polliwog into a beholder results in these abominations, which are used as guards and sentries.

Mozgriken: An illithid tadpole inserted into a svirfneblin gnome while subjected to a dangerous psionic ritual creates a mozgriken. These three-tentacled ceremorphs are despised by all, but their bent for stealth and psionic powers of stealth and shape control make them useful spies for the illithids.

Neothelid: If an illithid tadpole survives just fails to undergo ceremorphosis, it will somewhen grow into an incredibly powerful worm-like creature with illithid tentacles at the forefront of its body and immense mental powers.

Nervus Swimmers: Derived from immature illithid tadpoles, these entities are living instruments of torture and interrogation.[33]

Nyraala Golem: A flailing, slimy, tentacled construct capable of launching surprise attacks. They often serve as guards, and are prized because their cosmos does not involve petitioning the elder brain to surrender function of its mass.

Octopin: A six-tentacled, purple-skinned monstrosity with a single eye created by mind flayers.

Oortlings: These docile humanoids with enlarged brains were bred past illithids equally food.

Seugathi: Seugathi are spawned by the hundreds by a single neothelid that has performed rituals to impregnate itself.

Tzakandi: Illithid tadpoles inserted into lizardfolk create tzakandi, which the heed flayers utilise as slave labourers and personal guards.

Uchuulon: A chuul implanted with an illithid polliwog becomes an uchuulon. Likewise known as slime chuuls, illithids utilize them as hunters and guardians.

Urophion: Inserting an illithid polliwog into a roper results in these miserable creatures, which are used as guards and sentries.

Ustilagor: Listen flayers subcontract these larval intellect devourers for food and sentries.[33]

Vampire Squid: Servitor creatures created by illithids to extend their achieve below the surface of Underdark waters. They accept a maw of sharp teeth which tin can be turned inside out and role as defensive spikes.[35]

Voidmind Creatures: A voidmind creature is an ordinary creature (such as a normal human or human-similar animal or fauna) whose mind has been nearly devoured by a mind flayer, but enough has been left intact for basic motor function. Further psionic rituals give these near dead creatures a semblance of life. The resulting creatures human action every bit minions and spies for the Illithids.

(From Dragon #150 : Monsters Associated With Illithids: Amorphs, Gelled cube, Gray ooze, Lurker above, Mimic, Ochre jelly, Pudding, deadly; Roper, Scum creeper, Slithering tracker, Trapper, Crystal ooze, Mustard jelly, Fungi, Ascomoid, Basidirond, Fungus, violet, Gas spore, Mold, brown; Mold, yellow; Obliviax, Phycomid, Shrieker, Ustilagor, Zygom, Illithidae, Carrion crawler, Cessirid, Embrac, Illithid, Kigrid Saltor )

Symbionts [edit]

Illithids often create symbionts, a kind of living item eventually adapted for the Eberron campaign setting. Illithids use these symbionts for themselves and their slaves. These symbionts help their full general offensive and defensive capabilities. Known illithid symbionts include the mnemonicus, wriggler, and carapace symbionts.

Fictional history [edit]

The origins of the illithids has been described in several conflicting stories offered in diverse D&D products, in past editions and in the electric current version of the game, which can be taken as successive retcons.

The 2nd Edition volume The Illithiad suggests they may be from the Far Realm, an incomprehensible plane completely alien to the known multiverse. At that place is no mention of fourth dimension travel in this theory. Instead, they emerged somewhere countless thousands of years agone, beyond the histories of many mortal races, and spread from ane world to another, and another, and then on. It is explicitly stated in this book that the illithids announced in some of the most ancient histories of the nigh aboriginal races, even those that accept no mention of other races.

The iii.5 Edition D&D supplement Lords of Madness provides that the Illithid were a star-faring people who existed at the end of fourth dimension. Facing annihilation, the Illithid traveled to the past, arriving roughly 2000 years before the nowadays in any given D&D campaign.[18]

The 4th Edition preview Wizards Presents Worlds and Monsters supports the merits that mind flayers originate from the Far Realm.

In these ii differing versions of the story, much of the variance hinges upon a fictional text called The Sargonne Prophecies. The Illithiad described the Prophecies as misnamed, and that much of it sounds more like ancient myth than prophecy. Lords of Madness takes the name more literally, and states that The Sargonne Prophecies are in fact prophecy—or, perhaps more accurately, a history of the future.

Yet another version came from The Astromundi Cluster, a Spelljammer boxed set produced before The Illithiad. This version holds that the illithids are descended from the outcasts of an ancient human society that ruled the now-shattered earth chosen Astromundi. The outcast humans eventually mutated, deep surreptitious, into the heed flayers. (This boxed set up besides introduced the entity known as Lugribossk, who was depicted as a god of the Astromundi flayers and then, but was later retconned into a proxy of the god Ilsensine.) In the retconned history of the illithids found in either The Illithiad or Lords of Madness, the emergence of illithids in Astromundi becomes a freak occurrence due to the intervention of Ilsensine through its proxy, since the illithids of Astromundi accept their own histories as emerging solely upon that world.

All the same and whenever it occurred, when the illithids arrived in the Cloth Aeroplane of the far past, they immediately began to build an empire past enslaving many sentient creatures. They were very successful, and soon their worlds-spanning empire became the largest one the multiverse had ever seen. They had the ability—in terms of psychic say-so and the manpower of countless slaves—to fashion artificial worlds. I such globe was this empire's capital, called Penumbra, a diskworld built around a star, which was a thousand years in the making. Such was their might that the Claret War paused as the demons and devils considered a truce to deal with the illithid empire.

Eventually, the primary slave race of the illithids developed resistance to the mental powers of their masters, and revolted. Led by the warrior Gith, the rebellion spread to all the illithids' worlds, and the empire collapsed. The illithid race itself seemed doomed.

Gith was betrayed by one of her own generals, Zerthimon, who believed she had grown tyrannical and over-aggressive. Civil state of war erupted, and the race factionalised into the githyanki and the githzerai (and in the Spelljammer entrada setting the Pirates of Gith).[36] This disruption allowed the illithids to retreat to underground strongholds where they nonetheless dwell.

Dungeon #100 claims the original dwelling house of the gith forerunners was a world known every bit Pharagos. Currently it is described as, "an unremarkable Material-Plane globe, a far weep from the hotbed of magical activity and divine intervention that is the Forgotten Realms campaign or the World of Greyhawk." Beneath the Wasting Desert on that world, withal, is the petrified corpse of the long-dead patron deity of the ancestors of the gith races. As is recounted in near 1st and 2nd edition sources, the ancestors of the gith forerunners were a human civilisation earlier existence modified past countless generations of illithid breeding and profane science.

The groundwork cloth of the Chainmail game[37] places the gith forerunners in a subterranean empire called Zarum in Western Oerik, where they dominated many other races from their capital urban center of Anithor. These gith seem to have been divided into a rigid degree organisation, their lives ruled past ancient ritual. The ruins of Zarum overflow with sacred spaces and temples, though the names of the ancient gith gods are unknown today. The period of Zarum's height is not entirely clear, but gray elf sages speculate it was approximately two,000 years earlier the Demon Wars that ravaged Western Oerik, or 3,000 years before the nowadays.

At some point, the illithids invaded Zarum from a neighboring plane of existence. Though the gith fought fiercely, they were no match for the psionic might of the heed flayers, and soon they were enslaved. The River of Aroused Souls is a remnant of one of the terrible battles between the illithids and the soonhoped-for enslaved gith. Many were brought to the Outer Planes and elsewhere to serve as illithid slaves. Other cities in Zarum were transformed into work pits where illithid overseers forced their slaves to toil for countless generations.

After Gith's rebellion, she led her people to the Astral Airplane. While a few subject area races and surviving illithids remained on Oerth, the gith forerunners have departed the world, seemingly for good. If they retain whatsoever interest in the ruins of Zarum, it is well concealed. A portion of the ruins of Anithor were somewhen colonized by the drow of Business firm Kilsek, who named their new settlement Kalan-G'eld.

Fictional club [edit]

An illithid city is ruled by a creature called an Elderberry Brain which lives in a pool of cerebral fluid in the city's center. When an illithid dies its brain is extracted and taken to the puddle. Illithids believe that when they die their personality is incorporated into the Elderberry Encephalon, but this is not the case. When the encephalon of an illithid is added to the Elder Encephalon, the memories, thoughts and experiences are consumed and added to the sum of the whole, but all else is lost. This fact is a closely guarded underground of the Elderberry Brains, since all illithid aspire to a course of immortality through this merging process. An extremely aboriginal Elderberry Brain is called a God-Encephalon because its psionic powers are almost limitless.

Since the Elderberry Brain contains the essence of every illithid that died in its customs, information technology functions in part equally a vast library of knowledge that a mind flayer can call upon with a simple telepathic call. The Elder Encephalon in plow can communicate telepathically with anyone in its community, issuing orders and ensuring everyone conforms.

Illithids generally frown upon magic, preferring their natural psionic power. Psionic potential is an integral part of the illithid identity, and the Elder Brain cannot absorb the magical powers of an illithid mage when information technology dies. They tolerate a limited study of wizardry, if simply to amend empathise the powers employed by their enemies. However, an illithid who goes too far and neglects his psionic development in favor of wizardry risks becoming an outcast. Denied the possibility of ever merging with the Elder Brain, such outcasts often seek their own immortality through undeath, becoming alhoons.

Illithids typically communicate through psychic means. They projection thoughts and feelings to each other in a manner non-illithids can scarcely comprehend. When they do feel the need to write, they do and then in "qualith." Instead of typical alphabet-based writing, illithids write in qualith by making marks consisting of four cleaved lines. They utilise each tentacle to experience the breaks in the lines, making information technology basically similar to braille. Notwithstanding, qualith is extremely circuitous, as each line modifies the preceding lines through explaining abstract concepts associated with the above words in ways no human tin can understand; only by understanding all four lines simultaneously tin the meaning be understood properly.

Religion [edit]

Traditionally illithids revere a perverse deity named Ilsensine.[34] In 2nd edition, they have a 2nd deity named Maanzecorian, who is later killed by Tenebrous (Orcus) in the Planescape adventure module Dead Gods. Although Ilsensine is the illithid patron deity, few listen flayers actively worship it, thinking themselves the nigh powerful creatures in the universe.[18]

Relations with other races [edit]

Illithids seek to rebuild their former empire wherein all other species were their slaves, so they view any sentient creature as worthy only of being their slaves or their food. They are pragmatic, however, and will trade with other races, such as dark elves and gray dwarves, who are as well strong to exist conquered. They also trade with the Neogi in social club to obtain slaves.

Their archenemies are the githyanki and the githzerai, descendants of the rebellious slaves who destroyed their empire millennia ago. Hunting and slaying illithids whenever they tin is an integral part of their cultures.

Illithids fear the undead considering these creatures, even the sentient ones, are immune to telepathic detection and manipulation, and have no brains to consume. Confronting such mindless creatures can even be traumatizing to some of them.

According to the Lords of Madness history, Illithids are i of the few races respected past the aboleths. This is because the aboleths retrieve the origin of almost every other race, through their hereditary memory. However, illithids, equally far the aboleths can remember, but appeared without preamble, which scares them.

Activities [edit]

Currently, the illithids are in a period of intense study and experimentation, gathering knowledge of all sorts that will enable them to eventually reconquer the universe and hold it for good. They frequently meddle in the politics of other races through subtle psychic manipulation of fundamental figures, non to cause chaos merely so equally to better understand the dynamics of culture. They regularly probe the minds of surface dwellers so as to gather intelligence and learn about new advances in magic and engineering. They also do a good deal of research themselves, mainly focused on developing new psychic powers.[xviii]

Illithids regularly conduct raids on all sentient settlements to acquire new thralls,[18] because their existing stock of sentient thralls do non breed fast enough to satisfy their food and labor needs. Typically, a group of mind flayers will teleport to the settlement and swiftly incapacitate them with their psychic powers. The captives will then be marched all the manner to the illithids' cloak-and-dagger settlement by peculiarly trained and conditioned thralls. Great intendance is taken to cover their tracks.

In various campaign settings [edit]

In Dragonlance [edit]

The yaggol are a variant presented in the Dragonlance campaign setting.[38] [39]

The Yaggol are a race from the Emerald Sea of Neron, a nighttime, steamy jungle in southern Taladas. The history of their culture stretches back to the end of the first age of Krynn. Their empire was thriving at the same time the High Ogres of Ansalon founded their own empire. Enslaving the Cha'asii elves, the yaggol ruled over the continent with a nightmarish volition but this all came to end when the cha'asii learned how to defeat the mind powers of the yaggol. A dandy war was fought, and the empire crumbled every bit both sides nearly wiped each other out. All that remained of this once aberrant race were 7 obsidian temples in The Valley of Akh-Tazi.

After the shattering of the empire, an uneasy truce was struck, only cleaved by skirmishes and murder. The cha'asii went their separate ways; establishing villages like Ke-Cha-Yat where they could live in peace from the yaggol. This would all modify with the coming of Gloomwing, a former orthlox Black Dragon that joined with the Brethren, the cult followers of Maladar an-Desh, Lord of Wizards.

In Eberron [edit]

In Eberron, the illithid come from Xoriat, the plane of Madness. They were created by the Daelkyr in their invasion plans. It is not known if they accept elder brains, simply their continued existence implies that they can breed on their ain. The heed flayers of Eberron are resistant to harm from all weapons except those made out of byeshk, a new exotic material in the Eberron setting.

In Greyhawk [edit]

Illithids typically dwell in dim, underground settlements, usually in the Underdark. Perhaps the best-known illithid settlement on Oerth is the city of Dra-Mur-Shou, located within several miles of the Vault of the Drow. A number of illithids besides make their home in the drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu, due to the presence of a well-known mind flayer research center.

Greyspace [edit]

Illithids also take a strong presence in Greyspace and spheres beyond. The primary spelljamming ship used by illithids is the nautiloid, a 35-ton craft resembling a nautilus. Nautiloids are 125' to 180' long, including the tentacle-similar piercing ram. The ship's coiled shell provides the comfort of enclosed space and protects the illithids from the rays of solar bodies. Less mutual illithid vessels such as the 25-ton squid ship, the 70-ton octopus, and the 100-ton cuttle command also resemble the cephalopods after which they are named.

In Greyspace, the largest illithid settlements are the city of Sharpbeak on Celene and the settlement of Skullbringer in the Grinder. Worlds ruled by illithids in other spheres include Falx, Ssirik Akuar, Penumbra, and Glyth.

In Ravenloft [edit]

Illithids are the rulers of a domain in the Ravenloft entrada setting called Bluetspur, where their God-Encephalon is the darklord. In the 5th Edition campaign guide Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, it is revealed that an elder-brain became diseased by discovering a "cancerous truth" and it began to prey "upon its peers [...]. Horrified by an affliction that infected simply them, the other elderberry brains united and psionically expelled the diseased brain from existence. Or so they idea. From a place without time or reality, the Night Powers plucked the dying elderberry encephalon and planted it upon a tormented globe".[twoscore] Polygon highlighted that Bluetspur is "a world of catholic horror populated by malevolent mind flayers that will make your heroes question their ain memories".[41]

In Spelljammer [edit]

According to Ken Rolston, the beholder and the heed flayer "win starring roles equally intergalactic menaces" in Spelljammer, describing the heed flayers as "evil, encephalon-sucking horrors who have polished upwards their social skills sufficiently to nowadays a dubiously neutral facade to trading partners equally they secretly scheme toward the day when all intelligent races will be their vassals and brain-food".[42]

Listen Flayers are one of the primary factions in the Spelljammer campaign setting. While less prominent than the neogi, illithids are in complete control of Glyth, a Realmspace planet, and have been for millennia. They are also one of the two most powerful factions in The Astromundi Cluster setting.

Illithids' primary transport type is the nautiloid, a 35-ton craft resembling a nautilus. Nautiloids are 125', or 180' long including the tentacle-like piercing ram. The ships' coiled shell provides the comfort of enclosed space and protects the illithids from solar radiations.

Less common illithid vessels such as the 25-ton squidship, the 70-ton octopus, and the 100-ton cuttle command also resemble the cephalopods after which they are named.

In the Spelljammer setting, the illithids are the creators of the oortlings, a humanoid race of high intelligence and enlarged size. Bred as nutrient, the oortlings are completely docile and have trivial motivation and about no instinct for self-preservation.

Critical reception [edit]

The heed flayer was ranked fourth amid the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. They referred to this unique cosmos of the D&D game every bit the "quintessential evil genius" and the "perfect evil overlord".[43]

The Stranger writer Cienna Madrid described the Mind Flayer as ane of D&D's "ghastly fiends".[44]

Rob Bricken from io9 named the listen flayer equally the ninth almost memorable D&D monster.[45]

SyFy Wire in 2022 called it i of "The 9 Scariest, Most Unforgettable Monsters From Dungeons & Dragons", saying that "Mind flayers are another classic monster similar the beholder."[46]

Screen Rant compiled a list of the game'southward "10 Well-nigh Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked" in 2022, calling the elder brain one of the strongest, saying that the 5th "edition of Dungeons & Dragons has toned downwardly the elder brain a lot", it "still represents a grave threat to near adventuring parties, thanks to its range of powerful enchantment spells and psionic attacks, only it isn't quite the epic level threat that it once was."[47]

Philip J. Clements considered mind flayers of the "game's signature monsters".[48]

Reviewer Julien Blondel for Backstab described them as vile brain-eating creatures full of psionic energy. He plant them delightful creatures for a sadistic Dungeon Primary to utilize, and a useful bridge between classic game worlds and the planes, as illithids grow in both.[49]

In other media [edit]

Mind flayers appear in other part-playing games, including Angband, Bloodborne, Demon'due south Souls, Concluding Fantasy, NetHack, Lost Kingdoms, Kingdom of Loathing and Lost Souls, and the one-player gamebook RPG series Fighting Fantasy includes a creature similar to the illithid, the Brain Slayer.

Ulchalothe in Baldur'due south Gate: Dark Brotherhood II is the guardian of the Brazier of Eternal Flame. At that place are illithid settlements of varying size in the games Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark, Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale II. The villain in the Neverwinter Nights premium module 'Kingmaker' is likewise an Illithid. The first deed of Baldur's Gate III is focused on removing mind flayer larvae from the player characters' brains.[50]

In Planescape: Torment, the player character may uncover a history of the illithids as they relate to the githzerai and the githyanki through studying the rings of the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon in Dak'kon's possession.

In episode 30 of the webcomic "Gild of the Stick" (written past Rich Burlew), the party bard Elan encounters an illithid in its lair. The illithid opts not to eat Elan'south encephalon due to the bard'due south stupidity, and so they start playing Scrabble instead.[51] Episode 31 makes a reference to the illithid's preferred diet.[52] Episode 32 makes a fourth-wall reference to the fact that the illithid isn't open up source material.[53]

In the Final Fantasy series, players encounter an enemy called the Mindflayer, a cave-dwelling house magic user that has the head of a squid, wears a flowing robe, and wields a staff. When the first game for the NES was brought to N America it was referred to every bit a Wizard.[54] [55] Although the Mindflayer's name and appearance have been kept the same, the "Beholder" was changed to Evil Eye.[56]

The Netflix series Stranger Things, following the 8th episode of the 2nd season, used the name "Mind Flayer" to refer to the main adversary of the series due to their similar natures.[25] [57]

References [edit]

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  2. ^ Gygax (posting every bit "Col_Pladoh"), Gary (2005-02-01). "Gary Gygax Q&A: part VII". Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2007-02-27 . "The listen flayer I made up out of whole cloth using my imagination, but inspired by the comprehend of Brian Lumley's novel in paperback edition, The Burrowers Beneath"
  3. ^ a b "The Mind Flayers: Who Are Dungeons & Dragons' Illithids?". CBR. March 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "Publication: The Burrowers Below". www.isfdb.org . Retrieved 2021-05-27 .
  5. ^ a b "Dungeons and Dragons 5e Monster Spotlight: The Heed Flayer". Game Rant. January 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "Creature Features". The Strategic Review. Vol. 1, no. 1. Bound 1975. p. 2.
  7. ^ Gygax, Gary; Blume, Brian (1976). "Eldritch Wizardry" (one ed.). Lake Geneva, WI: TSR.
  8. ^ Mortdred (2001-02-05). "Review of Eldritch Wizardry". RPGnet. Archived from the original on 2001-09-15. Retrieved 2007-11-19 .
  9. ^ Gygax, Gary, in which it is described as an evil subterranean creature that considers humanity equally cattle to feed upon, and draws along brains with its tentacles. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
  10. ^ Moore, Roger. "Ecology of the Mind Flayer." Dragon #78 (TSR, 1983).
  11. ^ Melt, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume I (TSR, 1989)
  12. ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1994)
  13. ^ Winter, Steve. The Complete Psionics Handbook (TSR, 1991)
  14. ^ Cordell, Bruce R. The Illithiad (TSR, 1998)
  15. ^ Cordell, Bruce R. Dawn of the Overmind (TSR, 1998)
  16. ^ Melt, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
  17. ^ Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. Savage Species (Wizards of the Declension, 2003)
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h Baker, Rich, James Jacobs, and Steve Winter. Lords of Madness (Wizards of the Declension, 2005)
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  22. ^ Volo'due south Guide to Monsters (Wizards of the Coast, 2022)
  23. ^ Clements, Philip J. (December 2022). Dungeons & Discourse: Intersectional Identities in Dungeons & Dragons (PhD). pp. 135–136. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  24. ^ a b "D&D Anatomy: 5 Facts Y'all Should Know About Mind Flayers". CBR. May 6, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Casey, Dan (November two, 2022). "What Dungeons & Dragons Reveals About Stranger Things Season 3". Nerdist.com. Nerdist. Retrieved November viii, 2022. In flavor 2, episode 8, titled "The Listen Flayer," Dustin draws an illustration betwixt a fan-favorite D&D monster of the same name and whatever shadowy creature is possessing Will Byers.
  26. ^ Greenwood, Ed, Douglas Niles, and R. A. Salvatore. Menzoberranzan (TSR, 1992)
  27. ^ Pickens, Jon, ed. Monstrous Compendium Almanac Volume Three (TSR, 1996)
  28. ^ Cordell, Bruce R. The Illithiad (TSR, 1998)
  29. ^ Wyatt, James and Rob Heinsoo. Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn (Wizards of the Coast, 2001)
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  31. ^ Thoughts of Darkness
  32. ^ a b "Dungeons & Dragons Is Bringing Back Vampiric Mind Flayers". ComicBook.com. February 24, 2022. Retrieved 2021-05-23 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  34. ^ a b "D&D: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Mind Flayers". TheGamer. December 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Baur, Wolfgang. "The Dragon's Bestiary: Monsters of the Underdark." Dragon #227 (TSR, 1996)
  36. ^ Breault, Mike; TSR Staff (1990). Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Monstrous Compendium/Mc7 (Spelljammer Appendix). Lake Geneva, WI Southward.fifty.: TSR, inc. ISBN978-0-88038-871-ix.
  37. ^ Tweet, Jonathan, Rob Heinsoo, and Chris Pramas. Chainmail Miniatures Game: Claret and Darkness – Set 2 Guidebook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Declension, 2002
  38. ^ Cook, David. Time of the Dragon (TSR, 1989)
  39. ^ Heard, Bruce A, et al. Monstrous Compendium 4: Dragonlance Appendix (TSR, 1989)
  40. ^ Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Renton, WA. 2022. p. 73. ISBN0-7869-6725-0. OCLC 1238191930.
  41. ^ Hall, Charlie (2021-05-12). "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is the biggest, best D&D book of this generation". Polygon . Retrieved 2021-05-23 .
  42. ^ Rolston, Ken (February 1990). "Function-playing Reviews". Dragon. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR (#154): 59–63.
  43. ^ Slavicsek, Bill; Baker, Rich; Grubb, Jeff (2006). Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. For Dummies. p. 373. ISBN978-0-7645-8459-6 . Retrieved 2009-02-12 .
  44. ^ Cienna, Madrid (November 24, 2005). "The Die Tempest". The Stranger . Retrieved 2009-08-15 .
  45. ^ Bricken, Rob (September xvi, 2022). "The 10 Most Memorable Dungeons & Dragons Monsters". Io9 . Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  46. ^ Granshaw, Lisa (October 24, 2022). "The 9 scariest, nearly unforgettable monsters from Dungeons & Dragons". SYFY WIRE.
  47. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Nearly Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked". ScreenRant. May 20, 2022.
  48. ^ Clements, Philip J. (December 2022). Dungeons & Soapbox: Intersectional Identities in Dungeons & Dragons (PhD). p. 133. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  49. ^ Blondel, Julien (May–June 1998). "The Illithiad". Backstab (in French). 9: 55.
  50. ^ "Baldur's Gate 3's Mind-Eating Parasite Informs All of Human activity i, for Ameliorate and for Worse". Escapist Magazine. 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2020-ten-22 .
  51. ^ Burlew, Rich (2004). "Behind the Hugger-mugger Door". The Order of the Stick. GiantITP.com (#30). Retrieved 2017-12-14 .
  52. ^ Burlew, Rich (2004). "All-You-Can-Eat Brain Cafe". The Society of the Stick. GiantITP.com (#31). Retrieved 2017-12-14 .
  53. ^ Burlew, Rich (2004). "Biting the Hand that Feeds Me". The Order of the Stick. GiantITP.com (#32). Retrieved 2017-12-fourteen .
  54. ^ "Final Fantasy Encyclopaedia: Mindflayer". ffe.hendersongdi.com . Retrieved 2017-12-14 .
  55. ^ "Final Fantasy ane Version Differences FAQ v3.01". ffcompendium.com. 2005. Retrieved 2021-05-27 . {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  56. ^ "Concluding Fantasy Encyclopaedia: Evil Middle". ffe.hendersongdi.com . Retrieved 2017-12-14 .
  57. ^ Di Placido, Dani (November five, 2022). "'Stranger Things' Flavour 2, Episode 8 Review: 'The Heed Flayer'". Forbes . Retrieved Nov 8, 2022. Will is still a vessel of pure evil, and the boys return to their trusted Dungeons & Dragons board for advice. Sure enough, at that place's a creature in the game that'due south kind of similar. ...the tendriled creature now has a pretty cool name, the "Mind Flayer,"

Further reading [edit]

  • Cagle, Eric, et al. Fiend Folio (Wizards of the Declension, 2003).
  • Pramas, Chris. "Exiles from the Vault." Dragon #298. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.
  • Pramas, Chris. "Hole-and-corner Scenarios." Dragon #294. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Declension, 2002.
  • Schwartz, Christopher M. "The New Illithid Armory." Dragon #255 (TSR, 1999).
  • Williams, Penny. "Armed To the Tentacle." Dragon #308 (Paizo Publishing, 2003).
  • Wyatt, James. "Knights of the Lich-Queen." Dungeon #100. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
  • Cordell, Bruce R. Expanded Psionics Handbook (Wizards of the Coast, 2004).

External links [edit]

  • Illithids at Planescape website
  • How to Design the PERFECT Mind Flayer Meet at CBR.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illithid

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