Monstrous Arcana - The Illithiad

illithid merchants import many nurse an undying hatred toward mind flayers,
and they go so far as to organize:illithid hunting
items normally unattainable forays.It lies in the best interest of each mind
flayer communityto remainever vigilant against
within a n illithid community the possibiity of an attack from one or both of these

due to lack of specialization(or

failure to retain thralls that pos-

sess the requisite specialization

or skill).

These merchants usually sell The Thorough Biters

the imported products at the

Bazaar-a profitablebusiness venture The Creed of the Thorough

also sponsored by the Possessor Creed. Biters gains its name from its

Of course, the Elder Concord allows the peculiar credo: Life Is Biting

Possessors to sponsor the Bazaar for the Through. ThoroughBiters b e

trade it engenders. The rulingbody lieve that illithidscan learn I
new concepts only through
turns a profit every time it sends out I
failure.
trade missions targeting specificrare

materials essential to an entire illithid ForaBiter,themultiverseislawi,.,,,..,,,., y-

community. order m n a hinscrutableto most beings, and it pulls the

It goes without saying that Possessors mdtiverse in unfathomableways. When an illithid acts,

make ideal quastors, and it is often the it does so in accordancewith the lawful macrocosm. Yet

case that other Creeds contract individual an illithid can never really know the entire consequences

Possessors to serve in that capaaty for their of its actions. Acknowledgingthis failure through the

nparticular faction. observationof an action’s effectsaffords the observant

illithid with an opportunity to learn. The next time the

The Tamers illithid in question encountersa similar problem, it will

The Tamer Creed choose the proper course of action.
believes that military
might is the most im- Members of the Creed of Thorough Biters, unlike most

illithids,have a sense of humility-although they regard

thissentimentsimply as a vehicle for learning. Thorough

portant factor in the fu- Biters evidence the least amount of the racial “frustra-

ture mastery of the multiverse. tion” so common among illithidsbecause of their unique

Tamersseek to impose their perceptions about failure. The Elder Concord accords

will upon the world through specialattentionto the opinions of thisCreed, as their

martial force alone-forswearing diplomacy, tricks, or opinionsare generallyreasonable.

alliance.These illithidsbelieve so strongly in the impor-

tance of military might that some members actually train The Hourishers

in the warrior disciplines.Suchwarrior-trained iUithids The Nourisher Creedbelieve
that an illithid community‘s
sacrificesome ability in the psionic arts;however, they thrall populationis itsmost pre
aous mure.Nourisherstrea-
believe that thissacrificeis more thanpaid back through sure their thrallsaboveall else
and do not takefor granted the
the acquisitionof tangible fighting ability. Tamers are many &OB that thralls under-
take for the improvement of the illithid race. Of course, all
often elected as vigileators, servingthe entire commu- illifids recognizethe importanceof thralls; theNourisher
Creedmerely seeksto promote the significanceof the
nity with their fanatic insistenceon martial dominance. thrall in contrastto all the other special interests and
Creedson which other illithidsattach their hopes.
Under ideal circumstances, the Tamer Creed main-
Nourishers often maintain the facility that houses the
tains a martial facilitywhere membersmeet to discuss general thrall pool; thisCreed‘s devotion to the thralls
seems most suited to such duties.
the philosophy of warfare, to devise novel tactics, and

to train ferventlyin the arts of war. Facilitiesthat offer

such training generally sport a small arena, where

illithids can gain martial experienceby fightingagainst

slaves.

One of the most important dutiesrelegated to the

Tamer Creed is that of providing a sound defense

against githyanki huntingparties and rrakkma (githzerai

hunting parties). These former thrall races continueto

50

The Abysmal UThe Influences
The Influencer Creedcon-
The Abysmal Creed feels cerns itself with the unearthing
that the terror and disgust all
other races feeltoward the of secrets and theswayingof
illithidsserves as an ideal too
for the promotion of illithid opinions through indhct
policy This faction proposcs methods.Accordingto an Influ-
encer,riches,psionic power, and
-that illithidsconsciouslypro- militarymight availnought in
the absence of exact informationregardinga spec& go&
mote this perception at all times. If other races suff-
ciently fear the illithid threat, they arc more likely to give Such information gathering goes hand-in-hand with
way to illithid dominance-accepting the fact of their thc creation of a web of influencewhich best channch
thralldom once and for all. thc direction of an enemy’s response to perceived threa
Many a thrall city has
The Abysmals draw strongdissent for their opinions tion in thc face of an illithid threat; the la
among other illithids, althoughfrom time to time the tive measures in these casesfalls solely
viewpoint of this Creed wins through.Certain illithid en- Influcncer agents.
terprises are colored with the Abysmal’s corephilosophy:
Perform an action in a way that generates asmuch homr Influencers often lead vigileator
as possible in all nonillithidsaffectedby the enterprise. operations.
plex where Creed memberstrain in the artsof
tion and spying.

51

The Darkeners The Gatherers

The Darkener Creed embod- The Gatherer Creed con-
ies the illithid race’s hatred of stantlyruminates on why the
sunlight (as illusbated under i!.lithid race splits its efforts so
”Beliefs” above).Illithids know widely betweenso many com-
that their bodies are best suit4 munities. They ask, ’Wouldn’t
to cool darkness and revealing our purposesbe better served
if we consolidated our
shadow. Thrallraces would strength, gathered together our far-flung communities,
and amassed such power as would cause all other thrall
crumble before the illithid presence if the advantageac- races to acknowledge us as the one and true master
corded to them by universal whim were extinguished. race?” Gatherersfeelthat disparate communitiessplinter
illithid power in almost every area-including psionic
Darkeners are a prominent Creed in almost every research, militarymight, and regional domination.
illithid community.Members maintain a central facility Unlike many other Creeds, the Gatherer Creed is a
where they-as well as some members of the Creative single organization, even between communities.In this
Creed-labor long and hard upon various schemes that way, vocal proponentsof communityfusion can coordi-
might some day provide a viable method to achieve nate their&oris among various Elder concords. TO
date, the Gatherershave made littleprogress. It should
their dark ends. In addition,Darkeners often employ In- be noted, however, that in almost every case, the Gath-
erer Creed has organized the meeting of a Grand Elder
-fluencersto search among thrall races for any means of Concord.

extinguishing suns.
Unfortunately for them, Darkeners are generallyun-

successful in their efforts to put out the light. Sunsare
vast, burning balls of volatile energy; simple psionic
abilities (ormagical spells) do not have the sheer power
to affect such embedded structuresof the cosmos. StiU,
Darkeners continue their age-long research into extin-
guishing natural sourcesof sunlight.

The Arisers CorrJnq ofAqe

The Ariser Creed believes Following ceremorphosis, an illithid possesses the
that mind flayers should push size and bearing of an adult; however, its mental
their domination upward to development is far from complete. A young illithid’s mind
the surface world4espite the is not as blank as that of a newborn thrall. The psionic

chindrance of sunlight.Arisers
think that by liiting them- web provided by the elder brain and other illithids of the

selves to just half of the entire

world (thesubterraneanhalf),illithidsare effectively re- community educates the mind of a young illithid while its

signing themselves from ever holding complete world body finishes transforming. Still, there are certain things
dominance.These mind flayersfeel that waiting for the that only experience can teach. The two most important
Darkeners to extinguish the sun will delay an illithid at-

tack until it is too late. Worse, they may never evolve are the domination of a thrall and the consumption of a
such a method-in which case the illithid race will never brain; usually, the two go hand in hand
realiie its destiny.

Arisers spend a large portion of their time developing A young illithid must consume a brain within one

equipment that allows illithids to move in as unhindered month of itsceremorphosis or risk starvation.When the

a manner as possible while in full daylight. They also time drawsnear, the hungy illithid is brought to a bal-

plan domed communities, illithid surfacecoloniespro- cony overlookingthe general thrall pool maintained by

tected from the raging light of the sun. the Nourisher Creed. With the encouragementand sup-

port of its peers-and at least one overseeingadult

1The Venerators illithid-the youngster selects a likely thrall and psioni-
Venerators are illithidsthat cally commands it to ascend to the balcony. When the
thrall reaches the balcony, the young illithid gobbles its

directly revere and represent mfirst feast. Wlen the m- sl.y scene p.la.ys out, the young.-
the interests of Ilsensine. In
fact, these Creed members ster offiaallycomes of age; it can legitimatelymake its
own way in illithid s o c i q .

function as priests and acolytes

of Ilsensine. Most mind flayers J o j h q the Elder Brain
are content to develop personal

psionic might and look forward to integration with the ILlithids do not speak of dying, but of Commence

elder brain at their death. The Venerators, however, give ment. A n ilithid does not face oblivion or some spiritual

their lives to Ilsensineand reap the benefits of service to communionwith its deity after death. Rather, it expen-

the Tentacled Lord (seeChapter 4 History and Theology ences union with the elderbrain, a state of existence

for more details). where its mind and abilitieswill last for all time-or so

The Venerator Creed makes a point to spread its each illithid believes. Thus, the death of a fellow illitlud

membership to as many differentcommunitiesas pos- is not a time of sorrow, but a time of celebrationand

sible for the “Glory of Ilsensine!”However, there are cer- envy.
tainly some communitieswhere illithidscannot channel When an illithid dies far from its home, its fellows im-

a spell from the illithid deity. mediately extractits brain and preserve it against furthm

Those communities”blessed by the Venerator decay by applyingsomebriny fluid from the pool of the

Creed‘s presence possess temples dedicated to Ilsensine. elder brain. Becausethis is such an important facetin the

Here the faithful can offer up their reverence to the self- Commencementof an illithid, all mind flayers traveling

proclaimed god of the illithid abroad carryvials of this fluid for such occasions.The
~
return of an illithid’s preserved cerebralmatter to its

community is always a prime goal of illithids carrying

lllithid Socjd Customs such a burden.
When a n illithid dies within its community (or after a

Like any other creatures, illithidsengage in a variety preserved brain retums from abroad),the creatures hol&
of practices and customsunique to their own mind set. a short ceremony at the edge of their elderbrain’s pool.

Other races may cringe at the illithid way of life, but to a The deceased’s peers congregateto watch the elder
mind flayer,its communitylife is rich and rewarding. brain’s decision to accept or deny the new gray matter

53

into itself. If the elder brain accepts the now-deceased ons in a manner analogous to the way surface-dwelling
mind, it mentally welcomes the new addition with lov- jockeys ride their horses. In dominance tournaments,
ing endearment. The brain of the deceased then de- however, illithid competitors face off against each other
scends into the pool via telekinesis. suspended on stone platforms high above the actual
field of battle. Each competitor is linked to its champion
Once deposited, a pseudopod of the elder brain itself so that taste, touch, feel, and other thrall sensations are
engulfs and absorbs the free-floating gray matter. The immediately available to the illithid controller. The dom-
living illithids then mentally hail their elder brain, inated thralls fight to the death under the complete con-
wherein all one day hope to reside, and leave the cham- trol of their illithid “riders.”
ber to celebrate the successful union through a variety of
illithid entertainments. Large audiences of noncompeting illithids view the
spectacle through special psionically attuned crystals
Entertdnment strategically placed around the arena. These spectators
wager on the success of favored illithid competitors.
Entertainment of various sorts occurs often in illithid
culture-although mostly at their thralls’ expense. Performance Eating

Dominance Tournaments One of the most popular entertainments in illithid cul-
ture is performance eating, a psionic pastime where
Most scholars know that illithids enjoy pitting their taste-linked audience illithids share in the artistic con-
thralls against each other in gladiatorial arenas; the truth sumption of a thrall’s brain. Each performance eater is a
of the matter, however, is subtler. While it is true that gourmet-an illithid (usually a Nourisher) specially
thralls compete against each other in mortal combat, trained to exact the most delightful prelude to the meal,
each combatant is actually under the complete psionic and then to evoke every pleasing environmental factor
control of an illithid competitor (or a member of the and tasty nuance during the actual consumption of a
Tamer Creed just beginning to train in martial arts). thrall’s brain. Such performances usually occur in small
Illithid competitors ”ride” their favored thrall champi- auditoriums set aside especially for performance eating.

54



nonpsionic Comwnication lllithid names

llithids far surpass most other races in their ability to Illithid names are more complex thanthose of crea-
communicatemind to mind. Still, they are hyper-intelli- tures using only one-dimensionalsounds to communi-
gent beings, creaturesthat realize the advantagesof cate and to convey concepts.The very nature of psionic
other forms of communication. telepathy allows !me telepaths (suchas illithids)to gar-
ner far more from a simple name. To nonillithids, an
Pualith illithid name impinges upon only the portion of the
brain used to assign meaning to such things.
Putting their prodigious minds to work, the illithids
devised a system of writing based on texture and touch. Thus, an illithid name may seem no more complex
This writing, called qualith, attempts to capture the
essence of the immersivetelepathiccontactnormally than the name of any individual from a foreign culture
used for communication. The qualith utilizes four levels
of logic simultaneously:four striated lines, each alter- Names such as Drukt, Sard, Sult, Aurangaul, Ralayn, and
nately solid or broken, along which illithidsrun their
tentacles in order to perceive meaning. Thus, a typical S'venchen do not sound exceptionally different from
line of illithid text carved into a rock wall or punched
into stiff parchment could look like the following: Branwen, Jon, or Marta. Of course, the psionic

Nonillithids find this language fiendishlyhard to un- referencing of a mind flayer's name conveys a multitude
derstand. Only those creatures employinga tentacle or
appendage on each of the four lines have any chance to of additional information to an illithid-including age,
grasp its full meaning, as each line of the "text" modifies
the meaning of the other lines. Thus, the complete mean- status, Creed, and psionic ability
ing only materializes in the gestalt presented by all four
limes together. Even though elder brains are conglomerateminds,
they do possess personalities of their own. In fact, many
Rumors exist of rogue mind flayer communities that elder brains take names when they first form. These
experimentwith magic and spells-a thoroughly de- names may be some derivationof the prime minds that
testable and unnatural event by the lights of the illithid make up their core personalities.However, elder brains
majoriw. Such communitieshave supposedlydeveloped often take enigmatic names that suggest feelings, events,
qualith into a simpler, less rigorous, true written lan- or even states of mind. In an economicalmanner, illithid
guage in order to investigate the mechanics of spell communities take their name from theirelder brain.
memorizationand casting.
outcasts
Illithid Sign Language
llithids almost never leave their communitiesperma-
This medium, developed by the Tamer Creed to nently-whether voluntary or not. Sometimes,however,
stymie psionic eavesdroppingfrom rrakkma and other an illithid may grossly violate the tenets of its own
illithid foes, utilizes a highly complex form of sign lan- species or even its Creed. In such cases, the community
guage. This language engages all four of an illithid's ten- or Creed brands it a traitor. Generally, these traitors are
tacles. While not as rigorous as the engraved formof executed immediately,but some do manage to escape.
qualith or as far-reaching as psionic telepathy, illithid
sign language has the advantageof being undetectable Runningaway from the communityand the elder
by eavesdroppingor psionic bugging; even those crea- brain is not somethingan illithid in its right mind would
tures viewing it are unlikely to interpret the meaningsof ever do, death sentenceor not. Therefore,fleeing illithidB
four rapidly signing tentacles. are probably deviantsand may have strong desires to
learn magic.

Strangelyenough,mind flayas denied the possibility of
later communionwith the elderbrain usually end up wor-
shipingIhn&m+pmbably in hopes of findingan even-
tual home for their outcast spirits. However, it is equally
likely that illithidsin such straitswill seek out the s e d of
immortalityfirst throughmagic alone,but finally through
magicalp m a t i o n of their bodies. These creaturesbe-
comeblasphemousmonsters, completely at odds with all
that normal illithid culture holds as true and right. lllithids
call thesefoul c r e a m illitldichsor alhoons.

JIIithids and Undead chameleons, thus rendering themselves nigh

Illithids are masters of the mental sphere;therefore, all undetectable to the infravisual capabilities of illithids.
creatures that wak on, below, and between the worlds
are subject to the wiles, whims, and dictates of the mas- Only by reflected infra-light, can illithids notice these
ters. All creatures, that is, except the undead.
creatures. Unfortunately, illithids can only spot undead
Undead-those creatureswhose spiritshave fled for
higher (or lower) realm-are "mindless" and do not im- under these conditions at a distance of 20 feet-when i
pinge at all upon the mental plane. However, the foul
power of necromancy allows their bodies to act with is too late for appropriate act
dark purpose, echoing failed endeavors and cheating
death by substitutinganimation for vitaliv.Both lesser It is true that most races fear and loathe undead, but
and greater undead share the same terrible trait:They such fear is nothing compared to what an illithid feels
IF invisible to illithid mental perception and immune to when confronted with these damnable creatures. So
illithid mental domination. used to the mastery of otherswith a thought, iUithids
tremble when they encounter unassailableminds. Unfoi
As if to add insult to injury, undead do not radiate tunately for mind flayers, undead are utterly and com-
pletely immune to psionic manipulationby their very
infrared heat like every other animate creature. Rather, nature. To a n illithid's way of viewing things, it appears
as if undead were created long, long ago just to thwart
they mirror the temperature of their surroundings like illithid dominance.It is unlikely that such a belief has
any validity, but regadless of the truth, undead ar

everpresent threats to all living creatue+parti&ly no enemies. However, illithids see this as a natural
illithids.
function of a universe f i l l e d with ignorant thralls that d@.
The q o r t of undead in thevicinityof an illithid commu- not know any better than t o snap at the hand of t h d r
nityhas a unifyingaffect onallillii3k-k h a t e n e d by the
news. These creaturesshelveagendasand temporarily eventual masters.
settledisputeswhile they hatchplans to eradicatethe b t
as quickly asillithidlypossible. Eradicationis usually ac- Perhaps no other matures demonstratethisbetter
complished through the use of a hardened p p of loyal than the githyankiand the githzerai.As noted in Chap-.
(conditioned)thrab-creatures better ableto dealwith the ter 4 Historyand Theology, these distinct humanoid
psychologid trauma of facinga mindlesscreature. races were once unified under illithid control. In a fash,
ion still not completely understood by illithids even
-lllithids and Githyanki today, the gith threw off the yoke of illithid control and,
attained independence.Unfortunately, thousands of
Besides an encounter with undead, there is little that years later, both races continue to harbor ill feeliigs tc-
wards their former mentors.
illithids fear. That is not to say that these creatures have

IMind Rip
(telepathicdevotion)

Notes: Cithy.u& rvarlccks can planc 4Uh at
Psionics Summary:#AT 1, MTHACO 14

Psionic Defenses All; Psionic Disciplines pr

Githyanki, under me command of their foul lich lllithids and Githzerai
queen, constantly form groups of a t h i d hunters that
seek to scow the planes free of illithid influence.Appar- Githyankiare not alone in their perpetual quest for
ently, every githyanki warrior must serve time in an vengeance against the illithid race; the githzerai also ex-
perience a burningrage yet to be quenched in illithid
illithid hunting party for personal training. In thisway, blood. Like githyanki, githzeraiorganize themselves into
bands whose only purpose is to slay athids. They call
githyankiwarriors claim some of the same experiences these ban& rrakkma, or hunting parties.
as their forebearerswho warred against the mind flayers
for their freedom. These hunting parties possess an in- The githzeraihave developed a very deadly psionic
credibleknowledge of illithid tactics, habits, and pow- sciencespecifically for use against mind flayers. Based
ers. They are also aware of the capabilities of mind flayer on their own ancient encounter with an enigmatic beiig
thralls. knownonly as Khdgar the Mind Ripper, the githzerai
affectionatelycall thispsionic ability the mind rip.
Despite the earlier noted illithid nonchalance, illithids
truly fear these hunters, and they take extra precautions
to conceal and protect themselves. The information
given in "Illithid Hunting Parties" reflects an average
githyanki hunting party.

A

A n lllithid Commumry

lives close enough for the occasional skirmish.

Abstemious containsabout 200 illithidsand approxi-

mately 500 thr&bringing the total population to

around 700 individuals.Unless noted otherwise, game

statisticsfor illithidsand their minions can be found in

Chapter 8.

The outer facadeof the communityhouses the thrall

population, while deeper areas contain the bulk of the

illithid population. These deeper areashave a n outer

and inner ring. The outer ring COM& to the thrall cav-

ems. However, there is no physical connectionbetween

the outer and inner ring; the inner ring is accessibleonly

throughthe psionic (or magical) twisting of space-time.

The edge of the inner ring contains the bulk of the

illithid communityand is dominatedby an axial plaza

(communitieslarger thanAbstemious might boast sev-

eral axialplazas).The rest of the inner ring houses areas

of extreme importance to all illithid-including the pool

of the elder brain.

All areas are numbered consecutively from area 1 to

- .-21.However, the three separatemaps included in this

chapter show various levels of detail.
The Abstemious m s s -

Whether illithids are world bound or range widely in the depths of section map flustrates the connection
between the two detail maps: The Outer

wildspace, they retain a racial preference for communities protectively Ring map and the h e r Ring map.

built deep below the surface of a world or asteroidal body. Thus, these 1. EntranceCavern
creatures maintain a certain conformity of architecture between their
communities. At least two winding underdarkpas-
sages open into this gargantuan fissure

mated through natural geologic

Abstemious process. The ceiling is home to h u n d d s of damp stalac-
tites that continuallydrip condensationto the floor

The text below details a typical illithid comm ’s floor holds a large viUage of grim-
ough illithid control is not immediately
shepherdedby the elder brain Abstemious. casual eye. In spite of the vigilance of the

communitiesvary accordingto the world u (areaZ), the psionic
elder brain usually notes the
they resid-d upon the e g intruders. Abstemiousdetects

Elder Concord-many of the featuresde cavern and
pproacbjng underdarkpassage, to a dis-
are almost universal among

The communityof Abstemious

of the underdark, fairly distant

other subterraneanraces. H

2. Guard Towers tower has a crenelated platfonn at its top
and two lower stories.Four grimlock sentriesconstantly
Two 30-foot-highguard towers cover each of the un- stand upon the platform of each tower, vi@t against
derdark passages that opens into the entrance cavern At foreignintrusion (guardduty follows rotation among ail
the behest of their illithid masters, grimlock thrallsbuilt billeted within the tower). In addition, 12 other grim-
these rough towers from stone blocks mined from the locks stand watch on the lower storeys of each tower. If
floor of the cavern itself.

62

intruders cannot legitimatelyaccount for their presence, illithid have thoroughly conditioned the grimlocks liv-
the sentriessound a gong loud enough to alert every ing in this cavem to accept their servitude willingly. In
grimlock in the cavern. fact, the thralls no longer require constant psychic domi-
nation; however, four illithid overseers do keep an eye
The chambersare bare of all but personal weapons, on the grimlock “village” (seearea 4).
provisions, and moss cots.
The grimlockslivinghere serve as a first line of defense
3. GrimlockVillage in the event that invadersattack the illithid community.
In addition, these grimlocksfunctionas skknishers dur-
This cavern is home to a large population of grimlock ing periods of illithid aggression. Many of the thralls here
thralls. Crude domes, rough buildings (enoughto house oftenservein the illithid community below, but return
approximately200 grimlocks),and all the accoutrements periodically to the cavern to feed and rest.
of a sizeable subterraneanvillage appear in the cavern.
The village consists of a hunting lodge, a nursery, several 4. Inlet
huts (housing 2-5 grimlocks each), a spring, large tracts
of soil set aside for the production of edible moss and This stone structurr is crudebut large. It seems be-
fungi, and a specially l i e d pen containing a small herd nignfrom the exterior,but in fact it always holds four
of gohlbromlivestock (seeChapter 9 for more infonna- iUithid overseers (wearing the symbolof the Nourisher
tion on gohlbrom).In addition, a stonecarver, a leather- Creed).The overseersstand duty shifts of six hours; they
worker, a parchment maker, and a crude blacksmith keep tabs on the activitiesof the grimlock village and
exist within the village. A small rock quarry completes pass warnings on to the elder brain in the event of a
the set up of thissophisticated grimlock community. physical attack that somehow eludes the elder brain’s
psionic surveillance.
Discriminatingobserversmay note the apparent lack
of a central authority.This is, of course, due to the fact This building also contains a secret chamber in its
that the grimlocks are not masters of their own fate. The center; a smallpassage located in the floor of the cham-

ber leads toward the outer ring of the m e illithid CVur mu pbwmcuy m me same mma.
munity.The door to this secret chamber is 10feet high
and 20 feet broad, allowinga largeforceto sallyforth in SD-The mature constantly emanates a psionic field
case of an emergency.When closed, the door is difficult (atno PSP cost)that renders it immuneto n o d and
to detect, requiring a normal find secret doors roll. The magical h;this field also reduces its damage from elec-
rough tunnel beyond is also 10feet high and 20 feet tricity to 1 hit point per die of damagerolled. In addition,
broad; it descendssteeplytoward area 5. it is immuneto weapons of lessthanc3 enchantment.
Weapons of greater enchantment only inflict1point of
5. Checkpoint damageper successfulstrike. Finally, a death spell is only
25% likelyto succeed,but a p m word: kill remains
Stoutiron doors inset with narrow viewing grills
guard either side of this large, artificialchamber. Within eve.
the chamber, a contingent of twenty 4 H D grimlocks
under the control of four standard illithidsmonitor the SW-Aprotectirmjrm mi spell keeps the intellect de-
area. In the event of an attack, the mind flayers send vourer at bay; bright lights and firesdrivethese creatures
mental communication to the elder brain; the elder away.
brain, in turn, warns the entire community. Meanwhile,
additional forces in area 10 mobilize and respond within Psionics Summary:#AT 1, MTHACO 12; MAC ,
five rounds. Lv 8; PSPs 200; Psionic Attacks ego whip (EW), id
insinuation@PsioIn)ic;Defenses intellectfortress
The Tamer Creed also maintainsits facility in associa-
tion with this checkpoint(see area 9), as shown in the (IF), mentalbarrier W),mind blank (MBk),
Outer Ring map. thought shield 0P;sionic Disciplines ectoplas-

mic form, body eqdibrium, chameleon power, ex-
pansion, reduction, astral projection, dominatii
mindbk,aversion, and telempathicprojection

6. “Watchdogs” 7. Outer Ring

This natural-looking cavern 1The outer ring is X I L V W V~I
contains a smallspring, hang- both the Abstemious Crossec
ing growths of dark fungus, tion map and in greater deta
and five intellect devourers on the Outer Ring map. The
hidden back amidst the fun- comdor composing the oute
gus. These creatures feed on ringis 20 feet wide and 20 fe
the ubiquitous empathicfun- tall;it completelyencom-
gus, but they also supplemet passes the axial plaza and th
their diets with an occasiona illithids’private dwellings. I
yummy brain. connectsto those areas ’
four large passages.
The intellect devourerswill As described in Wakeman’
not attack illithids, creatures journal entries, thiswide pas
escortedby illithids, or grim- sage is humid and heavily
locks.The intellect devourer carved with motifs not unlik
watchdogsconsider all other those of exposedneural con-
creaturesfair game. nections. Superimposedova
the decorative carvings on th
Intellect Devourers (5): AC outer wall runs a continuous
line of illithid qualith. The
4; MV 15; HD 6+6;hp 30 writing, unintelligible to non
illithids, givesprecise direc-
(average);THACO 13;#AT 4; tions to the various locations
Dmg 1-4 (x4) (claw x4); and facilities accessibleon th
SA psionic abilities; SD +3 Outer Ring.
or better weapon to hit; Every Creed maintainsits
SZ M (6‘ long);ML FanatiL facility off the Outer Ring.
(17); Int Very (11);AL CE; Besides Creed facilities,the

Xl’ 6,000.

Notes: SA-The intellect de-
vourer can attack physically

1

various officesof elected offi- 9. Tamer Facility
cials (aedileators,vigleators,
etc.) connect to the ring. The The Tamers maintain a
most important of these areas
have their own numbered complex of chambers con-
entry.
nected by locked iron doors.

Members of this Creed over-

see the combatants in the

mainArena (area 11),watch

8. Axial Plaza over the thrallshock troops

in area 10,keep armories

The central, or axial, plaza filled with arms suited for

is a wide, high spherical both thralls and illithids, and

chamber constituting the maintaina private arena

prime area of social congre- where iUithids physically en-

gation for the illithid popula- e*.--,- gage each other in duels an(
tion. The floor of the plaza
holds a series of wide, shal- i 1. martialchallenges.
low basins, where a lounging
Normally,up to 10iUithi

Tamerswork within the en

mind flayer might rest in tirecomplex. Many of these

comfort after long hours individuals wear illithid-

spent working in various ca- customized exoskeletons

pacities.Each basin has at and tentacle-extensions (

least two or three eating- Chapter 7 Illithid Te

stocks overlookingit, so that ow). Ten to twenty 4HD

hungry illithidsneed not stir thrallwarriors also spend

from their pool in order to time he-ften serving as

dine on gray matter. sparring partners to these
Normally, 2@40 standard
military-minded mind

illithids can be found taking flayers.

their ease and filling up on brain tissue in thischamber.

Ten to twenty grimlock thrallsalso attend every need of 10. Thrall Troops

their recumbentmasters-while the unlucky ones find This facility houses those utterly subjugatedthralls

their heads in a stock. that have received militaryindochimtion by Tamer
illithids. These troops generally lay at ease on moss mat-
The inward curving sphericalwalls and ceilingof the tresses,but they always respond to an alert.

plaza hold dense evidence of cliff-dwelling archikc- Under normal circumstances,thirty-five4HD grim-
locks serve as Abstemious’thrall troops. A particularly
the private domiciles of most of the illithid community. fierceulitharid named Susk directlycommands the
thralls in the event of a conflict. This ditharid has mas-
The community here is small enoughto afford almost tered the art of simultaneouslyattackingwith all of its
tentaclesand a physical weapon. Susk possessesthe sta-
every illithid a dwellingwith a balcony or window that ijstics of a standard ditharid, and he wears an exoskele-
ton suit and tentacleextensions.Susk also wields a
opens onto the plaza. Very young mind flayers,however, two-handed psychic sword in melee (seeChapter 7
Illithid Technology for descriptim of these items). To its
inhabit those dwellingswithout a view of the plaza. The credit, Susk has muted more thanone marauding band
of rrakkma githzerai.
iUithids can expand these dwellingas the needs of their
community grow. See page 72 for a descriptionof a stan-

dard illithid domicile.

Four large equidistant avenueslead off the central

plaza. Each avenue contains a highly sculpted archway

that shows groups of thralls working at various tasks for

their illithid overlords. Each of these accesswaysleads

directlyto the Outer Ring and the facilitieshoused there.

Hanging on a crystal chain from the plaza’s ceilingis a

20-foot-diametersphere of polished obsidian. This ob-

sidian sphere does not give off light in the visible spec- -

trum, but rather radiates sirongly in the infrared nance tournaments(see ”Entertainment”on page 54). It
containsmany featuressimilar to the gladiatoriala m a s ;
spectrum-bathing the entire plaza in a warm glow

visible to an illithid’s perception.

66



however, illithid a m w s differ in that they do not provide

physicalseatingfor spectators.Instead, four wall-

mounted (15feet high and one to a wall) crystal orbs

provide interested illithid viewers the opportunityto

watch the spectacle telq-tly. he orbs psionica~y

relay visualand audio informationto within 1 mile of

the arena. Interested gladiatorial enthusiastsneed only

"tunein"psionically to catch a dual between their fa-

vorite competitors.

In the case of dominancetournaments,the competitor

is most likely an illithid. The current favorite in Ab-

stemious is an undefeated "rider" called h d e n . This

gladiator is a standard illithid of theNourish Creed.

Though incredibly ferocious,the illithid champion wears

a colorful red jumpsuit during its competitions.

i 12. lourisherHeadquarters

The nourishers runthiscavern complex, where they
supervisethe generalthrallpool and host pexformance-
eatingevents in a small theater. Perfonmnceeating, de-
spite its name, serves a real purpose in the illithid
communiv.Just because illithids only need to eat a
single sentient brain in a month, doesn't mean they
don't aave many more. By sitting in on a taste-linked
eatingperformance, illithids vicariously enjoy a full
meal without the need to bloat themselves or undercut

thrallresollrces.
The generalthrallpool exists at the bottom of a 40-

root-deepshaft with glass-smoothwalls. Brasker, thepit
overseer, depositsand m o v e s thralls from their filthy
warrensvia telektetic powers. Braskerpossesses the
statistics of a standard illithid and has an exceptionally
s m g telekinetic ability. The illithidalso keeps the
thrallssupplied with minimum amountsof water and
food.Thankfully,the food is plentiful, if raw-though

new captives a~ often too sgueamishto eat what re-

mainsafter an illithid has extracted its own
nourishment.

The generalthrall pool contains the newest captives
yet to be eaten, fully conditioned, or assigned some
other task.As such,mptives here are usually not prim-
locks; they representtheillithid's latest acquisitions and
may come from a variety of different races-including
surface dwellers. Becam Of the illithi&' policy Of limit-
ing their thrall populationsto one race, nongrimlocksin
the generalthrallpool usually end up as dinner.

C-tly the gmeralpool consists of five drow war-
riors, two derm, one very dehydratedkuo-toa, and a
foolishgroup of surfacedwellingadventwas. only
thrrehemes remain from that adventuringparty: a 7th-

level male elf r a n w named Starvendel, an 8th-level
femalehuman warrior named Trishof Woodgard, and a

68

6th-level male dwarf clericnamed 14. Hallsof Creation bers, and labs making up the Halls
Kurash of Dimbold Deep. Kurash, of Creation.
though sorely wounded, continu- Creative are usually charged
ally tries to rally the other captives with the responsibilityof innova- Up to 20 standard illithids (with
to escape before it‘s ”toolate.” tion, and Creed members enjoy ex- two or threeillithidsand an equal
pounding upon the potential found number of technicians per lab)
13. The Vaults in the dchemical/psionic frontier. work steadily in the dozen or
The fervor of these illithidshas its
The Possessor Creed maintains t
many vaults, connected by winding
catacombliketunnels. Some of these .
vaults hold the wealth of individu-
als, some hold the wealth of other
Creeds, and one even contains the
treasury of the Elder Concord itself.

Illithidsare lawful creatures.
Thus, the security offerrd by these
vaults does not protect the commu-
nity’s wealth against thieving
illithids. Rather, the vaults guard
Abstemious’treasuresagainst the
threat of thieving invaders.

The chamber that sits d k t l y off
the Outer Ring serves as a “public
chamber,” a n area where nonaffili-
ated illithidscan request access to
their own personal vaults. There m
210 personal vaults within these
caverns. Generally, no single
vault-especially one leased by and
individual illithid-contains items
worth more than 5-20 (5d4)gp.
However, each individual vault
does have 1%chance of containing
an item worth up to 100gp.The real
wealth appears in the vaults main-
tained for the other Creeds ( 1 , O O g
6,000 g p value), the vault assigned
to the discretionaryfunds of the
Elder Concord (10,000gp value),
and the Possessors’ own specially
protected vault (14,000 gp value).

Each vault has a poison-trapped
lock, while the occasionalspiked
pit-trap opens upon any creature
that breaks into the vault tunnels.
Two to eight iUithids affiliated with
the Tamer Creed also stand guard,
and a brood of three intellectde-
vourers (see area 6 for statistics)
constantly patrol the passages sepa-
rating each vault.

69

outer labs. Each lab consists of a chamber 25 feet on a itselflooks likea g-m- Drain (symbolicof Ilsensine)
side, illuminated by small infra-spheresset in the ceil-
ing (similarto the stone hanging from the plaza, but whose many tentacles bursow into thehard stone floor-
much smaller).Wall shelvesand a central island of
smoothed, polished stone hold a variety of implements apparentlym e r g i n g as the aforementionedcolumns.
germane to either mechanical or psionic research. These
implements include alembics, crucibles, coils of distilla- The associatedchambersand cloister house the
tion, mortar and pestles, scales, tongs (both miniature
and gargantuan), and a host of other less-identifiable temple's 8priests and 10acolytes. The acolytes possess
items. Strange specimens-both living and dead-om-
plex psionic symbols, multicolored flames, and noxious the statistics of standard illithids. The priests, however,
fumes are also fairly standard decor in these labs.
are standardillithidswith "priestly" abilities (seethe
All the creativity expended here confers a base 15%
chance that each lab contains a functionalpsionic item Illsensine seaionin Chapter 4 History and Theology for
(choosea n appropriate item described in Chapter 7).
The outer labs are all open. However, this area houses a more details).Eachpriest is between 1stand 6th level.
singleinner lab, sealed to allbut the senior membersof
the CreativeCreed.The singlemtrictedlab is set up Ohlcaig,the head priest of the temple functions as a
much like the outer labs. Currently, Noheask (theeldest
illithid Creative)uses this lab to investigatethe signifi- 9th-levelpriest. It is a vocalmember of the Elder Con-
cance of a recentlyacquired object called The Night Egg.
Though mure, Noheask thinksit may hailfrom another cord, inevitablyattemptingto leverageany decision in a
plane. At thistime, the illithid has made little progressin
discoveringthe artifact's real power(s)-if any. way that most benefitsthe intemstsof Kisensine.Thus,

15. Luminarium Abstemious, the elder brain, oftenvotes M y against

The Ariser Creed uses these chambersto conduct their Ohlcaig'spositions.
experimentswithout botheringthose illithidsuninter-
ested in their aim of colonizingthe surfaceworld. To Vhlcaig's spell seledion (4/4/3/2/1): 1 & 4 e c tmagrc, detect
that end, many of the rooms associatedwith the Lumi-
narium are bathed in blindingwhite light, so as topre- poison,dmkness(~2);M 4 l d person (X2), auguy,fdtraps;
pare enthusiastic Arisers for the environmental
conditions of the surfaceworld. Someof the chambers 3rd--loc& obpt, speak roith&ad, continual darkness; 4th+ee ac-
serve as simple meeting rooms, complete with wading
pools. The Arisers use other chambersas feedingrooms tion,unbuemth spell ufnhty; %-mum.
and labs (built similarlyto those in area 14).
17. Spring
At any one time, 11-20 Arisers (standardillithids)
Although illithids subsiston the fatty gray matter har-
work in the Luminarium complex.AU illithidsin lit vested from sentientcreaturrs, their peculiar diet does
chambers possess glaregogglesand dampsuits(seeitems not render them immune to the biologicalneed for
water. The spring near Abstemious has not faltered in its
of the same name under Chapter 7: Illithid Technology). upwelling in the last 200 years.

16. Ilsensine'sTemple In thischamber, a largetiled basin retainsa portion of
the spring's upwelling, serving as a r r ~ e n r ~ini rthe
The Venerators (priests)keep up a seriesof chambers event of dire need and allowingeasy accessfor many
that serve as llsensine's Temple.The initialchambercon- thirsty illithids.Two grimlock thralls work tirelesslyin
nected to the outer ring servesas the central area of wor- thischamber, cleaningthe water in the basin with special
ship, and its decor holds many featcues in commonwith cloth filters and keeping the growth of water organisms
other temples throughoutthe multiverse. Two rows of at bay.
columns march south, each column resemblinga coiled
18. Bazaar
tentacle thrust up throughthe stone floor.Allof the
When Possessor merchants return from dangerous
columned "tentacles," however, originatefrom the mas- trade missions, they sell their inventoryto their fellow
sive idol in the southernsection of the chamber.The idol illithidshere in the bazaar. While those illithidsservings
as traders do find it financiallyrewarding, they must re-
turn a significantpercentageof any pmfits to the l'osses-
so1creed.

An illithid can find a wide assortment of items in the
bazaar-though the selectionchanges on a weekly basis.
Furnishings, clothing, tools, and other such mundane
itemsnot fashionedby the grimlock population of the
"surface" ViUage (area3)are the usualhottest sellers, as
the illitbid communityitself doesnot produce those
items. On average, 11-20 illithid shoppersand 2-8
illithid merchantsfrequentthe bazaar at any hour.

70

--m

19. Inner Ring body into one of the birthing pods so that it can com-
plete its transformationfrom humanoid to illithid in rel-
The Inner Ring-an area completelyencased in
stone-lies 100feet below the level of the axialplaza's E lative privacy Each birthing pod sports thick moss and
floor. Physical (nonpsionicor nonmagical)travel between
the outer and inner ring is a n impossibfity.Only those smells strongly of cinnamon and garlic.
capable of slidingpast the stone through extraordinaty There is a 35%chance that 1 4(ld4) ceremorphing
measures (such as probabilitytravel and teleport),or
those brought along by illithids can ever hope to access youngsten occupya particularbirthingpod.Thesemor-
the secret chamber at the core of the inner ring. Those ar- phing bodiesare in various statesof transition. Someof
riving by suchmeans generally materialize in the ring theconvulsingbodies lookcompletelynormal, but the
portion of thislevel, as it is highly disrespectfulfor a visi-
tor to appear directlywithin the elder brain's chamber. bulk of them have sprouted tentacles or are even closer to

Like the circular throughway of the outer ring, this awakening.Any chamberthat contains growing illithids
passage is steamy and resembles exposed brain tissue. A alsocontainsat least one standard illithidassigned to
continuousline of illithid qualith is superimposedover nursemaid theyoungstersthroughtheir birthing.
the disturbingbas-relief, recording the name of every
illithid that merged with the elderbrain after death. 21. Pool of the Elder Brain

20. Birthing Pods Here lies the alpha and the omega of the illithid com-
munity: a 30-foot-diameter pool filled with briny fluid.
As described in Chapter 2 Life Cycle and Variations, The edges of the pool are coated in a white, lumpy gm-
illithidsare born through ceremorphosis. Once an the remnant of hatched illithid spawn--while hundreds
illithid tadpole successfullymerges with a form donor of tadpoles swim sinuouslythroughthe fluid. Looming
(see area 21), other illithidsdrag the quivering,flailing darkly, and submerged submerged in the pool's center,
lies the elder brain itself.

In everyway, this chamber is the both the physical
and spiritualcenter of the illithid community. When the

71

Elder Concord is in conclave,it meets around the edges' cular, or even spnerid, so that everyillithid's dwelling
of the elder brain's pool. When an illithid spawns, the looks out over a central space. This subterraneanarchi-
hatching occurs along the pool's side. When a tadpole is tecture resembles a cliff dwelling to the untrained eye.
introduced to a form-donor, it begins the process at the Illithids, however, perceive such buildings as communal
pool's edge. Finally, when an illithid's life is over, its fel- areas.
low mind flayers commit its psyche to the elder brain in
this room. The dwelling describedMow belongs to Geddeil, a
standard illithid claiming membershipin the Abysmal
Illithids visiting this chamber reign in their esper-talk, Creed. Geddeil is only 10years past its ceremorphosis
keep tentacle oscillation to a minimum, and actively r e but alreadyhas good standing among other members of
frain from smearing any of their bodily mucous on the its Creed. Thus,its dwellingis only two levels above the
floor or walls. Even the membersof the Elder Concord, axialplaza, and its balcony is quite wide.
during their weekly meetings, restrain themselves in the
physical presence of the elder brain. 1. Balcony

Such is its presence that even nonpsionicminds can Hanging 20 feet above the plaza is a large stoneM-
sense the elder brain's brooding, powerful presence conyjutting out from the sphericalside wall. A narrow
although most nonpsionicminds brought to thischam- stair connects the balcony to one below it, and then to
ber serve as form donors for the next generation of mind the plaza's floor. Above, below, and to either side of the
flayers. balcony, windows, stairs, and laddersprotrude from the
stone wall, forminga two-dimensionalcommunity
In those communitiespossessing centralgathering wrapped around the sphericalplaza.
chambers-such as the axial plaza of Abstemiou-
illithidsbuild their dwellings sideby side, and above Geddeilhas placed a portable stone pool at the lip of
and below each other. These dwellings often follow the the balcony, allowingthe mind flayer to relax comfort-
perimeter of the plaza, whether the perimeter is flat,cir- ably in its own domicile. For convenience,the balcony
possessesa feeding-stock,but it is currentlypushed
againstthe far railing away from the steps.

72

2. Sitting Room tinues to pay the extra expense associatedwith Gecfdeil's
Iexperiments."
This large chamber serves as the living,dining, and
remation rooms for Geddeil. It containsvarious throw 3. Thrall Quarters

pillows (filledwith spongy, dry moss), artistic sculptures Every illithid has at least one personal thrall that
rarely leavesits side. Personalthralls open doors, pick
@estappreciated by tentacle touch),resonance stones up items of interest to its master, clear paths along busy
(smallcrystalsembedded with pleasant emotions; see throughways, complimenttheir illithid owners on a reg-
Chapter 7 Illithid Technologyfor more information), ular basis, and generally accomplish menial tasks. In
several feeding-stocks (in case guests show up for din- many cases, once an illithid findsa personal thrall that
ner), and a large musical instrument,called a bone- agreeswith it, the mind flayer goes out of its way to
thriven. avoid eating the thrall's brain in a bout of hunger or
anger. Somethrallshave lived out their entire lives as
While in its dwelling, Geddeil works on a coupleof the personal servants of a single mind flayer.
differentpet projects. Happily, its hobbies coincidewith
the stated aim of the Abysmal Creed. Geddeil also Personalthrallslive in their masters' dwellings; their
spends many hours a day composing discordant music quarters provide for their basic needs and wants, con-
on its instrument; this music unsettles and horrifies any taining moss mattresses,bundles of dried rations hang-
humanoid creatures that listen to it. ing low from the ceiling, and basins of drinking water.

When not composing, Geddeil gives in to gluttony, GeddeiI's personal thrall,a grimlock male named
eating far more than a singlebrain per month. Geddeil
justifies this resource drainby claiming that it aids the Ogham,is also allowed to store a few changes of clothes
mind flayer's own explorationof the effects of horror on in this chamber, as well as a fewsmall trinkets (shiny
thralls. Its obesity, combined with its sickening pallor I&) and toys (very crude dolls) to keep him happy
and the accumulated debris of past meals caught in its during his "off" hours.
clothing and upon its tentacles, has a certain demoraliz-
ing effect on nonikthids. So far, the Abysmal Creed con-

4. Study lamps carved to memble illithid heads S

This chamber resembles the office of an eccentricsur- from the illithids' eyes and mouths), a dish of hard candy
facedwelling sage.A clutter of culturalartifactsfrom
various thrall races cover shelves, a desk, and even the shapedlike miniaturehuman hands, a petrified human
floor. For example, an elvenwall sconce hangs over a
dwarven bafflemask,bracketed on one sideby a human- foot, and dozens of other items.
crafted decorativeclay pot and on the other by a
gnomish toolsuit. 6. Sleep Chamber

Geddeil has collected these items in order to make a n The fact that illithidsrequire sleep is the best argu-
honest attempt to understand their culturalsignificance. ment that currentlyexists for the suppositionthat
The creature feels that if it can truly understand the illithidsoriginated from a planet with periodicsunshine.
mindset of the various thrall races, it willbe that much Why elsewould illithidsdevelop sleep patterns that so
more successful in devisingmeans of promoting cultural closelyresemble the sleepinghabits of surface-dwelling
terror and fear. It's all in a day's work for Geddeil. creatures?

Geddeil's desk is a simple stone platform. Below it sit Geddeil's sleep chamber is a 10-foot-diametermass d
several sheaves of stiff blank parchment.A striator (a thick, damp, cushioningmoss bounded by a small stone
psionic pen used to imprint parchment with qualith; see step in the center of the room. Various small stands and
Chapter 7 Illithid Technology)lies on the desk along shelvesin the room contain odd knickknacksthat appeal
with several sheets of qualith-imprinted parchment. The to Geddeil's sense of decor: ghastly shells collected from
parchment pieces rest beneath a black, egg-shaped pa- a nameless subterraneansea, humanoid tooth sculp-
perweight; the paperweightis actually a resonance stone tures, a collectionof silverbells, and an infra-painting.
imprinted with pure horror. Any creature touching the The painting shows (tothose able to distinguishwave-
stone must make a saving throw vs. spell or suffer lengthsin the infrared) a landscape of foaming chaos
effects simiiarto afear spell for 3d6 rounds. The written through which a shard of floating earth is visible. At the
records beneath the "paperweight" have Geddeil's notes base of the painting,a line of qualith reads, "Beyond the
recorded upon them. These notes includesuch observa- Pale. A Resonance Island." The painting is a memento of
tions as "humans fear the dark," "dwarves fear deep Geddeil's travels.
water," "elves fear moral compromise," and "halflings
fear starvation." An open archway in the chamber leads to Geddeil's
walk-in closet. The closet contains several dozen robes,
5. Storage boots, gloves, and other illithid clothingaccessones.
Most of the clothingis imprintedwith the raised sigil of
This locked chamber holds the fruit of some of Ged- Geddeil's Creed association. Hidden in the inner lining
deil's past projects-not all of which were completely of a robe at the very back of the closet is a contraband
successful.Pied against the walls and upon a central wand ofmagic missiles (56 chargesremaining)that Ged-
stone table liejumbles of odds and ends. These piles in- deil secretly keeps in disobedienceof Abstemious' ordi-
clude stuffed grouse, dried limes,metal shavingsin a nance. Geddeil keeps the wand out of a secret
steel chest, a bone horn that soundswith a weak and fascinationwith magic, a fascinationthat the mind flay*
plaintive blast, a water pipe half filled w t h formic acid has only just begun to explore.
(4d10points of damage if spilled 01swallowed),candle-
Enqenderinq new Communities

lllithids continually desire to expand their sphere of
influence and control, and so it is necessary for them to
send colonists out to engender completely new colonies
of mind flayers. When the time is ripe (usuallyafter corn
quering the indigenouspeoples of a p d c u l a r territo&
the Elder Concord chmes a group of young to coloniul
the new territory. Usually,this group consistsof 11-20
standard a t h i d s .

The colonists are each allowed three thralls, chosen
from amongthose most conditioned to obey the illithidd
commands.If possible, colonistsbring along thralls thak
possess specializedknowledge of mining, construction,
smithing, and other artsthe illithidsdeem too menial to

74

learn. Once assembled, the colonizingcaravan, drawn entirecolony’s survivalare significantenough without
on the back of subjugated underdarkbeasts, heads out to adding additionalareas of potentialfiction. Colonists
make its fortune. also take a much more active role in patrolling the edges
of their temtory, overseeingthe construdionefforts of
As might be expected, mind flayer coloniesare far their thralls, developing trade withnew races, a n A mrrin-
more crude than their communities. These coloniesmay taining ties with the parent illithid community
continue to exist in far more generic states-possibly
containing architecturalelementsof the areas‘ former in- The parent communitycontinues to support me e
habitants. fortsof a fledglingcolony up until the time when th
colony’s elder brain successfdy forms.Once a new
For instance, the constructionof a facadeviUage of brain takes over the colony, the parent community
conditioned thralls is a luxury availableonly to real “washesits tentacles”of responsibility-onsigning the
communities.Instead, most of the thralls are kept tc- colony to success or failure on itsown sirengthsand
gether in a central slavepit or similar fortifiedenclosm. weaknesses. In thisway, the ever-expandingillithid in-
Colonizing illithidsmust “rough it,” possibly for as fluence is not negatively impacted if one or two colonies
many as two or three generations,until a new elder failto prosper; the larger communitieseach remain inde-
brain can form from the minds of the oldest colonists. pendent entitieswhose fortunes are tied to nothingbut
Before the genesis of a communityelder brain, the the forceof their own assembled intellectand psionic
colonists are at their most vulnerable. eminence.

Ulithids in new coloniesrarely have the time or in&
nation to splinter into the Creeds so common in more
established communities. The day-t&y con- of an

75

active mucous into newly forged inanimate objects,
devices, and even weapons. This method include
cuitry" of sorts,wherein a psychic impulse could be
stored and later activatedby spedficmental stimuli of a
sentientuser. Once activated, a device fulfillsits psychic
potential according to the instructionsstored in its inert
psionic pathways-usually powering itself from the
brain wave activity of the user it& '

label them geniuses),it probably doesn't come as a sur-
prise that they have produced a wide variety of techno-
logical marvels over the years. What is most interesting,
however, is the illithid penchant for budding psionicdy
empowered devices.

Whiie certainly not the only interest of illithid
engineers, psionically empowered devices are the
illithids' answer to the magically enchanted tools often
utilized by thrall races. What illithids lack
components, they more than make up for in their abili
to produce vast quantities of psi-active mucous from
glands within their own skin!

Psionic ltem
Distribution

Illithidsdo not normally possess
multiple psionic items. In fact, the
common illithid is lucky to possess
even one psionic item. Illithidsof

power tend to possess at 1

or three. The Psionic
table is useful for dete
unique psionic items pos
mind flayers. The Uniqu

Psionic Item Descriptions ,the information contained

Many of the items describedbelow s on Table 61:Fields of
the hands of some member of the Crea
device is created, it is usually
item by followingthe mental
the cells of the elder brain.

Of course, illithidscreate nonpsionic

purely psionic manufacture.

Brainmate

are out of touch with the elder brain. To creaturesused ugh its owners, so it can make a I
to the constant susurration of the elder brain's thought,
knowledge,and uerceution, the loss of contactwith the duce an answer.

V. Cephalometer

elder brain can be quite unsettling. Companiesthat The cephalometeris a metallic, psionicallyempo
travel for long periods of time outside the reach of an ered device that directlymeasures the head sizes of
elder brain can rely on a transceiver (seebelow). mthids thralls via two inwardly curved projections connected at
belonging to less-ambitiousforays are often forced to one end; an illithid can open and close this end to vary-
stiffen their tentacles and bear the brunt of contact 1%- ing widths in order to encompassa head and find its
unless they are one of the fortunatefew to own a size. In addition, this device measures the innate psionic
brainmate. potential of the head in question, as well as the chemical
balance of a host of neurotransmittersand cranial hor-
The brainmate appears as a 5-inch-diameter globe of mones important to iUithid nutrition. The
translucent material, in which can be seen a miniature pear on a smallblank panel on one arm of the
disembodiedbrain suspended in a languid,heavy fluid. cephalometer,using the distinctive striated lines of
Illithids often wear this globe on a chainaround their qualith while the head remains in the calipers. Once the
neck while in use, or else they safely store it away within calipersare removed from the head, the striationssub-
a well-cushioned chest. sideback into the panel, leaving it blank once more.

The brainmate is a result of one of the very few a t h i d
forays into biomancy; ilbthidsnormally prefer to base
their technology on distilled mucous essence and inani-
mate materials,but they made an exception in thiscase.
A brainmate is simply a smallbud from an elder brain,

77



Dampsuits not offer any protection against
ing. Rather, reinforced metallic
Designed by the Ariser Creed for plates and braces interwovenb
illithid activity in dry, sunlit areas, tween the suit‘s layers offeren-
the dampsuit is a marvel of mind hanced protection to the
flayer ingenuity. Composed of slick exoskeleton’s wearer-ving the
black leather, the suit fits perfectly user a more structured,carapaced
over the iUithid form.It even in- look, as well as an Armor Class of 1.
cludes a skullcap that pulls down
over an illithids head, yet leaves In addition to providing en-
room for its tentacles to protrude hanced protection, embedded
normally or furl comfortablyup psionic circuitrywithin the ex-
within a tentaclepouch. While oskeleton enhances the wearer’s
seamlesson its exterior,the damp- Strengthand Dexterity when fueled
suit contains several interior layers by PSPs. The Strength and Dexterity
that work in conjunction with nat-
ural illithid skin mucous, storing enhancement equals K the number
and preserving lifegiving moisture.
While the integrity of the suit is d PSPs channeled into the suit on a
maintained, frozen tundras and ound-by-round bashalthough
sweltering deserts are equally ieither the wearer’s Strength nor its
tractableby the protected illithid. kxterity can inaease above 20 at
Furthermore,an illithid does not my time, regardless of the number
need to drink while suited. Illithids >fPSPs placed into the suit.
wearing dampsuits and glaregog-
gles operate almost normally on the For example, Susk the tamer,
surface of a world-although the wearing its exoskeleton,has a
dampsuit does require at least 1 Strength of 12and a Dexterity of 10.
pint of water per week to recharge At the beginning of the melee
its reservoir. Additionally, a n illithid round, Susk channels 14 PSPs into
(or other humanoid creature)re- the exoskeleton for Strength and 14
ceives -1 to itsAC while wearing a 5 P s for Dexterity, adding a total of
dampsuit. However, too many
slashes and cuts in the armor even- 7 points to each stat (givinghim a
tually destroy its integrity, render-
ing the suit useless. Generally, 19Strength and a 17Dexterity)for 1
dampsuits must make item saving vund of combat. If Susk wishes to
throws (as leather)against specific continue operatingwith heightened
attack types each time their wearers statistics,it must continue to chan-
sufferdamage from an attack.For iel PSPs into the exoskeleton each
example, a dampsuit saves vs. and every round.
Crushing Blow when hit by weap-
ons, Electricitywhen hit by a light- The exoskeleton can absorb up to
ningbolt, and so on. Once a
dampsuit fails its item saving throw Ia maximum of 200PSPs in a
five times, it becomes useless.
twenty-four-hourperiod. Once it
Exoskeleton ;urpassesthislevel, its psionic cir-
mi- shutsdown for twenty-four
Based on the technology used in IOUIS in order to recover; no ability
the creation of a dampsuit, the ex- ,oosts are possible until this refrac-
oskeleton is almost identical to that ory period has elapsed.
protective device. Unlike the damp-
suit, however, the exoskeleton does laregoggles

Glaregogglesappear as a pair of
tight-fittingblack lenses complete
with side shields;Uithids use

ather strapsto secure these items
ugly around their heads. The
lenses filter visible light (lightemit-
ted by candles, torches, lanterns ^-

the sun), translatingfrequency and wavelength down- 'ossible Effects ok
ward such that only infrared light escapes from the 'ersondPsi& Sed
lenses' opposite side. Glaregogglesallow any creature

Psionic Seals

Illithids with access to the Imprint PsionicC i t r y ~~ ~~~~~~ I ~~
mental discipline (seeChapter 3for more details)can in-
scribepsionic seals upon inanimate objects, portable ob- ~~~~~ ~~
jects, or upon living creatures (similarto tattoos).
Although psi-sensitiveindividualsmay see these psionic seal, dependingupon its complexity.A list of standard
seals, they may not immediatelyunderstand their
significance placementsand effectsfor psionic seals appears on pagt

In essence, a psionic seal is a small bit of psionic cir- 85.However, the list is by no means exhaustive.
cuitry incorporatedinto an object (or being) that was not
originally designed to possess it. Thus, psionic seals are Psionic seals can appear upon doors, passages, or othe
external to the object-although the object acts as an an
chor to the seal. places, acting as guards againstrandom intrusion. If a

-1 creaturepassingthrougha sealed area doesnot speak th

i p q e r deactivation code, the psionic seal subjectsthe in-

terloper to 10d6hit points of psionicallygenerated pain

(% damage on a successfulsavingthrow vs. death magic:.

Generally speaking, immobile seals of thissort function

five times per day. After a twenty-four-hour refractorype-

riod elapses, the psionic seal is once again fullyrecharged

and ableto repelintruders.

Psionicseals can be placed on mobile objects-such a

the page of a book or the outside of a trunk or satchel.

Generally speaking, such seals psionically lock the item

from ~ t u r a l l oypening.Only the proper command

word (or thought) temporarily disengagesthe seal so

that a book or container can be successfullyopened.

Note that such seals can also appear on doors, acting

much like the wizard lock spell.

Finally, an illithid can imprint a psionic seal upon the

flesh of a livingbeing as a tattoo. Sometimes,mind flay-

ers brand such seals into thralls,allowing the illithidsto

know the location, health, and mental state of any im-

printed slaves. Thrallsbranded in thisway are also eas-

ily identifiableto other illithidsas being of special

importance,as the use of a psionic seal on a thrall is a

great investiture of time.

an

Alternately, illithids might imprinta psionic seal upon
another of their kind. In these cases,the psionic circuitry
inherentto the seal generallypossessessome storedben-
eficial power upon which the branded illithid can call
upon once per day. These powers often resemble normal
psionic abilities germane to illithids.However, when ac-
tivated from a psionic seal, such powers do not drain
any PSPs from the illithid using the seal. The table below
gives a few additionalexamplesof the benefits provided
by a psionic sealbranded to another ueature. Note that

an individual can wear only two or threetattoosat a

single time beforethe subdermalextent of the psionic
circuitry inherent in each seal threatensto a o s s and
short circuit

Psychic Reservoir

This item appears as a small, malleable gobbet of
illithid mucous bound in a &membrane that hangs
from a neck chain.Illithidscanstoreup to a maximum
of 50 PSPs within each -N&, which they can then
use at their discretion. Any time the reservoir’s F‘SPtotal
dropsbelow 50 PSPs, the item canbe rrcharged.
Recharginga psychic reservoirrequiresone hour’s
worth of concentrationand the applicationof personal
psionic poin-ne third of which are actually stored
within the pouch.For example, an illithid might channel
60PSPs to the reservoir over an hour’s period, but o d y
20 of those F’SPsremainin the item at theend of $hat
hour.

Developedby the combat-obssessedTamer Creed, ttZe

iUithid psychic sword is based to someextent on the sil-
ver sword of their githyankienemies. While a silver sword
has magical components, an illithid psychic sword
gains its power fromembedded psi0
visibly glows throughout the blade
tient being the blade remainsdark and-
used.

Illithids generallyconstructpsychic longswo&
though they do fashion other types of psychic weapons.
Like their magically enchanted counhpcts, psionic
weapons possess attack and damagebcmuses; these
bonuses function for all intents and purposes like magi-
calbonuses. However, a weapon’s psychic bonus de-
pends upon the wielder’s Intelligence score, varying in
accordancewith the strength of the wielder’s mind as
shown on the Illithid Psychic Sword table below. Wield-

ers of higher InteEpce can also catalyze cumulative
effects embedded in the psionic drcuitryof the blade. It

is likely that different blades have &t imp&&



Striator .ts in. Once a mind flayerremovesan extension, it
cannot adivate that particular devicefor another 12
This device is a small implement
hours.
that at first glance appears like a p

or quill. Closer inspection,however, E-

veals that the item possesses four small - Voice Box
A
metallic extensionsat one end. The striator re-

mains inert until grasped. In the hands of a This psionidy empowered device

sentientbeing, thoughts are translated directly -A translatesits wearer’s telepathic speech
into audiblewords of a preselected lan-
to the pen tips, which in tum psionically guage. Each voice box appears as a
small, flattened block of dull metal,
raise a four-level striationupon stiff parch- A usually hung upon a chain or pendant.
mentor paper as the striator is moved The small box normally contains one
across the page from left to right. Even if line of qualith identifyinga single lan-

the being using the striator cannot read guage (itcould be drowkh, common,
elvish, etc.); iUithids key the prese-
illithid touch script, the striator still c lected language into the voice box
unerringly translates the thoughts of during the fashioning of this item.
the wielder into four-levellogic read-
able by most illithids. To use the voice box, an illithid
wears it on a belt or around its neck
Tentacle Extensions and toggles the box with a mental
command. From that point on, the
While unattached, tentacle exten- L item audibly verbalizes any mental
sions (grouped in arrangementsof speech directed at it; this “transla-
four or six) appear as damp cables 1 tion” occurs at an average decibel
3 feet in length; these extensions level in the box’s preselected lan-
often have razor sharp blades at- guage. An illithid can mentally
tached to one end. When an illithid change the volume of the voice box
physically places the blunt end of with another separate command or
an extension to its tentacle tip and t e m p r d y deactivate it with a
spends 5 PSl’s, it psionically causes third mental command. The voice
the device to energize and graft to box can speak quite loudly, but not
the end of the illithid’s tentacle. so loudly as to cause damage to lis-
Once grafted, the tentacle exten- teners in an enclosed area.
sion acts in many ways like the
wearer’s natural tentacles, albeit Unique Psionic ltems
with an additional 3 feet of length.
A small duct within the extension The followingis a listing of rare
also conveys an illithid’s natural psionic items used in some Illithid
flesh-dissolvingenzyme to the communities.
bladed extension tip.
Elder Brain Transceiver
A tentacle extensiongrants its
wielder a +2 attackbonus (forten- When a largegroup of illithids
tacle strikesonly).In addition, an know that they must operateau-
illithid utilizing such a devicein- tonomously (withoutcontact with
flicts a total of ld4+4 points of dam- the elderbrain of their community)
age with each successfulhit, and it for long periodsof time, they often
can stillwithdraw a victim’sbrain if constructa transceiverthat boosts
four tentacles gain a foothold on the thein telepathic range in order to
foe’s cranium.Tentacleextensions maintaincontactwith the elder brain.
remain active as long as their wear-
ers spend 5 PSPs every tum.How- Elder brain tranxeivers are large
ever, illithidscannot wear tentacle and nomobile, so they are built
extensionsfor more thantwohours
at a time before debilitatingfatigue

only when out-of-touchillithids h o w ahead of time that chance to break away (with a successful bend bars/lift
their base of operations is unlikely to shift in the future. gates roll) else GhostAnchor remainsattached.While
The transceiver has a large egg-shaped maincomponent, the psionicspear remainsin place, it neutralizes all
which stands on end to a height of at least 8feet. The egg spell-likepowers, spells, or psionic abilities of the
is hollow; anyonewishing to enter the device can do so pierced target.
through a portal on the side (or bottom, in some cases).
Extending from the egg, tentaclelike cables provide a The wielder now has two options: Tie off the silvery
base for the devicebefore finally trailing off into the sides cord to an inanimate present location, or grasp the cord
of eight smallwading pools (onetentacle-cableper pool) fullyand pull the ethereal object-thereby anchoring the
that surround the object.The egg and its tentaclecables ethereal creature to the Prime MaterialPlane. Once this
seem almost alive in their crusted, organicappearance. occurs, Ghost Anchor loses its attachment upon the for-
However, the transceiver is not a livingcreature. merly ethereal mature. However, the hapless creature
sufferssevere disorientation, and it cannot use any men-
To operate the device, a single mind flayer occupies tal or magical powers for a full 10rounds. In addition, a
disoriented creature cannot travel back to the Ethereal
the hollow egg, while eight other illithids enter each Plane during thistime. Once an ethereal creature (such
as a ghost) is brought into the solid world, it is often
wading pool and concentrate their telepathic ability up much easier to dealwith using mundane methods.

through the appendages and into the egg. The illithid

inside the egg then channels the combined and Hazard (Unique Item)

amplified energies of the other mind flayers and sets up Hazard is the name given to a one-of-a-kind psychic
sword that possesses a few s p e d characteristics.The
rapport with its own elder brain weapon is a longsword and has all the abilitiesnative to
a standard psychic sword-including full empowerment
Ghost Anchor (Unique Item) to wielders with Very High or better Intelligenceas
well as the followingabilitiesthat function no matter the
Using portions of the technology necessary to fashion wielder’s Intelligence score.
a psychic blade, a long-dead illithid constructed a psy-
chic spear possessed of special powers that have yet to Ludc Once every twenty-four-hour-periodof time,
be duplicated successfully.In time, the psychic spear the user can call upon the psychic power of Hazard to
gained the appellation”Ghost Anchor” due to its partic- manipulatechance and fate. The wielder can reroll a
ular capacities. failed saving throw, attack roll, or ability check (includ-
ing such skills as open doors, bend bardlift gates, hide
Ghost Anchor is a throwing spear and appears as a in shadows, etc.) and substitute the better of the two
long shaft of transparent iron (callednephelium by the rolls. However, the wielder cannot sidestep the universal
duergar) that slowly tapers to a razor-sharp spearhead. balance sheets so easily.Before the creature can again
The blunt end of the spear trails a 75-foot length of make use of this power (twenty-fourhours later), it must
strong, silvery cord, which is amazinglystrongdespite reroll a n important saving throw, attack roll, or ability
its thindiameter. check (chosenby the DM) and use the poorest of the twe

Against normal creatures, Ghost Anchor acts like an rolls.Note that the luck conferredby Hazard need not Ix
average spear-though it does make item saving throws
on the steel column with a +4 bonus. It is against ethe- related to the use of the psychic sword itself.
real creatures that Ghost Anchor is most efficaaous.The Unerring Strike: Once during a creature‘spossession
wielder of Ghost Anchor is able to see all ethereal crea-
tures within 60 feet while graspingthe haft of the of Hazard, it can choose to succeed at a saving throw, at-
glasslike weapon. The wielder can attack visualized tack roll, or ability check automaticallywithout recourse
ethereal creatureswith Ghost Anchor by casting the to a roll. Once thispower is used, Hazard remainsm the
spear. Such attacks are made against the ethereal m a - wielder’s possession for a maximumof 3 additional
ture with a +3 bonus, and all appropriatemissile attack rounds, after which it vanishes to seek a new owner in the
bonuses due to the high Dexterity of the caster are also multiverse. Usually, Hazard psychoportsitself to prime
incorporated into the attack roll. worlds where m a w may easily find it. Sometimes,
though, it psychoportswithin cryptsor dragonhoards,
A successful attack inflicts ld10+3hit points of dam- where it languishes for agesbefore finallybeing recovered
age upon the ethereal creature.More importantly, through “luck.”No power has yet proven suffiaentto
though, Ghost Anchor pierces and hooks the target pwent Hazard from divorcingitself from a wielder once
much like a harpoon. The creature so entangled has one that wielder has called u p t h e UneningSt&e p w a

84

Nautiloids and unique features brought from cross-world trade (not
to mention cross-world piracy-the nautiloid’s ram is
Illithid spelljammingvessels, also d e d nautiloids, not just for decoration).
carry a cargo of up to 35 tons. Such ships normally boast
crews of at least 35 illithids, 2-5 of which must occupy SeriesSpelljamming Helms
the series helm to provide motive force for the craft. A
nautiloid is approximately 180feet long and has the ap- Somecommunitiesof illithidsarenot bound to subter-
pearance of a massive snail’s shell, from which pro- ranean depths; rather, these matures inhabitthe dark
trudes a taperingbundle of tentacle-like spars that spacesbetween worlds. Suchmind &yes generallyview
senres as a ram. world-bound iUithid communitiesas rustic, but necessary
to further illithidplans. Someworld-bound illithids, on
The coiled shell of the nautiloid (seediagrambelow) the other hand, view their world-hoppingrelations as
provides the comfortof enclosed spaceswhile at the rash matures, ungoverned by practical consideration
same time providingprotection against direct sunlight.
However, the ship is not completely sealed against its Whatever the truth, the ability to travelbetween
outer environment.A filmof pressurized, heated, and worlds is impartedby a series spelljamminghelm (the
breathable atmosphere coats the ship.This atmospheric term spelljammingis an archaic reference to magical ver-
film allows illithid thralls (and illithidsprotected against sions of the illithid series helm).%- devices appear as
possible sunglare)to move freely from interior to exte- a series of linked seats with recesses for head, arms, legs,
rior as their duties dictate. and feet. Serieshelms are solidly attached to a large ves-
sel capable of carrying an illithid m w and cargo. When
Normally, only space-based iUithid communitieshave illithidsoccupy every seat in a serieshelm, the creatures’
docking facilities and shipyardsfor nautiloids. In some combined psychic power is drawn out by the device,
cases, however, world-bound communities close to the amplified,and precisely directed so as to provide
surface may maintain a docking facility(accessible enough motive power for the vessel to rise up in the air
through long subterraneantunnels)at the tip of a partic- and exit the atmosphericenvelope of a planet!
ularly large mountain. A community in contactwith
spelljammingillithidsis sure to contain a host of strange

.i.

I.

Quick Stdt Reference
1-4-4

Aream Illithid: AC 5; MV 12, Sw 12; HD 8t4; THACO :
11; #AT 4; Drng 2 (see Tentacles under Anatomy in Chap-
tant information about illithids and other creatures that ter 1); SA mindblast, suggestion, charmperson, charm
figure prominently in illithid societ monster, ESe levitate, astralprojecfion, and planes
SD infravision; SW -10% to all hear noise checks: M
Stmdwd lllithids 90%; SZ M (6' tall); ML Champion (15): Int Genius
(17-18); AL LE; XP 9,000.
Illithid: AC 5;MV 12, Sw 12; HD 8t4; THACO 11; #AT 4;
Drng 2 (see Chapter 1); SA psionic powers; SD infra- Notes: S A d m n e illiimids can usetheir powers once per
vision; SW -10% to all hear noise checks; MR 90%; round at Me 7th level of ability. An amne illiimid's mindblastaf-
SZ M (6' tall); ML Champion (15); Int Genius (17-18);
AL LE; XP 7,000. fects a cone-shaped area M)feet long, 5 feet wide at its base,

Psionics Summary: #AT 1, MTHACO IO;MAC 5; Lv 10; 20 feet wide at its far end. All creatures within the cone must

PSPs ld100t250; Psionic Attacks ego whip (EW), id in- The ulitharid (noblemind 5yer) possessesstronger
sinuation (Il), mind blast (MB); Psionic Defenses All; tentacles thana normal illithid.Thus, an &harid only
Psionic Disciplines control body, levitati needs to secure threetentacleson its victim to draw out
rium, probability travel, teleport, astral p
nation, awe, ESP, post-hypnotic suggestion , tentacleinflicts ld4 points of damageon a successfulat-
intrusive taste link*. tack. When at least one of the ditharid's tentaclesholds
* Indicatesa unique illithid psionic ability detailed in a victim,each succeedingtentacle receives a cumulative
+1bonus to its attack mlk (to a madmumof +5 for the
Arcme lllithids sixth tentacleattack).

Arcane illithidsconcentratetheir facultiesto produce Ulitharid's possess the same complement of psionic
spell-likepowers. The abilitiesof
posed to psionic mind flayers)are subject to Chapter 3 PsionicAbilities and Limitationsfor
tive effectsof dispel magic and details).
psionic powers may remain
at the DMs option. Note that an arcane Ulitharid: AC 3; MV 12, Sw 14; HD 11t8; THAC
blast is not a spell-like ability; it is more
dragon's breath weapon. hampion (16); Int Supra-geniu

Dungeon Masters can easily substitu ines As per standard illithids.
powers listed under the arcane illithid?,
psionic abilitiesof any standardillithid
when running a nonpsionic

A1hoons strength); #AT4; Dmg ld6t4; SA infra-
vision, regeneration, psionic
brain of creaturesafter the fashionof their livingrel mind blast: SD immune to
tiveoalthough brute undead s h m g t h replacesthe non-magical weapons, poi-
of flesh-dissolvingenzymes. Even thoughcep
son, disease, sleep, hold, and
victims’ thoughts (25%)whil
charmrelated magic, un-
a spellfrom a caster’s harmed by sunlight, cold-
scribethese spellsinto wrought iron and silver
weapons; SW sunlight, holy
4/3/3/2/1). Howeve symbols, holy water; MR
90%; SZ M (6’ tall): ML Fa-
Dmg ld4; SA psionic powers, spells; SD in natic (17-18): Int Genius

affect undead4xcepting those detailed (17-18): AL LE; XP 9,000.
Defenses below; MR 90% SZ M (6’ tall)
Notes: SD-Vampiric illithids
sleep, hold, and charmrelated magic; they regenerate 3 hit points per
harmed by holy water, protectionfrom evil,
wrought iron, and silver weapons. SW-Holy water and sunlight
bumst p e creatures for ld6+4
Psionics Summary: See standard illithid
Mind blast only, as standard
Vampiric mind flayers
possess the abilitiesand pow-
ers of both vampires and
illithids.Although of animal
intelligence, illithid vampires
retain the use of their mind
blast psionic attack; they use
this power to stun their prey
before charginginto melee.

Each of an illithid vam-
pire‘s four tentacles can at- I
tack in one round, inflicting
ld6+4 points of damage per
successfulstrike and draining
two life energylevelsper ten-
tacle from the victim. Every
round a tentacle retains its
grasp upon a victim, the crea-

Drdn Golem A cranium rat resembles a normal ra
small bulge of exposed brain tissue upon the crown of itB
Elder brains sometimesbud one to three brain golems. head. Individually,cranium rats are simplevermin, but
Once they serve their purpose, ea in packs these creaturespossess a group mind, with
to the elder brain. every five rats contributing1point of Intelligence and 16
El's (that is, a pack of 10rats has a single mind with ant
Brain Golem: AC 3; MV 6; HD 12; 60 hp; THACO 9; Intelligenceof 2 and 20 PSPs). The followingtable gives.,
#AT 1; Dmg 2d12; SA psionic mind blast; SD spell immu- the psionic abilitiesgained through the presence of in-
nities, t 2 or better weapons to hit; MR 70%; SZ L (8' tall, creasingnumbers of cranium rats (magicalequivalents
5' wide); ML Fearless (20); Int Low (5-7); AL LE; XP appear below for those DMs not runninga psionic cam-
10,000. paign). Cranium rats gain

Notes: Brain golems always strike at wizardsfirst, and they iof the two columnsa
have an innate ability to target the weakest character in a group.
~~
SA-The golem's mind blast affects evelyone within 60 feet;
affectedcreaturesmust make a saving throwvs. spell or suffer I
2d8 points of damage and becomestunned for Id10 rounds.
Those who maketheir saving throw suffer only id8 pointsof dam 6 Immune
age and lose their initiative inthe next round. 7 Immune

SD-Brain golems are immuneto poisonand all mind-in- I
fluencing spells (suchas charms and illusions). They are also
immuneto death magic. I

Psionics Summary: Mind blast once per turg.;.,59.a-,7, L

PSPS. Rat packs also confer heightened defensesto their in-
dividualmembers. When calculatingdamage from area
Players Option: #AT 1; MTHACO IO;MAC 5 affectingspells, *at the Hit Dice of a pack as a pool (
8HD fireballcast at a pack of 30rats destroys8 rats if
Grimlocks the pack fails its savingthrow, and only 4 if the pack
makes its saving throw). In addition, cranium rats save
Grimlockshave been subtly altered by centuries of as if they were matures of as many Hit Dice as their
subterraneanliving: Their skin is thick, gray, and some- pack's Intelligence (a rat whose pack has an
times scaly; their hair is filthy and unkempt; their nails of 8 saves as a n 8HD creature).
are strong and clawlike; their eyes are blank orbs (grim-
locks are totally blind).Agrimlock's sense of hearing Certain stones tie cranium rats to a hidden mast
and smell somewhat compensatefor their loss of sight. Thosewith the eyes to see report a n astrally puls
They can distinguish objects and creatureswithin 20 feet
just as well as if they were able to -though they are
still immune to spells that affect vision. Continuous loud
noise reduces their field of perceptionby 10feet.

Grimlocks (20-200): AC 5; MV 12; HD 2; THACO 19;

#AT 1; Dmg l d 6 or by weapon; SD ti on surprise rolls,

make all saving throws as 6th-level fighters, immuneto
vision-affecting spells; SW noise reducesvision and im-

pedes combat ability; SZ M (5% '-to 6' tall); ML Steady

(11);Int Average (8-10); AL NE; XP 175.
Notes: For every 10 grimlocksencountered, a 3 HD leader

with an AC of 4 will be present; grimlock groupswith over 40
members take orders from a champion of 4 HD and AC 3.

SW-Continuous loud noise reducesgrimlock vision to 10
feet and causes them to fight with a -2 penalty to their attack
rolls.

"meen vein that ties every crani - -When enragea or m oarde, Lugribossk calls upon tne
parently, cranium rats serve the illithid deity as its eyes
and ears on a thousand planes. power of its lord to grow and changeto a more fearsome

Cranium Rat (2d10): AC 6; MV 15; HD 1; THACO 19; form; this changerequires 1turnto complete.In this
#AT 1; Dmg ld4; SA packs form group minds, psionics;
SD packs save as if of HD equal to Intelligence of pack, form, its height reaches in excess of 30 feet, its tentacles
resistant to mental attacks; MR varies; SZ T (6" long); ML grow at least as long, and the nails on its four-fingered
Unsteady (7); int varies; AL NE; XP 65 each. hands and two-toed feet grow to menacing black claws.
In addition, its eyes glow like beacon-fires, and its
Notes: Reducethe overall Intelligence(andthus the available mauve skinleaves a suggestivetrail of purple radiance
powers) of each pack by 1 point every time a member of the in the air to mark its passage. Finally, the enlarged
pack dies. pmxy's tentacles continue to secrete flesh-dissolvingen-
zyme. However, the tentacles' extreme size renders them
SD-Rats whose packs have an Intelligenceof 5 or higher useless as implementsof brain extraction.In fact, it
would be better to describethese fearsome tentacles as
are immune to sleep spells. Spells such as suggestionand acid-soakedbattering rams.
charm monsteronlyaffect a single rat (though the rat still bene-
fits from the pack's saving throw), as the rest of the pack Lugribossk(changeling form): AC 0; MV 24;
quickly breaks its telepathic linkto a controlled individual.
HD20+20; hp160;THACO-l;#AT8; l d 1 0 + 6 ~ 6 / l d 1 2 ~(62
Psionics Summary: Varies tentacled2 claws); SA psionic powers; SD infravision;
Players Option: #AT 1; MTHACO 10: MAC 5 SW-10% to all hear noise checks: MR 90%; SZ G (30'
tall); ML Champion (15); Int Genius (18); AL LE; XP 16,000.
Luqribossk
Psionics Summary: #AT 1; MTHACO 5; MAC 5:
(hensine's Proxy)
Lv 20; PSPs 550; Psionic AHacks ego whip (EW),id in-
Ilsensineis far more apt to dispatcha proxy thanan
avatar when the deity stirs from its brooamg dreams of sinuation (II), mind blast (ME); Psionic Defenses All:
domination. When nsensine does send a proxy to assist a Psionic Disciplines control body, levitation, body equilib-
particularlybold illithid plan of subjugation,that proxy rium, probability travel, teleport, astral projection, domi-
is usually Lugribossk. nation, awe, ESP, post-hypnotic suggestion, taste link*,

Lugribossk has two forms.N o d y , it appears as collarxe time*, crisis of
an ulitharid (a 7-foot-tau,six-tentacled illithid). breath', fatal attraction*,
In this form it takes the role of an impor- and shards*.
tant Creedmasterfrom a distant * Indicatesa unique illithid
iUithid city, arriving to con- psionic ability detailed in
sult on an important Chapter 3.
matter (use the statis-
tics of a stan- "7
dard ulitharid
while the
proxy uses
this .incama-

A,





Elder Drain L

CLLMAWTERRAIN: Subterranean -- I L
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION solitary 1
ACTIVlTY CYCLE
DIET: hY
INTELLIGENCE
Psychic energy
TREASURE: Supra-genius (20)
Nil
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
NO. APPEARING 1
ARMOR CLASS 10
MOVEMENT: Nil
HIT DICE: 20
THACO: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: Nil
DAMAGE/ATTACK Nil
SPECIALATTACKS: Bud brain golem, psionics
SPECIALDEFENSES Nil
MAGICRESISTANCE 90%
SIZE H (10’ diameter on prime)
MORALE: Fearless (20)
XP VALUE: 13,000

The elder brain is a huge, fibrous mass of c o w a n t

cannot exert any external psychic influence or abilitybe- brain loses its anchor to the prime and becomes trapped
yond communication. on the Astral Plane-a rogue creature without ties to its
communiv. It is uncertain what becomes of a rogue
An elderbrain only resorts to budding when its elderbrain; however, illithid communitiesthat lose their
psionic abilitiesprove i n a d e q u a m infrequent ocm- elderbrain swiftlyfall apart.
rence at best-as its psionic arsenalscontain the com-
bined psionic knowledge of possibly hundreds of Habitat/Soaety: The elder brain is the center of its
contributing illithid minds. The elder brain can use its illithid community, servingas an advisor and, most im-
psionic abilitiesat twice normal range. portantly,the living repository of the community‘s tech-
nology, history, and psionic expertise. It is the right and
An aggressorable to withstand the psionic fury of an obligationof every illithid to merge with the elder brain
elder brain must still overcomea physical obstacle in after death-living in exalted mentality while guiding
order to engage in melee with the mature. Sincean and shepherdingits erstwhile community.While most
elder brain is approximately 10feet in diameter and illithidsbelieve that their personality will survive the
floats 10 feet below the surface of its pool (a 3Qfoot-wide transition, individual egos are suborned to the gestalt
by 30-foot-deepbasin), attackersmust first enter the consciousnesssuffusing the tissue mass.
creature’s watery domain (incurringunderwater combat
modifiers)before engaging in melee. Normal missile at- Ecology: An elder brain preys upon the thousands of
tacks (firedfrom the surfaceinto the water) will not tadpoles that shareits pool; it extractsthe pre-sentient
reach the submerged elder brain-though most spell at- psionic complexusfrom each tadpole to fuel its own ex-
tacks function normally, provided the brain is within the istence. Despitethe gradualaddition of tadpole life force
caster’s line of site and the spell in question does not and the mass of new illithid brains, the size of an elder
change effects when cast into water. brain never swellsbeyond a 10-foot-diameter. It shunts
any excess mass directlyinto a psionicallymaintained
If death is imminent, an elder brain relinquishesits node on the Astral Plane.
hold on the Prime MaterialPlane and withdraws com-
pletely into the Astral Plane, where the bulk of its mass
resides. Once it transports itself in this way, an elder

..

i

Urophions

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subterranean 4
FREQUENCY Rare
ORGANIZATION solitarv 1
ACTIVITY CYCLE
DIET Brains A urophion can also use its tcndrils to melee at a distance
INTELLIGENCE Genius (17-18) while its bndy remains shroudcd in darhess. Each successf
TREASURE: Nil tendril attack inflicts ld4+2hit points of damage as it grasp
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil the target; victims can remove a tendril with a succtssful be
NO. APPEARING: 1-3 bm/lift rates roll. When at least one tendnl holds a victim.
ARMOR CLASS: 0 e a c h s u c c h i n g tendnl attack roll a c m e s a cumulative -1
MOVEMENT 3 bonus (toa maximum of 4 5 for the last attack). Once the
12 uriphion attache four tendrils to thevictim, it sufficientlyim-
HIT DICE 9 mubilizes the target and draw out his brain in the next round.
6 The creatum immediately brings the dripping brain to i t s
THACO 56 mouth and cals the morsel while the remaining tendrils con-
NO. OF ATTACKS: Tendrils, psionics tinue to melee with the victim's companions.
DAMAGE/ATTACK:
SPECIAL AlTACKS: Ignore lighmg, H damage from Fach uriphion tendril is AC 0 and can withstand up to 6 hit
SPECIALDEFENSES points of damage from a single shike with an edged weapon.
cold Note that damage from attacks llirertcd solely at its tentacle
SPECIALWEAKNESS 4penalty to saves vs. fire affect only the uriphions tutal hit points
MAGIC RESISTANCE 45%
SIZE: A uriphion's body and tentacles are quite tough. Both of
MORALE L (9' tau) thesc arcas are immune to electrical attacks and suffer only half
damage from cold-based attacks. Uriphions do, however, sc'
XP VALUE: Fearless (20) fera 4penalty to their saving thmws vs. fire. Finally,
9,M)O w p h i o n s pusses infravision akin to illithids

From a distance, a urophion resembles a rocky outcropping9 A umphion alw p o s ?ot~her~ps~ionir powers, although t
feet tall and 3 feet in diameter at its base, narrowing to 1 footin have not developed them hithe degrec of t h e illithid cousins
diameter at its apex. Upon closer examination, a n individual
Habi(at/Sodety: An illithid creation (see"Ecology" below),
can see that the corded ridges of water-sculpted rock girding possesses psionic abilities akin to the mind flayer,
the outcropping are actually thick tentaclelike tendrilstightly appearance and immobile formconsign it to a s
clinging to the purplish-gray pillax position. Thus,mos1urophiuns find themxlves

When roused, the mature opens a single milky eye near its working as mere guards for most uf their lives, pruteding o
top and displays a horrible, circular maw that resembles a lam- lymg regions under illithid control.
prey's mouth. In seconds, six extensive tendrils loose their
camouflaged grip with thrashing fury; each of these tendrilsis Ecology: Uithids sometimes attempt tadpole implantation i
located equidistantly about the circular mouth. nonhumanoids to m a t e flayer-kin with enhanced and nuvc
abilities. A urophjon is the mult of such a hybrid between i
Becausea moohion adivel,v ad,iustsits bodv temwratureto illithid and suhtwranenan mner.
that of its siurouAdings, it is almost undetectak bistandard
infraviiion.Advenbwrs with infravision still suffer the standard

4attack NII modifier when battling this r x a W in darkness.

Combat: A urophion's body is malleable, and it has strong ten-
drik that allow it to stand upright. In t h i s way, the creature can
stand upright to resemble a stalagmite, Lie pnme to resemble a
boulder, or even hang from the ceiling to nwmblr a stalactite.
lhiis. a iuophion's oppnnents suffer a -2 penalty to surprise.

A iuophion's initial attack is d psionic mind blast affecting a
cone-shaped area 5 feet wide d t its origln, M) feet long, and 20
feer wide at 115cxtremr end. II the creature surrcrds with its

p i o n i c 3tiack. it mubilizcs aU six G>fits tendrils (which can
reach up to 50 feet),drawing out the stunned victim's brain

m d killing him in one round.

9 3p/8 EW,II. MB/AII =In1
Players Option: #AT 1: MTHACO 11; MAC 5

Psychokinesis-Oevolions: control body, levital

Telepathy--Sciences: domin
nypnoiic suggestion, taste link.

neotheZid Subterranean e--L-
Very rare (possibly unique
CLIMATE/TEFXAIN: solitary 1
FREQUENCY AnV
ORGANIZATION Bra&
ACTNITY CYCLE Genius (17-18)
DIET: Nil
INTELLIGENCE Lawful evil
TREASURE. 1
ALIGNMENT: 0
NO. APPEARING 9
ARMOR CLASS 16
MOVEMENT: 5
HIT DICE 1(bite) or 4 (tentacles)
THACO
NO. OF ATTACKS: 6d6 or 3d6 (.x41,
DAMAGE/ATTACK
SPECIALATTACKS: Breath weapon, psionics
SPECIAL DEFENSES Nil
SPECIALWEAKNESS: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE 45%
SUE G (120' tall)
MORALE Fearless ('20)
Xl' VALUE 20,000

A slime-coveredworm of dragonlike proportions, a neothelid Any prey that survives a breath weapon attack must face
leaves a poison trail of mucous in its wake. It brings itsprey the neothelid's impressive physical arsenal. An attacking
down with flesh-cormdingexhalationsthat dissolve allbut the neuthelid coils and sbikes with its gargantuan body from suffi-
fatty brain, a n essentialcomponent of its diet.An adult reaches ciently large subterranean cavern-much like a surface
10feet in diameter, but its wormlike body gmws longer python. If its attack is succ~~sfuthl,e crealun'bites for 6d6
throughout its existence-reaching lengths in excessof 120feet. points of damage or flails with its four20-foot-long tentacles
for 3d6 points of damage each. If a neothelid nwds to, it will
Four 20-foot-longtentacles sprout from a n adult's eyeless brings its psionic abilities to bear on its victims.
"face," thrashing around a circular maw large enough to wal-
low man-sized prey whole. Dangerous psionic talents round Anwthelid'sbody glistens with poisonous mucous; a slime
out what may be the underdark's most fearsome predator. trail marks its passage. Those who come in contact with the
mucous murt make a surmsful saving thmw vs. puison or face
Its mauve colorationhas caused some to mistakeneothelids death in Idlo turns (mind tlayers are immune to this pnLwn).
for purple worms at a distance;thanlduly,both c r e a mam rare.
HabitaUSocieW In the remarkably rareevent that mind flayer
A neothelid sensesits world via innatetelepathywith a radius tadpoles devclup in the abumcc of ihthid adults, a small num-
of 360 feet.Within thisradius, the neothelid is a w m of all nom ber survive long enough on their own to develop into neothe
psionicdy shielded sentientbeings and cancommunicatewith lids. These creatures indiscriminately hunt any illithids they
intelligent c r e a m via telepathy-iwn through solid rock. may chance upon. nlithids, in turn, mpond to the news of
nmthelid emergence with utter disgust, and they quickly orga-
Combat: When a neothelid comers its prey, it first resortsto its nize hunting parties to exterminate the abominations.
flesh-dissolving breath weapon. Tliz weapon is not an add, but
rather an enzyme that liquefiesmost organic tissue. Aneothelid
can use its breath weapon twice per day, affectinga cone-
shaped area 5 feet wide at its origin, 60 feet in length, and 20
feetwide at its extremeedge. Living ma- caught in the
blast take 12d12+6points of damage (successfulsavingthmws
vs. breath weapon reduce damage by half) astheir fleshsloughs
away. Any creature killed by the breath weapon completely
melts, save for its dotlung,possffsions, and exposedbrain

Psionics Summary: Ecology:An illithid tadpole that fails to undergo ceremorpho-
sis gradually gmws into a neothelid--assuming it survives its
Level Dis/sEiev Att/l)sl score first 100years as a mindless slug eking out a living on subter-

9 4/2/8 DN,lI,MWAll =Inl i d raneanvermin. Once a tadpole is powerful enough to be called
a neuthelid (triggeredby the eating ofits first sentient brain), it
Players Optlea: #AT 1; MTHACO 11; MAC5 becomes a terrible dancer, hunting all other living creatures
f%ychkksk-Oevotim: conlrol body, telekinesis.
m(including illithids) wih an insaGble, insane h&ger.
Unlike someother largepredators of the undedarkneothe-
lids a n unable toburmw throughsolid lock, fordng them to

hunt ~ t ~ ~ aorlplr?vvioudy delved tunnels and caverns.When a
subterrineaiecosystemis exhausted,neothelidsmay move

to "greener"tunnelsviatheirpsychoportiveabilities.

The existenceof the neuthelids engenders a host of unan-
swered questionsregarding the actual ~ t u rarnd true origin of

illithi- mystery even to theillithidsthemselves.

95

Gohlbrorn Gohlbrom fight in a highly organized
manner; they concentratetheir attacks on
spellcastersbefore engagingother enemies.

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: SubterraneanLJnddark
FREQUENCY Rare
ORGANIZATION Grouu

ACTIVITY CYCLE: hY' Their favorite
DIET: Camivorous
Average (8-10)
INTELLIGENCE Nil

TREASURE: Lawful Evil L
3 4 (ld4+2)
ALIGNMENT: 3
9, Burrow 18
NO. APPEARING: 5

ARMOR CLASS: 15

MOVEMENT: 2 + Suecial

HIT DICE~~~~~ 2d6lidh and special
Launch stones
THACO
Natural Coloration
NO. ATTACKS: Nil
M (5'-7' long, 5' high
I)AMACE/KITACK In addition to
Elite (13-14) these awesome at-
SPECLAL AlTACKS. 975 tacks,gohlbrom

SPECIAL DEFENSES

MAGIC RESISTANCE

SIZE:

MORALE

XP VALUE: (ld8+1)points of damage. The matures store these rocks as
they burrow through the earth; each goNbrom has 2-8 (2d4)
The gohlbrom, a relative of the fearsome bdette, hunts available stones.
throughout the cavem complexes of the underdark. The
gohlbrom sharesits cousinis bullet shape and thickly armored A school of goNbrom rarely standsits ground in a losing
body, though it is considerably smaller and more intelligent battle; the school quickly flees if overwhelmed. These intelli-,
than a bulette. gent plwlators have long memories, however, and it is not IIB
common to see them flee a baffle, only to returnwith greater
The creatureis hindquarters range from dark blue to deep numbers.
brown; its head, which takes up a considerablepoaion of its
body, is a dark gray. The thick d e s and plates of the Habitatlsoeiety:GoNbrom wander throughout the almost
gohlbrom reflectthe color of the surrounding stone and rock.
limitlessexpanseofthe underdark, thoughthey prefer to hunt
This coloration allows it to blend in with its surroundings.It is
indistinguishable from natural stone 45%of the time. around large populations of easy prey (suchas grimlocks,

The goNbrom possesses an inner eyelid that filtersall hght quaggoth, and the like). They feartheillithid, who oftenuse
brighter than candlelight. This nictitating lid protects the aea-
ture fromthe blinding effectsof light spells and is an invalu- gohlbrom in their communities, and find the svirfneblin, and

able aid when it hunts dose to the surface world. their illusim, far too bothersome to hunt.
Gohlbrom have their own complicated language that
Although gohlbmm have highly structured hunting groups
sounds like distant rumbling to the untrained ear. It is not
with the strongest aaing as leader, they rarely set up perma-
known whether these predators can q r o d u c e the speech of
other creatures; it is likely,however, that they can learn and un- nent lairs.Mated pairs set up temporaq lairs to shelter ld6
derstand other languages besides their own.
eggs. The creatures defend theireggs to the death, although

the p m t s abandon theirhatchhgs soonafter the young
emerge from their shells. ..

Combat:Gohlbrom are extremely cunning fighters. A schoalof tively hunt for about

these predators often uses its natural coloring to observe its themselves.
prey before attacking; gohlbmm do not attack obviously pow- Gohlbrom eatjust about any sort of prey. Drow, however,
erful prey unless they believe the oddsto be in their favor.
seem to be a much-sought-after food.
Whenever possible, they tunnel ahead of their intended
victims and lie in ambushjust below the surface
of the cavem walls,ceilings, and floors.
When their prey reach the ambush site,
the gohlbrom spring out from their
tunnels, forang all opponents
to suffer a 13penalty on

96