Mind Flayer Ascetic (5e Creature)
Mind Flayer Ascetic[edit]
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Medium aberration, lawful evil Armor Class 18
Saving Throws Int +8, Wis +8, Cha +7 Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The mind flayer's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components. At will: detect thoughts, feather fall, levitate, mage hand (the hand is invisible) Evasion. When the mind flayer is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails. Magic Resistance. The mind flayer has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Psionic Leech. Whenever another creature within 120 feet of the mind flayer deals psychic damage, the mind flayer regains 4 hit points if it has 1 or more hit points. Psychic Defense. While the mind flayer is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier. ACTIONSMultiattack. The mind flayer makes three psionic strikes. Psionic Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) force damage plus 22 (4d10) psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. After a creature succeeds on this saving throw, it gains advantage on Intelligence saving throws until the end of the turn. Extraction Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated humanoid. Hit: 59 (10d10 + 4) force damage plus 32 (5d12) psychic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the mind flayer kills the target by extracting its brain. The mind flayer has disadvantage on this attack unless the target's movement speed is 0. Anguish Assault (Recharge 6). The mind flayer magically emits psychic energy in a 120-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or take 48 (8d10 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. BONUS ACTIONSBrain Blast. After the mind flayer kills a humanoid using Extraction Strike to extract its brain during this turn, it can throw the brain as a weapon. One creature or object within 60 feet of the mind flayer must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn. This is not a magical effect, just gross. Brain Food. After the mind flayer kills a humanoid using Extraction Strike to extract its brain during this turn, it can throw the brain to another mind flayer within 60 feet of it. Thanks to the mind flayer's psionic grip, the other mind flayer's Mind Blast feature is immediately recharged. Speed of Thought. The mind flayer takes the Dash or Disengage action. REACTIONSAberrant Shield. The mind flayer adds 4 to its AC against one attack that would hit it and gains 4 temporary hit points. If the attack hits, its damage is reduced by up to 9 (1d10 + 4). Dimensional Stabilizer. When a creature within 5 feet of the mind flayer attempts to teleport, the mind flayer can make an opportunity attack with Psionic Strike against the creature. If the attack hits and the creature fails the Intelligence saving throw, its teleportation fails. |
An extremely rare variation of a mind flayer that occurs if a githzerai of considerable mental discipline, usually a zerth or enlightened, willingly undergoes ceremorphosis, often as a bid for immortality or soul destruction. The resulting mind flayer ascetic comes into being like any other illithid, but with an expanded range of mental powers and a complete lack of any hunger for brains. Instead, mind ascetics feed directly on psionic energy, usually from the mental magics of their colony but outside sources work just as well. Despite their great utility as a scout compared to normal illithids, mind flayer ascetics are rarely allowed to leave their colonies by its elder brain out of both fear of them going rogue and their use as guards against enemy psionists such as other gith, aboleths, or upstart ulitharids. Tactics. How a mind flayer ascetic fights depends on where it is encountered. In the most likely scenario, fighting it as a sentry inside a mind flayer colony, the ascetic will be focused less on killing any adversaries than keeping them stunned while summoning its fellow mind flayers to its position for new slaves or snacks. It will only bother extracting brains itself versus the strongest of foes that can't be subdued more productively. Outside a colony, mind flayer ascetics tend to be more aggressive and deadly since it has no doubt been dispatched on an important task by an elder brain or is fleeing the control of said elder brain. In either case, the illithid will not fight to the death but has multiple flight options, through raw speed or magic, if it feels its life is in danger. The only reasons a mind flayer ascetic will fight to the death is the defense of an elder brain or if escape is not an option. |
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