[Creature] Warning: Do Not Feed The Illithids!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Plethelid

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Done by request by Korone of the Wizards of the Coast forums. Many thanks! All rights reserved.

Large Aberration (psionic)
Hit Dice: 15d8+60 (127 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 45 ft. (9 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 27 (+2 dex, +8 inertial armor, +8 natural, -1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+25
Attack: Tentacle +16 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: 16 tentacles +16 melee (1d6+6)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Extract, improved grab, mind blast, psi-like abilities
Special Qualities: Blindsight 120 ft., distributed mind, fast healing 2, power resistance 28, telepathy 200 ft.
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +14
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 14, Con 19, Int 16, Wis 20, Cha 15
Skills: Autohypnosis +20, Concentration +17, Hide +18, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +12, Knowledge (psionics) +12, Move Silently +18
Feats: Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Psionic Fist, Psionic Meditation, Speed of Thought, Up the Walls
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary or Id (3-16 plethelids)
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +10

This creature resembles superficially a mindflayer with glistening skin of a green so dark as to be only a couple shades of black with long, vein-like patches of a much lighter green seen just beneath that twitch and squirm. The most disturbing aspect of it however is the patches of small tentacles that seem to sprout at random all about its body in irregular patches, even from where eyes should be. The thickest however grow as normal from the mouth as a standard mindflayer, though also down the spine in a writhing line.

A plethelid is a creature even rarer than a neothelid, but from similiar origins. When a stray humanoid happens upon a pool of dying and starving mindflayer tadpoles it is generally the last thing he or she sees. A feeding frenzy insues with dozens of the larvae fighting for a taste of his brain matter and neural energy. The strongest lodge themselves in seperate portions of the head and spinal column and fight the others for the space. Eventually their bodies meet and merge into one mind as a plethelid. Because of the number of growing and constantly feasting tadpoles the body itself tends to become hulking and massive, resembling little their gaunt brethren. Its hunger and energy needs is as that of a dozen normal mindflayers, and thus it grows as a predator with little chance to do ought else but seek out victims to feed upon.

If a party of creatures happens upon the pool and are converted the resulting plethelids generally form into horrendous packs whoes cunning and tactics know no bounds.

Plethelids stands almost 12 feet tall and is broad to match. They can weigh nearly half a ton. Plethelids speak Undercommon, though tend to communicate silently through their telepathy.

Combat
Plethelids are horrendously effective combatants, using mind and body to capture one victim after another to sate their hunger. They prefer to remain as silent as possible, stalking large groups, and picking off the stragglers for as long as possible without alerting the others. Once discovered though they are rarely concerned, blasting them into submission and attempt to feast upon as many brains as possible before the group stirs.

While in packs they often join their minds together and organize attacks as many parts of a single entity, coordinating flawlessly with complex strategies.

Blindsight (Ex): Plethelids can “see” by emitting high-frequency sounds, inaudible to most other creatures, that allow them to locate objects and creatures within 120 feet. A silence spell negates this and blinds the plethelid.

Distributed Mind (Ex): Because of the plethelids origins it has no main brain, though has complex cerebral nodes located throughout its body. As such it is not instantly killed by the loss of its head such as a critical blow from a Vorpal weapon. It does however lose four tentacle attacks, its mindblast becomes a standard 60 ft. cone, and it takes a permanent -4 penalty to all mental stats unless its head can somehow be grown back, such as from the Restore Extremity power.

Extract (Ex): A plethelid that begins its turn with at least four tentacles attached and that makes a successful grapple check automatically extracts the opponent's brain, instantly killing the creature. This power is useless against constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, and undead. It is not instantly fatal to foes with multiple heads. A plethelid has two orifices from which it can extract, one in the normal location and another much larger one hidden within the tentacles upon its back.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a plethelid must hit a Small to Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent's head. A plethelid can grab a Huge or larger creature only if it can somehow reach its head.
If a plethelid begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can try to attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or an Escape Artist check, but the plethelid gets a +1 circumstance bonus on the check for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent's turn.
A plethelid gains a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks. This bonus is included in the statistics above.

Mind Blast (Sp): A plethelid can discharge a devasting psionic attack in the form of a 20 foot burst in all directions or a single 60 foot cone. Anyone caught in the blast or cone must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
This ability is the equivalent of a 5th-level power.

Psi-like Abilities:
At Will - Danger Sense, Psionic Scent, Psychic Vampire, Schism, Sense Hostile Intent, Sense Link, Synesthete.
3/day - Animal Affinity, Feat Leech, Freedom of Movement, Inertial Armor, Larval Flayers, Personality Parasite.
1/day - Form of Doom, Metaconcert.
Manifester level 10th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

[Winged One]

You forgot the psionic subtype. Oh, and nice title. ;D

[ghost_warlock]

Wow, it's almost like you made this just for me... ;)

[martyboy74]

Can you have an ultralid plethelid?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

You forgot the psionic subtype. Oh, and nice title. ;D

Whoops, adjusted.

Wow, it's almost like you made this just for me...

Happy Un-Birthday! 8)

Can you have an ultralid plethelid?

What is an ultralid?

[martyboy74]

Ultralids are the 6 tentacles purple super mind flayers IIRC.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Ultralids are the 6 tentacles purple super mind flayers IIRC.

Oooh, you mean Ulitharids. And yeah, I guess its possible... though as it says no one knows why one turns into a ulitharid, and for all I know it couldn't form properly if it had a bunch of others.

It'd also be about the rarest illithid in existence.

[ghost_warlock]

It'd also be about the rarest illithid in existence.

Except, maybe, for the half-displacer beast/half-chuul illithid that The_Demented_One made for me a while back (a.k.a., the "Hentai Tentacle Monster" - lots of "tentacley goodness")!

Edit: LOL - I just noticed these parts:
* "Id (3-16 plethelids)"
* "Level Adjustment: +10"

[Cornugon]

Wow, this thing is truly nasty and evil, a 'flayer that can actually last a round or two in melee.

I do have a slight rules question, though. Could the Plethelid overlap its double mindblast? If so, would the save increase or would it be two saves?

Edit: Ooops, ignore that. Just noticed "One in front of it and one behind it". Doh!

Still, awesome monster

[The Vorpal Tribble]

a.k.a., the "Hentai Tentacle Monster"

*curls into a fetal ball and just rocks back and forth at the edge of sanity at that line*

Edit: LOL - I just noticed these parts:
* "Id (3-16 plethelids)"
* "Level Adjustment: +10"

I... guess I don't quite catch the rib tickler there, but I'm glad it amused ;)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Just adjusted the mind blast affect to go more along with the creature, as well as making it much cleaner.

[martyboy74]

Isn't that usually called a burst?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Isn't that usually called a burst?

Grrr, yes, meant Burst, but saw the name of it 'mind blast', so my mind did a cartwheel.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Halloween bump!

[Captain van der Decken]

Reminds me of The Flood.
What reaction would Illithids have to this monstrosity?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Reminds me of The Flood.
What reaction would Illithids have to this monstrosity?

Whats 'The Flood'?

I'd say that they would probably try to destroy them. They are aberrent even to a mindflayer's state of mind, an abomination of their natural breeding cycle that surpasses even the neothelid.

[Captain van der Decken]

The Flood


Only because you described it as having tentacles in random places on the body, they had these strange feeler things.

[XtheYeti]

Oh god...this is diabolical...Mouahhaha! If any on likes they may now join me in a hearty evil laugh as the members of the party i dm fall prey to this pet.
BWAHAHAHA!

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Giving this a bump to show off this bit of illustration a fellow over on the Wizards forums did for me.

[mikeejimbo]

Lovecraft is a little old place, where we can get together....

[Fax Celestis]

Saveeeeeeeeeeeet.

[Fax Celestis]

Lovecraft is a little old place, where we can get together....

No more B-52s for you.

[mikeejimbo]

No more B-52s for you.

But but then how can I make puns with old songs?

Oh, and I love the creature, VT.

[Evil_Pacifist]

Gah!

That's... Really all I have to say...

And nice pic, too.

[magic8BALL]

DM: "you walk through the gates, leaving the underdark and entering a city. A purple glow eminates from a fountain in the center of what seems to be the town square"

Player: "lets go check it out."

Rest of group: "ok"

DM: "You are brutally killed by 4 big dark green tenticald beasties."

All Players: "What? We didnt get spot checks or initiative! You didnt even roll attacks or damage!"

DM: "Didnt you hear? You were brutally killed by 4 big dark green tenticald beasties, you want to sit through your characters inevitable dimise? Have every crushing blow detaild to you, hit point by hit poit, drained level by drained level?"

Player: "yeah, he's got a point, this is clearly an old mindflayer city, and the beasties are some sort of mutated ilithid... lets just let this party slide..."

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Love it! Evil evil evil evil evil evil evil evil evil evil evil... etc.