Huge Aberration (Mind Flayer), Lawful Evil
Armor Class 22 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 464 (32d12 + 256)
Speed 50 ft., (Can only use if Ilsensine has at least 2 tendrils) , fly 20 ft. (hover)
STR
10 (+0)
DEX
15 (+2)
CON
26 (+8)
INT
30 (+10)
WIS
27 (+8)
CHA
30 (+10)
Saving Throws CON +17, INT +19, WIS +17, CHA +19
Skills Arcana +19, Deception +19, Intimidation +19, Perception +17, Persuasion +19
Damage Resistances Necrotic, Poison, Radiant
Damage Immunities Force, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Frightened, Poisoned
Senses Blindsight 120 ft., Passive Perception 27
Languages Common, Deep Speech, Telepathy 100 miles, Undercommon
Challenge 30 (155,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +9
Traits

Astral Avatar (Mythic Trait; Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If Ilsensine is reduced to 0 hit points, it doesn’t die or fall unconscious. Instead, it regains 400 hit points. In addition, Ilsensine fuses the astral plane with the landscape around it. For 1 hour, during which time it can use the options in the "Mythic Actions" section, the area in a 100-foot radius around Ilsensine became a distorted. The area becomes part of the Astral plane. All terrain, objects, and creatures remain the same, but all creatures are subject to the conditions of the Astral plane as described in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. In Ilsensine leaves the area, the effect is ended early.

If a creatures leaves the radius, they must make a DC 27 charisma saving throw. On a successful save, the creature decides whether they end up in the Astral plane or the Material plane, either way appearing in the location they would have if they normally walked out of the area in the single plane. On a failed save, the location is determined randomly. 

At the end of the duration, all creatures in the area make a DC 27 charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is teleported to Ilsensine's choice of the material plane of the Astral plane. On a successful save, the creature decides. 

Tendrils of Thought. Extending from Ilsensine are ten tendrils of pure thought, which it can use as both weapons and tools. Each tendril represents a different creature that existed at some point. They can think and experience just like as if they were actually alive. 

Each tendril is has a base length of 20 feet. Ilsensine can move around the tendrils as if they were normal limbs. When a tendril comes within 20 feet of a creature (other than Ilsensine) for the first time or ends its turn there, the creature must make a DC intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, Ilsensine can hear all it's thoughts as if it was thinking them, until the start of Ilsensine's next turn. On a successful save, the effect is revered the creature can hear Ilsensine's thoughts until the start of Ilsensine's next turn. 

The tendrils can be attacked as if they were creatures. They have an armor class of 22, 50 hit points, and immunity to psychic damage. When they are reduced to 0 hit points, that are destroyed. 

Creature Sense. Ilsensine is aware of the presence of creatures within 100 miles of it that have an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. It knows the distance and direction to each creature, as well as each one’s Intelligence score. It can also sense the surface emotions (such as anger or joy) of each creature in the radius. A creature protected by a mind blank spell, a nondetection spell, or similar magic can’t be perceived in this manner.

Psychic Defense. While Ilsensine is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Intelligence modifier.

Legendary Resistance (5/Day). If Ilsensine fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Limited Magic Immunity. Unless it wishes to be affected, Ilsensine is immune to spells of 6th level or lower. It has advantage on saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.

Telepathic Hub. Ilsensine can use its telepathy to initiate and maintain telepathic conversations with up to ten creatures at a time. Ilsensine can let those creatures telepathically hear each other while connected in this way.

Psionic Concentration. When Ilsensine casts a spell that requires concentration, it can instead choose a creature under the effects of its Telepathic Hub feature. That creature concentrates on the spell instead of Ilsensine, as if that creature had cast the spell. That creature chooses whether or not to end concentration, must make concentration saves when it takes damage, and cannot concentrate on any other spells. Likewise, Ilsensine does not need to make concentration saves, nor is it repented from casting other spells that require concatenation. 

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Ilsensine is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15; +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:

At will: guidancemage handvicious mockerytrue strike

1st level (at will): charm personcommandsanctuary, shield

2nd level (at will): mirror imagesuggestion, levitate

3rd level (at will): clairvoyance, fearmajor image, counterspell

4th level (3 slots): confusionstone shape, greater invisibility

5th level (3 slots): scryingtelekinesis, modify memory

6th level (3 slots): contingency, harm

7th level (3 slots): plane shift, project image, teleport

8th level (2 slots): dominate monster, feeblemind

9th level (2 slots): astral projection, weird

Actions

Mutliattack. The Avatar of Ilsensine can use its frightful presence. Then, it makes three attacks with its tendrils of thought. If it has less than three tendrils remaining, it instead makes a number of tendril attacks equal to its the number of tendrils it has remaining.

Tendril of Thought. Melee Weapon Attack: +19 to hit, reach equal to the length of the tendril ft., one target. Hit: 33 (6d10) psychic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is instantly killed and transformed into a tendril of thought. Ilsensine regains hit points equal to the amount of damage it dealt, and gains another tendril of length 10 feet which represents the creature Ilsensine just killed. Additionally, Ilsensine learns any information that creature knew. 

Frightful Presence. Ilsensine exudes its aberrant presence. Each creature of its choice that is within 240 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 27 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 24 hours. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Ilsensine's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Create Minion. Ilsensine forms ones of its tentacles into the fragment of a creature. It's tentacle becomes a creature with the same appearance as the creature the tentacle represented, which appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of Ilsensine. Ilsensine can control it at will (requiring no action), and can see and hear from the illusion's eyes and ears. 

The creature has an armor class of 20, 10 hit points, and immunity to psychic and poison damage. If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points, it disappears. When this happens, Ilsensine can force all creatures who caw it at any point to succeed on a DC 27 wisdom save or completely forget the existence of the creature. 

At any time (no action required) Ilsensine can turn the creature back into a tentacle. 

Psychic Explosion (Recharge 5-6). Ilsensine detonates one of its tentacles in an all-consuming wave of thought. Ilsensine looses one of its tendrils, and all creatures in a 80 foot sphere centered on the tip of the tendril must make a DC 27 intelligence saving throw, taking 95 (19d8+10) psychic damage on failed save or half as much on a successful one. A creature who fails the save is also stunned for a minute. A creature stunned in this way can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect early on a success.

Bonus Actions

Extend Tendril. Ilsensine magically manipulated the length of its testicles. It chooses one of its tendrils, which grows or shrinks by 10 feet (its choice), to a maximum length of 1000 feet. When Ilsensine completes a long rest, the length of each of its tendrils resets to 20 feet.

Aberrant Form. Ilsensine extrudes its form of dread. Each creature frightened of it must succeed on a DC 27 wisdom save or take 18 (4d8) psychic damage. A creature who can see Ilsensine has a disadvantage on the saving throw. 

Legendary Actions

Ilsensine can take 5 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Ilsensine regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Tentacle. Ilsensine makes one tendril attack.

Minor Psionics. Ilsensine casts a spell of 3rd level or lower using its psionics trait. 

Fold Reality (Costs 3 Actions). Ilsensine folds the fabric of reality around itself. Ilsensine teleports to an unoccupied space it can see within 30 feet of itself. 
Until the start of its next turn, it can use its reaction at any time to teleport back to its original location. If it is targeted by an attack when it uses this reaction, the attack misses. 

Mythic Actions

If Ilsensine's Astral Avatar trait has activated in the last hour, it can use the options below as legendary actions.

Psionics (Costs 2 actions). Ilsensine casts a spell using its psionics trait. 

Psychic Wind (Costs 3 Actions). Ilsensine conjures a psychic wind. All creatures in 100 foot-foot sphere centered on Ilsensine must make a DC 27 intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, a creature must roll on the mental effects table for psychic winds, described in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. 

Mind Screen (Costs 4 Actions). Ilsensine targets a creature it can see within 120 feet of itself. That creature must succeed on a DC 27 wisdom saving throw or completely forget of the existence of the Ilsensine until the start of its next turn. during this duration, the creature cannot see, hear, or feel Ilsensine, nor detect it in any way. The target treats Ilsensine as if it didn't exist, and creates rational explanations for any illogical outcomes that come as a result of not detecting its existence. In addition, the target looses all memory of Ilsensine while the spell lasts. They cannot remember Ilsensine, anything it did or said, or associate any events with it. 

This effect ends early if Ilsensine damages the target.

Description

Ilsensine, also know as the great brain or the tentacle lord, is a greater deity of immense power. Ilsensine is a large, slightly translucent brain constantly shifting, changing, and reforming as psionic power resonates and originates inside it. Numerous tendrils made of pure thought emanate from it, constantly seeking information across the planes. Ilsensine's principle tool is the mind. It studies the intricate workings of the mind to dominate weaker mind. Ilsensine is known for being cold and calculating; It's only goal is manipulate events as it sees fit. Ilsensine however is patient and brilliant strategist. It bides its time, slowly gaining information and influence to subtly enact his will upon the fate of events. 

As one of the first early pioneers of psioncs, Ilsensine quickly developed it into a formidable power. It learned in the inner workings of the minds: their weaknesses, powers, magical connections, and intricacies. From this great landscape of possibilities, it shaped the mind flayers, a race designed to exacerbate the arcane nature of the mind, and break the minds of any who apposed them. To govern over these mind flayers, he fashioned elder brains, a weaker, smaller, and less intelligent version of itself. 

Ilsensine slowly gained influence as its mind flayers created an interplanar empire stretching across all of the most prominent spacial realities. However, this empire came to an end with the mind flayer's own servants, the gith, arose to unseat the mind flayers, forever destroying their planar influence. In this great upheaval, the gith destroyed the direct control of Ilsensine over the elder brains. 

Ilsensine, its power gone and foremost servants freed, searched for a new way to gain influence. Eventually, its plan began to unfold. It taught its power of psionics to the humanoid races, seeking influence over them. It became the patron of psions and some mages. 

To this day, Ilsensine subtly manipulates events. Behind the scenes, it lets other powers like fiends and celestials war for power as it slowly spreads its influence over the fate itself, dominating the minds of whoever it can control, and subtly eliminating those it cannot. 

Killing Ilsensine

When Ilsensine is reduced to 0 hit points after using its mythic trait, it is not killed. Instead, it shrinks can becomes an inert stone in the shape of a brain, which is about 2 feet across. It looses all semblance of life and is effectively a normal stone carved into the shape of a brain. However, the stone brain cannot be destroyed. Additionally, when a creatures touches the brain, they must make a DC 27 charisma saving throw. 

On a failed save, Ilsensine's mind transfers into the mind of the creature. The creature's personalities, memories, ideals, ans goals all change to reflect that of Ilsensine. Effectively, the creature becomes Ilsensine. When this happens, the creature's inteligence, charisma, and wisdom scores are all replaced by Ilsensine's, and the creature gains Ilsensine's spellcasting, psychic concentration, limited magic immunity, legendary resistance, psychic defense, creature sense, and astral avatar traits. Finally, the creature gains Ilsensine's telepathy. Ilsensine can perform a ritual that takes a year and requires it to sacrifice creatures with a combined intelligence score of at least 50 to return to it's old body. When it does this, the creature it was inhabiting dies and the stone brain turns back into Ilsensine.

If the creature succeeds on the saving throw, the stone brain disintegrates into dust and Ilsensine is killed. When this happens, the creature gains Ilsensine's spellcasting trait. 

Lair and Lair Actions

Ilsensine makes its lair in places where psionic energy is plentiful. It moves from time to time, but seeks lairs where it can influence the events of the world while remaining mostly in the shadows. It may chose places such as unexplored abysses in the underdark, shrines connected to the shadowfell, or parts of the Astral plane closely connected to the material realm. 

Ilsensine tends to set up lairs that give it easy access to information of the outside world. It usually gives little care to setting up more than this however, using primarily what terrain is already suitable, whether it be a cave or the ruins of a long forgotten city.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Ilsensine takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; Ilsensine can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

  • Force Wall. Ilsensine casts wall of force.
  • Psychic Disturbance. All creatures in a 20-foot sphere centered on a point Ilsensine can see within 120 feet of itself must make a DC 27 intelligence saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) psychic damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. 
  • Mystic Knowledge. Ilsensine targets one creature it can sense within 120 feet of it. That creature is considered proficient in the next ability check it makes before the end of its next turn, and can add twice its proficiancy bonus to the check. 

Regional Effects

The region containing the legendary Avatar of Ilsensine’s lair is filled with psionic energy, which creates the following effects:

  • Psychic energy grans power to those who can harness it. When a creature casts a spell of the enchantment or illusion schools of magic that is 5th level or lower, the creature can roll a d20. On a roll of 16 or higher, the creature does not loose the spell slot used in casting the spell. 
  • The power in Ilsensine's lair befuddles weak minds. When a creature enters Ilsensine's lair for the first time or ends their turn there, they must make a wisdom saving throw with DC equal to 5, plus 2 for each time the creature has failed this save. On a failed save, a creature has a disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks until the start of its next turn. The DC for this effect cannot exceed 15. 

If the the Avatar of Ilsensine dies or moves to a new lair, these effects fade over the course of 2d4 years.

HomebrewMindFlayer

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