Homebrew Mind Flayer Species Details

Mind flayers are intelligent and have some useful abilities which supplement the abilities of classes like wizard. When official psionics rules are eventually published, mind flayers should make natural psionics. Arcane spellcasters are hugely rare among mind flayers, who eschew arcane magic in favor of psionics. If you choose to play a mind flayer wizard, being an outcast among your own kind is wonderful motivation to take up a life of adventure.

Mind Flayer Traits

Darkvision.

Darkvision.

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Extract Brain

On a successful hit with your tentacles, if the damage would reduce the creature to 0 hit points, you may choose to kill the target by extracting and devouring its brain.

Innate Spellcasting.

Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the levitate spell once per day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

Mind Blast.

As an action, you can magically emit psychic energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that line must make an Intelligence saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus. A creature takes 2d6 psychic damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level. 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level. After you use this ability, you can't use it again until you complete a short or long rest.

Tentacles.

Your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 psychic damage on a hit.

Telepathy.

You can communicate telepathically with any creature that knows a language within 30 ft.

Ability Score Increase.

+2 intelligence