Homebrew Mind Flayer Renegade Species Details

Mind flayers, sometimes known as illithids, are among the oldest and most evil creatures in the multiverse. Their appearance is that of a humanoid with a squidlike face. They are known for their subjugation of other species, devouring the brains of intelligent creatures, and reproducing by transforming humanoids through a terribly painful process known as ceremorphosis.

Future History. Legend has it that mind flayers come from the end of time. In this timeline, mind flayers managed to subjugate all of the Material Plane and bring the Astral Sea to its knees before their power. With this total control, the gods themselves died from a lack of worship. It wasn’t long before the suns and stars of the Material Plane began to die and the Astral began to wither away into non-reality. While they had won, it took them until the end of time to do it. But mind flayers wouldn’t accept the void without a fight. With no gods around to police time travel, they found a way to send a portion of their nautiloid fleets back in time to establish their dominion from the beginning of time, rather than winning it at the end.

A Lost Empire. This great fleet of mind flayers spread across the many spheres through the Astral Sea. They conquered thousands of worlds and enslaved the inhabitants, turning them into cattle. Yet, their hubris and certainty of victory would be their undoing. A species they enslaved that would become known as the gith began to plot a revolution. They conspired in
secret, spreading knowledge on how to bring down their slavers. Once all was in place, the Gith Revolution began and in a single day, brought the vast Illithid Dominion to its knees.

Precarious Alliances. The mind flayers who survived the Gith Revolution were quick to re-establish control over a core of spheres. As the Gith split into factions due to infighting, the surviving mind flayers were given a chance to lick their wounds. Although they survived, the death of so many elder brains during the Revolution resulted in a loss of information, including how to build more of their organic nautiloids. While the mind flayers who ended up stranded on planets and were driven into caves continued their policies of cruelty, those who
remain in wildspace attempting to keep together the scraps of the Illithid Dominion have become far more metropolitan. They’re still evil, but they’re willing to do business.

Renegades. Following the purge of so many elder brains, many illithids found themselves free of an elder brain’s control for the first time. While some just went and joined other colonies, many decided to remain free. They learned that they didn’t require eating brains to survive, just to feed the elder brain. Now free of that control, these mind flayer renegades look to find new purpose in an often hostile universe.

Mind Flayer Renegade Traits

As a mind flayer, you have the following traits:

Age

Mind flayers are created through ceremorphosis fully matured. They live an average of 125 years.

Alignment

Mind flayers lean toward lawful evil.

Recommended ASI

Intelligence +2, Wisdom +1

Size

Mind flayers tend to be thin and as tall as their host. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Undercommon, & Deep Speech.

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

Telepathy

You can speak telepathically to any creature within 120 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.

Mind Blast

As an action, you can release a blast of psionic energy in a 15-foot cone. All creatures in that cone must make an Intelligence saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your intelligence modifier). On a failed save, a creature takes 2d8 psychic damage. This damage increased by 1d8 at 5th level (3d8) and 17th level (4d8). Starting at 11th level, creatures who fail their saving throw are stunned until the end of your next turn.

You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Devour Brain

When you devour the brain of an intelligent creature, you can acquire memories that the creature had in life. When you do, you gain proficiency in a skill or tool of your choice that the creature had. When you use this ability again, you can replace this proficiency with another from the new brain.

In addition, with DM approval, you can also gather information from the creature's memory, as if casting Speak with Dead.