Homebrew Half-Mind Flayer Species Details

The illithid was hated.

He had previously been one of the most loved adventurers in the land of Arind. He had had a large house, people who respected him, and piles of gold. He had been called 'Jared Oakensword' in that time. The name was known miles around where he resided. He had been strong, brave and adventurous, so much so in fact that he could wrestle a dire bear without warning.

Then the changing happened.

No longer was he strong or brave or adventurous. He had lost those things a long time ago. Now he lived within the dark caves he could find as a destitute, hated, cowering deformity that would forever remain. The only thing that remained from before was his beliefs in justice and his knowledge of what was right.

But even then, as an outcast, it sometimes faltered.

— Rocerax, Those Similar.

Born of illithid design, these poor souls have gone through a tortorous process called ceremorphosis, where a mind flayer's tadpole burrows into a host and begins to transform them into a mind flayer. However, unlike mind flayers who have completed the transformation, half-illithids have somehow resisted the full process and instead have morphed into mind-flayer-like creatures that need to eat brains in order to survive.

Outcast Illithids

Half-Ilithids look very much like mind flayers, though some are more human-like and they lack most of the psionic abilities. Such outcasts are exiled from the mind flayer communities they were meant to be a part of. They are average in height, but thin, often standing at 5 1/2 feet tall and weighing no more than 200 pounds. Their hands and feet are long and pointed with four long fingers and a sharp thumb on each hand.

Half-Illithids are not as powerful as normal mind flayers, but they can release a psionic blast that causes foes to become stunned for 1d4 turns. Many people fear these humanoids as they devour brains as other illithids do.

Banished Individuals

Half-Illithids hate the Underdark and mind flayer settlements as much as mind flayers hate them. Half-Illithids are after all exiled from nearly all settlements. However, a half-illithid will help another and sometimes have gathering places and friendships between eachother. Relationships are rare though, and many half-illithids either despise or do not know eachother.

Most half-illithids are created from failed ceremorphosis, however, on rare occasions, half-illithids can attempt ceremorphosis on non-illithids, and on even rarer circumstances, normal procreation between two individuals is possible. Both of these are very uncommon, as most half-illithids could not bring themselves to inflict their burden on another creature.

Half-illithids are often evil, or neutral evil.

Half Illithid Names

 

Few half-Illithids keep their original names, as they forget them over time in exile and darkness.

Half-Mind Flayer Traits

Your transformation brings you abilities that you didn't have before.

Ability Score Increase

Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Charisma score increases by 1.

Age

Half-Illithids can live from 200-300 years old naturally, due to ceremorphosis.

Alignment

Most half-illithids are lawful evil, but their non-illithid side can pull them toward chaotic and even good.

Size

Half-Illithids are the size that they were before ceremorphosis. Your size is either medium or small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Mind Blast

As a half-illithid, you do not retain all of the abilites of a mind flayer. However, you do have the ability to blast psionic energy in a 40ft. long cone. Anyone caught in the blast must make a DC 13 + your int modifier Wisdom save or become stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Tentacle Attacks

Half-Illithids have no bite attacks, but instead have four tentacle attacks. The damage each tentacle does is on this chart:

Size	Tentacle Damage
Fine	-
Diminutive	1
Tiny	1d2
Small	1d3
Medium	1d4
Large	1d6
Huge	1d8
Gargantuan	2d6
Colossal	2d8

Spell Resistance

You have resistance to spells.

Extract

When you use the tentacle attack, you can, if the creature is your size or smaller, also attempt a grapple as a free action. The next round you may make another grapple attempt to put the rest of your tentacles on the creature's head. If a full round goes by with you having all four tentacles on a creature's head, you kill that creature by extracting its brain. The creature can make a grapple or Escape Artist save, but you gain a +2 for every tentacle on the creature's head.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic. Draconic is thought to be one of the oldest languages and is often used in the study of magic. The language sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants.