Homebrew Illithid (mindflayer) Species Details

Illithid typically live in societies of their own kind, in cities known as colonies which are controlled by entities known as Elder brains. Known far and wide by the common term "Mindflayer" most races fear any encounter with an Illithid, and for good reason, as they feed on the brain matter of living creatures, preferably the grey cells of other sapient beings, to sustain themselves and fuel their expansive psionic powers. The brains provide enzymes, hormones, and psychic energy necessary for their survival, and all Illithid must eat at least one sapient brain a month to sustain themselves. Because of this hunger, Illithid view themselves as the natural top of the food chain, and most Illithid are driven by a desire to dominate and master all things around them, including other living creatures. Tthey famously use their advanced mental powers to force other beings into thralldom and slavery.

There are solitary mind flayers, but to encounter one may prove a difficult feat. Most illithids encountered outside their Colonies and Cities are either spies, renegades whos are unwelcome in their communities, or have been banished for crimes even their alien moralities find unspeakable. Most would not ask an Illithid twice what moniker it fell under. That being said, members of illithid-kind can and do take up the adventuring life, from time to time, though almost always under extreme or rare circumstances. Great care has been taken by the elder brains to convince the Illithid under them that doing so would be a terrible idea. And leaving the collective networked intelligence of their own kind, as well as the fear of dying without the promise of joining with their colonies elder brain, dissuades any illithids from braving the outside world.

Illithid (mindflayer) Traits

Illithids have the following traits:

Tentacles

Your tentacles count as weapons you are proficient in that do 1d4 slashing, piercing or Bludgeoning damage(your choice, when you choose you can not change the damage type) When you make an attack roll, make a separate attack roll for each of your tentacles (which is 4) to see if they hit. You can only attack this way once per round of combat.

On at least one successful hit, Make a strength or dexterity check against the target to attempt to grapple them. The target must make their own Strength or Dexterity check to resist

If you succeed, you subject the target to the grappled condition.
The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you, and it must be within your reach.

You can inflict 1d4 damage with your bonus action to a target grappled this way, but can not use your tentacles to attack it or any other target, doing so releases the target.

Devour Brain

As an illithid, humanoid brains make up a large part of your diet. You can survive on other foods, but none of them provide the psychic stimulation that brains do. When you devour the brain of a humanoid, you experience euphoria along with its memories, personality, and fears. At the DM's digressions, you might retain a bit of useful information from the feast, but usually the things you experience are fleeting. Watching the feast is disturbing and scarring to other humanoids.

On top of the benefits of consuming a brain of an already dead humanoid- Once per long rest, if you have successfully grappled a creature and are currently holding it in your tentacles, you may make a strength or dexterity check against the target to attempt to pull them to your maw. The target must make their own Strength or Dexterity check to resist this.

If you succeed, you do 4d10 piercing damage, and if this damage drop the creature to 0 hp, you immediately devour their brain, killing it.
If you fail, the creature gets an attack of opportunity against you, with advantage.

The damage of this attack increases to 6d10 6th level, 8d10 at 11th level, and 10d10 at 16th level.

Telepathy

You can communicate telepathically with other creatures you can see within 30 feet of you. You don't need to share a language for it to understand you, as your telepathy takes the form of advanced concepts and associations, which other humanoids interpret in their own language.

This ability increases in rage to 60 ft at 5th level and 120 ft at 15th level

Innate Psionics

You know the mage hand cantrip. When you cast the spell using this trait, the hand is invisible. When your each 3rd level, you can cast the detect thoughts and levitate spells once each with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells

Abilty score increase

+2 to INT +1 to CHA
Solar_fox6

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