Unsatisfying mind flayer encounter

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

The one and only mind flayer fight I ran was over rather quickly. They beat one down in a matter of rounds, the other managed to charm the party's fighter, who then proceeded to beat everyone else down, but the second one was dead in a few more rounds.

They managed to get the drop on them.

I will be running them in an upcoming adventure again, and I intend to even the score.

OH, and the first person to say "Mind flayers are never surprised due to detect thoughts" shoudl go back and read the spell again. It's duration is concentration, and they had better things to do than concentrate at the time.

That's what you have thralls for. (I bet it really annoys the mind flayer when the thrall travels more than 200 feet and gets surprised by a spellcaster with a Silent Dispel Magic spell. )

 

[Dwarmaj]

They included a cleric, two fighters, a rogue, a ranger, and an 8th level cleric cohort.

Mindflayers are pretty nasty, but I think the problem is more in the party make-up. There's no Druid, Monk, Sorcerer, or Wizard. Not all spells allow SR (summoning and buffs) and PC who know they're going into the underdark should be prepared for monsters with SR (spell penetration, greater spell penetration).

 

[Plane Sailing]

should be prepared for monsters with SR (spell penetration, greater spell penetration).

Not to mention conjuration damaging spells - acid arrow, acid fog etc

 

[Urbannen]

Not to mention conjuration damaging spells - acid arrow, acid fog etc

That goes the same for mind flayer spellcasters. For instance in the Manzessine Prison adventure from Dragon 92, the head of the prison is a 7th level mind flayer diviner with the Spell Focus (Evocation) feat (but not Spell Penetration). It makes little sense that a wizard charged with controlling mind flayer prisoners would bother with evocation spells since mind flayers are essentially immune to them (she would have to roll an 18 to get through an average mind flayer's SR - 15% chance). I made her a conjurer instead with a wand of Melf's acid arrows.

I would think that most Underdark wizards would specialize in Conjuration or Abjuration, since they are much more useful against the spell resistant Underdark races.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Are there really that many spell-resistant Underdark races? The only ones that come to mind are drow and mind flayers. Even kuo-toa aren't spell resistant.