D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 playing a Mind Flayer

[crispydave]

Alright so how does it work? How does extract brain work? Can I attack with my weapon and my tentacles?

thanks in advance.

 

[Runestar]

A mindflayer is ECL15 (8 racial HD, +7LA), and so is the equivalent of a 15th lv PC (supposedly). Thus, the soonest you can play one is with a lv15 party.

Savage species breaks it down into a lv-based progression, allowing you to play one from 1st lv onwards, though it seems fairly weak (many of its signature abilities only mature/become available much later on, so at lower lvs, you are pretty much a glorified expert).

Not sure how strong it is though. Mind blast, charm monster and planeshift at-will sounds really cool, but whether that justifies its high ECL... Closest parallel I can think of is a warlock.

 

[crispydave]

I understand that I have all the leveling figured out I just need to know what the following means.

2 tentacles(can I use these with my normal attack?)

Mind blast

Psionics

Improved grab (if hit large or smaller creature, may try to start grapple without provoking attack of opportunity); extract brain

Spell resistance 25+class level

Telepathy 100 feet

 

[Runestar]

You can either attack with a tentacle as an attack action or all your tentacles as a full attack as primary attacks (no attack penalty, str mod to damage). If you wield a weapon, you can also follow up with your tentacles as secondary attacks (-5 to hit, 1/2 str mod to damage).

Mindblast is detailed in the mindflayer's entry. Psionics refers to the other SLAs it has (charm monster, suggestion, planeshift, levitate, detect thoughts).

The rest should be fairly self explanatory. What exactly about them don't you understand? Those are very generic terms, and their definitions can be found in the MM, DMG or SRD.

 

[irdeggman]

The rest should be fairly self explanatory. What exactly about them don't you understand? Those are very generic terms, and their definitions can be found in the MM, DMG or SRD.

And Expanded Psionics Handbook (or SRD if you choose). In fact the psionic version of the MF is laid out in there (pg 204).


How the tentacles function is specifically laid out in the MF entry in the MM.

How natural attacks (including tentacles) work is laid out in MM pg 312, how improved grab works is laid out on pg 310. Combining natural and manufactured weapons is laid out on pg 299 and pg 311.

Oh yeah - welcome to the boards.

 

[crispydave]

Well its hard for me right now seeing as how I just moved and all of my books are in boxes behind many other things.

And thanks for the welcome I have been reading things here for a wile and just now decided to register.

 

[moritheil]

Well its hard for me right now seeing as how I just moved and all of my books are in boxes behind many other things.

And thanks for the welcome I have been reading things here for a wile and just now decided to register.

Welcome. While your frustration is easy to identify with, there's not much difference between pointing you to the SRD and quoting it. For example, you asked about improved grab and brain extraction. Brain extraction is best thought of as a special combat option you have that kills an enemy if you can keep it grappled long enough to finish working on it. As for improved grab:

Improved Grab

If a creature with this special attack hits with a melee weapon (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required.
Unless otherwise noted, improved grab works only against opponents at least one size category smaller than the creature. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a -20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents.
A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature’s descriptive text).
When a creature gets a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space. This act does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It can even move (possibly carrying away the opponent), provided it can drag the opponent’s weight.

I'm going to echo an earlier poster and say that if these things don't automatically ring bells in your head, you perhaps may want to play something simpler to get the hang of the rules. Mind flayers have a lot of options, but knowing when to use those options and when using those options will get you killed is walking a fine line at times.

 

[samb1230]

I would suggest playing a flayerspawn psychic instead. I mean do you know the psyche of an alein race of brain eaters well enough to be one? If all you want is to have the abilities of a illithid then this PrC is just right. No LA either and the buy in is very doable at lower lvls. You get to blast people right off the bat and you still have levels in psion, which by itself is a very decent class.