Effective ways of Fighting Illithids

[D'karr]

We are currently involved in a campaign against a Mind-Flayer city. I'd like to get ideas of how to effectively fight against them.

What kind of spells are good for protection, what tactics are effective, what not to do, etc.

Thanks.

 

[Thanee]

A Night Below?

Good things... boost your Will saves.
Dimensional Anchor the bigger/badder ones in time, so they can't flee and haunt you.

Hurting them is the easy part.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Gold Roger]

Nuke site from orbit. Collateral damage is acceptable.


Serious advice, to?

Now I'm not so familiar with some higher level stuff and I guess you're quite a bit higher level when going up against a whole ilithid city.

Here's some thoughts:

Anything that helps being forewarned against most attacks. Nothing like getting stunned before the combat even begann.

Try not to move in "Mind Blast" formation. If the whole group can be caught in one blast, things will propably go bad.

I'd expect a fair amount of mind controlling going on, so I'd load up some protection from evil. I wonder how your DM will react if you put protection from evil on the inevitable Thralls.

Mind blank might help.

Mind flayers have extremely bad fortitude saves. Desintegrate and co should be your friends.

If appropiate for your game, bring along some constructs or undead friends.

I'd say lots of divinations to get an edge.

I think that's it for now.


Some questions that might help further discussion:

-What level are you?

-MM mind flayers or XPH mind flayers?

-What's your party composition?

 

[demiurge1138]

Mind blast is a spell-like ability, which means it can be targeted by a spell immunity spell. Always a good tactic. And, like Thanee said, dealing damage to illithids is pretty easy. If you wanted to make it a little less so, you could use Eberron's varient, giving them DR 5, beatable by some exotic material (in Eberron it's byshek, but you could use cold iron or wood or something).

Demiurge out.

 

[drothgery]

What Thanee said. One of the most annoying villians I've run into as a player was Mind Flayer with class levels who kept running away before we could finish him off. Finally we bought a bolt of aberration slaying and took him out in a one-shot kill.

For a Mind Flayer city, though ... find some way of improving your wizard's ability to blast through SR.

 

[frankthedm]

Get killed by a 'friendly" undead critter and rise as it's spawn. Otherwise do a Knowledge:Arcana check to find out if a lead, gold or tinfoil helmet will protect against a Mindblast.

Failing those, pump your will save hard. And send reconnaissance information to the githyanki. The small chance they might attack the illithid local is worth it. If the info is really good, they might wind up owing you a favor. Though don’t expect it to be more than a head start.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Protection from Evil/Magic Circle vs. Evil to protect against their charm, suggestion, and dominate effects is a must. At higher levels, Mind Blank completely screws them over.

Against the mind blast, spread out, and put high-Will save people in key places. Summoned/created undead, constructs, plants, oozes, and vermin help a lot too, due to their immunity to mind-affecting abilities. Summoned elementals also work, due to their stun immunity.

Against their levitation, Mass Fly, Fly, and potions of flight help your melee types close with them.

Dimensional anchor will keep them from using their planeshift ability(though if they do, you've pretty much defeated them anyways).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Depends on how high level you are.

I'd load up on anticipate teleportation and mind blank, as well as deafness and sonic spells if the illithid are using grimlocks as their mooks, as many communities do.

 

[Wolfwood2]

We are currently involved in a campaign against a Mind-Flayer city. I'd like to get ideas of how to effectively fight against them.

What kind of spells are good for protection, what tactics are effective, what not to do, etc.

Thanks.

On any mission into the heart of enemy territory, make sure all the PCs have Mind Blank up, and get a couple of extra scrolls of it in case somebody's Mind Blank gets dispelled. Buying/making all those scrolls will be expensive, but it's the only sure-fire protection against an entire city of Mind Blasts. Otherwise, everybody rolls a 1 on their saving throw eventually.

If there's a specific mindflayer you're there to kill, make sure to Dimensional Anchor them so they can't just Plane Shift away.

Have some Magic Circle of Protection from Evil spells up. I know what you're thinking: "We're already mind blanked. Why do we need the extra protection against being Dominated?" Well it's not for you. That way, if the mind flayers send any dominated servants into melee with you, they'll be freed as long as they're within the radius of the spell, probably turning them instantly from enemies to allies. (And when you can't afford to have Mind Blank up, they're doubly important.)

Keep fast, keep mobile. Stay together. Nobody wanders off alone. Freedom of Movement effects will keep them from grappling you for that nasty Extract attack.

 

[zypherillius]

slaying flayers?

see if you can contract out a bunch of gith, theyd love to help