Effective ways of Fighting Illithids

[D'karr]

Nuke site from orbit. Collateral damage is acceptable.

Believe me if we could, we would.

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

What kind of divinations would you find helpful?

Some questions that might help further discussion:

-What level are you?

-MM mind flayers or XPH mind flayers?

-What's your party composition?

Okay, here is the background. Right now there are only two of us due to "unforeseen" circumstances. We do not expect reinforcements for the near future. We are hunting one specific Illithid but he is the leader of a large group so we are against very high odds. I believe the Illithids are the standard MM kind but probably many of them are advanced. We've run into some from Lords of Madness, a book I don't own. The biggest problem is that we have no real arcane support.

We are 17th level. A rogue/fighter with maxed ranks in UMD serves as the caster using scrolls and everything he can find. He is also a pretty good fighter and can hold his own in combat. The other party member is a Githzerai Monk/Cleric/Sacred Fist. He has some good spells but due to the fact that there are only two of us casting can get pretty hairy.

We have a limited opportunity to get some equipment (scrolls, wands, etc.) that we might need. We don't plan on a frontal assault of this place but unfortunately we are kind of hosed. Our plan is to sneak in as best as possible and hunt the only guy we really need to kill. However, we expect that he will be well guarded.

 

[ZSutherland]

Okay, here is the background. Right now there are only two of us due to "unforeseen" circumstances. We do not expect reinforcements for the near future. We are hunting one specific Illithid but he is the leader of a large group so we are against very high odds. I believe the Illithids are the standard MM kind but probably many of them are advanced. We've run into some from Lords of Madness, a book I don't own. The biggest problem is that we have no real arcane support.

We are 17th level. A rogue/fighter with maxed ranks in UMD serves as the caster using scrolls and everything he can find. He is also a pretty good fighter and can hold his own in combat. The other party member is a Githzerai Monk/Cleric/Sacred Fist. He has some good spells but due to the fact that there are only two of us casting can get pretty hairy.

We have a limited opportunity to get some equipment (scrolls, wands, etc.) that we might need. We don't plan on a frontal assault of this place but unfortunately we are kind of hosed. Our plan is to sneak in as best as possible and hunt the only guy we really need to kill. However, we expect that he will be well guarded.

Well, assuming you don't want to talk to your DM about your high chance of failure and TPK, your options here are really limited.

If this game takes place in FR, you might consider dropping a good chunk of change on a scroll of elminster's evasion and setting it up to disintegrate you, true ress you, and mind blank you as soon as you encounter the illithid you're going after. Then take Frank's advice, get yourselves turned into intelligent undead of some sort and hope for a first round kill.

Barring that, you might try to infiltrate the place as thralls. Buy the cleric a wand of magic circle against evil, cast it on thralls and inform them that they can free their buddies as long as they stay close to one another. Maybe you'll get lucky and take him down in the confusion.

Are there any other intelligent groups nearby that you could turn against the mind-flayers, like a drow city or a beholder or twelve?

Honestly, I think you're hosed, but I've learned from long years of DMing to never count the players out until their at -11 hps.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

If the target Flayer is the leader of a large group he's has to have enemies, is it possible that the Sacred Fist can set aside his racial hatered long enough to allow him to arrange some sort of temporary alliance?

What are this Flayer's group interests? Perhaps you can threaten them and draw him out of the city. Sure he's going to bring thralls/slaves/allies, but at least you're not fighting an entire city.

 

[pawsplay]

Mind flayers are described as willing to abandon their comrades at the drop of a hat. They also have plane shift. The ideal scenario, then, is to provoke a route, then use scrying to hunt them down one by one.

 

[D'karr]

Well, assuming you don't want to talk to your DM about your high chance of failure and TPK, your options here are really limited.

Yes, it might turn into a TPK, but then again we might emerge victorious with a great story to tell. We are prepared for it. If we die, we die. We're not worried about that. It's not going to turn into a sour game because of this.

If this game takes place in FR, you might consider dropping a good chunk of change on a scroll of elminster's evasion and setting it up to disintegrate you, true ress you, and mind blank you as soon as you encounter the illithid you're going after. Then take Frank's advice, get yourselves turned into intelligent undead of some sort and hope for a first round kill.

Where is this spell "Elminster's Evasion" described?

Barring that, you might try to infiltrate the place as thralls. Buy the cleric a wand of magic circle against evil, cast it on thralls and inform them that they can free their buddies as long as they stay close to one another. Maybe you'll get lucky and take him down in the confusion.

How could we infiltrate as thralls. Don't the Illithids sense somehow when a thrall is not a thrall? How could we fool the illithids?

Are there any other intelligent groups nearby that you could turn against the mind-flayers, like a drow city or a beholder or twelve?

Yes and no. There are other "communities" down here. We are not getting any help from them at this time.

Honestly, I think you're hosed, but I've learned from long years of DMing to never count the players out until their at -11 hps.

I agree...

We've been down and out before where everything seemed hopeless and still managed to yank victory out of the jaws of defeat. So we are resigned to what might become our fate but we want to be prepared to kick some MF ass in the meantime.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[iwatt]

How could we infiltrate as thralls. Don't the Illithids sense somehow when a thrall is not a thrall? How could we fool the illithids?

Well, I doubt every single creature in an illithid city is a thrall. The way I would set it up if I was a brain-sucking, squid faced alien, would be too use Charm monster on the more powerful creatures, to get some dedictaed overseers. The rest of the mass of creatures would be regular slaves. So you could probably infiltrate with the slaves.

BTW, I doubt that mind-flayers have read thoughts going on them. As long as your disguise holds, and you act in the way other thralls are acting, you should be able to go around. Besides, I doubt there are mind-flayers checking people at the gates. They're the bosses and you wouldn't want to spend all day checking the food.

 

[Gold Roger]

Is scry-buff-teleport an option?

You want a pretty straight assassination, so behave like assassins. Get in, put a dimensional anchor on the dude, kill the out of him and get out.

 

[ZSutherland]

Elminster's evasion is described in the FRCS in the spell section. Think of it as a high-level contingency that allows 3 different contingent effects. The set up I suggested may not be wholly viable (I don't recall if it allows 9th level effects, so true ress might be out but you could go with regular ressurection). It is, however, a self-targetting spell, so I'm uncertain how you might get the effect set up on your companion.

 

[Bagpuss]

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.

Spell Immunity - Mind Blast

 

[jcfiala]

I was playing in a campaign last year where we went up against Illithids, and was stunned to discover that as a Monk, I did *really well* against them.

A) Good will saves.
B) Stunning Fist => Illithid loses a turn.
C) Rogue within 30 feet with a bow for the sneak attack win.

Consider hiring some to come along.