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<blockquote data-quote="Xetheral" data-source="post: 8146540" data-attributes="member: 6802765">I'm confused about how you expected your players to learn about the Mind Flayer's Extract Brains ability first-hand without a strong likelihood of PC death? 10d10 + instant-death-at-zero-HP is nasty.Shoving is the go-to tactic against a lone Mind Flayer. As long as everyone shoves after the Mind Flayer hits with its tentacles, the grapple will break before the Mind Flayer is able to Extract Brains. After the grapple is broken for that round, the remaining PCs pile on the damage. Even if Mind Blast recharges, Mind Blast/Tentacles/Extract Brain is a three-round combo, giving enough time that it is likely for the PCs to save and get back to Shoving the Mind Flayer.Mind Flayers have exactly four tentacles (MM 221). 5e isn't explicit, but the lore of past editions established that it requires all four tentacles attached to one creature to extract the target's brain into the Mind Flayer's mouth. Obviously as DM you aren't in any way bound by that, but letting Mind Flayers try to grapple multiple creatures at once with its tentacles is a strong buff over the traditional expectations of what a Mind Flayer is capable of.Mechanics-wise, I think the statblock would need to explicitly authorize the &quot;tentacles&quot; appendage to grab multiple foes if that were the intent. Humanoid statblocks, such as Drow, don't explicitly list the maximum number of creatures grappled either, but I don't think anyone would suggest they can grapple more than one creature with one hand.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Xetheral, post: 8146540, member: 6802765"] I'm confused about how you expected your players to learn about the Mind Flayer's Extract Brains ability first-hand without a strong likelihood of PC death? 10d10 + instant-death-at-zero-HP is nasty. Shoving is the go-to tactic against a lone Mind Flayer. As long as [I]everyone[/I] shoves after the Mind Flayer hits with its tentacles, the grapple will break before the Mind Flayer is able to Extract Brains. After the grapple is broken for that round, the remaining PCs pile on the damage. Even if Mind Blast recharges, Mind Blast/Tentacles/Extract Brain is a three-round combo, giving enough time that it is likely for the PCs to save and get back to Shoving the Mind Flayer. Mind Flayers have exactly four tentacles (MM 221). 5e isn't explicit, but the lore of past editions established that it requires all four tentacles attached to one creature to extract the target's brain into the Mind Flayer's mouth. Obviously as DM you aren't in any way bound by that, but letting Mind Flayers try to grapple multiple creatures at once with its tentacles is a strong buff over the traditional expectations of what a Mind Flayer is capable of. Mechanics-wise, I think the statblock would need to explicitly authorize the "tentacles" appendage to grab multiple foes if that were the intent. Humanoid statblocks, such as Drow, don't explicitly list the maximum number of creatures grappled either, but I don't think anyone would suggest they can grapple more than one creature with one hand. [/QUOTE]

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