Mind Flayer (prototype PC version)

[Arctic Wolf]

Was feeling bored so decided that I would try to come up with a way for people to play Mind Flayers as PCs. Here is what I came up with:

Mind Flayer

Racial Traits- Average Height 5'6"-6'5", Average Weight 110- 160 lbs.

Ability Scores- +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom or +2 Charisma
Size- Medium
Speed- 6 squares
Vision- Low-Light

Languages: Common, Deep Speech
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Insight
Aberrant Origin: Your ancestors are native to the Far Realm, so you are considered an Aberrant creature for the purpose of effects relating to a creature origin.
Illithid's Superior Will: You gain +1 racial bonus to your Will defense. In addition, you gain a +2 saving throw bonus to effects that daze, stun, and dominate you.
Tentacles: You gain +2 bonus to the attack roll to grapple and a -2 for the enemy to escape the grapple.
Mind Blast: You can use mind blast as an encounter power.


Mind Blast Mind Flayer Racial Power
Encounter* Psionic, Psychic
Standard Action Range 5
Target: One Creature
Attack: Intelligence +2 vs Will, Wisdom +2 vs Will, or Charisma +2 vs Will
Hit: 1d6 + modifier psychic damage and the target can't take immediate actions until the end of your next turn.
11th Level (+4) 2d6 + modifier psychic damage and the target can't take immediate actions until the end of your next turn.
21st Level (+6) 3d6 + modifier psychic damage and the target can't take immediate actions until the end of your next turn.



Mind Flayer Racial Paragon Path

Illithid Lord

Illithid Lord Features

Jeweled Tentacles (11th level): You can wear an additional ring. You cannot gain the benefit of another item/power that lets you wear an additional ring.

Psionic Infusion (11th level): Whenever you spend an action point to take another attack action, if the attack you use with this action hits the target, you can choose to either daze or stun them, (save ends).

Mental Defense: You gain Psychic resistance equal to 5 + 1/2 your level.

Illithid Lord's Nightmare Tentacles level 11 attack
Encounter* Implement, Psychic, Illusion
Standard Action Range 5
Target: One Creature
Attack: Int, Wis, or Char vs Will
Hit: 2d6 damage + modifer psychic and the target is restrained until the end of the next turn.

Illithid Lord's Mental Resolve level 12 utility
Daily
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You are stunned or dominated.
Effect: You are no longer stunned or dominated and gain a +2 to Will defense until the end of the encounter.

Illithid Lord's Mass Command
Daily* Area, Psonic, Psychic
Standard Action Close burst 20
Target: All allies in area.
Effect: All allies shift 4 squares and make an at-will attack against a target and they add your Int, Wis, or Char modifier to the damage total.

Well hope you enjoyed this and any feedback is welcome . Hope you all have grand adventures!

 

[the Jester]

Mechanically this looks okay at a glance...

I have to say, though, I can't imagine any circumstances under which I'd let a pc play an illithid in my campaign, balanced or not. They are about as strictly monsters as monsters can get in my campaign. Their thoughts and desires are wholly alien to humans and their kin, and their very presence is an affront to nature and reality itself. Everything from their penchant for domination and mind-screwing people to their diet to their method of reproduction just screams "Don't hang out with these guys!!" to me.

 

[mellack]

I think you would find Brain-eater overpowered. It does not have a limit, so you are pretty much giving free healing to full after most encounters. Plus it sounds like an insta-kill if the enemy is helpless such as with with Faces of Death or Konockout Blow.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Was feeling bored so decided that I would try to come up with a way for people to play Mind Flayers as PCs. Here is what I came up with:

Mind Flayer

Racial Traits- Average Height 5'6"-6'5", Average Weight 110- 160 lbs.

Ability Scores- +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom or +2 Charisma
Size- Medium
Speed- 7 squares

Why are they faster? They're not renown for being agile or swift. (On that note, mind flayers used to have a swim speed. This did disappear in 4e though.)

Vision- Low-Light

Languages: Common, Deep Speech
Skill Bonuses: +2 Bluff, +2 Insight
Aberrant Origin: Your ancestors are native to the Far Realm, so you are considered an Aberrant creature for the purpose of effects relating to a creature origin.

Looking good so far. I'm particularly pleased with the skill bonuses.

I'm not sure how powerful darkvision would be for PCs, but if it's not really better than low-light vision I'd suggest tossing that in instead.

Brain Eater: At the end of combat or if the enemy is helpless, you can eat the brain of the enemy. When you do ,you gain hit points as if you had spent a healing surge.

As stated by other posters, this seems overpowered. I would make this a bonus; if spending a healing surge out of combat (second wind?), eating a brain could give a bonus to the hit points you regain. (Dragonborn and especially bards give out similar bonuses.) Eating brains after each combat might save you a surge or two per day, but it won't give you surgeless healing. (That's daily power strong.)

Illithid's Superior Will: You gain +1 racial bonus to your Will defense. In addition, you gain a +2 saving throw bonus to effects that daze, stun, and dominate you.

I am loving this part.

Tentacles: You gain +2 bonus to grappling. Also your unarmed attacks do 1d6 instead of 1d4 damage.

You might need to detail what a +2 bonus to grappling means. Just a +2 to hit, or does this increase the DC to break free of a grapple as well?

Mind Blast: You can use mind blast as an encounter power.


Mind Blast Mind Flayer Racial Power
Encounter* Psionic, Psychic, Charm
Standard Action Range 5
Target: One Creature
Attack: Intelligence +2 vs Will, Wisdom +2 vs Will, or Charisma +2 vs Will
Hit: 1d4 + modifier psychic damage and the target is dazed until the end of your next turn.
11th Level: 2d4 + modifier psychic damage and the target is dazed or stunned until the end of your next turn. (your choice but must declare before the attack).
21st Level: 3d4 + modifier psychic damage and the target is dazed, stunned, or dominated until the end of your next turn. (your choice but declare before the attack).

I would remove the charm keyword. This isn't telling someone to sit down and shut up, it's just hammering their brain with psychic force. (Well, until the epic level version, but maybe that should just be covered with psionic powers. Are there any that let you dominate? And if not, perhaps a mind flayer racial paragon path could handle that.)

Would it be more balanced to have no damage and just have it daze until EoNT, but a close blast 3 instead? That would be a bit closer to the original mind blast.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Since Vampire is now a character class, I kinda think the Psychic/Psionic Vampire equivalent could also be a character class.

 

[Arctic Wolf]

Edit

Fixed it to 6 squares and I only based it on 7 sqs because all of them in the MMs could move 7. I fixed Brain Eater to increase the next healing surge they use out of combat by 1/2 their level to make it not as overpowered as before.

[MENTION=1165](Psi)SeveredHead[/MENTION]- I didn't include darkvision at the beginning because I figured there could be a feat like Dragonborn Senses to give them it and a perception bonus. Also made it so that they have a +2 Attack Roll bonus when trying to grapple. I never thought of doing a racial paragon path but that could help solve the dominate part. I am not as well versed in psionic characters, so I wouldn't know if there are but it be kind of silly if there wasn't imho. Also I didn't want it to be a sort of dragon breath that dragonborn have and to mainly focus on the effect going off and using that to your advantage for your team/you.

@ the Jester- Well you never know, 1/all of them might be decent enough to be good >_> lol. The way I would say it is that they are the decendent of the original mind flayers who helped their prey regain their freedom because they realized they were wasting intelligence. Or maybe someone wants a nice character for an evil campaign. So imo they would be good for the anti-hero role or just the same as they have always been, scary ass villians lol

 

[Arctic Wolf]

Update 12/22

Added in a racial paragon path. Would love the feedback.

 

[Nichwee]

I think you have a couple of things to look at in your PP.

Psionic Infusion is too good. You can pop an action point at the beginning of a go and potentially do 3 AoE attacks before the end of your next turn. This would add about 9 or so (typical AoE targets 3 mobs) Daze/Stunned(save ends) for free. You might want to make it just the attack you used the AP to make.

Mass Command should be altered to be all Effect, no Hit.
"Effect: All targets may shift upto 4 squares and make an at-will attack against a target of their choice. If they hit they gaina bonus to damage for the attack equal to the highest of your Int, Wis or Cha modifer."

 

[Arctic Wolf]

Psionic Infusion is too good. You can pop an action point at the beginning of a go and potentially do 3 AoE attacks before the end of your next turn. This would add about 9 or so (typical AoE targets 3 mobs) Daze/Stunned(save ends) for free. You might want to make it just the attack you used the AP to make.

Mass Command should be altered to be all Effect, no Hit.
"Effect: All targets may shift upto 4 squares and make an at-will attack against a target of their choice. If they hit they gaina bonus to damage for the attack equal to the highest of your Int, Wis or Cha modifer."

Fixed it and thanks for the feedback! More would be appreciated

 

[Rechan]

I'm uber-leery of a racial power that grants a daze effect.