Mind Flayer tactics?

[Plane Sailing]

**Speaker in Dreams spoilers**


This is the Mind Flayer in Speaker of Dreams if that helps any on ideas. So he's definately the big man on this totem pole.

Well, when I ran that I had the mind flayer spying on the heroes from the ethereal plane, plane shifted into view and unleashed his mind blast - all except one failed their save, so he quickly grabbed one of the stunned ones, shrugged off the paladins attack and plane shifted away with his stunned victim... whom the PC's later discover with his head split open and brain removed.

Hit and run. You know it makes sense!

Don't forget his best ally is able to make the Mindflayer invisible too, and if he is invisible and levitating, he can mind blast away until he gets them all...

 

[Lord Ben]

The Ogre mage right? Hmm... don't you become visible when mind blasting?

 

[James McMurray]

Yes you become visible if you mind Blast, of course, the Ogre Mage could ready an action to recast invisibility as soon as the Mind Flayer appears.

 

[Shayuri]

Regarding Plane Shift though...unless I'm very much mistaken, the mind flayer would appear at a random location on the plane it shifted to, yes? Assuming that the power works like the spell (since it is a spell-like ability).

So none of that namby-pamby shifting in and out between Prime and Ethereal stuff. I mean...it COULD...but there's no guarentee that it would find itself still in battle. Granted, it's still handy for a desperation escape move.

Cuz otherwise, I think they'd be a bit more than CR8.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

Regarding Plane Shift though...unless I'm very much mistaken, the mind flayer would appear at a random location on the plane it shifted to, yes?

Yes. Plane shift is only accurate to within 5-500 miles. And you can only travel together via plane shift in a circle of willing participants. So Plane Sailings clever tactics (admirable though they be) don't actually work.

Flayers could still use their plane shift ability offensively as a touch attack, though. It doesn't get them that much flexibility (it's still Will save or lose the fight, which you could also say about charm monster and mind blast), but it's got a nice high save DC and could be quite demoralizing for their foes.

 

[Spatula]

What creature or creatures (outsider probably) would make a good pair with a mind flayer. I was figuring something with immunity to stunning but I couldn't think of many besides undead.

Anything large and beefy enough to make a decent meatshield. A mind flayer will be basically immune to any magic a 6th-7th level party can throw at it (SR 25 or something like that), so physical attacks will be its biggest weakness. A creature with reach and maybe combat reflexes would be very useful at keeping the melee types off the illithid's back. If the henchthing is mindless as well (like a construct), then the mind flayer wouldn't have to worry about catching its protector in a mind blast.

On the other hand, the above is possibly too dangerous for a 6th-7th level party.

 

[Lord Ben]

There is 7 of them, pretty deadly. I could probably get away with a flesh golem and the Mind Flayer. I have a feeling the Ogre Mage will die earlier then that and the Mayor won't be able to do much.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Yes. Plane shift is only accurate to within 5-500 miles. And you can only travel together via plane shift in a circle of willing participants. So Plane Sailings clever tactics (admirable though they be) don't actually work.

OK, you've got me there. I've got a nastier idea though.

Mindflayers plane shift to an alternate material plane. They then astrally project to this material plane, forming a second body there for the purpose... so even if they "kill" the mindflayer, it is not actually dead - it's spirit simply returns to the other plane.

Functionally the only difference it might seem to make to the encounter is that it is vulnerable to "dispel magic" ending its astral projection - although it would make one heck of a recurring villain, since he learns more about the party with every encounter.

(why they gave it a *9th level spell* to use at will I'll never know! the spell allows you to "summon yourself" to another plane for all intents and purposes!)

Cheers

 

[Dr. Zoom]

I am currently running Speaker in Dreams, too.

How about a couple of Hellcats in addition to the Ogre Mage? You have alot of devils running around at this time. Also, the medusa in the web enhancement could cause some problems in the final encounter. Perhaps the Osyluth could animate some dead nobles for some fodder in the final battle?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I suggest a number of grimlock rangers. They can be Charmed by the mind flayer, can stand between the group's melee fighters and the mind flayer (take Combat Reflexes and a greataxe... nuff said).