D&D (2024) Monster Manual 2025 Aberrations & Oozes Video

[Weiley31]

"Does my appearance prove disturbing?" -- Mind Flayer leaning back and seductively showing you his ripped abs.

"What are you doing Mind Flayer-Chan!?!?"

 

[plecostomus]

BG3 patched in a lot of interesting epilogue content for

Spoiler

Mind Flayer PCs

that deals with the ambiguity of Mind Flayer individuality and humanity.

Example:
Midway through the game, a god observes that Mind Flayers have no soul. But in one of the patched epilogues,

Spoiler

he says, "Oops, my bad."

Another example is the epilogue where

Spoiler

the Mind Flayer PC decides to just keep on keeping on. They're mostly fine. Their love interest complains about having to hide them under blankets when they go out in public.

...and then at the after-party, the PC must pass a check to not suddenly eat the brain of one of their companions. This isn't even a question of Mind Flayer individuality with/without an Elder Brain present. This is just your PC's ability to not eat every brain they see like it's Oreos on the floor.

I don't feel that any of these outcomes are contradicted by the Abberations & Oozes video. BG3 just has more "rogue" Mind Flayers than what you should probably be putting in your games, because of the unique circumstances of its story.

There's also Omeluum, whose resistance to the Elder Brain later in the game isn't fully explained, but have you considered that Omeluum is really cool and also my friend? Or more seriously, it's clear that Omeluum's way of thinking is not particularly human-like, even if it ends up being benevolent. Omeluum is just the case described in the video where a Mind Flayer becomes way too interested in cake, except instead of cake it's Underdark mushrooms.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't mind if there is a "default " NPC stat block. Just as long as they provide enough traits for each of the races to slap on when need be.

So if I want an Orc NPC with Aggressive(I said what I said), Relentless Endurance, and Primal Intuition, then have a at least the traits to slap on it to represent that.

If I want an Elf or Drow Pirate NPC, then provide the Fey Ancestry and Superior Dark Vision traits to slap on said default Pirate NPC stat block.

Etc, etc
.

Incidentally, this is very similar to one chapter of Forge of Foes.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So, with the discussion on the humanoids I would like to put down some of my experience. I've long taken PC racial abilities and added them to the NPC statblocks and.... that's all the work it really takes. And looking around, you only would need to do this for Orcs and possibly Drow? Comparing this to the 2014 book where you really had two orcs (orogs are different) I'm not really seeing this as cutting down on the variety, or being difficult to do.

And I have no idea why people think some chart is going to give different abilities for orcs and drow that aren't the PC abilities. It might, but I see no reason why it should.

 

[Parmandur]

So, with the discussion on the humanoids I would like to put down some of my experience. I've long taken PC racial abilities and added them to the NPC statblocks and.... that's all the work it really takes. And looking around, you only would need to do this for Orcs and possibly Drow? Comparing this to the 2014 book where you really had two orcs (orogs are different) I'm not really seeing this as cutting down on the variety, or being difficult to do.

And I have no idea why people think some chart is going to give different abilities for orcs and drow that aren't the PC abilities. It might, but I see no reason why it should.

I would expect the chart to do juat that: but for perhaps more than 10 Species.

 

[SlyFlourish]

They're going to be reissuing or replacing all existing adventures, no matter what they're saying right now.

The updated printings will call for "5 orc warriors and 2 ogres," in your example.

I seriously doubt it.

 

[BB Shockwave]

Also, as a massive sucker for Planescape, I'm glad to hear that the slaadi have more Chaotic features in their stat blocks!!
View attachment 393727View attachment 393728

Here, I have combined this pan shot

already. And a few more.

BG3 patched in a lot of interesting epilogue content for

Spoiler

Mind Flayer PCs

that deals with the ambiguity of Mind Flayer individuality and humanity.

Example:
Midway through the game, a god observes that Mind Flayers have no soul. But in one of the patched epilogues,

Spoiler

he says, "Oops, my bad."

Another example is the epilogue where

Spoiler

the Mind Flayer PC decides to just keep on keeping on. They're mostly fine. Their love interest complains about having to hide them under blankets when they go out in public.

...and then at the after-party, the PC must pass a check to not suddenly eat the brain of one of their companions. This isn't even a question of Mind Flayer individuality with/without an Elder Brain present. This is just your PC's ability to not eat every brain they see like it's Oreos on the floor.

I don't feel that any of these outcomes are contradicted by the Abberations & Oozes video. BG3 just has more "rogue" Mind Flayers than what you should probably be putting in your games, because of the unique circumstances of its story.

There's also Omeluum, whose resistance to the Elder Brain later in the game isn't fully explained, but have you considered that Omeluum is really cool and also my friend? Or more seriously, it's clear that Omeluum's way of thinking is not particularly human-like, even if it ends up being benevolent. Omeluum is just the case described in the video where a Mind Flayer becomes way too interested in cake, except instead of cake it's Underdark mushrooms.

None of that is really new. 3E's Book of Exalted Deeds has a staple for the "redeemed monster" archetype as a Mind Flayer lady who got imprisoned by Drow and tortured, and got saved by adventurers who healed her. This made her change her outlook on people she always considered cattle, and now she has monk character levels. Still eats brains, because she has to, but only of criminals she kills in battle.
Mind Flayers I don't think would not have souls. Pretty sure every aberration does. Beholders have an afterlife, we know there are several Beholder gods where these go after they die. So do Mind Flayers, Ilsenine oddly enough has its realm in the Outlands, in the Caverns of Thought - the realm of pure neutrality. And there are other Illithid deities too.
I think what they really meant by this in the video is that for most people, ceremorphosis destroys the soul of whoever the victim was, they die, and the Mind Flayer is a completely new being who just has some of the memories and perhaps personality traits of that being. It's similar with say, Slaadi. Green Slaadi can turn into the wizard or cleric who was the host body they got created from - but they are not that person. I am guessing in BG3 this is different because these are heavily modified - magically altered - tadpoles, whose aim is not to transform people into Mind Flayers but to control people for the Absolute's cult which is controlled by followers of the Dead Three.
As for individuality, that is true for many Mind Flayers. Alhoons and Illithiliches, even when still alive are apart due to their spellcasting. So are Ulitharids who eventually become new Elder Brains. And then we have individuals like the three fanatics leaders of Ilvaash's cult in Phandelver, who subjugated their own Elder Brain, so it serves them now.

 

[OB1]

I just peaked on Beyond and that Arch Hag is CR 21. I wonder what that means as far as what level a group should be to battle them.

As a solo, level 14 (typically solos can be handled by a party of 4 at 1.5x group level)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

As a solo, level 14 (typically solos can be handled by a party of 4 at 1.5x group level)

I will point out that she cannot use some of her abilities unless she has at least two other hags, so she isn’t at full strength if alone.

 

[Reynard]

As a solo, level 14 (typically solos can be handled by a party of 4 at 1.5x group level)

Man, finding a monster to be the end boss of my upcoming campaign is going to be tough. I want level 18-20 characters facing a "wizard king." I was hoping that maybe the Arch hag would be a decent model.