D&D 5E Overcoming Antimagic and Null Psionics fields (5th edition)

[FormerlyHemlock]

Hoping the community ca help me brain storm a break-a-prisoner-out challenge.

I'm planning an adventure where the party has accepted a mission to infiltrate a Mind Flayer colony. This is a 5th edition campaign.

In one area, there is a transformation chamber and in one of the cells there is a Githzerai Zerth. I don't want to go into all the background details, suffice it to say that freeing the Zerth can provide them with a helpful ally for the rest of the mission.

My problem is how do the Mind Flayers keep the Zerth prisoner (he can planeshift at will once a day). *snip* I'm very open for other suggestions.

My approach to this would be: the Mind Flayers have used psychic surgery to amputate the Zerth's plane shifting abilities. Depending on where you want to go with the Zerth's role in the campaign, a Greater Restoration or Regeneration spell might or might not be able to restore him.

A "crippled" Zerth confined to the Prime Material plane is kind of an interesting thing IMO.

Naturally, this solution isn't workable with MM Mind Flayers because they can't actually do sophisticated things with psionics. You'd need to invent at least vague rules for what psionics and psychic surgery are or are not capable of, even if those rules are just, "Elder Brains can permanently disable Plane Shifting on unconscious Zerths with no save."

And yes, I would use the exact same approach to imprison a wizard: cut out his tongue and/or cut off his hands. Medieval to the max.

 

[MNblockhead]

If a person deserves xp before the 300 seconds are up, just refresh the page.

Huh, I did not know that. XP for you!

Thanks!

 

[MNblockhead]

Now that's a very interesting idea. The backgroud of the prisoner is that the Zerth was the leader of a rrakkma--an illithid hunting party--that successfully discovered the colony. If released he will help the party but is up front with the fact that if the battle seems to be turned against them, he will immediately plan shift so that he can report back to his monastery and mount a larger expedition to return and destroy the colony. ​

Buuut, if he instead can no longer plan shift because of an illithid lobotomy or whatever, that gives a very good reason for him to stay with the party and see this to the end, in the hopes that he can escape with them and find his way back to his monastery in limbo. Really liking this idea. And more logical. Given what we know about the mind flayers from the MM and VGM, it is certainly possible they can do this. I don't need to build up and entire set of mechanics, we have no psionic PCs. It is something they did and how they do it is a mystery beyond the ken of the characters. This way the challenge is more normal prison break. Still difficult and under a time crunch but I don't have to worry about all the magic and psi mechanics.

Thanks for the idea!

My approach to this would be: the Mind Flayers have used psychic surgery to amputate the Zerth's plane shifting abilities. Depending on where you want to go with the Zerth's role in the campaign, a Greater Restoration or Regeneration spell might or might not be able to restore him.

A "crippled" Zerth confined to the Prime Material plane is kind of an interesting thing IMO.

Naturally, this solution isn't workable with MM Mind Flayers because they can't actually do sophisticated things with psionics. You'd need to invent at least vague rules for what psionics and psychic surgery are or are not capable of, even if those rules are just, "Elder Brains can permanently disable Plane Shifting on unconscious Zerths with no save."

And yes, I would use the exact same approach to imprison a wizard: cut out his tongue and/or cut off his hands. Medieval to the max.