Paradigm Concepts Essential Guide to Mindflayers...looking for info

talmar · Oct 20, 2003

Has anyone purchased Paradigm Concepts "Essential Guide to Mindflayers"?

Does this book detail any sample Illithid caverns or cities?

I haven't seen any of the "Essential Guide..." series.

Looking for opinions.

Thanks

Leopold · Oct 20, 2003

i bought it, looked it over, and shelved it. Really wasn't what I expected it to be. More fluff than crunch similar to other books in the paradigm press line. if you like lots and lots of info on cities then this is the book for you. The one good thing about this book was the mind flayer 'paladin'. They rocked!

Cergorach · Oct 20, 2003

Leopold said:
i bought it, looked it over, and shelved it. Really wasn't what I expected it to be. More fluff than crunch similar to other books in the paradigm press line. if you like lots and lots of info on cities then this is the book for you. The one good thing about this book was the mind flayer 'paladin'. They rocked!

There's still a lot of crunch in this book, but it's somehow not as present as in some other books. Some good fluff though, still haven't read it completely yet (i buy to much). When i get home i'll take a look if there's any good Mindflayer cavern info in there...

Psion · Oct 20, 2003

I thought it was pretty good and had some neat concepts in it. I got a lot more out of this book than I did their giants book, which seems mostly like a condensed slayers guide with stat blocks. This book had some interesting conjecture on their history and culture, and the crunchy bits are interesting, with flesh shaping classes, etc. Pretty cool, I thought.

And I actually did buy the book, not just "looked at it in the store."

Cergorach · Oct 20, 2003

Does this book detail any sample Illithid caverns or cities?

Nope, no cities or caverns. It's more of a toolbox to make your own Ilith places and power groups, and it's a very good toolbox indeed.

I wonder how well it's compatible with the old TSR Ilith guide (and the three adventures that are part of the series).

You might want to take a look at it.

Monstrous Arcana - The Illithiad (very kewl book btw for $4.95)
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1487&

A Darkness Gathering (1st adventure)
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1382&

Masters of Eternal Night (2nd adventure)
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1389&

Dawn of the Overmind (3rd adventure)
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=1391&

Crothian · Oct 20, 2003

I picked it up because Hellhound is one of the Authors and I talked to him about it at Gen Con. I've enjoyed the book, it really goes into depth on Mind Flayers. I find it much better then the old TSR product.

Cergorach · Oct 20, 2003

I found the TSR version a bit to 'cute', but still enjoyable. TheyPC version on the other hand is a lot grimmer, and is definately more my style, i wish i had it a year or two ago (dmed a massive plot with mindflayers)...

Oh Hellhound wrote some of this goodness? What parts?

Flyspeck23 · Oct 20, 2003

Crothian said:
I picked it up because Hellhound is one of the Authors and I talked to him about it at Gen Con. I've enjoyed the book, it really goes into depth on Mind Flayers. I find it much better then the old TSR product.

My sentiment excactly.

This book is one of my favorite d20 publications, because it combines good crunch*, nice fluff* and great art. It's a good read, cover to cover.

So, by all means: get it. I think you won't be disappointed - unless you're looking for a book on mind flayer prestige classes and nothing else, of course.

[* whatever that is...]

Crothian · Oct 20, 2003

Cergorach said:
Oh Hellhound wrote some of this goodness? What parts?

I don't know, he's listed as one of the three authors but it doesn't say which individual parts were done by whom. I'll see if I can summon him.

HellHound · Oct 20, 2003

Crothian said:
I don't know, he's listed as one of the three authors but it doesn't say which individual parts were done by whom. I'll see if I can summon him.

I wrote a large part of the mechanical aspects of this book.

All the Prestige Classes are my own creations, whole cloth (from concept to final implementation), ditto for most of the psionics, a bunch of the spells.

Hang on, have to get my copy off the shelf.

I was the primary author or sole author of the following sections:

Chapter 6 - The powered armor, some mechanics in the other flesh-craft material.

Chapter 7 - Magic & Psionics (a majority of the psionic powers, a chunk of the spells an the 'discard spells')

Chapter 8 - Feats

Chapter 9 - Illeth and Class (core & prestige classes)

Chapter 10 - alternate and optional implementations and rules.

As a team, we worked on deciding what the focus and core material of the book as well as how we would differ from the 'official' view of the Flayers. It was a joy working with Steve & Jim.

And of course, JUST after the last of the material made it in for the book, WotC released the final SRD with no mind flayers in it. Thankfully, the great men at Paradigm Concepts didn't want to sink this book either, and managed to wrangle permission to publish it.

---

As an aside, I have NEVER read the Illithiad. I avoided all things 2nd edition back in those days and now the books are quite expensive and hard to come by.