Page 176 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

summoned air elementals can be directed to form whirlwinds
that create obscuring clouds of dust and debris.
Unlike the eye rays, not much can be done about the
antimagic cone. In some respects, arranging the fight

in such a way that the beholders’ best move is to keep
the characters in the antimagic cone is a win
for the heroes, since it negates the peril of
the eye rays. Heroes hoping to use magic
to reach or strike beholders should provide
themselves with a respectable nonmagical
ranged attack, just in case—heavy and

accurate archery fire can slay beholders HUNTER CHAPTER 9

more easily than flying characters THE ABERRATION
wielding magic swords.
The beholders’ abil-

ity to fly is not
particularly

because their mental powers

allow them to infiltrate human-
oid strongholds or settlements and
quickly escape from dangerous situations.
Mind flayers are also quite skilled at directing

their thralls to spy on and harass heroes in places of
supposed safety.
As with aboleths, there is no good answer to calculating,
pragmatic genius combined with inhuman evil. The illithid
hunter should take steps to block divinations and expose

mind flayer thralls that might be spying on him, while doing
unique. Few what he can to encourage illithid observers to see what they
creatures can expect to see.
both fly and deny their It is absolutely imperative to take all stops possible to

opponents the same resist the mental powers of mind flayers before meeting
ability, though—a tactic beholders them in battle. The Iron Will feat is useful, providing a
employ through the use of their antimagic potentially crucial edge in resisting mind blast and other
cones. Beholders build their lairs to take advantage mind-affecting spells and abilities. Unfortunately, the
of this tactic by incorporating vertical shafts with protection from evil spell does not negate a mind blast in the
twists and turns just long enough for eye ray range, but not same way it halts mental control; defending against mind

long enough for them to be exposed to long-range missile fire blast requires spell resistance, protection from spells, or the best
they can’t return. Again, ranged weapons can reach beholders defense, spell immunity, which gives a character immunity to
that refuse to come into melee range. any 4th-level spell or spell-like ability (such as mind blast).
Another useful tactic is to use summon monster to conjure
MIND FLAYERS a creature that can’t be stunned, such as an elemental, and
Much like the aboleths, illithids are frighteningly intelligent, send the summoned creature against the mind flayers, or
coldly analytical, and armed with potent mental powers. They simply command it to remain nearby and protect the party
do not enjoy the advantages an aquatic environment provides, in case characters are stunned.
but they are even more personally dangerous than the aboleths
because of their horrible ability to kill stunned enemies by
extracting their brains. MINIONS AND CULTISTS

Brilliant, efficient, and completely unscrupulous, mind flay- Aberrations command the allegiance of other creatures,
ers are perfectly aware of their advantages and disadvantages in ranging from horrible monsters nearly as bad as their
battle, and they are capable of anticipating the heroes’ actions masters to human alienists or cultists. Master aberrations
with uncanny accuracy. They are more inclined to personally are rarely encountered alone, since members of each of the
investigate and scout hero parties than aboleths are, simply great races can easily enslave other creatures to their wills.
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