Page 64 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

mass in a nearly equal ratio. When the process is complete, the Only certain races are used by the mind flayers as recipients
victim’s brain is completely replaced by the tadpole’s bloated of ceremorphosis. In general, donors must be humanoid, mam-
tissue. The tadpole is neurologically melded onto what remains malian, between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall, and
of the lower brain stem and assumes complete control of the weigh from 130 to 270 pounds. Humans, elves, drow, githzerai,
body’s nervous system. The victim dies irrevocably, but the githyanki, grimlocks, gnolls, goblinoids (of Medium size),
body lives on with a parasite serving as its brain. and orcs are sought-after donors. Races smaller or larger than
Victims have been rescued from this horrid fate, but only these, whether in height, weight, or size category, are never

if help arrives quickly. A victim is permanently drained of 1 used, and neither are reptilian or amphibian races. Halflings,
point of Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Dexterity every dwarves, derro, duergar, gnomes, centaurs and their relatives,
hour after tadpole insertion. When any one ability is reduced giants, and kuo-toas might be used as thralls or as food, but
to 0, the victim’s psychic essence is destroyed and replaced by they are never used as ceremorphosis subjects.
the tadpole’s awakening mind. Before that point is reached,
restoration can reinstate lost ability points but won’t kill the DEVELOPMENT AND AGING FLAYERS THE MIND CHAPTER 4
tadpole, so damage keeps accruing. The only sure way to save At the end of the week of ceremorphosis, nothing remains of
the victim is to kill the tadpole. The tadpole itself is very easy the victim. Its tissues have been entirely replaced with the
to kill (automatic kill with a coup de grace), but its location rapidly transforming mind flayer tissue. The creature is warm-

inside the victim’s head is a serious complicating factor. Spells blooded and hermaphroditic, with a life expectancy of up to
such as cure disease and remove curse have no effect; only a heal 135 years. It looks fully grown, but the newly ceremorphosed
spell can save a victim undergoing ceremorphosis. creature is an infant, only days into its sentient existence. It
In most cases, the only way to guarantee the tadpole is must grow in learning and experience before coming into its

slain is to crush or incinerate the victim’s head. At that point, full power. This process varies from one mind flayer to another
resurrection, true resurrection, or raise dead come into play. Raise but the average “growing up” period lasts about twenty years.
dead alone is of no avail if the victim’s head was destroyed in Immature illithids are seldom allowed outside the security of
the process of killing the tadpole. a well-protected subterranean city.
The process of ceremorphosis takes a week to complete but
it cannot be reversed after THE ILLITHID MIND
any of the victim’s ability Illithids seem at most times to be calm, collected, and dispas- Illus. by J. Nelson
scores are reduced to 0. sionate. Occasionally
From that point, no they appear to be
means can bring the gripped by great
victim back short of anger, but it’s
a miracle. hard for

The beginning
of ceremorphosis

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