Page 76 - Volo's Guide to Monsters

MIND FLAYER BONDS SPEECH
d6 Bond The physiology of mind flayers doesn't leave them
I think the elder brain is wrong about something, and well equipped for typical humanoid speech, and most
I want to convince it. use telepathy exclusively. At times, however, they find
2 I have a secret I wish to keep even from other mind it necessary to speak, such as when casting a divine
flayers. spell, voicing the command word of a magic item, or
3 The more the colony grows, the more powerful we all communicating with multiple creatures at once. A mind
flayer accomplishes such vocal feats by forcing one of its
become.
tentacles down its own throat and curling the tip to act
4 Nothing is more important than rebuilding our lost
as a tongue. The process is uncomfortable to the mind
empire.
flayer, can be disquieting for other creatures to witness,
5 Persistence of my colony is the greatest good.
and results in a sound that is often harrowing to the ear.
6 I have important research that must be protected at Despite the difficulty, some mind flayers make a study of
all costs. spoken communication and manage consistently intelli-
gible (if not melodious) speech.
MIND FLAYER FLAWS
d6 Flaw
I am oblivious to the emotions expressed by others. The "writing" of mind flayers, known as Qualith, isn't as
2 I believe my minions will always do precisely as I simple as a set of symbols representing sounds or ideas.
An inscription in Qualith captures the thoughts of its
intend.
creator and psionically transmits the thoughts to a mind
3 I never assume others understand and always expJajn
flayer who later reads the inscription by touching it with
everything.
its tentacles. Mind flayers write in Qualith by psionically
4 I have a memory that isn't mine. I'm obsess about it.
imprinting their messages on nonmagical, nonliving
5 It is inconceivable that another creature could out· material they grasp or caress with their tentacles. The
smart me. imprinting causes imperceptible surface changes to the
6 I sometimes confuse others' thoughts with my own. object, and abrasion or degradation of the material can
cause the inscription to fade and fail.
MIND FLAYER NAMES An expression in Qualith is made up of four-line stan-
zas packed into interlocking blocks, creating complex
Among mind flayers, thoughts aren't communicated in patterns that are indecipherable by other creatures.
language per se, but are instead transmitted telepathi- Someone that touches a Qualith inscription, however,
cally as concepts and associations, which other human- can receive fragmentary insight into the multilayered
oids interpret in their own language. thoughts contained within it. A non-illithid that wants
Telepathic communication with a mind flayer is fre- to understand a Qualith inscription can make an Intel·
quently accompanied by a mental static that "sounds" ligence check (DC based on the complexity of the con-
to the receiver like an underlying sussuration peppered tained thoughts) to try to derive some of the inscription's
with guttural clicks. The intensity of this static increases
meaning. Multiple successful attempts might uncover
when a mind flayer refers to itself, because with the say-
different aspects about the illithid author, its intended
ing of its name, the illithid is communicating far more
meaning, and its intended audience. A failed attempt
information about itself than other humanoids can com·
results in a crushing headache and, in extreme cases,
prehend. The syllables that make up mind flayer names
madness. A comprehend languages spell provides
as expressed in other languages are thus weak approx·
understanding of the inscription roughly equivalent to
imations of the sound that others hear in their minds
what a mind flayer would get from it.
when illithids refer to themselves.
An illithid might adopt a name that is easier for min-
MIND FLAYER THRALLS
ions and allies to speak or that makes it seem more fear-
some to enemies, but each begins its life with a thought- Mind flayers never truly ally with any creatures. They
name such as the examples in the Mind Flayer Names either attempt to seize control of a population by sub-
table, which are suitable for any campaign. verting its leaders, or they use psionics to dominate a
humanoid and turn it into a thrall.
Illithids sometimes infiltrate an Underdark tribe of
MIND FLAYER NAMES
humanoids and use their superstitions and traditions as
d12 Name d12 Name
tools to make them useful followers. A mind flayer might
Aurangaul 7 Ralayan
use its psionic ability to send visions to a humanoid sha-
2 Cephalossk 8 Sardsult man, causing it to proclaim the mind flayers as emissar-
3 Drukt 9 S'venchen ies of the gods. With that ruse in place, the "gods" then
4 Drusiss 10 Tharcereli dictate strict rules that cause some members of the tribe
5 Lugribossk 11 Tobulux to be branded as heretics, to provide the pretense for oc-
6 Quoor 12 Zellix casionally seizing a humanoid and devouring its brain.
After the colony depletes and demoralizes the popula-