The Illithid Invasion

[Eric]

For those times when your players just have no initiative. When nothing of note is going on and the players are just sitting around waiting for the GM to make something interesting happen. Well, ask and ye shall receive. The planet that you happen to be on at that time is going to be hit by an invasion force from an unknown planet in the outer rim.

The Illithid
At the core of the invasion is a mysteries alien with incredible psionic abilities. The alien (known as the Illithid and nicked named Mind Flayers) is roughly humanoid, standing at least six feet tall and with strangely elongated limbs. They have four fingered hands and the fingers are long and spider like. The most obvious trait however is the head, it is oddly shaped and has four rubbery tentacles surrounding a circular revolting maw.

The Overlord
Illithid are generally cowards, they will rarely enter combat personally. This makes the idea of Illithid shock troops laughable, rather they use a wide variety of captured aliens held in thrall my a single Illithids mind. The number of underling to an Overlord depends on how difficult it is to control them.

ST 8d8+8; LB 12; AC 20 (Dex +2 Combat armor +8); BAB +8; Grap +7; tentacle 1d4+1 each; Init +6; Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +9; Str 12; Dex 14; Con 12; Int 19; Wis 17; Cha 17; Psi 20 (+4 helmet); Psionics, Control underlings 25; Detect minds 8; Empathy 7; ESP 4; Hide mind 8; Psychic shield 32; Telekinesis 20; Telepathy 22; Influence mind 15; Molecular deconstruction 10; Electrokinesis and/or Thermokinesis 10; Skills, Concentration +2; Hide +8; Intimidate +10 Listen +10; Spot +10;

I’d right more but I’m sleepy, so I’ll add the different kinds of underlings latter.

Note. Give me feedback!

 

[Bruce]

Mindflayers are the evil offspring of a failed attempt by Hivers to mix humand and hiver genes to make a composite race that would allow the Hivers to better communicate with Humans. But alas, it failed and the mind flayers escaped during the long night and have been hiding in their hive ships and waiting for a chance to strike. The Mindflayers have aquaired a taste for human brains. This need rose out of the genetic need to make contact with humans and know them so the Hivers could under them better. But alas, the need became a craving and soon became a biological need when the mindflayers escaped from the Hivers control. Why do you think so many planets fell into barbarism during the long night? Their planets were ravaged by mindflayers...

*evil grin*
just my off the cuff thoughts...

Bruce
The Man Behind the Curtain

 

[kaladorn]

That's both evil and funny.

Considering Illithids can't speak (IIRC), that would fit with the hiver non-verbal communications. But do Hivers have any kind of psionics or are they sort of afraid/curious about it?

Talk about some good enemies if you are running Zho PCs..... like on the Core Missions.... a nice planet full of Psionic bad guys that like the brains of your average Zho Intendant still warm....

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Outstanding , Lords!

I am reminded of the D&D Module "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" which featured a Mind Flayer that had adapted itself very well to the futuristic equipment that it found on board the crashed spaceship. It also looked pretty cool in Space Clothes and a Space Weapon... ideal villains...

 

[smilinggm]

There is a great D20 System OGL Interlink Book out, Published by Paradigm Concepts called "UNVEILED MASTERS - The Essential Guide to Mind Flayers" (PCI1106). It will be the only non WOTC book published on Mind Mlayers as WOTC pulled Illithid from the OGL. This book was given special allowance as it was at the publishers when WOTC pulled them from the OGL.

This book is very heavy on the fantasy side of D20 but it is still great. It details the "Illeth" society and various breeds of "Illeth". It even talks of an "Illeth" Empire.

If you love Mind Flayers I highly recomend buying a copy of this book. Even If you dont plan to use them in you T20 Campaing.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

An Empire! Yeow! I gotta get a football helmet to keep me tasty brain in me skull!

Wasn't it stated at some point in D&D that Mind Flayers are rather solitary and prone to infighting... and destroying each other at times... i think this was done to limit them in power, as they got a lot of it...

A mind blasting Mind Flayer Squad would be formidable, to understate it extensively...

 

[smilinggm]

The book gives a good reason for that. The ones in the MM are lost barbarians who have forgotten or severed their ties to the Empire. Other "Illith" do work in groups.

And rather that a football helment I sujest a good Psi Helment or even better Combat armor with Psi sheilding.

 

[mike wightman]

Weren't they major players in Spelljammer?

 

[notagoodusername]

Argh. The name... What a setting that was, though not ina positive sense... And yes, the Illithids were major players.

Shane

 

[Eric]

Okay, here we go with the underlings.

The Mind flayers psionic skill, control underlings, is used to command their troops. The DC is determined by adding up the underlings intelligence scores. Example, Gargoyles have an intelligence score of six, so controlling a pack of six is DC 36. A failed roll would cause the underlings to attack the Overlord and or anything in sight.

Bugbear
Like goblins except larger and stronger. They have adapted quite well to the high tech weapons and armor given to them by their new Illithid masters. It was their savagery and war like nature that made them attractive shock troops for the Illithid army. However this also meant that they were not to be trusted. Even though the Bugbears are willing allies, they are still held in thrall by an Overlord. For the moment the Bugbears aren’t complaining. They enjoy inflicting pain and serving the Mind Flayers gives plenty of opportunity to do so. This relationship is a house built on sand, it won’t last forever. Eventually the Bugbears will become resentful and rise up against their oppressors, or the Illithid will detect the uprising and terminate the threat before it becomes real.

Bugbears are willing servants, treat their intelligence as half when determining the DC for control underlings.

Bugbear shock trooper
ST 8D8+9; LB 13; AC 23 ( +2 Dex, +3 natural, +8 combat armor); AR 11; BAB 9/4; weapons, cutlass 1D8 (18), PGMP-14 8D12 (18); Init+1; Fort +3; Ref +6; Will +2; Str 15; Dex 15; Con 13; Int 10; Wis 10; Cha 9;


More is coming soon to a post near you. Great comments by the way. Love the Hiver tie in. Keep um comin.

 

[themink]

A Three Stage Adventure Cycle:-

i) The Party here word of a sophant race created in a remote Hiver lab - if the party include Ursa, they will trot off to rescue the poor lab rats. Leads to a fun prison break.

ii) Pursuit of the Party across the empire space, Hiver ships trying despiritely to kill them without being noticed by the Empire. The Party can't talk to the authorities because the Hiver treaty would involve giving the poor defenceless lab rats back. Also a worry that the lab rats need a special food suppliment, they are all loosing weight and condition.

iii) A world is found where the lab rats can hide and be all furtive - Once the party have set them up with shelter, they launch their "kill the party" suprise - some of the party in a shuttle (too far away to control, out come the psi helmets), trying to rescue the rest whilst the number of NPCs is whittled down by the starved Illithids.

 

[Jester666]

Mind Flayers are all well and good, but dress up an elf, call him/her a vulcan rommulan or what ever and enjoy the prior history tables with a one thousand year lifespan. ha ha ha.

 

[kafka47]

Originally posted by Kafka47:
Could we not also see that Mind Flyers as an Ancient genetic experiment with humans to introduce humans into the bodies of the "Baddies from the Core", as a living parasite? This could be a high tech form or espionage or simply scouting mission. Naturally, the Primordials who are in excess of 100,000 tons would not really worry about these parasites and have antibodies to neutralize them...eg. putting them in a deep/cold sleep until they could be properly ejected from the group mind.

I have always viewed the Zhodani being the other half of the offspring that were designed for courier missions in the time of the Ancients. This could be part of the menace that the Zhodani is encountering Coreward.

Surely, the Ancients and the Primorials have a relationship that may not be so belovant. It would seem to be a repeat of the mechanics vs the mentalitics debate in Asimov. As the Primordials had perfected psionic Jump Drive and the Ancients the Mechanical Jump Portal both of them not knowing that there is something greater laying & waiting...

But, just as surely, the Drey residents are awoken the sleepers inside must too awaken. The parasite/"mind flyer" now are set loose on Chartered Space...

As the "mind flyers" escape the torment of several thousand years of cold sleep/psionic induced hibernation they are freed to wreak havoc on Chartered Space. Scouring the length & breadth in search of the civilization that gave them birth but finding nothing but ruins.

Interaction with all races would be naturally treated with contempt, even the Droyne who are just merely Droyne not the Ancients.

To view the mind flyer as evil would be a mistake but to view them as a parasitical menance, I think has more interesting possibilities...

Adventure hook:

A "mind flyer" may engage the players to help them find the Secret of the Ancient civiilizations that dominated over Chartered Space over -300,000 years ago.

 

[kafka47]

How much of Dragonstar is simply AD&D in Space and how much of Traveller do we need to have D&D in Space?

I tend to agree with the earliest reviews of Traveller that it is certainly not D&D in Space. It is a game about exploring and changing frontiers of knowledge. Marc's mission statement in T4 and the later revised edition that he produced for Horsemen of the Apocalypse sums up Traveller pretty well.

But, as noted in the earlier thread, this is not to say that Mind Flayers do not have a place in the Traveller universe but try to frame it, in such a way that is consistant with the mission statement.

 

[Commander Drax]

One of the best things about the traveller universe is that quite simply, everything has a just and valid reason for existing, I'm not saying don't use the mind flayers, but write them in with a culture, background and a plausible reason for coming into conflict with the players. There has to be a reason why they would invade a planet for example, does it have resources they need, or is the attack motivated by fear or greed. Likewise, non or semi sentient creatures/animals in traveller do not exist simply as monsters who like to kill player characters, but as integral parts of their own eco-systems, so next time your players are stalked by a powerful and cunning beastie, players should respect it as being a killer but understand its not nasty just for the sake of it and it has no special malice towards the PCs, its just following its instincts and wants to eat them.