Daeijine Illithids (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: July 16th, 2007 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Daeijine Illithids

Personality

Illithids are an arrogant and cruel underground race. They believe other races to be beneath them, at best slaves and food, and at worse doormats. The Daeijine Illithids are a bit more subdued in their arrogance, not being the dominant race of the land (much to their chagrin) but use what leeway they do have to maximum effect.

The Daeijine Illithids are highly individual to all save their Elder Brain. Loyality to an Elder Brain is paramount and sometimes groups of illithids will fight each other if their rival Elder Brains decree it.

Some illithids are wanderers and are not connected to any Elder Brain, be it via exile, or some other mishap. These illithids are treated with suspicion by others as their minds cannot be seen as clearly as other illithids within their collective.

Physical Description

The illithid is a grotesque being, humanoid in form though thin and gaunt, with purple slimy skin and a squid for a head, equipped with four tendrils. Their mouths come either in lamprey or beak form, and their eyes are white and without pupils. They are hermaphrodites, their only gender being by sheer personality.

Young illithids start as tadpoles with squid heads and grow inside briny vats until puberty at age 9-11, where they grow the rest of their human body and limbs, and can walk outside freely. The spawn must be cared for, lest they mutate into one of the several aberrant paths of life for an illithid.

Relations

If allowed, illithids do not get along with others, they dominate others. Daeijine illithids are in a position of great control by the other races, and thus they, being pragmatical, choose to work with others. If this control were ever upset they would be glad to retake their positions as 'the superior race'.

Alignment

Lawful Evil is the most common, and other alignments become less common from there. A chaotic good illithid is almost unheard of. This alignment is re-enforced if it lives with an Elder Brain, for it is wise that their alignment matches that of the Elder Brain.

Lands

Illithids shun light and enjoy damp areas. They live underground in human caves and by underground water reserves. If ever seen on the surface they wear robes to shield themselves from the sun and avoid drying out.

Religion

Illithids do not have a religion and the generic ilithid is an atheist, dedicated to the Elder Brain alone. The Elder Brain is thus their god as it is the key to their immortality.

Language

Illithids are telepathic and do not speak, their actual voice consisting of disturbing gurgles, rumbles, and hisses. It is a special form of telepathy in that it does not automatically grant ability to understand and communicate with others, and it has a range much like vocal speech... its only difference being that the 'sound' is not sonic based but mental equivalents. An illithid knowns Common and Undercommon and may know a host of other languages, especially if they have eaten many brains.

Names

Illithids have a true name, which is unspeakable and more of a mental signature, and a name which is used for communication. That name varies greatly.

Racial Traits

• -2 Strength, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
• Aberration: The illithid has a truly alien biology not of this time.
• Medium: As medium-sized creatures, illithids have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Illithid base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision (Ex): Illithids can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and illithids can function just fine with no light at all.
• +6 racial resistance against mind-affecting effects and charms.
• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate.
• Able to breathe underwater.
• An illithid deals 1d4 with a slam from it's tentacles, up to 4 attacks if it's BAB allows for it. Eating a brain is the equivalent of a coup de grace, and follows the same rules for it.
• An Illithid must eat at least 1 brain every 3 days, or lose 1 point of Constitution per day after 3 days. Eating will restore the lost Constitution from starving. It can be from human or animal. However when eating the brain of another intelligent creature they have a 50% chance of learning the creature's language, and a 20% chance to acquire 2 random skill points to which they put ranks into. Cross class skills as still reduced as normal. An illithid can only store the bonus skill points of 1 brain per character level, thus a level 10 illithid can have bonuses from 10 brains. New brains eaten may replace old skills or be used only for food, at your choosing.
• Must remain moist or take 1d6 of nonlethal damage from dry, arid environments every hour.
• Shunned: When dealing with other races who are not used to illithids, the illithid takes a -4 on all social skill checks, so long as the creature realizes it is an illithid.
• Mind Blast (Su): 1/day — Within a 60 ft. cone, all targets make a Will save or become stunned for 1d4 rounds. The DC is (10 + half the illithid's HD + its Charisma modifier). Caster level is character level. The save DC is Charisma-based.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Undercommon.
• Bonus Languages: Any, usually gained from consuming brains. Language is done via telepathy, as vocal speech is impossible.
• Favored Class: Wizard
• Level Adjustment: +2
• Effective Character Level: 3

Evolution

Illithids have an unstable gene which can radically alter their appearance upon certain conditions. The first of these is the chance which occurs when a young tadpole illithid is abandoned and not fed. Over the course of it's starvation it will leave the growth brine it swims in and wiggle like a snake, hunting what it can. By the time it grows up it never develops limbs. The result is a Neothelid.

Next off comes when an illithid is punished for some grievous crime. Their head is cut off and immediately placed in a special and vile bath of special brine. The head continues to live, ceasing to eat brains and living off flesh itself. It's mind is intact but quickly degrades, usually driven mad by its new existence and acting more like an animal. It grows in size until it becomes a huge, walking squid tank, whose extra folds of flesh serve as a passenger area for those riding upon it. At this point they are merely war steeds for the collective called a Dazreth. (They are slightly different to a pre-existing concept, the Kezreth.)

Then there are cases when an old illithid, whose power is so great (and of epic level) that at the time of death they do not die but instead rise from 'death' 24 hours later seeking a pool of brine. There they sink in and hibernate, their bodies rotting away and their heads expanding over the next month, until it is huge and man-sized, and only the brain exists. This is how an Elder Brain is formed. However this reaction is suppressed in communities with an Elder Brain so it only occurs with illithids in solitude. In addition if one is found it is usually absorbed by the existing Elder Brain before it can grow.

Finally in the event that an illithid cannibalizes another illithid, they don't only have a 3% cumulative chance of going insane, but they also begin to mutate. Their eyes vanish as their mouth takes over the entirety of their face, they gain the use of blindsense, their limbs elongate and become somewhat rubbery, they hunch over and grow strange spines from their back, and they become feral. This is a vicious and cruel Cepholathe.

Vital Statistics

Table: Daeijine Illithid Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
20 years	+1d6	+2d6	+3d6

Table: Daeijine Illithid Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
75 years	115 years	150 years	+2d20 years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Daeijine Illithid Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Genderless	5' 7"	+2d10	100 lb.	× (2d4) lb.

Variant Illithids

This is a non level adjusted version of their race, to be used with the Variant Daeijine Illithid Paragon class, for the purpose of unlocking their special abilities.

Racial Traits

• -2 Strength, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
• Aberration: The illithid has a truly alien biology not of this time.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, illithids have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Illithid base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision (Ex): Illithids can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and illithids can function just fine with no light at all.
• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate.
• Able to breathe underwater.
• An illithid deals 1d4 with a slam from it's tentacles, up to 4 attacks if it's BAB allows for it. Eating a brain is the equivalent of a coup de grace, and follows the same rules for it.
• An Illithid must eat at least 1 brain every 3 days, or lose 1 point of Constitution per day after 3 days. Eating will restore the lost Constitution from starving. It can be from human or animal.
• Must remain moist or take 1d6 nonlethal from dry, arid environments every hour.
• Shunned: When dealing with other races who are not used to illithids, the illithid takes a -4 on all social skill checks, so long as the creature realizes it is an illithid.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Undercommon.
• Bonus Languages: Any. Language is done via telepathy, as vocal speech is impossible.
• Favored Class: Wizard.

Powers such as absorbing knowledge from eating brains, resistance against mind effecting and charm spells, and the Mind Blast ability are seen in the special Daeijine Illithid Paragon class.

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