Illithid (starting race)

For the NPC monster also known as an illithid, see mind flayer.

The illithid (also known as a mind flayer) is a playable race of monster that appears in EvilHack and SlashTHEM.

EvilHack

First introduced in version 0.4.0, EvilHack portrays illithids as an ancient race with psychic abilities and natural spellcasting ability, but they are physically weak compared to other beings.

Illithids are a chaotic race, and can be played as a Convict, Infidel, Priest, or Wizard.

Racial benefits and restrictions

Player illithids have infravision, and gain more power generation per level than even elven characters. They possess a natural psionic attack that can confuse and kill and is tied to spell power use, but is not considered a spell for the purposes of interactions with the Amulet of Yendor; metal helms block the ability to use the psionic wave, and illithids that have their race changed lose the ability until they return to normal (i.e., in the case of crowning as an Infidel, it is lost indefinitely).

Illithids start out with intrinsic psychic resistance and telepathy, and gain flight at level 12 like their more "wild" mind flayer brethren.

Illithids have a single extra tentacle attack that behaves exactly like the tentacle attack from a mind flayer, set up in such a way that it will automatically not be used if attacking something the player should not touch unprotected (e.g., cockatrices). Mind flayers and other monsters with psychic resistance are immune to intelligence drain from brain-eating attacks, and a player illithid is likewise immune to having their own brain eaten (but not to any other effects, such as possibly-fatal illness from a zombie bite).

Attribute caps

Character Race	Strength	Dexterity	Constitution	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Illithid	10	20	12	22	22	16

Illithids have exceptional agility and mental prowess that surpass even elves, but are the weakest among playable races in terms of physical strength.

Price adjustments

The following price adjustments are used for illithid interactions with racial shopkeepers:

	Shopkeeper's race
	Human/Other	Elf	Dwarf	Orc	Gnome	Illithid	Centaur	Nymph	Giant
Illithid	×1	×2	×2	×1	×3⁄2 if INT is ≤14 ×4⁄3 if INT is 15-17	×1	×3⁄2	×4⁄3 if CHA is ≥15 ×5⁄3 if CHA is <15	×4⁄3

Of note is that player illithids are the only race not subjected to a 1000% markup from illithid shopkeepers.

Starting equipment

In addition to normal starting equipment for their role, illithids always start with the psionic wave ability; in previous versions, a "spellbook" of the ability would be included in the initial inventory of any non-Convict illithid.

Strategy

The illithid's psychic resistance makes them immune to zombification, providing insulation against one of the biggest early-game threats in EvilHack's revamped zombies. However, they can still die as a result of the bites being poisoned, and their low strength and constitution caps make them incredibly frail. Their carrying capacity is also quite low, making a bag of holding an even more vital resource for them due to the weight reduction.

Early wishes for illithids often include gauntlets of power to offset their low strength, with bone and wood as popular choices of material due to being lighter and spellcaster-friendly. Stone is also viable in this regard and even provides an extra point of base AC, though it is heavier compared to other materials; this is somewhat offset by keeping them worn where possible.

Origin

Illithids, also known as mind flayers, are derived from Dungeons & Dragons; the illithid is considered "Product Identity" by Wizards of the Coast. Creator Gary Gygax stated that one of his inspirations was the cover painting of the Titus Crow book The Burrowers Beneath by Brian Lumley. They appear in all editions, and were first described in the very first 1975 issue of TSR Games' official newsletter The Strategic Review; they were included in the Eldritch Wizardry supplement for the original white box edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and further appear in the first edition's Monster Manual. The 3rd and 3.5 editions introduce playable illithids.

In the various Dungeons & Dragons settings and many other works featuring them, the origins of the illithids are subject to many conflicting stories: A common thread in regards to Wizards properties and similar works is that illithid society by and large seeks to rebuild their former empires, wherein all other species were their slaves. As a result, they view any sentient creature as worthy only of being their slaves or their food; despite this, they are pragmatic and will trade with other races who are too strong to be conquered. Illithids also fear undead, as they are immune to telepathic detection and manipulation and often have no brains to consume.

Illithid dwellings are structured around a creature called an "Elder Brain", which lives in a pool of cerebral fluid in the center of a city. Illithids have their brain extracted upon death and taken to the pool to be added to the collective that the Brain represents, which they believed a form of immortality; the Elder Brain thus also functions in part as a vast library of knowledge that other illithids can call upon. Psionic potential is an integral part of illithid identity - those who study wizardry often risk becoming outcasts (somewhat unlike EvilHack illithids), as magical power cannot be absorbed into the Brain. A limited study of wizardry is tolerated insofar as it allows illithid society to better understand the powers of their enemies - illithids outcast for going too far with these studies often seek another form of immortality through undeath, becoming alhoons.

Illithids typically communicate through psychic means, projecting thoughts and feelings to each other in a way non-illithids can scarcely comprehend. Their rare forays into written language are known as "qualith", a series of marks consisting of four broken lines that functions like an extremely complex braille; illithids read this by using each tentacle to feel the breaks in the lines and comprehend all four of them simultaneously. In EvilHack, the spellbook of psionic wave is written in a language that only player illithids can comprehend, and other playable races cannot read the book.