Mind Flayer Technology (D&D Lore)

Explore the weird, alien, and horrific technology of the dreaded Mind Flayers.
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[@bernardobica7797]

Devils and demons might be scary, but i can't help but thinking that the cold detachment of mind flayers is by far more deserving of one's dread

[@Iamawsomeazing]

I feel like not enough people understand that. Demons and such are scary because they care so much about hurting you. They DO value life, just not as something to be kept alive. Eldritch horrors are so terrifying BECAUSE they don't care. Not at all. We're a means to an end, not the end. At least if something's purpose was to kill us it would make sense. But if it's uncaring makes you realise the horrors of having a body? That's a whole new level of fear most people never have to deal with until their very final moments.

[@thomasalegredelasoujeole9998]

Mind flayers are arguably very comparable to ice devils, such as Mephistopheles in Cania or Levistus in Stygia. Mephistopheles is all about damning scholars to conduct his arcane research as both thralls and subjects of said experiments, while Levistus is frozen in ice and communicates his orders telepathically to his Amnizus… both have aspects and attributes of mind flayer’s controlled detachment and cold curiosity…

[@ShadowedBattlegroundsCre-tk9md]

@@Iamawsomeazing This take isn't very uncommon at all I see it a lot but we already have Yugoloths that embody this very idea. Mindflayers in comparison are just garden variety racists they "don't care about nuthin" except of course multiversal racial domination like every other low brow Evil creature it's not convincing to me that they're worse than something like Obox-OB or Orcus

[@DungeonDad]

Mind flayers have continued to be one of the most compelling races in D&D for a reason. Great video!

[@AJPickett]

Thank you sir, I had a lot of fun making this one.

[@bfrobin446]

Hive rifle, because somebody didn't feel brave enough to call it a "bee-bee gun".

[@HBHaga]

Wouldn't that be a rapid fire setting?

[@AJPickett]

Dammit. Never occurred to me.

[@chadlynch1551]

In the Illithiad, they introduced a number of new psionic powers. One of them was called Collapse Time, that "allows an illithid to crystallize time from the continuum, forming a dollop of thick, gooey material called quintessence." Basically, it was liquefied time. One of its uses was that it prevents the flow of time from affecting anything it was covered in. You wouldn't want to be covered in it though, since there was no way to revive living tissue once it was put into stasis. Cover you hand in it, and the tissue immediately connecting your hand to the rest of your body would die, and the hand would fall off. Another interesting quality of quintessence is that it will negate all psionic powers within a 20 foot radius if you have enough of it in one place, (3 foot square, the entry says). This means illithids are careful to not store too much of it at once. If an adventuring party needed to take on a bunch of mindflayers, it would be very helpful to carry around a jug full of quintessence, although getting ahold of the stuff would probably be an adventure in itself. Another interesting bt in the Illithiad relevant to this video is the psionic power called Imprint Psionic Circuitry. I'll copy part of the description. "This science allows the illithid to imprint items or individuals with psionic circuitry. Psionic circuitry exists as filaments of ethereal substance interwoven with solid material or flesh; it is formed of equal parts psionic power and psi-active mucous . Usually, psionic circuitry is not visible unless it is within the vicinity of a creature with an Intelligence of 5 or higher, it is within the vicinity of a psionic mind, or it becomes active through the will of an illithid. Active circuit pathways flare with ghostly incandescence." "When an illithid constructs psionic circuitry, it fashions the circuits to hold a specific psionic impulse or effect. This impulse or effect can be as simple as granting a wearer 10 extra PSPs per 12-hour period, or as complex as opening a portal between dimensions on the face of a stone wall inscribed with circuitry." The Illithiad was written at the end of 2nd addition, but it has a number of interesting tidbits about mindflayers, including flayer tools and technology.

[@Allenthedude]

Planning on making Illithids involved with a plot in my campaign. -Watch your old Illithid video two days ago. -The algorithm recommended your cult of Thoon video yesterday. -You posted this today. Trust me guys, elder brains and their century long plans are purely a work of fiction.

[@AJPickett]

*strokes tentacles* yes, of course they are.

[@KS-PNW]

Hope it's ok to mention another channel, not trying to detract from AJs work but... Hour of the Raven (a lore channel devoted to Ravenloft) is going to be covering Blutspur this month, a Ravenloft domain with an elder brain as the darklord. Might be useful for your campaign as well! Going to be 3 videos on the classic domain (aka Real Ravenloft) but also one on the rebooted version. That's the formula for every domain that gets covered.

[@Allenthedude]

@@KS-PNW Sweet, thanks for the recommendation!

[@ianyoder2537]

Here's an under considered challenge for players fighting in a mind flyer dungeon. By nearly every metric a mind flayer functions is completely incomparable with how player races function. Humanoids walk and physically reach out with there actual hands to open a door. Mind flayers levitate and psychically command doors to open. A mind dungeon could have floors made entirely out of poisoned spikes with doors that don't open and has vertical hallways. A unique nightmare for both the player and the DM.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I vaguely remember an old Dragon Magazine article about mindflayer symbiotes. They were similar to the armor you mentioned, but with less protection and more ability enhancements. I remember saving up my eraser dust and molding it together to make a grey putty, which I would spread on action figures and stuff pretending they were using these symbiotes... I was a somewhat strange child.

[@AJPickett]

I used to sculpt weapons and armor out of heat set plastic putty (Fimo brand) and stuck them onto plasticine figures which then fought and sliced, stabbed and bashed each other to mush... when you can't afford action figures, you make do with what you have.

[@Chaun1998]

One of my wizards came up with a rule that I tend to follow to this day. "If mindflayers are around, the Geneva conventions just became a checklist." They are specifically what the spells Cloudkill, and Burning Cloud wer made for, as far as I am concerned. I'd rather deal with an Aboleth.

[@leyrua]

Ironically the aboleth would tentatively be your ALLY in that situation. They find mindflayers _terrifying_ because they don't appear anywhere in their hereditary memories (being from the future).

[@gammagong9435]

See, I know that Illithids dont really indulge in magic, but now i cant stop thinking about Illithid Artificers and the nightmare that would be.

[@thomasneal9291]

Uh, being an ichthyologist, I've dealt with a lot of formaldehyde, and never once did I ever think it remotely smelled like pickles. where are you buying your pickles from? the morgue?

[@AJPickett]

So what does it smell like to you?

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@AJPickett It smells like peroxide to me. It’s a sweeter smell, rather than bitter, like vinegar. The question that I would ask is whether or not you can smell antifreeze. A lot of people can’t, so that would explain why formaldehyde doesn’t smell the same to you. I have a really sensitive sense of smell, so strong perfumes are like tear gas to me. You may be on the other end of that spectrum. Oh, and Parmesan cheese smells like toenail fungus. That’s why I can’t go anywhere near food with it. Most cheeses are revolting because they smell like rot to me. That may be related to the gene that causes lactose intolerance, but I can’t be sure.

[@leyrua]

​@@almitrahopkins1873 You sound like one of my friends. She has a nose like a bloodhound, which she inherited from her mom. To make matters worse, she told me that her mom's sense of smell grew even MORE sensitive the first time she got pregnant, so she's nervous about what might happen if she decides to have kids. 😱

[@robertcorley5225]

I haven't gotten to the part of the video y'all are talking about yet, but, for what it's worth, formaldehyde smells like rotting bleach to me. I know that doesn't make sense, but that's the only way I can think of to describe it. Make of that what you will

[@coreyeaston6823]

Seems like a chicken and egg thing. Flayers appear quite Cthulhu'ian with similar technology to the Mi-go but they are far more 'in your face' than other Cthulhu mythos creatures. I would love to see one of your stories from the prospective of an ancient Mind Flayer. What was it like 'in the old days'. There is a Halloween episode idea.

[@JamesBuggemo]

The Illithid I.T. Department… true horror of the Forgotten Realms

[@ajki9833]

I love when you throw homebrew ideas out. You do a phenomenal job of making things surprising while also keeping the internal logic consistent

[@HBHaga]

*GM roomie cackles in the background* "I swear to Io, if I have to get the squirt bottle again ... "

[@brotherhoodz97]

banger after banger. quick question. do you think you could do one on inter dragon species politics? like the different ways different chromatic-chromatic neighbor relationships go, metallic-metallic relationships go and chromatic-metallic relationships go? you're video on blue dragons is my favorite and I really liked your parts about their interactions with humanoids and think it might make for a really good tale!

[@AJPickett]

I can look into it.

[@brotherhoodz97]

@@AJPickett Thank you so much!

[@christopherkecun8349]

What's the crack with the Gith and dragons? - and why have Dragons not been hunted out of existence ... unless ... the brain matter transfer helmet is a deliberate plot device in the great game (Xorvintaal). I guess they encountered volume issues. How do big brains contain themselves, an eternal question.

[@AJPickett]

@@christopherkecun8349 Oh yes, there is no way in hell to transfer a living dragon brain. The Githyanki work with the Red Dragons thanks to a deal with Tiamat. This benefits the young red dragons who gain battle experience and stock their hoards with plunder while working WITH the Githyanki (they don't work FOR the Githyanki), but they all return to the prime material plane after a period of time, as they don't age and grow in size and power while living on the Astral plane.

[@christopherkecun8349]

That being said T’Voon E'lar Jos'ephit would be convenient for Lovac preservation.

[@recursiveslacker7730]

Honestly, the whole “bootstrap paradox time traveling alien symbiont” thing reminds me a bit of the Xeelee, though they are, if you would believe it, actually *weirder* than illithids.

[@leyrua]

Now I really want to do a campaign with mindflayers as the baddies, with a focus on their horrible technology. Since most of the dangerous tech would be unusable by the players, the loot could be magic items that were seized for study. Maybe the players are able to resist domination because of an experiment that went very poorly, or because they were used as test subjects before an attempt by some rogue mindflayers to break away from their elder brain. As a safety measure, the test subjects were fitted with living explosive collars that will donate if left unfed for too long, but they were able to remove them somehow. Now they are loose, but still stuck somewhere alien and inhospitable.

[@dhalterman]

For any worldbuilders and gms out there: Problem: Illithids don't recall their more advanced tech, but elder brains are (in part) repositories of their knowledge. Solutions: 1) The loss of that knowledge predates the elder brains existing in mind flayer society 2) What elder brains did know it died long ago (likely to Gith and her rebellion) 3) Perhaps one or two still do, but are staying in hiding until the exact right time to return.

[@justinrivera1618]

Now I want mindflayers versus nids

[@joshfacer7564]

You know who else wants that? The hive mind, that's who...

[@DCdabest]

Mindflayer tech is prime material for gross yet powerful alien tech that makes for some great RPG shenanigans. How much grossness will PCs put up with befofe they decide good old fashioned Realm tech is good enough for them lol

[@AJPickett]

In my experience, an extraordinary amount of grossness

[@DCdabest]

@@AJPickett "It's just a tentacle connected to my brain stem made of slime. I don't understand everyone's problem?"

[@johngleeman8347]

You mean to tell me that mindflayers are unscrupulous when it comes to developing new technologies? :o

[@johngleeman8347]

I do wonder what an illithid thinks of aboleths, spellweavers, and other creatures with intellects that rival or surpass their own. Must be difficult for them to accept, if they even can.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

Imagine a brain in a jar that is aware of its current predicament and trying to scream for help. If psionically active, it could destroy the room around it or inflict psionic damage to anyone sensitive enough to hear it. A telekinetically active brain could create a means of locomotion for its brain jar, adding bits and pieces to it as time goes by, like a golem with a brain jar in it.

[@flavortown3781]

Lol, a mindflayer construct, basically a plasma rifle from halo, Casts Eldritch blast as an action If one casts more than 3 turns consecutive it overheats and needs 3 turns to cool

[@ianyoder2537]

To me the mind flyers (at least in terms of technology) work like the mecanicus from 40K. All the best technology has already been invented (from the future) so to an ilithid inventing something new is tech heresy. Especially if it resembles the use or methods similar to those employed by lesser life forms. So in my setting, the ilithids have a bit of a cavil war. The larger and more united but predictable force of the traditionalists who are basically the standard RAW mind flyers. VS the wildly unpredictable fractured disjointed scattered radical, experimental, sometimes individualistic, separatists.

[@ninja5861]

They should fleshcraft trolls into a brain farm. They could harvest them and then let them regenerate. It would be low class food, but would keep them alive. Maybe a basic ration that is supplemented with captured brains?

[@JACKSTAY]

This is good. Real good.

[@Eagleridge426]

Can trolls regenerate their brains or does it kill them first? If they can, this is a great Mind Flayer Kitchen life hack you found, mate. Nice one

[@jandocarrillo2731]

​@@Eagleridge426 a troll's regeneration can revive it as long as it wasn't killed by acid or fire. Also trolls can survive being decapitated, so brain removal should be fine for them

[@Eagleridge426]

Yeah, you absolutely right. Thanks for the heads up, it's appreciated. No idea why I didn't put 2 and 2 together about the decapitation thing. Take care and cya round, mate @@jandocarrillo2731

[@BodyByBenSLC]

I think Mindflayers are my favorite. Because they are completely alien and their motivations unknowable. So as a DM Mindflayers don't have to makes sense. They can act in ways that seem counter intuitive because they are aliens we can't understand what they value or why. So it can really make for scary and unnerving villains, who knows what they are going to do next?

[@digunder14]

from what we see in baldur's gate 3, the illithid known as the emperor they are capable of romance in some capacity

[@emilsinclair4190]

Currently working on the idea of a reality warper. A creature that warps the space around mindflayers when activated. This makes it more difficult to hit them with attacks.

[@AJPickett]

Very good

[@elwoodbrown7005]

Now I want to hijack a living nautoloid, release it's control collar and name it Moya!

[@almitrahopkins1873]

I just saw a video by Ed Greenwood on the Mind Flayer that got me thinking. Goblins may be a Mind Flayer technology. The smaller ones would be unsuitable for ceromorphosis, so they would be more likely to reproduce. The brain of the cowardly ones would be less tasty than the more active ones, resulting in that trait being more common. Their ability to eat nearly anything organic would mean that they would be useful in disposing of bodies that had the brains eaten by the mind flayers. Their short breeding cycle would mean that they would provide a quick emergency food source for a mind flayer if better quality food ran short. Goblins may be the result of being the iron rations and garbage disposal for a mind flayer colony sometime in the past, long before other mind flayer colonies domesticated the duergar.

[@AJPickett]

Ew, but interesting hypothesis.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@AJPickett That's pretty much the only way that natural selection would create something like a goblin. Being bullied into submission by orcs, hobgoblins and the like would cause them to breed clever, not fall back to more basic fight or flight responses, which would help them survive as mind flayer captives. Less brainy, less tasty, like gully dwarves. It lets you split goblins into tribes more heavily barbaric and ones capable of using their brains. It also warns you that a mind flayer colony has been active in the area at some point.

[@jaxx1258]

​​@@almitrahopkins1873I love this theory. I would like to add however that natural selection could indeed create something like goblins without the help of another force like mind flayers. In nature, unless you live somewhere cold, being bigger is very rarely better. Gobbos have everything they need to be successful; near-human intelligence, the ability to learn and remember experinces, construct tools, high digestive efficiency, and like you said a quick reproductive cycle. The average goblin would be a little larger than a chimpanzee and more intelligent as well; they have a recipe for success in almost any environment. In fact if it weren't for their outrageously brutal tempterament I'd say they would have been able to achieve amazing feats of societal complexity. A bit of an aside, but I feel the same about Hobgoblins on that point. If they had any capacity for social cohesion beyond their own tribes they could have conquered the lands of men. But they don't posess the leniency for creating a viable and stable institution to rule with once the butchering is done.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@jaxx1258 Their brutal temperament could be explained as a nurture response rather than a nature response. Magubliyet is a usurper god, if you recall. That creates a societal condition for developing such traits. And goblins aren't near-human intelligence. They are equal to humans in that regard. There are no bonuses or penalties to their intelligence.

[@ShadowedBattlegroundsCre-tk9md]

@@almitrahopkins1873 I don't believe goblins start off with very high intelligence even if they suffer no penalities their starting point is lower than humans. Natural selection is also not needed things like the Obrinth, Great Old Ones and others did not evolve according to natural selection they manifested through pure potential will. In the majority of lore Goblins worship Gruumsh who was himself created by Demogoron and some enlightened Goblins and Orcs skip straight ahead to worshipping Demogorgon as their creator. They aren't a particular old race in the grand scheme even if they predate humans

[@guuspot923]

Yay, a nice stick of glue for breakfast. Compliments to the chef as always!

[@stevenpeterson8582]

The Dark Conspiracy game has sourcebooks with a lot of alien and extra-dimensional organic tech that I adapt for the mind flayers. Weapons and armor that are partially alive; computers and calculating devices made from "circuit boards" sliced from human brains; "erector" plants that feed on flesh and then grow into walls, corridors, and even buildings; a mollusk-like shell full of slimy flesh with just enough room inside for a pair of human-sized creatures to squirm into, which can psionically teleport or plane shift; an organic medical bed that speeds healing; an emergency survival sac made from some creature's stomach lining that can protect an occupant from vacuum, radiation, and environmental hazards; etc.

[@trajanfidelis1532]

oooh goody. Aberrant technology my favorite!

[@glorbojibbins2485]

You should cover some of the funnier objects in DnD lore like the Hat of Compliments and that cursed belt... The Girdle of Femininity/Masculinity. Lol you probably know some good ones

[@Theojegg]

Thank you for continuing to produce quality content

[@AJPickett]

Thanks for watching

[@davidfletcher6703]

The Mind Flayers seem almost like a cross between the Borg and the Yuzon Vong from Star Wars, assimilating other lifeforms into their Collective, and having technology based off of organic material like the Vong

[@joshuazane3210]

*H.R. Giger has entered the chat*

[@mikewaterfield3599]

H.P. Lovecraft,

[@joshuazane3210]

@@mikewaterfield3599 Go do a quick Google for "H.R. Giger art", then come back. 😉

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@joshuazane3210Go google Cthulhu and you’ll see that he is right.

[@AJPickett]

You're both correct.

[@dominusbalial835]

This was something that I was always extremely fascinated about. Glad that you're finally covering it.

[@goatsuckervonsasquatch644]

Now, I'm thinking of ways to use some of this stuff in my Dark Sun campaign.

[@emilsinclair4190]

Uh nice. Exactly what I need. Thanks for using my suggestion.

[@AJPickett]

Thanks, it was a great one.

[@sethierot7067]

I am back to watch more AJ

[@zpiotroski]

This is cool shit for me cause I like to use mind flayers as like actual aliens, for my setting based off the wraith from stargate while the yuan-ti act like the goa'uld, and especially love the call back to Cult of Thoon since that's what I'm using X3

[@legomonster7747]

Wonderful video. Can I ask where you found that harvesting table and also, do you plan to complete the guide to Hades from back before the OGL debacle?

[@AJPickett]

www.thievesguild.cc/harvest/creature.php?id=521 and yes, I certainly do.

[@KS-PNW]

Oh i didn't realize you'd started covering DnD content again AJ! Super excited to catch up!

[@AfroChef]

I wonder how a crossover between 40k Genestealers and a mindflayer tadpole would interact. And a 40k Ork with a tadpole as well.

[@keylimepython641]

So, did my comment inspire the return of dnd content, or was that already the plan? Either way, this was a cool video. I didn't know ilithids had so much biotech.

[@matthewfritz4629]

Great video, AJ. I would love to know more about the Mind Flayers.

[@Eagleridge426]

Thanks heaps for doing a video prompted by Baldur's Gate 3 as the game not only reignited my passion for AD&D but it's how I stumbled across your channel. In the last month or two I have watched all your Dragon, Class, player character and heap of monster ones. My favourite world setting is Dragonlance, preferably Weis and Hickman's work, but also Douglas Niles and Richard Knaak. I was surprised to see some of the contrasts between the novel and the official universe. Such as female and good draconians. For all those interested in Dragon based stories, I highly recommend the following Dragonlance books. The DRAGONS of series... Dragons of Krynn, of Magic, of Time, of Chaos, of War and of Fate. Sorry this is such a long one, but I have wanted to comment for awhile now and say how enjoyable and informative I found your videos. You sound like one of the rare DM's that neither go way overboard and have level 1 parties straight up taking on a dragon or finding crazy strong magic items or are so realistic your party gets wiped by 3 wolves on your first day adventuring. Anyway, sorry to ramble and please keep up the fantastic work, mate. Also, if ever hard up for a topic, a video on the Green dragon Beryllinthranox or the human Mage Fistandantilus would be epic.

[@AJPickett]

Thanks, glad you are enjoying the vids.

[@digunder14]

that god is involved heavily in the recent adventure "PHANDELVER AND BELOW: THE SHATTERED OBELISK"

[@vivdlyvague6627]

what id do for a history and technology book on flayers. Thanks AJ

[@KS-PNW]

It's mostly 2e and 3e stuff but there's quite a bit out there. Book of Aberrations (I think that's what it was called) was a 3e book with a ton of history and tech info for them and the aboleths. The old 2e Spelljammer content also had a ton of lore for them . Just fyi ***The 3.5e book I was thinking of is called Lords of Madness. Sorry couldn't remember at first.

[@bluehairash8317]

Thank you for making this Eberly important video

[@NanoMayTry]

Bring in the goop, axions and dendrites.

[@digunder14]

sounds like myconids are potentially used to create these things 21:48

[@efferzzreffe4903]

worse than the borg! 😮 Great Presentation! 😁 👏👍👏👍👏👍👏👍👏 (ps - MORE!!!)

[@mattlewandowski73]

So get your hands on the caustic grenades before taking on an acidic creature and you are golden. :)

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

I'm telling you AJ, this could NOT have come at a better time. I'm playing an all illithid (runaways) campaign TOMORROW and I'm playing an artificer 😆

[@AJPickett]

You're welcome

[@thundererodinson1668]

That's the fucking Needler from Halo!!!!!

[@AJPickett]

*evil grin*

[@thundererodinson1668]

@@AJPickett 🤌🤌🤌🤌🤌 The whole video was amazing!!!

[@Panzersoldat]

What are your sources for all this information? I'd love to read that stuff since I find the mindflayer species and their technology fascinating.

[@anguishedcarpet]

Advanced Flintstones Technology

[@derrabbit7289]

My Thoonite Illithids had quintessence powered disintegration guns with various forms. The quintessence extractor itself can be used as weapon to cause a slow and painful death. Alignment weapons were also in their arsenal. Rather than good to evil, law to chaos, I use a system of the four elements (🪨, 💧 , 🔥, 💨) and the two spheres (☯️), and these weapons do extra or total damage based on the wielder’s alignment. The final piece are the rare scythes that can summon Lovecraftian Far Realm entities based on the scythes alignment.

[@AJPickett]

That sounds like an interesting alignment system!

[@TheHornedKing]

Sweet! Nigthmare fuel!

[@emilsinclair4190]

Okay currently preparing a lot of mindflayer stuff so another idea: how about an exosuite that is basically the xenomorph with tentacles? This gives the mindflayer a bite and two claw attacs and maybe acid blood that causes damage when wounded.

[@dboot8886]

How's BDG3 been?

[@AJPickett]

excellent

[@Eagleridge426]

I used to play and DM between 1994 and 2004, then had kids and slowly stopped altogether. BG3 had reignited my love of the game and I have started read all the updated lore that's changed since I stopped. These videos are a HUGE help. I only discovered this channel because of BG3 as well. Anyway, take care and cya round, mate

[@ParadoxCircuit]

Best game I've ever player story wise. Up there with the Witcher 3 for me.

[@GallowglassAxe]

Who would win? The Ithilids or the Splugorths?

[@AJPickett]

Illithids.

[@GallowglassAxe]

@@AJPickett Really? I would think the Splugorths would have much more resources and abilities than the Ithilids. But you are by far the more knowledgeable about the either's lore than I am. I would like to hear your reasoning on this.

[@tippexparker]

Is this technology from BG3? If not, in what book/s can I find it?

[@AJPickett]

All homebrew

[@DeanNatheos-i2t]

Thank you this video was very 👍 have a good day.

[@daniell1483]

You don't get much more alien than Mind Flayers. While I love them as a concept, I dislike how they are always portrayed as sadistic and cruel as opposed to just a different form of life, trying to make its way in a crazy world. I think that is because we as humans really dislike parasitic forms of life, even when they are not directly hostile. I'd like to imagine Illithid artists, musicians, etc.; what would a Mind Flayer see as a beautiful piece of art? Some sort of hyper sensitive memory recorded in a telepathic crystal? Would not some Illithids want to have pet companions, like how we have cats and dogs? While it is hard to imagine them with domesticated animals, you can't tell me they would be beyond the idea of growing such a companion! Yes I know as portrayed, they are supposed to be evil, but I really wish they just had a very different moral paradigm from us humans, perhaps having some sort of blue-orange morality or something.

[@2013Arcturus]

Go find a pdf of the Second Edition Mind Flayer supplement and read that, you'll really enjoy it

[@justinrivera1618]

To me, they do have a different moral paradigm from humans. It’s just that that paradigm is incompatible with most species.

[@ShadowedBattlegroundsCre-tk9md]

@@justinrivera1618 I see people say a lot that they wish such and such species wasn't evil just has a different moral framework and yet they stick with the overall theme of how such and such (ithilids) just want multiversal racial domination. No matter how "alien" that is to other races its familiar enough of an idea that it fits squarely into Evil.

[@fistimusmaximus6576]

Thoon is thoon, and thoon is all!

[@Pythoner]

didn't Illithids come from the Far Realm? What is this new-fangled heresy?

[@zmishiymishi5349]

Na a a, not this one right now. We play with my friends currently and id rather avoid any spoilers :)

[@AJPickett]

theres no spoilers

[@caseybeach360]

What's the name of the item/monster that is a severed head that recites the last book that the former owner of said head read? Pretty sure I heard it on this channel. Trying to remember has been driving me nuts.

[@AJPickett]

I could've sworn I answered this question already...

[@AJPickett]

@@anotheruser9224 Thank you!

[@caseybeach360]

@@AJPickett Yep! I'm 95% sure I actually saw it in one of your videos. I'd go looking for it, but I don't have an extra three months to watch everything. Again. 🤣

[@richardgilson4704]

@AJPickett Have you had time to complete a game of BG3? Also great video I love this new style of lore research plus your own creativity you should chat with Ed Greenwood more I think he would love they way your mind works and he can coach you on how to say all the werid names he comes up with for stuff in the Realms. 🤣🤣

[@AJPickett]

Ed is a busy man.

[@supersmily5811]

I looked at a table of monsters in 5e that can be arranged by various traits like ability scores, and realized that despite having a massive brain with much more potent and wide-reaching psionic power an Elder Brain is a mere 2 points higher than a typical Mind Flayer in Intelligence. And a mere 21 Int at that, barely above what a player character can reasonably achieve without help or being supernaturally Intelligent or having a massive brain. Rather disappointing show actually; In fact most of the highest Int creatures of the game aren't even Aberrations. None of them peak 30 either, from what the (probably somewhat outdated) table claims.

[@AJPickett]

So, I am curious, when you DM a game, how do you represent a creature with an intelligence of 21?

[@Eagleridge426]

From what I remember of playing, a stat of 20 was superhumanly, almost Divinely, strong/capable. A character with an intelligence of 20 could be said to be at the pinnacle of mortal capability, Not sure if it's change in 5e, though, but as a DM, I wouldn't even entertain a Deity with an ability score of 30@@AJPickett

[@Ahrimaine]

I've been assuming that once we hit that all important 20 in a given stat, each point above indicates a step-up by order of magnitude

[@ShadowedBattlegroundsCre-tk9md]

@@Ahrimaine So Fraz-Ur_Blu with an intelligence of 26 would have the intelligence of 6 int 20 creatures? yowza

[@Homjos_Erhas]

dude this stuff issssss crraaaazzzzzzaayyy

[@Homjos_Erhas]

like, i run a spelljammer game in the Rings of Glyth. Code Helm and all that. this tech is definitely going in my game and has already provided much inspiration. thanks bro

[@TwiWriteFlare]

Hey AJ? Sorry, but I'm afraid that there seems to be something wrong with your audio set up or something. It sounds continuously on the verge of blowing out the speakers no matter how low I turn them down. It's not as bad as, say, a fast food drive up speaker, but it's kinda on the verge of that. Very muffly as though my speakers are too loud, but it isn't on my end. Sorry, just wanted to let you know. I love your content, but it's a little hard to listen to with your audio as it currently is.

[@AJPickett]

Thanks for the feedback, there is nothing different about the audio on this vid, so I will wait to see if there are more reports about sound issues, normally if something is drastically off I get a lot of comments on it right away.

[@TwiWriteFlare]

@@AJPickett No problem. I'm sorry I can't describe it very well. It's not really too bad all things considered but it is a problem I hear in most of your videos despite how much I love your content. I just wanted to let you know because I feel like there is room for improvement with your set up. It might simply be the room that you are recording in; it feels like a bit of reverberation or "echo". The audio lacks a crisp, well defined sound and seems to be muddling your voice slightly. It isn't so bad that many people are likely to comment on it (even I almost decided to just keep it to myself since I've definitely heard worse and it doesn't stop your content from being enjoyable). I just figured you'd like to know. Thank you for responding to me and keep up the good work. You have an excellent and very relaxing voice.

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@TwiWriteFlareThat’s on your end. His audio is usually so quiet I have to turn it up to hear him clearly. It was much worse in his older videos.

[@TwiWriteFlare]

@@almitrahopkins1873 I'm afraid that it is not on my end. No other high quality youtube videos sound like this and I hear the reverb no matter which computer I am using. I believe that it may be his recording room giving his voice a slight distortion somewhat similar to the sound of blown out input audio. It isn't that he is too loud. I hear the weird reverb no matter how low I turn my speakers. It's very subtle, but always there and sometimes (though rarely) interferes with weather I can understand what he is saying. Either way, it is mostly fine. I just wanted to let him know that there might be a little room for improvement to his audio/recording setup. I still love his work.

[@AJPickett]

Well, you know the stone in the walls of Candlekeep are enchanted right? 😉

[@pelecyphora1]

Awesome art lets hope it came from a mind not AI

[@AJPickett]

About 90% AI

[@shadow50119]

I thought you weren't going back to D&D? ... Hmm.

[@johnarnold8485]

He commented on this in his first dnd video back and a few other places.

[@scratthesquirrel5242]

@@johnarnold8485 what did he say?

[@AJPickett]

@@scratthesquirrel5242 I said Larian studios and Baldur's Gate III refueled my love of the Realms and WotC can still burn in hell. :)

[@scratthesquirrel5242]

@@AJPickett nice. i feel the same way. loving bg3, but im deliberately avoiding wotc.

[@AJPickett]

@@scratthesquirrel5242 This is the Way

[@ThengelB]

:)

[@theweirdestflex8436]

"Vacuum of space?" Theres no Vacuum in Realmspace, my guy....

[@CountDracusVanWolfen]

Every d&d world exists in its own universe. Planets, solar systems, galaxies, etc... the different planes exist like layers of paper or fabric. Realmspace is the term used for the solar system. Wildspace is the vacuum in realmspace. Please read all of the source material before trying to correct someone teaching others about the hobby.

[@KatsuhiroHebi]

Originally you could not breathe in realmspace. Ships had gravity/air bubbles to allow it.

[@DatsVatSheSaid]

That's a big retcon, buddy... The astral see was formerly filled with The Phlogiston which Spelljammer would bring in bubbles of air but was otherwise an airless void.

[@DevonIngle]

Imagine a runic machine that a lich makes that keeps a mind flayer head alive. The lich could be using a ring that allows the lich to siphone intelligence from said head bassicly using it as a hard drive to store more knowledge and spells

[@Christopher_Pug]

There’s something so fascinating about the terror that tentacles and psychic horror induce. It feels primal and unknowable and worst of all it feels like a glimpse into a very possible future…. or a very dark past…

[@karlpower5476]

Lovecraftian vibes all around.

[@glorbojibbins2485]

You should cover the "ANCIENT PSYCHIC TANDEM WAR ELEPHANT". Rad monster lol

[@cernunnos_lives]

Woo Hoo.... AJ back in action despite Wizards up a stinky coast. All because of Larian Studios saving the brand.

[@AJPickett]

Blessings on the house of Larian

[@nickh3205]

I’m going to add these to the cultists of thoon arsenals

[@JaydenRowland-d8x]

Holding pod or pod of holding This pod holds up to 4 large or smaller creature or objects, not exceeding a volume of 64 cubic feet in an extra dimension space in a dormant state that renders them incapacitated till released. the pods suction pads adhere to surfaces for easy transportation or storage including onto any creature lager then tiny in size. The pod weighs 5 pounds, regardless of its contents. Retrieving an item or creature from the pod requires an action. If the pod is overloaded, pierced, or torn, it ruptures and is destroyed, and its contents are scattered over a 15 food aera centered on the pods space. If the pod triggered to spasm as an action, its contents spill forth, unharmed. Placing a holding pod inside an extradimensional space created by a handy haversack, portable hole,bag of holding or similar item instantly destroys both items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane. The gate originates where the one item was placed inside the other. Any creature within 10 feet of the gate is sucked through it to a random location on the Astral Plane. The gate then closes. The gate is one-way only and can’t be reopened. Notes: Debuff, Utility, Container, Symbiotic

[@zacharyweaver276]

Yo just saw this gonna enjoy this video

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Fitting timing given the horrific crap on display in BG3. Anyone else use the disembodied head in the colony to review the brian jars?

[@thrillhouse4151]

My barbarian accidentally broke the brain and I kinda skipped over most of that ship.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

@@thrillhouse4151there are 7 in total and their is a machine they plug into under moonrise towers in the colony. Its off to the side of the chamber near the resonance crystal.

[@MulderStarling]

​@thrillhouse4151 are you talking about the brain you meet in the tutorial or about the brains in the underground?

[@mikewaterfield3599]

@@MulderStarling there are two in green jars on the nautilus and five more in act 2, the willing mind, dark mind ect. They can be plugged into a machine in the illithid colony under moonrise towers in act 2. The intellect devourer assuming you free “Us” can be freed again in act 2 and become a summonable ally.

[@Fyre19]

illithiliches Items next?

[@davidlewis8814]

What perverse, icky and terrifying stuff! Delightful ha ha!!!

[@alotosius]

Hey AJ, I have had a thought in my mind but what is the natural form of an Illithid? That is to say if the tadpoles are not exposed to hosts or razed by and elder-brain? That is to say a tadpole in the wild with out external interference what would it evolve/mutate into?. Or maybe natural environment of the Illithid is somewhere in the far realm were giant continental size brains are not uncommon?

[@emilsinclair4190]

Oh we actually know this. It is called a neothelid.

[@AJPickett]

@@emilsinclair4190 Correct, but, as the Illithids have come back in time before their natural evolution took place, the true form of the Mindflayers may never have had a chance to exist, as the moment the Illithids arrived in their distant past, they sought out that original homeworld and immediately altered their distant ancestors to create their current form.

[@emilsinclair4190]

@@AJPickett the entire time travel part is quiete confusing.

[@TomcatUncia]

tadpoles that escape the without being implanted (usually after someone else raids and destroys the elder brain) become a Neothelid. Kinda like a purple worm but way nastier and hungry for brains, normal illithids hate these unintended aberrations of their biology and kill them as soon as possible

[@almitrahopkins1873]

@@AJPickettI don’t like that time travel lore. It’s too messy. The food determines what the mind flayer becomes. The intelligence of the brain it consumes as a larva determines whether or not it has any form of sentience and/or culture. That’s why the ones with sentience find the ones without so horrifying. They know that without brains of sentient creatures, they will devolve again and lose the ability to reproduce sentient mind flayers entirely. They know the neothelid will consume the brains they need to create more advanced mind flayers, but they will never advance beyond what they are. They know their culture requires enough thralls to feed and create future generations, so the presence of the monstrosity without their intelligence scares them because it could destroy their culture. They don’t fear it for what it is, they fear it for what it could do. That’s just my take on it. Your mileage may vary.

[@cernunnos_lives]

I wonder if AJ is going to do more on Illithids? So far everything he's got, gets us to want more. I'd love more on their history or how their society is organized. The same with how Devil culture is layed out.

[@AJPickett]

*shakes magic Eight Ball* Most Likely Yes.

[@erroneous6947]

I didn’t get the whisper in the dark connection the first time I saw this. Good video.

[@lucaricciardi8253]

Thank you, love illithid

[@davidfletcher6703]

I could see the Mind Flayers having a weapon something like the Skrill from Earth: Final Conflict were the recipient has to have and implant like a CVI to operate it properly

[@dungeonsanddisclaimers4950]

One of the best topics of the last few months. Must request more planar videos, you can get as creative as you want adding ur own ideas in the concept of numerous endless planes.

[@docbaker3333]

Personally I always thought the Illithids do feel things like compassion and empathy. But in a Very Very VERY different way to the humanoid definitions of those emotions.

[@SuperGamefreak18]

Also having a very scientific and “logical” view of things

[@soultron4238]

Oh man, here we go!

[@Kakkarot211]

they have always reminded me of yuuzhong vong from star wars with mental powers

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

With their tech, I can see them having a "Wolverine template", enhance any creature with fast healing and enhance the strength of their bones with blades included

[@markrobinson4659]

Very useful. Thanks for posting this.