Mind Flayer (AO)
Medium aberration, lawful evil
- Armor Class 15 (breastplate)
- Hit Points 71 (13d8+13)
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 19 (+4) 17 (+3) 17 (+3)
- Saving Throws Int +7, Wis +6, Cha +6
- Skills Arcana +7, Deception +6, Insight +6, Perception +6, Persuasion +6, Stealth +4
- Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
- Languages Deep Speech, Undercommon, telepathy 120 ft.
- Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Magic Resistance. The mind flayer has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics) The mind flayer is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15; +7 to hit with spell attacks).
Actions
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until this grapple ends.
Extract Brain. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated humanoid grappled by the mind flayer. Hit: The target takes 55 (10d10) piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the mind flayer kills the target by extracting and devouring its brain.
Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The mind flayer magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or take 22 (4d8 + 4) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Tainted Love (1/day). A burst of psionic energy assaults and twists creatures' minds, spawning delusions and provoking uncontrolled Actions. Each creature in a 10-foot-radius centred on a point the mind flayer can see must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by it.
An affected target can't take reactions and must roll a d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behaviour for that turn:
1: The creature uses all its Movement to move in a random direction. To determine the direction, roll a d8 and assign a direction to each die face. The creature doesn't take an action this turn.
2-6: The creature doesn't move or take Actions this turn.
7-8: The creature uses its action to make a melee Attack against a randomly determined creature within its reach. If there is no creature within its reach, the creature does nothing this turn.
9-10: The creature can act and move normally.
At the end of its turns, an affected target can make a Wisdom saving throw. If it succeeds, this effect ends for that target.
Bonus Action
I met somebody else. The mind flayer uses a burst of telekinetic energy to immediately move one of its thralls up to 30’. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
Reactions
What’s mine is yours. If the mind flayer takes damage while grappling another creature, it may use its reaction to take only half damage. It converts the remaining damage to psychic and transfers it to the grappled creature.
This isn’t working out. The mind flayer uses a burst of psionic energy to halt a single creature moving towards it. The creature must make a DC 15 Intelligence save or be stunned until the beginning of its next turn.
Villainous Actions
It’s not me, it’s you. The mind flayer perverts the worldview of one creature it can see. This creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom save or immediately use its reaction, if available, to make a melee attack against any friendly creature within range. The target now views any friendly creatures as hostile and vice versa. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
We're moving in different directions. The mind flayer attempts to move a small or medium creature with its mind. The mind flayer makes an ability check (+7 spellcasting ability) contested by the creature's Strength check. If the mind flayer wins the contest, it moves the creature up to 30 feet in any direction, including upward but not beyond the range of this spell. Until the end of the mind flayer's next turn, the creature is restrained in its telekinetic grip. A creature lifted upward is suspended in mid-air.
On subsequent rounds, the mind flayer can use its action to attempt to maintain its telekinetic grip on the creature by repeating the contest.
I need some space. The mind flayer releases an explosion of telekinetic energy in a 10’ radius that pushes back any creature in range. Each affected creature must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be hurled back 15 feet. Any affected creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.