Mind Flayer Lore

Ceremorphosis

Mind flayers don’t reproduce in the traditional sense. Instead, they lay eggs from which hatch tadpole-like creatures that are used to make more of their kind through a process called ceremorphosis. First, a captured humanoid is rendered docile by a blast of psionic power. A newly hatched tadpole is inserted into the victim’s cranium, usually through a nostril or ear canal. The tadpole grows as it devours the humanoid’s brain, attaching to the victim’s brain stem and becoming its new brain. Over the course of a week, the humanoid body changes form, and a new mind flayer comes into being. The emergent mind flayer often retains a few dim memories from its previous form, but these vague recollections seldom have any bearing on its new life as a brain-eating monster.

Aggressive Ceremorphosis

The Elder brain can produce hundreds of tadpoles in an instant. When the Elder brain is in an aggravated state these tadpoles can cause an aggressive and nearly irreversible Ceremophosis. While infested with these tadpoles, the victim continually takes psychic damage until it falls unconscious. We found that magic that ends a curse or massively heals, will kill the tadpoles infesting a creature. If however, a Gith or other similar creature is hurt so much they fall unconscious (which happens very quickly), the creature will remain stable but unconscious somewhere between 12 hours and 3 days. We found no way to revive the unconscious creature short of the power of a Wish spell. When the period of unconsciousness ends, the creature transforms into a a healthy mind flayer.

How to have Mind Flayer tadpoles kill a mind flayer colony

Among the strongest taboos in illithid society is the idea of allowing a mature tadpole to survive without implanting it into a donor brain. Under normal circumstances, any tadpole that grows larger than a few inches in length is killed by the elder brain to be food for for less mature tadpoles. On rare occasions, an illithid colony collapses, typically after an external assault by the Gith, and the elder brain is killed. When that happens, the colony’s tadpoles are suddenly freed from their fate. They no longer serve as food, and in turn are no longer fed by their caretakers. Driven by hunger, they turn to devouring one another. Only one tadpole survives out of the thousands in the colony’s pool, and it emerges as a neothelid.

As a feral thing, a neothelid knows nothing beyond the predatory existence it has lived so far and struggles to comprehend its new psionic abilities. Neothelids prowl subterranean passages in search of more brains to sate their constant hunger, growing ever more vicious. These creatures can spray tissue-dissolving enzymes from their tentacle ducts, reducing victims to a puddle of slime and leaving only the pulsing brain unharmed. They have no knowledge of their link to illithids, so they’re just as likely to prey on as on anything else.

Any tadpole that survives beyond that state is perceived as a threat to a Mind Flayer colony. Neothelids Lack enough intelligence to be detected by an elder brain’s power to sense thoughts. Therefore, if they are discovered, the mind flayers organize hunting parties to exterminate the abomination before the abomination destroys them. A Neothelid's Acid is one of the few things that can destroy the protective shield of the Elder Brain.

Neothelids can also be created. It only takes a few hundred tadpoles and the brine solution must be kept at 70degrees with a salinity of no more than 15%. It only takes about 2 months for the strongest tadpole to consume the others. At that point it should weigh about 50 lbs and is the size of a small beast. It is extremely deadly and can only be controlled by magic abilities. It cannot be tamed but if dominated by the same master daily, after about another month it will not attack its master. It will feed on any creature with a semblance of intelligence. If fed a steady diet, it grows very quickly and can start devouring creatures whole within 2 more months. If fed properly (hordes of slaves if you have them) it can reach the size of an ancient dragon within 10 years. At that point it's master can use it against a mind flayer colony.