>>44021265
I'm going to say "Like the Stepford Wives, but with squid heads."

>>44021265
They would see converting someone into an illithid as a "gift" rather than an ungodly transformation, and only implant the smartest and wisest. In normal DnD lore, there's an herb called laethen that allows mind flayers to keep their original personality- maybe the mind flayers give it to the people they turn.

>>44021295
How so? I'm confused.

>>44021299
>They would see converting someone into an illithid as a "gift" rather than an ungodly transformation, and only implant the smartest and wisest

And, most importantly, the willing.

Sort of like an order of aberrant paladins.

>>44021265
Sort of like Wizard/Psionic Valhalla.

>>44021265
only feed on unrepentant evildoers
only turn the worthy and willing

>>44021321
Well they'd be "good" and "lawful" but it'd still keep the overall mind control flesh eating turbo creep theme of Mind flayers.

>>44021265
>how would a society of lawful good mind flayers be structured?
Precisely the same as that of the regular kind, the only difference is they aim towards some higher Good goal of galactic proportions that makes any scarfices made in the process perfectly justified.
Alignment system with objective Good and Evil can be abused like that.

>>44021299
>>44021336
I like this; would the mindflayer transformation w/herb destroy the mind of the original, or would it just create a mindflayer with their personality?

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>>44021265
If Mind Flayers weren't evil, they'd be really great at a wide number of professions, and they would likely be well integrated into other societies.

>>44021265

Mind Flayers need to eat brains to survive, so unless they switch to the brains of animals(does that even work?), Rings of Sustenance are going to be all but necessary. The cost of the magic items and reluctance to force Flayer-dom on unwilling creatures would keep the community from growing very large, so they'd probably coexist in another humanoid society. They'd also need an Elder Brain on board with the Goodflayers, to keep it from pushing them back to predation over time.

Their role in the larger community would probably be running psionic/magical odd-jobs and contracts for the guard, local government, or as information brokers. If a Goodflayer takes a personal interest in an individual or a worty individual expresses the interest, they might petition for conversion into a Goodflayer(with the herbs that >>44021299 mentioned). I can also see them offering large cash sums to purchase the brains of influential people close to death, or if the dying person's opted in to the organ donor program.

>>44021429
It would create a mind flayer with the personality and memories of the host. Laethen is unreliable though; it sometimes works completely but other times results in a mind flayer with the personality or memories of the victim.

>>44021514
Their Elder Brain doesn't lie to them; it is outright stated that the consciousness of each individual illithid does not live on in the Elder Brain.

>>44021544
Ah, so it doesn't transform the volunteer into a mindflayer, it just gives the resulting mindflayer their memories and personality.

All though, is there really a difference between the two?

In any case, what would such an order of Flayer Paladins fight against?

>>44021586
The difference would be heavily debatable, but if they also only took volunteers and explained the risks I think it would be fine.

The biggest issue is food supply, since they need to eat brains. Maybe they could eat criminals, but that would get difficult in the long term.

>>44021514
Mind Flayers are good at Psionics right? I seem to recall some Psionic abilities that help the user go without food for longer periods or otherwise endure. They might be able to utilize that to help stave off their hunger for longer periods

>>44021514
>Rings of Sustenance are going to be all but necessary.

There's actually psionic sustenance abilities, like the Elan repletion ability which allows them to spend 1 power point to not need to eat or drink for 24 hours.

With the Illithid's skill at psionics, researching a similar ability isn't too farfetched.

>>44021610
>>44021514
They would use animal brains and Rings of Sustenance to supplement their diet. But as a result, livestock would be a primary industry in their country, especially some of the more intelligent animals.

>>44021644
>>44021629
A combination of that along with >>44021652 sounds like it could work well then.

>>44021610
>>44021644
>>44021652
So, basically aesthetic Mindflayer paladin-monks?

What would be their viewpoint on stuff like mindwitnesses, intellect devourers, grimlocks and the other creatures they normally associate with?

>>44021586

They might take personal issue with tyrants and others who would force their will on others, since the Mind Flayers have made an effort to rise above a society that runs on thralls. For the same reason, they'd probably also hunt creatures that prey on intelligent beings(for sustenance or otherwise). Necromancers raising flesh-eating undead, fiends lining up living sacrifices, power-hungry rulers demanding more than just coin in taxes. General paladin stuff fits a reformed Mind Flayer pretty well.

Their means might be different though. The ability to pull information from captured or dying enemies means they'll be very well informed, but they'll also have very strict rules about when and why minds can be consumed to aid an investigation. The Flayers will probably also be compelled to try alternative(conventional or magical) interrogation first.

>>44021749
<We don't talk about them anymore>

THOON

>>44021749
>mindwitnesses
Jehovah's?

>>44021690
More on the Monk side I'd say. Relative isolation to practice their Psionic abilities would be helpful for initiates in case something goes wrong.

From there, they'd probably have some who focus more heavily on Psionics and become scholars and teachers, while others become Psionic Warriors and wander around doing good, guarding the temples, or looking for new recruits.

>>44021765
>They might take personal issue with tyrants and others who would force their will on others, since the Mind Flayers have made an effort to rise above a society that runs on thralls
But that would imply that they're anti-authority to a degree, which is contrary to lawful.

Them being spy/inquistor style paladins sounds awesome, though.

>>44021299
I'm gonna need a source for that herb, since normal mind flayers involve completely destroying the brain of the original creature and replacing it with an illithid spawn

>>44021265
Look at the Azorius in MTG.
Super powerful Lawful Good mages that are extremely oppressive, arresting people for crimes they have the potential to commit.

>>44021943
The Azorius seem closer to pure Lawful Neutral, though.

>>44021884
2E adventure. Dawn of the Overmind.

>>44021821

Those one mindflayers, the really special ones that are born with two more extra-long tendrils would be the Paladins.

>>44021833

> But that would imply that they're anti-authority to a degree, which is contrary to lawful.

The Flayers might only be opposed to authority used to further an individual's self-interest rather than the common good. Not purely anti-authority, but they've got rules on how authority should be used.

>>44022099
So in M:tG terms they're white, and vehemetly anti-black.

>>44022172
Well, on the M:tG terms, Rebels were predominantly White.

>>44021765
They have thralls, but it's generally voluntary. The thralls relinquish physical control of their body in exchange for being tutored in the art of psionics by the Elder Brain itself.

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Has anyone drawn up a race template for mindflayers in 5th? I was thinking:

+2 Int
+1 Wis
+1 Cha

Darkvision (120ft)

Innate spellcasting (Int)
detect thoughts at will (0th level)
dominate monster 1/day (5th level)

Telepathy (120ft)

languages: Common, Qualith

>>44023906
In hindsight, maybe I should add a requirement to eat humanoid brains to balance the spellcasting, not to mention to keep in line with canon.

>>44021749
They're perfectly fine with jamming a tadpole into an interesting tadpole host, but they don't go out and kidnap innocents to do so. They often do so to captured monsters to give them a "chance for redemption."

>>44024031
Maybe a weakness to sunlight too. Or physical disadvantages/amphibiousness.

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>>44021514
Kind of reminds me of a similar thread we had months ago.....

>>44021265
Mondflayers operate on alien morals that do t fit the alignment chart, they have a biological need to kill sapient life forms both to breed and eat

>>44021480
I recall a modern Fantasy thread that had an illithid working as a detective, popping at morgs to eat freshly deceased brains to glean memories and such

This all makes me want to make a setting where illithid resemble inklings and octolings more

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Pfg's racebrewer anon made an "illithid rival" race at one point. Would they be the bad guys then?

http://pastebin.com/vG3T508Z

>>44024328
Good thing we're not talking about mindflayers, we're talking about goodflayers.

>mindflayers
>"alien"

>>44024284
I dunno, there's nothing in the monster manual about sunlight weakness or amphibiousness. Maybe if the brain eating must be fresh victim must be alive/died within 2 hours) to be restrictive and make it hard to avoid being persecuted by NPCs, that might be more balanced.

>>44024556
What else could they be?

>>44024577
>What else could they be?
Humans
From the future

>>44024721
Isn't that Gith?

>>44024199
>>44021514
They occasionally make intellect devourers out of the brains they buy or steal. They act halfway between pets and personal assistants, and the more prestigious the original brain, the more valued the devourer is. Partway between a servo-skull, guard dog, and portable Chihuahua.

>>44024491
>use telepathic war chant to demoralize foes
>You're a kid now, you're a squid now
>You're a kid
>You're a squid
>repeated ad nauseum
>Their warcry:
>SPLATATATAT

>>44021765
But Mind Flayers don't perform physical labor themselves. They'd have to have some form of menial servants.

>>44025597
If they're focusing heavily on Psionics and acting like Paladins and Monks, they'd probably have enough commitment to the 'being good' thing that they could stomach to pick up a broom every once in a while.

>>44024394
A mind reading creature as a detective just isn't fair.

>>44025726
Being good doesn't mean that they wouldn't be proud or elitist. But their thralls or servants probably would be paid pretty well, either with knowledge or with currency.

>>44024394
Basically the iZombie show but less cute.

>>44025802
"She does the cases no one else can"

>>44026109
It might mean that if they're trying to distance themselves from Evil Mindflayers as much as possible.

Mindflayers having servants is going to raise a few eyebrows no matter what.

>>44026172
Never heard of it

Goodflayers focus extensively on mental superiority, most being scholars, teachers, and manufacturers of psionic items.

Most focus on their psionics. But many choose to learn swordplay to better defend themselves against the undead and in close-quarters combat.

The ones who specialize in swordplay focus on fencing, using illithid litheness to their advantage as they anticipate their opponents' moves with their psychic power.

>>44026214
It's a CW show (very loosely) based on a comicbook. The first season is on Netflix, and definitely worth watching. Not just for the waifu, but because it's genuinely good. Lots of people are put off by the name, which is the worst part of it, or the fact that they changed literally everything but the premise from the comic, but get past that and it's the best show on the channel.

>>44026917
>Best show on the channel

When The Flash exists

GET THE FUCK OUT YOU ARE NOT WORTHY

>>44021265
If we must work within the confines of D&D's problematic alignment chart and archtypical setting they probably subsist of eating the brains of "evil" underground creatures like drow and umber hulks or even other mind flayers. They may view mind control of such evil creatures as a way of redeeming them.

>>44021265
What god would they worship? Ilsensine is evil- so who else is there?

Do they mingle with the populace, group in self-sufficient enclaves, or go on the surface disguised?

Why are these mind flayers good, rather than evil? What event caused their schism?

>>44021629
There was a psionic race called the Elan in the expanded or complete psionic handbook. The one with the brains and pink crystal cover art. They could fuel their bodies at 1pp a day, and rejuvenate daily at the same rate. Basically immortal psionic constructs created by uplifting chosen humans. Dunno if there was a power to do that, however.

>>44027791
welp, that already got mentioned, nvm

>>44027826
It's weird though, because I had never heard of Elan until they were mentioned in a thread yesterday.

>>44023906
How about you also add +2 Str, +2 Con, 2 legendary items and a bj from the GM?

>>44028319
Because it would then be better than playing the alternative human instead of worse.

>>44021265
friend of mine played a mindflayer that got opposite alignment-ed. they settled on lawful neutral, cause he still eats brains, and has a drive to be in charge of the people he cares for, even if he thinks of them more as beloved pets rather than thralls. He also gets miffed when the current campaign's gypsy tries to bribe him with "food."

I think the biggest obstacle toward lawful good is the whole brain eating thing. if they could survive on simply mind-linking away a few psp at a time it'd be more likely.

So if we're talking Paladins/Monks are they organized into different sects? These would have to be based more so on philosophical differences rather than religious.

For instance, what about the approach to dealing with criminals? Perhaps one group scans and judges the mind of criminals, since the truth and justice of it is more important to them than the privacy of the mind. After all, what is privacy when you risk letting a criminal free? This might more along the lines of Lawful Neutral. A more Good aligned approach would be a board of questioners acting as a lie detectors, scanning only surface thoughts to confirm yes or no answers.

Another thought might be what happens to criminals worthy of death? Is it better to kill them or simply wipe and eliminate the personality of the person so they can be made to serve humanity? Thus creating "Reborn" thralls who retain their sentience just with implanted personality corrections or new memories who serve as penance. Somewhat akin to the "Death of Personality" in Babylon 5

I could see the above group opposed by another that would rather incarcerate their criminals but give them the choice to work through their issues via therapy and psychic-therapy. If they so choose, this sect would wipe the memories and experiences that lead them down this path if the criminal submits to or is repentant and wishes to have a fully fresh start.

The former group would probably put an emphasis on how sentient's are either innately good or innately evil, where as the latter probably views that choices are made based partially on circumstance and has an emphasis on forgiveness and rehabitation

>>44024328
to be fair, humans are true neutral. a lawful good race would be just as alien to us as a lawful evil one.

>>44028631
it's a little different when you're talking about the alignment of an entire race.

humans are true neutral. mostly because we built the damn chart. so describing mindflayers as lawful evil simply means they have a drive towards order and peace, while at the same time, they are committed to domination and and murder.

both the need to dominate (they're natural born thrall herds.) and their sadistic nature (they are required to consume still thinking brains to survive, as well as requiring still living host bodies to reproduce.) are simply due to their physiology.

>>44021265
Abuse the fuck out of "muh greater good."

Take the original stable time loop backstory for Mindflayers and run with it. It is vital that they absorb enough intelligent life into the elder brain composite to for a supercomputer brain capable of averting/managing an existence destroying paradox cataclysm that is possibly why mindflayers traveled back in time in the "first" place and possibly caused by their doing so/having done so.

>>44026917
>best show on the channel.

That's reaaaaaaaly not saying much.

Their Elder Brain would have to have some sort of differing viewpoint in order for such a society to even exist. I like the "mind flayer supercomputer" theory because of this.

It's an entirely plausible interpretation that one of these supercomputers developed a new viewpoint and simply decided to go with it, out of curiosity or moral value. Mind Flayers who are elitist but morally compatible with the rest of the population? Could result in less hostility and increase the amount of possible hosts for tadpoles. It might have developed sympathy for the poor non-psionic humans, seeking to uplift them.

It's also entirely plausible that the Mind Flayers might be evil not just because of their diet and means of reproduction, but because of how the tadpoles are raised and society is structured. From tadpolehood to death the Illithid is raised and indoctrinated to be a cross between Cthulhu and a Dark Eldar. What would happen if they were raised to appreciate the intellect of the other "primitive" races?

>>44033503
But how do you justify the Elder Brain nomming on the tadpoles that swim in its pool? Or the tadpoles nomming on their brethren?

>>44021265
You could start by looking at Spelljammer?
The Illithids there are practically lawful neutral.

>>44033522
Basic survival of the fittest that all nature embraces, bears aren't evil because they eat fish.

>>44021265
As an over race of benevolent leaders, probably of a short lived race of gnomes or kendar who have different views of death.

As someone looking to have a race of mindflayers who worship Jesus in his world, I like this thread.
>>44021690
Just an fyi, I think the word you're looking for is ascetic, unless you actually want Mindflayers interested in interior decoration.

>>44028319
Seriously. #1 House ruling noob offense: Exaggerated stats. "Whatever I'm currently into is the most badass,"

>>44027791
>>44021644
Not only do the Elan have the ability to not need sustenance for a day by spending 1pp, they were also originally humans, from what little I remember of their lore.

Also if Illithids no longer needed their skull-cracking tentacles and beaks would they eventually evolve something else in place of those? Perhaps more delicate, dexterous tentacles, or something flashier for sexual displays (do Goodthids even have sexual reproduction?)?

>>44036073
>(do Goodthids even have sexual reproduction?)
Well, considering that normal Illithids asexually by budding clusters of tadpoles, then shoving said tadpoles into people brains 10 years down the line...

>>44036334
Yeah, but I mean as far as the 'host' body goes, would they be willing to let it have young, seeing as the resulting non-thid offspring would not be anathema to its culture/society.

>>44021586
>>44021544
If the soul was removed and stored somewhere in the manner of a lich before transformation then reinstalled after herbal transformation then all could be well.

Also maybe they opt to die willingly rather than become.part of an elder brain.

When it is time to die the other gather around them. It is the only time they sing. It is beautiful and haunting and only half heard with the ears.

>>44036353
During the transformation sexual organs wither away.

>>44036046
>>44028319
epic

It's like friendly vampires, Holmes. You can do it, but people will be skeptical.

>>44037296
Not so much anymore.

Vampires are now sexy and good looking things are never evil by default. Just look at all the redeemed succubus bullshit lately

But less than pretty things have to be treated with caution because they are bad unless proven otherwise.

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>>44035739
But anon, bears are evil

>>44023906
Instead of Dominate monster, having a weaker variant of their mind blast that recharges on a short rest might work better. Something to the tune of a Dragonborn's breath weapon, but with a one round stun.

>>44035791
>>44021810
>>44021778
Excuse me, but do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior Thoon?

>>44036073
Probably not. They're still eating brains, and their mouthparts are still necessary for what they do.

>>44033522
How would you justify thousands of sperm dying to make one child?

>>44036334
OH GOD ILLITHID MASTURBATION CANNOT UNTHINK I FEEL THE WARP OVERTAKING MEEEEEEEEE

>>44036506
That's a bit of a bummer,
>>44036491
You mean like those darned Whos foehn I Whoville?

>>44040836
I thought we had established that they has learned the Elans' physic sustenance technique?

>>44041202
Elans can do that? Besides, it's been stated that Mind Flayers NEED to eat brains because of certain enzymes and neurotransmitters they can't get anywhere else.

Now I'm wondering if illithids can catch prion diseases.

>>44041171
>Every Mind Flayer in Illithville liked Lolthmas a lot

>But the Gith, who lived just north of Illithville, did not

So, what I get is this:

Goodflayer tadpoles are implanted into the heads of criminals, captured monsters, and the willing. In the case of the latter, an herb is given to them to ensure that the resulting illithid has the memories and personality of the host. For those individuals that are worthy but incapable of mind flayer-dom, the Illithids instead remove and preserve their brains, granting them some measure of immortality.

They use rings of sustenance, animal brains, and in the case of their stronger psions, use meditation to control their hunger. Only rarely do they consume sentient brains.

They are well-meaning but are extremely elitist; they think that all non-illithids don't operate on the same level as they do and think nothing of lobotomization and forcible thought intrusion.

They remain relatively isolated from society, meditating or training themselves in cities populated by hired and/or lobotomized servants. Some meditate, choosing to focus on their psionics, while others focus on channeling the thoughts and powers of their Elder Brain in place of a deity. Others learn swordplay, developing techniques to compensate for their lack of strength, their powerful tentacles, and ability to read the thoughts of others.

Their Elder Brain styles itself as a benevolent god, conditioning the illithid tadpoles to lack many of the more evil impulses of their brethren. While no illithid minds adding their grey matter to it after their deaths, the Brain makes no secret of the fact that their consciousnesses are not preserved.

Now how do we make this society a little less mary-sueish? I don't have any problems so far with this society other than the fact that it seems too... ideal.

>>44043585
Now I remembered that one Penny Arcade strip back then when Penny Arcade was somehow less hipster than it is now.

>>44046227
It has a rigid and unbending caste sort of system going on.

The family structure was done away with centuries ago.

Your aptitudes are discovered at a young age and you are trained to use them for the benefit of society. After so many centuries of total control the Squid-heads have basically installed a eugenics system.

Those of orcish and human stock often end up in the fields. Orcs have excellent brute strength, humans have excellent stamina and both can work well together once ancestral and cultural hates are erased.

Dorfs for some reason have an aptitude for numbers and crafting of things. Those of dorfish stock often end up in the manufacturing trades.

Elves have excellent dexterity and such and tend to make good surgeons and textile workers.

These are just broad examples. On the whole the Squid-Heads don't give a shit what you look like and generally see orcs and elves as much of the same. If you can do the job and society needs the job then the job is what you end up doing for the rest of your working life. Better learn to enjoy it.

Happiness of the people is not necessary, only their good health and survival.

Any of the subjects displaying psychic talent are taken to the temples for training. They are seen as a slightly superior breed to the lesser subjects. If they prove worthy they are allowed to become Squid-heads when they approach their twilight years. It is considered the greatest honour.

Many claim their civilization is cruel and oppressive. It is. It is also very strong and productive for its size, it is extremely stable internally and its subjects are well fed and healthy.

>>44046970
There's a setting where the dragons rule the world, why not do the same with mind flayers? This sounds like a good idea.

(I might put up a quest next week when I have time)

>>44046970
This seems like the opposite of what the mindflayers originally tried to do with the gith. Maybe they realized that giving their thralls no reason to rebel was a better anti-revolt technique than giving everyone psychic powers and being pants-on-head retardedly dickish to them.

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>>44049576
It's not all that original. The Great Wheel for instance:
Mindflayers have ruled the multiverse on multiple occasions, and are constant contestants for it.

>>44021265
The illithids create a city where paladins and clerics train for years, free of distractions. Able to be incorruptible, and able to detect any lies.

>illithid warden
>gigantic cities of rehabilitation, and retraining.
>drug crazed junky goes in
>well adjusted person trained in different skills leave
>they take the bad feelings, drug memories and other bad stuff, and convert it to healing magic.

>prisons
Prisoners locked into chairs not moving
2-6 weeks later they are ready to return to regular life scrubbed of all intent to steal, break, murder etc.

Some dont....
>"prisoner #2632 sstep forward"
>"guilty of rape, murder, defacing a temple, and attempted murder of a priest"
>"sentence to be carried out....mind scrubbing, and servitude, have you objections?"
>*prisoner struggles, guards subdue him*
>"noted. Our greatest minds have found you uncurable, and evil. May you find absolution through servitude"
>prisoners last words "fuck all of you squid people, I will get my revenge on all of you"
>sentence carried out, memories stored, notorized and catalogued
>thrall #1101 created, destination..bathing attendant year 1-5 perimeter guard 5-?


I would play it in a heartbeat

>>44050424
>I would play it in a heartbeat
As rebels opposing the empire, or what?

>>44021514
>they switch to the brains of animals(does that even work?),
According to Lords of Madness, they can subsist, and occasionally supplement themselves, on the brains and organs of other creatures, including animals, except they derive no pleasure, taste, or enjoyment from it. It's basically like eating plain flavorless gruel while someone just repeats the word "beige" over and over in your ear. Eating brains of sentients is the closest they gain to feeling excitement or ecstasy, hence why they have whole amphitheaters where they mindlink up while one of them eats a brain.

>>44052589
Well, that just pushes things even further toward Illithid Monks.

>>44050424
I'm reminded of Brother Edward from Babylon 5.

>>44050424
I mean, if lawful good allows you to stab people who are bad, you sure as hell can use detect evil to put those spoiled goods to better use.

>>44021265
like a theoretical communist utopia. nobody can manipulate the bureaucracy or politibureau because everyone can read each other's minds and know everything that everyone else knows. It would make the kind of small style communism that is practiced in clan/family environments actually scale into non-personal/anonymous relations. Since knowledge would be perfectly shared you wouldn't run into the Von Mises problem of social calculations or the Hayekian problem of unknown/differing preferences.

This thread has given me an idea for an illithid paladin. Basically a high level paladin is beaten and worn down, they try to tadpole him and when the process is complete his righteous spirit goes all "Imnotfinished.jpeg" and reclaims his now illithid body. The images of a disguised, wandering, lone do-gooder with a secret squid face makes me explode with cephalopod joy.

>>44054550
It conjures problems with the whole brain/spirit thing. If it were done well, I'd imagine it'd still be a mindflayer and not the original paladin but the spirit compels it to do good.

>>44046970
The Elder Brain of this mind-flayer nest/ruling class would not be the undisputed ruler.

He would be the advisor to the High Council and also the library.

He makes no secret of the fact that your personality does not live on when he takes your dying brain. Only your knowledge. He is this civilizations Library of Alexandria and wise old man rolled into one. People generally refer to him as Living Memory. As in "Its in living memory".

The ruling council is made up of Ulitharids. They are the illithid's illithid. Each of them oversees a province and has a small staff of usually younger ulitharids and illithids helping them keep everything ordered.

Society is one of absolute order. Foreigners say the squid-heads would get the trees to grow in formation if they could.

The squid-heads are very tolerant on the whole religion thing. So long as you are obeying the law, following orders and working hard they generally don't give much of a shit.

Squid-head religious leaders are not unprecedented but are rare.

>>44021265
"Vegan" flayers.

A sect of peaceful flayers who work a lot like buddhist monks, their sentient food is donated from willing subjects and otherwise they just eat animal brains.

They also train their mental fortitude and strenght by practicing eating and living off as little as possibe, to them reaching the grand brain is to break the cycle of rebirt. The grand brain is a very buddha type one, who truelly beleive in this himself.

Also make vigolant anti undead monks and psychics.

>>44049648
I didn't think the Illithid gave gith psionic powers on purpose, more that they got it from some proximity bleeding effect.

>>44052589
It seems like there would be an order of bandit-and-monster killing flayers who do so just so they can get at the sweet,sweet grey matter of others without harming the undeserving.

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>>44021514
What about a monastic order of Mindflayers?
They dedicate to understand the greater mysteryes of the universe and mortification of the flesh trough not eating (brains) is one of their practices.
They have a lot of humans in their temple too and flayer-dom would be seen as a gist that only the most powerful, wise or respected "monks" can be gifted.
The Elder Brain would be the grandmaster of the whole order, the first goodflayer.

>>44050424

An idea: The Illithids often gather up the "mentally deficient," replace part of their brains with resonance stones, and return them to their families. This increases their intelligence. But it serves another purpose: the squidheads can assume direct control of their bodies at any time, the operation removes their sex drive (can't have them passing on their inferior genes!) and their brains are from that point on property of the mind flayers.

always imagined goodflayers would have their tentacles braided as a sign of non-aggression and eat food like regular people would(mostly brains but who normally eats cow brain anyways?

Pygmy Illithids that were stranded on a waterworld with one a few islands.
Their supply of food ran out quick and they've had to rely on the brains of local wildlife.
They've had to work together and trust each other to survive that they had to abandon their old ways just to get by.
Where typical illithids appear as gaunt octopi, these little fellas look like chubby cuttlefish folk.
Their psionics make fishing and hunting easy, so easy that they all tend to over-eat. Since they've adapted to their environment so well, they haven't thought about leaving this world/plane in a long time.

>>44060408
Freaking adorable. I'll have to steal this for my next campaign.

>>44021265

Their eating of brains and absorbing of memories of their food has made them ultra-empathetic. How could it not? Every time they eat a meal, they see the world through the eyes of that person, all of their loves and successes and failures. Understanding that person beyond the ability of words to convey. In that moment, it is impossible not to love them because for a brief moment, before their memories have a chance to digest, you are them.

So yes, they eat brains. But in doing so they have a boost in empathy because they feel the pain and loss of the world as if it were their own. They people and enrich the lives of others because they cannot help but care for these people with the same passion that the men and women they have consumed have in the past. Also, a more peaceful world means less painful meals in the future.

It is common practice for the Mindflayers to provide their services as a mercykilling to those who wish to end their life or are suffering, as well as to offer a sort of immortality to those who are afraid of death. Because some part of you always remains in the mindflayer that ate your brain.

On the other hand, the Mindflayers are still indescribably smarter than the humans around them. Fueled by benevolence, and enabled by their intelligence, they use their superior intellect to rule their territory with all of the care and efficiency that comes from ultimate empathy and superior intelligence. Hardship is minimized, crime is not tolerated, discontent is addressed and pain is met with salve.
In return, all they ask for is tribute in the form of brains. So that they may survive and continue to serve the common good. They once attempted to find food alternatives that did not require sacrificing their charges, but these artificial sustenance serums proved disastrous. Mindflayers, lacking the chance to absorb memories of humans through feeding, spared human lives but at the cost of not developing any humanity themselves.

Typical reformed illithid food

Get a gourd of melon.
Scoop out the middle of it.
Get some brains, blood and bone marrow from a cow, pig, sheep or some other domesticated mammal traditionally raised for meat.
Mix it all together then put it in the hollow fruit.
Maybe add some pepper or cinnamon or something.
Serve warm.

>>44061037
Other typical reformed illtihid food:

Remove the whole brain of a domesticated animal, preferably pig.

Slice the still-warm brain, discarding the brain stem, thinly and serve with some sort of sauce, like garum, fish sauce, or soya.

Remove the frontal lobes of a living domesticated animal (horses and other large animals preferred), set aside.

Beat with sugar and egg yolk and cook until thick, wait until it cools.

Pour brain custard into opened animal cranium, atop intact hindbrain, and serve.

(Pretty gross, huh? I feel like a squidhead chef already.)

>>44060408
Would they be like the cephalopod equivalent of that puppy-snake picture?

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>>44061614
Do you mean this?
Then yeah, pretty similar in terms of cuteness.

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>>44061721

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>>44061788
Ah that one.
Yes. Horrifying brain-sucking octopi on top and chubby cuddlefish on the bottom

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>lawful good mind flayer

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>>44026917
Comics iZombie.

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>>44062182
TV iZombie.

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>>44062182

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>>44062279

i'm late to the party but:

>point 1
mind flayers are pretty much too alien to exist on the same good/evil law/chaos axis as humans do

>point 2
but in terms of greater good versus greater evil, which i guess in our morality means freedom and liberty (lol USA USA USA. but actually, what does good come down to?) vs slavery and oppression, a mindflayer can be on the side of good in that sense. it would be a rare mindflayer, but there could be some good aligned mindflayers in a large city, who yes, feast on the souls of the living, but also work towards establishing the good empire as more powerful than the evil one.

perhaps they are disgusted with mindflayer morals as a whole, perhaps the evil empire is way worse than how they would rule (with an iron tentacle). but i could see mindflayers helping out say the good king, or whatever. and being allowed in the metropolis capitol city, but not necessarily into polite society.

but i don't think mindflayers really think the same as humans, or at least thats my interpretation. they might on some level understand that human consciousness has actual merit besides meat deluding itself into thinking it has any value compared to them, and in doing so want to see what meat is made of when given a good guiding hand.

but they aren't going to be frolicking arm in arm with holy church worshipers in a field of daisies. more like secluded in a mansion that children in the city hear horror stories about, but offering strategy, arcane knowledge, insight, and wealth to the king and church and to good causes. all in exchange for a blind eye turned to them feasting off of the brains of prisoners.

so i think mind flayers could be on an individual level NET good, but ultimately the species doesnt align itself the same way humans understand that axis.

if that makes sense

>>44061250
>>44061037
>>44062391

I can imagine mind flayers liking noodles- especially with more buttery and fatty ingredients, brain chunks optional.

>Dude, why are you eating linguine out of a human skull

For goodflayer banquets, there are brains, to be sure, but I'd expect them to serve noodles and shit if there are other people around.

Is it wrong if I want to become a mind flayer now?

>>44064528
No anon, not at all. In fact, if you'd just walk over in this direction with me....

>>44063085
Since mind flayers don't derive any taste-based pleasure from non-sentient food consumption, I'd expect goodflayers to primarily focus on appearance and texture rathr than taste in their meals.

>>44065817
Ah, but what if Wellthid biomancers worked out a way for implantation to have less of an effect on the anatomy of the host body for an implanted squid, allowing the resulting Wellthid to more fully appreciate the individual characteristics of its new body (and allowing any residual psyche of the host to more easily become adapted to its new body).

>>44055164
Illithids are allowed to pursue research into the fields of magic, but only with express permission from the Elder Brain. Those who discover new forms of magic and new ways to counter spells are treated with respect and favor by the illithid community.

>>44062669
Maybe they see normal mind flayers as unnecessarily cruel and irredeemable by goodlithid standards. As it were, normal illithids take pleasure only from inflicting pain and suffering against the more primitive beings.

Mentioned in mind flayer lore is a creature known as the adversary, this is basically a humanoid who undergoes the process and retains it's original mind but gains all the gifts of the illithids.

It's mostly an explanation for the nervous ticks and habits a flayer gains from it's original host but this has lead to the culling of weak willed illithids in the hundreds.

those hundreds would probably be your neutral good mind flayer farmers who raise giant brained humanoid cow monsters and whose elder brain is somewhere in the middle of a cornfield and wearing a ten gallon hat.

>Get the personality preserving drug.
>Be level 20 wizard
>become mindflayer
>become lich
>fuck bitch

>>44024292
No we are not bringing up you fetish race you freak

>>44072772
I don't know what you're talking about. Remind me again.

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They also like to bathe/swim around in pools filled with preserved brains that they had "acquired" beforehand. It gives them a pleasant tingling sensation.

>>44062303
>>44065907
>>44065817
>>44061037
>>44061250

Given what mind flayers eat, not having any sense of taste might be advantageous in the long run.

>>44076726
Their taste buds are along the inside of the tentacles. Their sense of taste is also their sense of smell. A bit like catfish.

>>44076592
I think I found my new fetish.

>Submerging your body in the tub of liquid, you let your tentacles freefloat as the webbing between your toes expands and your mucousy skin drinks in the fluid
>Opening your mind to the consciousnesses of all the brains making contact with your skin, you relax as you listen to the whispers of their innermost thoughts
>a pleasant tingling sensation suffuses your
body as you grab one of the brains, scrubbing the surface of your purple, slimy skin
>You grab one of the brains with your tentacles, gently tasting the succulent brain matter but making sure not to damage it
>You lie there for hours, the brains massaging your flesh gently with their pulsations and undulations

>>44021582
I thought the deal was that elder brains are greedy controlly hyper intelligent things that are served by their illithid colony. Something about a promise to join the elder brain upon death but in reality it just gobbles up their brain to make itself stronger

At any rate, that's how illithid work in my campaign setting. I also have one smallish colony in the underdark that has discovered this BS regime that their elder brain had been running (thanks to some super special prodigy member of the colony and his "chosen one" story arc) and decided to kill it. This colony now is more or less neutral, potentially even good sometimes, but at least not bent on dominating all other life.

>>44080242
What do they do when each one of them dies? How do they find new hosts to shove a tadpole into? Do they still have thralls?

>>44021610
They need to hunt.

Most goodfalyers are palladin that actively seek evil to kill and devour.

>>44060408
>>44070524
>>44021765
>>44021821

Pygmy mind flayers and hillbilly mind flayers and paladin mind flayers and monk mind flayers. What's next? Gypsy mind flayers? Traveling surgeon mind flayers?

>>44050424
Or, they switch out the offending brain with one that was found worthy to be preserved. Could be an interesting way to play as a PC after his death.