BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
OK, this is it. You have maybe a week to post your final comments on this thing. I will have done with it. We’ve been working on this for almost a year off and on, and I am tired of going over the same old ground! LOL Ultimately, I have decided to go with Psi-Severed Head’s idea of just giving the elder brain psionic levels for its powers, instead of trying to come up with some definitive list. So, I’m done with that. Look it over, pick a few “innate” psionics for it, and please, with god as my witness, LET’S CALL IT A DAY! 
ELDER BRAIN
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 20d8+200 (290 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)
Speed: 0 ft
AC: 14 (-1 size, -5 Dex, +6 natural, +4 Inertial armor)
Attacks: None
Damage: None
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Psionics
Special Qualities: Create brain golem, detect living, telepathy, SR/PR 25
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +1, Will +22
Abilities: Str ---, Dex ---, Con 30, Int 24, Wis 27, Cha 28
Skills: Bluff +15, Concentration +16, Diplomacy +15, Gather Information +15, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (any five) +14, Search +13, Scry +14, Sense Motive +15
Feats: Body Fuel, Combat Manifesting, Disarm Mind, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Inertial Armor, Inner Strength, Iron Will, Mental Adversary, Power Penetration, Psychic Bastion, Talented
Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Solitary or community (5-30 mind flayers, 2-12 ulitharids, and 1-6 brain golems)
Challenge Rating: (undetermined - suggestions? 14 too low? 24 too high?)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 21-60 HD (Large)
An elder brain is a colossal monstrosity of brain matter that rules as well as serves the purposes of a mind flayer community. Most of its immeasurable mass is stored in an Astral node psionically maintained by the elder brain, leaving only a 10-foot diameter mass of this brain tissue on the material plane. What is left of this being is a fibrous mass of cognizant tissue that floats in the mineral pool at the center of an illithid community. This brain pulses and glows from the sheer power of the psychic energy flowing through it. The brain resides in a briny basin that is 30 feet wide and 30 feet deep, where it floats about 10 feet below the surface, surrounded by illithid tadpoles.
Elder brains serve as their community's repository of all knowledge and psionic power, being the result of generations of merged illithids. Every member of an illithid community has both a right and obligation to join with the elder brain after physical death, so that its mind may live on. Individual personalities and whims become one with the gestalt formed by the elder brain's consciousness, although illithids would like to think otherwise.
Elder brains are continually growing, though they never appear any larger than the 10-foot diameter brain in the community's brine pool. All excess mass gained from feeding off the psionic energy of tadpoles and illithid brains is shunted into the elder brain's Astral storage. Though the bulk of the elder brain's mass is stored on the Astral Plane, no Astral traveler has ever claimed to find an elder brain in part or in whole.
COMBAT
Elder brains are far from defenseless, but all the same they are useless in physical combat and prefer to allow illithids and servant creatures to fight for them. Elder brains can unleash the full arsenal of their psionic might on aggressors who threaten it, at twice the normal range. Anything capable of surviving this onslaught must deal with its defenders, and melee and ranged combat with the elder brain is inhibited by its submersion in the brine pool.
If the elder brain is aware that its massive psionic ability may be inadequate to stop intruders, it will grow brain golems in advance of combat. The elder brain needs sufficient warning for this, and this is a very rare occurrence. Despite all of these defenses, the elder brain has one last ditch ability if death is imminent. The elder brain can use astral projection to withdraw its mass entirely into the Astral Plane, permanently relinquishing its hold on the Material plane. Such rogue elder brains go on to an unknown fate, usually leaving their former community to quickly fall to pieces.
In addition to its psionics, the elder brain has a series of other innate mental powers. These mind powers all have a range of 2-5 miles, depending on the elder brain's age and size, and even work through solid rock.
Psionics (Sp): Elder brains can manifest psionic powers (except Psychometabolic powers) as 20th-level psions with primary discipline Telepathy.
Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will - ego whip, id insinuation, mind blast/all.
Innate Psionics (Sp): at will – remote viewing*. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 20th-level psion.
Create Brain Golem (Su): An elder brain can grow brain golems by budding. These golems serve as avatars to the elder brain, extensions of its consciousness. The elder brain can grow up to three brain golems at a time, needing one full hour to create each one. During this time, its psionic resources are tapped out, and the elder brain cannot use its psionics for more than communication.
Detect Living (Su): An elder brain can sense all sentient beings within range, unless they are psionically shielded.
Telepathy (Su): An elder brain can communicate telepathically with any creature within range that has a language. The elder brain is in constant mental contact with all illithids in its community.
The elder brain first appeared in The Illithiad (1998).
* We’ll need maybe a dozen or so additional powers to give the elder brain, which it can use at any time. Pick out some of the ones you think will work best, preferably from the list below.
adapt body, astral projection, attraction, baleful teleport, banishment, biofeedback, body adjustment, body equilibrium, brain lock, catapsi, clairaudience/clairvoyance, control body, control light, create sound, demoralize, detect thoughts, dimensional anchor, domination, energy barrier, expanded vision, fabricate, false sensory input, greater concussion, inflict pain, know location, levitate, major creation, mass domination, matter rearrangement, metamorphosis, mind probe, mindwipe, probability travel, psychic chirurgery, psychic vampire (close range), sense link (taste only), suggestion, suspend life, telekinesis, teleport, teleport circle, temporal acceleration, temporal velocity, thrall, time hop, time regression, true domination, true healing, ubiquitous vision, and ultrablast.
Now, some of the powers above have been suggested to be essentially useless to an elder brain, as it would never use it or never be able to. Perhaps you have an argument to defend or reject some of the following opinions: Ubiquitous Vision (because of Remote Viewing), Know Location (because it is stationary), Levitate (because it floats in water), Metamorphosis, Body Equilibrium, Suspend Life, Astral Projection, Detect Thoughts, Psychic Chirurgery, Adapt Body, Catapsi, Psychic Vampire, and Teleport. I can imagine several scenarios in which some of these powers would be useful (mage casts fireball in the brine pool, elder brain uses Teleport to escape, Levitate to float, and if necessary Astral Projection to escape completely).
Stole this line from WotC’s version of Sardior, can we use this format somehow?:
Psionic Powers Known: Power points 343; base DC = d20 + key ability modifier + power level +8. Sardior knows all psionic powers.
ELDER BRAIN
Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 20d8+200 (290 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)
Speed: 0 ft
AC: 14 (-1 size, -5 Dex, +6 natural, +4 Inertial armor)
Attacks: None
Damage: None
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 10 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Psionics
Special Qualities: Create brain golem, detect living, telepathy, SR/PR 25
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +1, Will +22
Abilities: Str ---, Dex ---, Con 30, Int 24, Wis 27, Cha 28
Skills: Bluff +15, Concentration +16, Diplomacy +15, Gather Information +15, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (any five) +14, Search +13, Scry +14, Sense Motive +15
Feats: Body Fuel, Combat Manifesting, Disarm Mind, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Inertial Armor, Inner Strength, Iron Will, Mental Adversary, Power Penetration, Psychic Bastion, Talented
Climate/Terrain: Any underground
Organization: Solitary or community (5-30 mind flayers, 2-12 ulitharids, and 1-6 brain golems)
Challenge Rating: (undetermined - suggestions? 14 too low? 24 too high?)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 21-60 HD (Large)
An elder brain is a colossal monstrosity of brain matter that rules as well as serves the purposes of a mind flayer community. Most of its immeasurable mass is stored in an Astral node psionically maintained by the elder brain, leaving only a 10-foot diameter mass of this brain tissue on the material plane. What is left of this being is a fibrous mass of cognizant tissue that floats in the mineral pool at the center of an illithid community. This brain pulses and glows from the sheer power of the psychic energy flowing through it. The brain resides in a briny basin that is 30 feet wide and 30 feet deep, where it floats about 10 feet below the surface, surrounded by illithid tadpoles.
Elder brains serve as their community's repository of all knowledge and psionic power, being the result of generations of merged illithids. Every member of an illithid community has both a right and obligation to join with the elder brain after physical death, so that its mind may live on. Individual personalities and whims become one with the gestalt formed by the elder brain's consciousness, although illithids would like to think otherwise.
Elder brains are continually growing, though they never appear any larger than the 10-foot diameter brain in the community's brine pool. All excess mass gained from feeding off the psionic energy of tadpoles and illithid brains is shunted into the elder brain's Astral storage. Though the bulk of the elder brain's mass is stored on the Astral Plane, no Astral traveler has ever claimed to find an elder brain in part or in whole.
COMBAT
Elder brains are far from defenseless, but all the same they are useless in physical combat and prefer to allow illithids and servant creatures to fight for them. Elder brains can unleash the full arsenal of their psionic might on aggressors who threaten it, at twice the normal range. Anything capable of surviving this onslaught must deal with its defenders, and melee and ranged combat with the elder brain is inhibited by its submersion in the brine pool.
If the elder brain is aware that its massive psionic ability may be inadequate to stop intruders, it will grow brain golems in advance of combat. The elder brain needs sufficient warning for this, and this is a very rare occurrence. Despite all of these defenses, the elder brain has one last ditch ability if death is imminent. The elder brain can use astral projection to withdraw its mass entirely into the Astral Plane, permanently relinquishing its hold on the Material plane. Such rogue elder brains go on to an unknown fate, usually leaving their former community to quickly fall to pieces.
In addition to its psionics, the elder brain has a series of other innate mental powers. These mind powers all have a range of 2-5 miles, depending on the elder brain's age and size, and even work through solid rock.
Psionics (Sp): Elder brains can manifest psionic powers (except Psychometabolic powers) as 20th-level psions with primary discipline Telepathy.
Attack/Defense Modes (Sp): At will - ego whip, id insinuation, mind blast/all.
Innate Psionics (Sp): at will – remote viewing*. These abilities are as the powers manifested by a 20th-level psion.
Create Brain Golem (Su): An elder brain can grow brain golems by budding. These golems serve as avatars to the elder brain, extensions of its consciousness. The elder brain can grow up to three brain golems at a time, needing one full hour to create each one. During this time, its psionic resources are tapped out, and the elder brain cannot use its psionics for more than communication.
Detect Living (Su): An elder brain can sense all sentient beings within range, unless they are psionically shielded.
Telepathy (Su): An elder brain can communicate telepathically with any creature within range that has a language. The elder brain is in constant mental contact with all illithids in its community.
The elder brain first appeared in The Illithiad (1998).
* We’ll need maybe a dozen or so additional powers to give the elder brain, which it can use at any time. Pick out some of the ones you think will work best, preferably from the list below.
adapt body, astral projection, attraction, baleful teleport, banishment, biofeedback, body adjustment, body equilibrium, brain lock, catapsi, clairaudience/clairvoyance, control body, control light, create sound, demoralize, detect thoughts, dimensional anchor, domination, energy barrier, expanded vision, fabricate, false sensory input, greater concussion, inflict pain, know location, levitate, major creation, mass domination, matter rearrangement, metamorphosis, mind probe, mindwipe, probability travel, psychic chirurgery, psychic vampire (close range), sense link (taste only), suggestion, suspend life, telekinesis, teleport, teleport circle, temporal acceleration, temporal velocity, thrall, time hop, time regression, true domination, true healing, ubiquitous vision, and ultrablast.
Now, some of the powers above have been suggested to be essentially useless to an elder brain, as it would never use it or never be able to. Perhaps you have an argument to defend or reject some of the following opinions: Ubiquitous Vision (because of Remote Viewing), Know Location (because it is stationary), Levitate (because it floats in water), Metamorphosis, Body Equilibrium, Suspend Life, Astral Projection, Detect Thoughts, Psychic Chirurgery, Adapt Body, Catapsi, Psychic Vampire, and Teleport. I can imagine several scenarios in which some of these powers would be useful (mage casts fireball in the brine pool, elder brain uses Teleport to escape, Levitate to float, and if necessary Astral Projection to escape completely).
Stole this line from WotC’s version of Sardior, can we use this format somehow?:
Psionic Powers Known: Power points 343; base DC = d20 + key ability modifier + power level +8. Sardior knows all psionic powers.
But always nice to see the worl you do around here. I use it alot and can apprechiate it! So thanks m8!
