by Angry Golem Games

How to deal with a mindwitness in Dungeons and Dragons

The mindwitness is a psionic monster created by the evil mind flayers, who infect the beholders with their brain larvae. The result is a nightmare of eyes and tentacles that combines the abilities of both species. A mindwitness can use eye rays, anti-magic fields, mental blasts and telepathy to attack and manipulate its enemies. It can also extract the brain of its victims with its lamprey tentacles.

In this article, I will give you some useful information and tips on how to deal with these monsters in combat, whether you meet them as opponents or as allies. I will tell you about their statistics, their special abilities, their attacks and their tactics. I hope this information will help you to better understand how a mindwitness behaves and to make your adventures more exciting and fun.

The statistics of the mindwitness

A mindwitness has the following numerical statistics:

• Armor class: 15 (natural armor)
• Hit points: 75 (10d10 + 20)
• Speed: fly 20 ft.
• Strength: 10 (+0)
• Dexterity: 14 (+2)
• Constitution: 14 (+2)
• Intelligence: 15 (+2)
• Wisdom: 15 (+2)
• Charisma: 10 (+0)
• Saving throws: Intelligence +5, Wisdom +5
• Skills: Perception +8
• Condition immunities: prone
• Senses: darkvision 120 ft.
• Languages: Deep Speech, Undercommon, telepathy 600 ft.
• Challenge rating: 5 (1,800 XP)

These statistics reflect the physical and mental resilience of the mindwitness, its ability to fly and to see in the dark, its high intelligence and wisdom, its proficiency in perception and its difficulty as an opponent.

The special abilities of the mindwitness

A mindwitness has the following special abilities:

• Anti-magic field. The mindwitness creates an anti-magic cone of 150 feet from its central pupil, which cancels any magical effect or spell within its range. The mindwitness can use this ability to protect itself from enemy magic or to interfere with allied magic, depending on the instructions received.
• Telepathic hub. The mindwitness can communicate telepathically with any creature within 600 feet that has a language, and can allow other creatures within the same distance to communicate telepathically with each other through the mindwitness. The mindwitness can use this ability to coordinate the actions of the colony or to manipulate the minds of others, depending on the instructions received.

These special abilities make the mindwitness a very versatile and dangerous creature, able to cancel or exploit magic and to communicate or control minds.

The attacks of the mindwitness

A mindwitness has the following attacks:

• Eye rays. The mindwitness has four random eye rays each round, including the paralyzing ray, the petrifying ray, the telekinetic ray and the fear ray. These rays have a range of 120 feet and require a saving throw or an attack roll depending on the type of ray.
  • Paralyzing ray. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC 13 or be paralyzed for one minute.
  • Petrifying ray. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw DC 13 or take 55 (10d10) force damage; if the target survives, it must repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn or be petrified.
  • Telekinetic ray. The mindwitness makes a ranged attack roll (+5) against the target; if it hits, it deals 27 (5d10) force damage and moves the target 30 feet in any direction.
  • Fear ray. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw DC 13 or be frightened for one minute.
• Mental blast (1/Day). The mindwitness emits a psychic blast of 60 feet, which requires an Intelligence saving throw DC 13 or stuns the target for one minute. The mindwitness can use this attack only if it has all its tentacles intact.
• Bite. Range 5 ft., one target. Attack roll: +5, damage: 16 (3d10 + 0) piercing damage.
• Tentacles. Range 5 ft., one target. Attack roll: +5, damage: 10 (2d10 + 0) piercing damage and the target is grappled (DC 13 to escape). If the target is grappled, the mindwitness can use its bite as a bonus action against it.

These attacks allow the mindwitness to deal damage or to create negative effects on the enemies, such as paralysis, petrification, fear or forced movement. The mindwitness can also stun the enemies with its mental blast or extract the brain of its victims with its lamprey tentacles.

The tactics of the mindwitness

The combat tactics of the mindwitness depend on several factors, such as the number and type of allies or enemies present, the terrain and the surrounding environment, the objectives and instructions received by the mind flayers, and the conditions and resources available. However, some general guidelines can be identified that the mindwitness follows in most cases:

• The mindwitness tries to maintain a safe distance from the enemies and to take advantage of its ability to fly and to use the eye rays. It tries to position itself so that it can hit as many enemies as possible with its eye rays, avoiding hitting allies or entering the anti-magic field. It also tries to use the terrain to its advantage, hiding behind obstacles or in shadowy areas, or flying over cliffs or ditches.
• The mindwitness uses its eye rays to deal damage or to create negative effects on the enemies, such as paralysis, petrification, fear or forced movement. It tries to choose the most suitable targets depending on the type of ray: for example, it uses the paralyzing ray against enemies with a low constitution, such as wizards or bards; it uses the petrifying ray against enemies with a low dexterity, such as fighters or paladins; it uses the telekinetic ray against enemies that are close to obstacles or environmental hazards, such as thorns or fire; it uses the fear ray against enemies with a low wisdom, such as rogues or barbarians.
• The mindwitness uses its mental blast to stun the strongest or closest enemies and then try to escape or call for reinforcements. This attack has a limited range (60 feet) and can be used only once a day, so the mindwitness saves it for the most critical situations. It tries to hit as many enemies as possible with this attack, preferring those with a low intelligence, such as animals or monsters. If it succeeds in stunning some enemies, it tries to get away from them or to communicate telepathically with allies for help.
• The mindwitness uses its physical attacks only if forced into close combat, and tries to extract the brain of its victims with its lamprey tentacles. These attacks are less effective than the eye rays and the mental blast, so the mindwitness avoids them if possible. If it has to face some enemies in melee, it tries to grab them with its tentacles and then bite them with its bite. If it manages to kill a victim in this way, it tries to take it away with itself to feed on its brain or to offer it to its masters.

These are some of the combat tactics that a mindwitness follows in most cases. However, a Dungeon Master can modify or adapt these tactics depending on the specific circumstances of his adventure. A mindwitness can be a formidable opponent or an unexpected ally, depending on the will of the mind flayers who control it.

How to defeat a mindwitness

So how can you defeat a mindwitness? Here are some tips:

• Use magic to deal light or fire damage, or to cancel its psionic abilities. Spells like dispel magic, protection from evil and good or daylight can be very useful against a mindwitness.
• Exploit its low Dexterity to hit it with ranged attacks or with spells that require Dexterity saving throws. Throwing weapons, arrows or darts can be effective if you don’t have access to magic.
• Take advantage of its poor perception to surprise it or hide from it. Use your Stealth or Nature skills to find a good place to hide or to create traps.
• Try to resist its eye rays and its mental blast. Use your best saving throws or try to have bonuses or advantages. If you have a paladin or a cleric in your group, ask them to use their abilities to protect you or heal you.
• Try to interrupt its telepathic connection with the illithids. Use magic or other means to create interference or destroy its telepathic hub. If you manage to isolate the mindwitness, you might have a chance to convince it to change master or leave you alone.

I hope these tips have been useful for you to deal with the mindwitnesses in Dungeons and Dragons

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Adventure modules where you can meet a mindwitness

A mindwitness is a terrifying creature that results from a mind flayer infecting a beholder with a brain larva. It combines the psionic powers of the mind flayer with the eye rays of the beholder, making it a formidable opponent or an unexpected ally. If you are looking for some adventure modules where you can encounter a mindwitness, here are some suggestions:

• Out of the Abyss: A campaign for DnD 5e that takes the players to the Underdark, where they have to escape from the madness of the demon lords and their minions. The mindwitness appears in chapter 9 of this adventure, as part of a mind flayer colony that has captured a beholder and turned it into a mindwitness. The players can encounter the mindwitness either as an enemy or as an ally, depending on their actions and choices.
• Descent into the Depths of the Earth: An adventure module for AD&D 1e coded D1–2. It was written by Gary Gygax, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Shrine of the Kuo-Toa. This adventure is part of a larger campaign that begins with the Against the Giants series and concludes with Queen of the Demonweb Pits. The adventure takes the players to the Underdark, where they have to pursue the drow priestess Eclavdra and stop her plans. The mindwitness appears in D1 Descent into the Depths of the Earth, as part of a grand cavern that contains various creatures and dangers. The players can fight or avoid the mindwitness, depending on their strategy and luck.