Tiny aberration, lawful evil
Armor Class 12
Armor Class (suggested) 14
Hit Points 21 (6d4 + 6)
Speed 40 ft.
Speed (suggested) 50 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2
Proficiency Bonus +3 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 12 (+1) | 11 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons
Damage Resistances (suggested) ligthning, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons
Damage Immunities (suggested) Fire (containment field psionic power always active)
Condition Immunities blinded
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 12
Languages understands Deep Speech but can ‘t speak, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Detect Sentience. The intellect devourer can sense the presence and location of any creature within 300 feet of it that has an Intelligence of 3 or higher, regardless of interposing barriers, unless the creature is protected by a mind blank spell.
Psionic Powers. The Intellect Devourer has 63 (6d12 + 24) PSPs and can use the following psionic powers, mental attacks and mental defenses:
- Mental Attacks: Ego Whip, Id Insinuation
- Mental Defenses: Intellect Fortress, Mind Blank, Thought Shield
- Psychometabolism – Science: Animal Affinity, Metamorphosis, Shadow Form Devotions: Body Equilibrium, Chamaleon Power, Ectoplasmic Form, Expansion, Reduction
- Psychoportation – Sciences: Probability Travel Devotion: Astral Projection
- Telepathy – Sciences: Mindlink, Probe Devotions: Aversion, Domination, ESP, Telempathic Projection
- Universal – Sciences: Contact, Intellect Fortress, Devotion: Ego Whip, Id Insinuation, Mind Blank, Thought Shield
Psionic Sense (suggested). The intellect devourer senses the presence of psionic creatures within a range of 60 feet.
ACTIONS
- Multiattack. The intellect devourer makes one attack with its claws and uses Devour Intellect.
Multiattack (suggested). The intellect devourer makes four attacks with its claws and uses Devour Intellect (split personality psionic power always active). - Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Claws (suggested). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage. - Devour Intellect. The intellect devourer targets one creature it can see within 10 feet of it that has a brain. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw against this magic or take 11 (2d10) psychic damage. Also on a failure, roll 3d6: If the total equals or exceeds the target’s Intelligence score, that score is reduced to 0. The target is stunned until it regains at least one point of Intelligence.
- Body Thief. The intellect devourer initiates an Intelligence contest with an incapacitated humanoid within 5 feet of it. If it wins the contest, the intellect devourer magically consumes the target’s brain, teleports into the target’s skull, and takes control of the target’s body. While inside a creature, the intellect devourer has total cover against attacks and other effects originating outside its host. The intellect devourer retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as its understanding of Deep Speech, its telepathy, and its traits. It otherwise adopts the target’s statistics. It knows everything the creature knew, including spells and languages. If the host body drops to 0 hit points, the intellect devourer must leave it. A protection from evil and good spell cast on the body drives the intellect devourer out. The intellect devourer is also forced out if the target regains its devoured brain by means of a wish. By spending 5 feet of its movement, the intellect devourer can voluntarily leave the body, teleporting to the nearest unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The body then dies, unless its brain is restored within 1 round.
5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.
It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it
DESCRIPTION
An intellect devourer is a terrifying creature that resembles a walking brain with four clawed legs. It is a servant of the mind flayers, a race of psionic aberrations that dwell in the Underdark and seek to enslave or consume all other intelligent beings. An intellect devourer feeds on the intelligence and memories of its victims, and can take over their bodies by teleporting into their skulls. It uses its puppet hosts to lure more prey into the mind flayers’ domain, or to spy on the surface world.
The term “intellect devourer” refers only to this creature’s adult form; its larva is an ustilagor. Both resemble a brain on four legs. The body of the intellect devourer has a crusty protective covering, and its legs are bestial, jointed, and clawed. The ustilagor’s body is soft and moist and usually covered with a gray fungus; it has a 3-foot-long tendril at the front, and its legs are spindly and coral-like. Though both forms are about brain-sized, the adult can use psionics to alter its size.
COMBAT
An intellect devourer is a cunning and stealthy predator that prefers to ambush its prey from the shadows. It can sense the presence and location of any creature within 300 feet of it that has an Intelligence of 3 or higher, regardless of interposing barriers, unless the creature is protected by a mind blank spell. It can also communicate telepathically with any creature that understands at least one language.
An intellect devourer attacks with its claws, but its most dangerous weapon is its ability to devour the intellect of a humanoid creature within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take psychic damage and have its Intelligence score reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. If this reduces the target’s Intelligence to 0, the target is stunned until it regains at least one point of Intelligence.
An intellect devourer can then try to take control of an incapacitated humanoid within 5 feet of it by initiating an Intelligence contest with the target. If it wins the contest, it consumes the target’s brain, teleports into its skull, and takes control of its body. The intellect devourer retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as its understanding of Deep Speech, its telepathy, and its traits. It otherwise adopts the target’s statistics. It knows everything the creature knew, including spells and languages.
If the host body is killed, the intellect devourer must leave it. A protection from evil spell cast on the body drives the intellect devourer out. The intellect devourer is also forced out if the target regains its devoured brain by means of a wish spell.
HABITAT / SOCIETY
Intellect devourers are created by mind flayers in a gruesome process that involves implanting illithid tadpoles into the brains of humanoid captives. The tadpoles then consume the host’s brain and merge with it, forming a new intellect devourer. Some intellect devourers are also former mind flayers that have been transformed by a ceremorphosis gone wrong.
Intellect devourers are loyal to the mind flayers and their elder brains, and serve as scouts, spies, infiltrators, and assassins. They often operate in small groups, using their telepathy to coordinate their attacks and share their victims’ secrets. They sometimes also work with other creatures that serve the mind flayers, such as quaggoths, grimlocks, and cloakers .
Intellect devourers can be found in any place where the mind flayers have a presence or an interest. They lurk in the dark and twisted tunnels of the Underdark, in ancient ruins and lost civilizations, and in hidden lairs and outposts on the surface world. They are especially drawn to places where they can find intelligent prey, such as cities, libraries, academies, and temples .
Intellect devourers dwell beneath the ground or in dismal wilderness areas. Their reproductive method is unknown. The intellect devourer rarely protects its young, and may even devour them. Ustilagor develop a symbiotic relationship with a bizarre fungus which feeds on residual thought emanations from the ustilagor’s victims.
ECOLOGY
Intellect devourers are aberrations that defy the natural order of life. They do not reproduce on their own, but are artificially created by the mind flayers. They do not eat or drink, but subsist on the mental energy of their victims. They do not age or die of natural causes, but can be killed by violence or magic.
Intellect devourers have few predators, as most creatures fear and avoid them. However, they may occasionally encounter enemies that seek to destroy them or their masters, such as githyanki, githzerai, dwarves, drow, or adventurers. Intellect devourers also have a natural rivalry with other psionic creatures, such as githzerai monks, duergar psions, or thri-kreen hunters .
Intellect devourers have a minimal impact on their environment, as they do not build or alter anything. They simply use their host bodies to blend in with their surroundings and accomplish their missions. However, they may indirectly cause great harm or chaos by spreading the influence and secrets of the mind flayers, or by manipulating or betraying their host’s allies and enemies .
Mind flayers raise intellect devourers, treating the ustilagor as culinary delights, and using adults as watch dogs. Both forms of the creature can be used as components in items and potions related to ESP and mind control.
Intellect Devourer is employed as material component to empower the following spells: