by Angry Golem Games

How to build challenging encounters with an Ulitharid

You are an ulitharid, a rare and powerful mind flayer that has evolved beyond your kin. You have a larger brain, a longer tentacle beard, and a superior intellect. You are a master of psionics, able to manipulate the minds of others, create illusions, and unleash devastating blasts of psychic energy. You are a leader, a visionary, and a conqueror. You have a grand plan to achieve godhood and reshape the world in your image.

But you are not alone. You have enemies, rivals, and obstacles that stand in your way. You have to deal with adventurers, other mind flayers, aberrations, and even gods. How do you overcome them? How do you use your abilities and resources to create challenging and rewarding encounters for yourself and your players? How do you make your mark as an ulitharid in the world of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition?

In this article, I will share with you some tips and tricks on how to play an ulitharid effectively and creatively. I will cover topics such as:

How to use your psionic traits and spells to your advantage
How to build your lair and your thralls
How to design combat scenarios that showcase your strengths and challenge your foes
How to roleplay an ulitharid and develop your personality and goals
How to incorporate the lore and history of the mind flayers into your story

By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how to be an ulitharid, and how to make your encounters memorable and fun for everyone involved. Let’s begin!

Unleash Your Psionic Power: How to Use Your Ulitharid Abilities

As an ulitharid, you have a range of psionic abilities that make you a formidable opponent. You can use these abilities to manipulate, control, or destroy your enemies, as well as to achieve your goals and plans. In this section, I will explain how to use your ulitharid abilities effectively and creatively.

Mind Blast

Your mind blast is your signature attack, and you should use it whenever you can. It is a 60-foot cone of psychic energy that stuns and damages creatures in the area. It can affect multiple enemies at once, and leave them vulnerable to your other abilities. You can also use it to break concentration spells, disrupt communication, and create openings for your allies.

To use your mind blast effectively, you should position yourself in a way that maximizes the number of enemies you can hit with it. You should also target enemies that have low Intelligence scores, as they are more likely to fail the saving throw against your mind blast. You should avoid hitting your allies or thralls with your mind blast, unless you have a good reason to do so.

You can also use your mind blast creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can use your mind blast to:

Cause chaos and confusion among your enemies, making them easier to manipulate or control.
Distract or divert attention from something else that is happening, such as an ambush or a trap.
Signal or communicate with your allies or thralls, using a code or a pattern that only they understand.
Test or probe the abilities and weaknesses of your enemies, such as their Intelligence scores or their magic resistance.

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics)

You can cast several spells using your psionic power, without needing any components. These include detect thoughts, levitate, dominate monster, plane shift (self only), and more. You can use these spells to probe, control, or escape from your enemies. You can also use them to manipulate the environment, such as levitating objects or creating portals.

To use your innate spellcasting effectively, you should choose the right spell for the right situation. You should also consider the spell’s duration, range, and saving throw when casting it. You should avoid wasting your spells on trivial or unnecessary things, as you have a limited number of times you can cast them per day.

You can also use your innate spellcasting creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can use your innate spellcasting to:

Read or alter the thoughts of your enemies, making them reveal secrets or do what you want.
Lift or move objects or creatures with your mind, such as throwing an enemy off a cliff or pulling a lever.
Dominate or befriend a powerful creature, such as a dragon or a giant.
Travel to another plane of existence, such as the Astral Plane or the Far Realm.
Create illusions or projections of yourself or others, such as to deceive or intimidate your enemies.

Extract Brain

You can use your tentacles to grapple a creature that is incapacitated or stunned by your mind blast. If you start your turn with a creature grappled in this way, you can kill it instantly and consume its brain. This is your ultimate move, and you should use it to finish off important or powerful enemies. You can also use it to intimidate or demoralize your foes, or to gain information from their memories.

To use your extract brain effectively, you should target creatures that have valuable brains, such as spellcasters, leaders, or rare species. You should also make sure that the creature is incapacitated or stunned by your mind blast before attempting to extract its brain. You should avoid exposing yourself to danger while grappling a creature with your tentacles, as you might become vulnerable to attacks from other enemies.

You can also use your extract brain creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can use your extract brain to:

Collect brains for later use, such as for creating thralls or feeding an elder brain.
Learn new information or skills from the memories of the creature whose brain you consumed.
Create trophies or souvenirs from the brains of your enemies, such as wearing them as jewelry or displaying them in jars.
Bargain or trade with other creatures using brains as currency or goods.

Magic Resistance

You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. This makes you resistant to many forms of attack, especially from spellcasters. You can use this trait to shrug off harmful effects, such as charm, fear, or paralysis. You can also use it to challenge or mock your enemies, showing them how futile their magic is against you.

To use your magic resistance effectively, you should be aware of the types of spells and effects that your enemies can use against you. You should also know the saving throw modifiers and spell save DCs of your enemies, so you can estimate your chances of succeeding on a saving throw. You should avoid relying too much on your magic resistance, as it is not a guarantee of success, and you might still fail a saving throw or be affected by a spell that does not allow a saving throw.

You can also use your magic resistance creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can use your magic resistance to:

Pretend to be affected by a spell or effect, such as to lure your enemies into a trap or a false sense of security.
Resist or break free from a spell or effect that is beneficial to you, such as to surprise or confuse your enemies.
Taunt or provoke your enemies into using more spells or effects on you, such as to waste their resources or expose their weaknesses.
Boast or brag about your magic resistance, such as to impress or intimidate your allies or thralls.

These are some of the ways you can use your ulitharid abilities as an ulitharid. Of course, you can also combine them in creative ways, depending on the situation and your goals. The key is to be smart, cunning, and ruthless. Use your psionic power to dominate the battlefield, and show no mercy to your enemies.

Pursue Your Grand Plan: How to Motivate Your Ulitharid

As an ulitharid, you have a grand plan that drives your actions and goals. You are not content with being a mere mind flayer, or even a leader of a colony. You aspire to achieve godhood, and to reshape the world in your image. You have a vision of a perfect world, where you are the supreme ruler, and all other creatures are your thralls or your food.

But how do you achieve your grand plan? How do you overcome the challenges and obstacles that stand in your way? How do you deal with the enemies and rivals that oppose you? How do you inspire and manipulate your allies and thralls to serve you? In this section, I will explain how to motivate your ulitharid, and how to make your grand plan a reality.

Define Your Grand Plan

Your grand plan is the ultimate goal of your ulitharid. It is what gives meaning and purpose to your existence. It is what makes you different from other mind flayers, who are content with their status quo. It is what makes you a visionary, a revolutionary, and a potential god.

To define your grand plan, you should ask yourself some questions, such as:

What is your vision of a perfect world?
What are the steps or stages to achieve your vision?
What are the resources or tools that you need to achieve your vision?
What are the risks or threats that might prevent you from achieving your vision?
What are the benefits or rewards that you expect from achieving your vision?

You can use these questions to create a detailed and coherent grand plan for your ulitharid. You can also use them to measure your progress and success along the way. You can also use them to communicate your grand plan to others, such as your allies or thralls, or to keep it secret from others, such as your enemies or rivals.

Pursue Your Grand Plan

Your grand plan is not just a dream or a fantasy. It is a realistic and achievable goal that you can pursue with determination and dedication. You have the intelligence, the power, and the ambition to make it happen. You just need to take action and make it happen.

To pursue your grand plan, you should follow some guidelines, such as:

Be proactive and decisive. Don’t wait for opportunities or events to happen. Create them yourself. Take initiative and make choices that advance your grand plan.
Be flexible and adaptable. Don’t be rigid or dogmatic about your grand plan. Be willing to change or modify it according to the circumstances or feedback. Be open to new ideas or possibilities that might improve or enhance your grand plan.
Be smart and cunning. Don’t be naive or foolish about your grand plan. Be aware of the challenges and obstacles that you might face. Be prepared to overcome them with strategy and tactics. Be ready to exploit the weaknesses or mistakes of your enemies or rivals.
Be ruthless and relentless. Don’t be merciful or compassionate about your grand plan. Be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, even if it means harming or killing others. Be relentless in pursuing it, even if it means sacrificing yourself or others.

You can use these guidelines to pursue your grand plan with efficiency and effectiveness. You can also use them to motivate yourself and others to pursue your grand plan with passion and enthusiasm.

Achieve Your Grand Plan

Your grand plan is not just a goal or an objective. It is a destiny and a legacy that you can achieve with excellence and glory. You have the potential and the opportunity to achieve it with brilliance and splendor. You just need to make it happen and make it last.

To achieve your grand plan, you should follow some guidelines, such as:

Be confident and proud. Don’t doubt or fear about your grand plan. Believe in yourself and in your abilities. Celebrate your achievements and successes along the way.
Be creative and innovative. Don’t settle or conform about your grand plan. Seek new ways and methods to achieve it better or faster. Experiment with new technologies or magics that might help or enhance your grand plan.
Be inspiring and influential. Don’t isolate or alienate yourself about your grand plan. Share it with others who might support or join you. Inspire them with your vision and charisma. Influence them with your psionics and spells.
Be transcendent and immortal. Don’t limit or restrict yourself about your grand plan. Seek ways to transcend your physical and mental boundaries. Seek ways to become immortal in body and spirit.

You can use these guidelines to achieve your grand plan with excellence and glory. You can also use them to make your grand plan a reality and a legacy that will last forever.

These are some of the ways you can motivate your ulitharid, and how to make your grand plan a reality. Of course, you can also customize your grand plan according to your preferences and personality. The key is to be ambitious, visionary, and godlike. Pursue your grand plan with determination and dedication, and achieve it with excellence and glory.

Dominate the Battlefield: How to Use Your Ulitharid Combat Tactics

As an ulitharid, you are a master of psionics, able to manipulate the minds of others, create illusions, and unleash devastating blasts of psychic energy. You are also a leader, a visionary, and a conqueror, with a grand plan to achieve godhood and reshape the world in your image. You have enemies, rivals, and obstacles that stand in your way, and you have to deal with them using your combat tactics.

In this section, I will explain how to use your ulitharid combat tactics effectively and creatively. I will cover topics such as:

How to choose your targets and allies
How to position yourself and your thralls
How to use your psionic traits and spells in combat
How to adapt to different situations and environments

By the end of this section, you will have a better understanding of how to be an ulitharid in combat, and how to make your encounters challenging and rewarding for yourself and your players.

Choose Your Targets and Allies

Your first step in combat is to choose your targets and allies. You have a range of psionic abilities that can affect multiple enemies or allies at once, such as your mind blast, your innate spellcasting, or your dominate monster spell. You also have a limited number of times you can use these abilities per day, so you have to use them wisely.

To choose your targets and allies effectively, you should consider some factors, such as:

The intelligence score of the creature. You should target creatures that have low intelligence scores with your mind blast or your dominate monster spell, as they are more likely to fail the saving throw against them. You should avoid targeting creatures that have high intelligence scores with these abilities, as they are more likely to resist them or even turn them against you.
The role of the creature in combat. You should target creatures that have important or influential roles in combat, such as leaders, spellcasters, healers, or controllers. You should avoid targeting creatures that have minor or irrelevant roles in combat, such as minions, fodder, or distractions.
The relationship of the creature with you or others. You should target creatures that have hostile or antagonistic relationships with you or others, such as enemies, rivals, or competitors. You should avoid targeting creatures that have friendly or cooperative relationships with you or others, such as allies, thralls, or potential recruits.

You can also choose your targets and allies creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can choose your targets and allies to:

Cause chaos and confusion among your enemies or allies, making them easier to manipulate or control.
Create alliances or rivalries among your enemies or allies, making them more loyal or hostile to you or others.
Gain information or resources from your enemies or allies, making them reveal secrets or offer services to you or others.

Position Yourself and Your Thralls

Your second step in combat is to position yourself and your thralls. You have a range of psionic abilities that can affect different areas of effect, such as cones, spheres, lines, or points. You also have a range of movement options that can help you move around the battlefield, such as levitate, plane shift (self only), or telekinesis.

To position yourself and your thralls effectively, you should consider some factors, such as:

The area of effect of your psionic abilities. You should position yourself and your thralls in a way that maximizes the number of enemies you can hit with your psionic abilities. You should also position yourself and your thralls in a way that minimizes the number of allies you might hit with your psionic abilities.
The range of movement of yourself and your thralls. You should position yourself and your thralls in a way that allows you to move around the battlefield easily and quickly. You should also position yourself and your thralls in a way that prevents your enemies from moving around the battlefield easily and quickly.
The safety of yourself and your thralls. You should position yourself and your thralls in a way that protects you from harm or danger. You should also position yourself and your thralls in a way that exposes your enemies to harm or danger.

You can also position yourself and your thralls creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can position yourself and your thralls to:

Create distractions or diversions for your enemies or allies, making them focus on something else than what is happening.
Set up traps or ambushes for your enemies or allies, making them fall into unexpected situations.
Take advantage of the environment or terrain, making use of cover, obstacles, or hazards.

Use Your Psionic Traits and Spells in Combat

Your third step in combat is to use your psionic traits and spells in combat. You have a range of psionic traits and spells that can help you in different ways, such as damaging, controlling, or escaping from your enemies. You also have a limited number of times you can use these abilities per day, so you have to use them wisely.

To use your psionic traits and spells in combat effectively, you should consider some factors, such as:

The duration, range, and saving throw of your psionic traits and spells. You should use your psionic traits and spells that have longer durations, longer ranges, or lower saving throws when you have more time, space, or advantage. You should use your psionic traits and spells that have shorter durations, shorter ranges, or higher saving throws when you have less time, space, or advantage.
The concentration requirement of your psionic traits and spells. You should use your psionic traits and spells that require concentration when you have fewer distractions, threats, or damage sources. You should avoid using your psionic traits and spells that require concentration when you have more distractions, threats, or damage sources.
The resource consumption of your psionic traits and spells. You should use your psionic traits and spells that consume more resources when you have more resources available, or when the situation is more urgent or important. You should avoid using your psionic traits and spells that consume more resources when you have less resources available, or when the situation is less urgent or important.

You can also use your psionic traits and spells in combat creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can use your psionic traits and spells to:

Enhance or combine your other psionic traits and spells, making them more powerful or versatile.
Counter or negate your enemies’ abilities or effects, making them less powerful or versatile.
Mimic or copy your enemies’ abilities or effects, making them more surprised or confused.

Adapt to Different Situations and Environments

Your fourth step in combat is to adapt to different situations and environments. You have a range of psionic abilities that can help you deal with different challenges or opportunities that might arise during combat. You also have a high intelligence and wisdom that can help you analyze and solve problems that might arise during combat.

To adapt to different situations and environments effectively, you should consider some factors, such as:

The type of encounter. You should adapt your tactics according to the type of encounter you are facing, such as social, exploration, or combat. You should also adapt your tactics according to the subtype of encounter you are facing, such as negotiation, stealth, or chase.
The difficulty of the encounter. You should adapt your tactics according to the difficulty of the encounter you are facing, such as easy, medium, hard, or deadly. You should also adapt your tactics according to the level of risk or reward involved in the encounter.
The goal of the encounter. You should adapt your tactics according to the goal of the encounter you are facing, such as information gathering, resource acquisition, enemy elimination, or ally recruitment. You should also adapt your tactics according to the alignment of the goal with your grand plan.

You can also adapt to different situations and environments creatively, depending on the situation and your goals. For example, you can adapt to different situations and environments to:

Create new situations or environments for yourself or others, making them more favorable or unfavorable.
Change existing situations or environments for yourself or others, making them more interesting or challenging.
Exploit existing situations or environments for yourself or others, making them more beneficial or detrimental.

These are some of the ways you can use your ulitharid combat tactics as an ulitharid. Of course, you can also customize your combat tactics according to your preferences and personality. The key is to be smart, cunning, and ruthless. Use your psionics to dominate the battlefield, and show no mercy to your enemies.

Conclusion: How to Be an Ulitharid

In this article, I have shared with you some tips and tricks on how to play an ulitharid effectively and creatively. I have covered topics such as:

How to use your psionic traits and spells to your advantage
How to build your lair and your thralls
How to design combat scenarios that showcase your strengths and challenge your foes
How to roleplay an ulitharid and develop your personality and goals
How to incorporate the lore and history of the mind flayers into your story
How to motivate your ulitharid and pursue your grand plan

By following these guidelines, you will be able to create a memorable and fun ulitharid character or villain for your D&D 5e game. You will also be able to make your encounters challenging and rewarding for yourself and your players.

An ulitharid is a rare and powerful mind flayer that has evolved beyond its kin. It is a master of psionics, a leader, a visionary, and a potential god. It has a grand plan to achieve godhood and reshape the world in its image. It is not content with being a mere mind flayer, or even a leader of a colony. It is ambitious, visionary, and godlike.

An ulitharid is not just a monster. It is a character, a story, and a legacy.