Min/Max Boards

As much as mind flayers enjoy devouring the brains of lesser creatures, they remain interested in finding new ways to create minions. Many creatures are preserved in mind flayer cities and communities for research, or to serve as the basis for a new monstrous creation suitable as a servant for the illithids.

In ages past, mind flayers experimented to discover the proper method to create a new servitor race, consuming a great many creatures' brains in the process. Only when one illithid proposed leaving a portion of the brain intact - enough to preserve the motor functions of the body - was the first voidmind creature created. A voidmind creature hovers on death's door as a result of the process of its creation, drawing power from the psionic ritual used to infuse it with a semblance of life.

The creation of a voidmind creature requires the joint effort of three illithids, one of which must be the mind flayer that succeeded in attaching all four tentacles to the creature's skull. They begin by eating portions of the subject's brain until just the part is left that allows the creature to move. Into the near-empty skull, through the holes created by the tentacles, is poured a quantity of psionically charged, translucent green goo. When the voidmind creature's cranium is again full, the mind flayers fill the four holes in the skull with dabs of mucus that quickly solidify into loose-fitting plugs. At the end of the process, the creature is ready and willing to do the foul bidding of its masters.

A voidmind creature can think for itself. Although its brain is nearly gone, the psionic slime put in to replace the gray matter gives the creature the ability to function even better intellectually than it could before the transformation. The voidmind process also leaves a creature faster, stronger, tougher, and (most important to the mind flayers) unchanged in physical appearance. A voidmind creature looks in every way like the creature from which it was made, except for the four plugged holes in its head (which are evident upon close inspection, should the opportunity arise) that occasionally leak a small amount of the greenish fluid. A voidmind creature makes a near-perfect spy for the illithids, able to return to its home and its former life with little fear of detection while gathering information in preparation for the illithids' inevitable onslaught.

A voidmind creature is bound to its three mind flayer masters (see the mind flayer host special quality, below). However, some have won free of their masters. If all three of the illithids bonded to a voidmind creature are slain, the creature regains its free will, though it remains physically altered. In addition, a carefully worded wish or miracle spell can free a voidmind creature of its bond and even reverse the process, although the illithids bonded to the creature become aware of such an attempt and usually seek out their wayward servant for the purpose of recapturing it or killing it outright.

Extract (Ex): A mind flayer that begins its turn with all four tentacles attached and successfully maintains its hold automatically extracts the opponent's brain, instantly killing that creature.

An earth node was a geological anomaly usually beneath the surface of Faerûn.

An earth node was a collection or stream of magic that existed mostly in the Underdark. As a general rule, the bigger the affected area of a node was, the stronger was the magic that could be harnessed from it. About half of them were very weak areas whose strength was more less the same within the area, but the other half was made like an onion. They had layers of magical power that was stronger as more one went to the origin of the node and as closer one went there, as more magical power could be harnessed. There was no rhyme or reason to where they sprung up. It was entirely possible for an earth node to exist within solid rock for example.

Those creatures in tune with arcane magic could sometimes sense the presence of a node. The power field of nodes varied from approximately 30 feet (9 meters) to 1/2 mile (0.8 km.)

These power fields were invisible, but the area these fields existed in were often beautiful and/or bizarre sights. For example, giant geodes or a strangely regularly shaped cavern were forms such an area could take

Possess Noncontinuous Object (Su): At 5th level, a fiend of possession can use its possess object ability to take control of an "object" more loosely defined: a pool of water, a cloud of dust, or a section of wall or floor. At this level, a fiend of possession can also possess (and animate) Colossal objects.

Lesser; 3rd

You can assume any humanoid form, as the change shape special ability. You can remain in the form for up to 24 hours or until you take a standard a new form or return to your natural form.