Mind Flayer Alhoon (CR 18)

Medium Undead (Augmented Aberration)
Alignment: Lawful evil
Initiative: +10 (+6 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: darkvision 60 ft., Listen +29, and Spot +29
Languages: telepathy 100 ft.


AC: 29 (+6 Dex, +5 natural, +4 mage armor, +4 deflection), touch 20, flat-footed 23
Hit Dice: 20d12 (130 hp); DR: 15/bludgeoning and magic
Fort +10, Ref +16, Will +23
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +12; Grapple +12
Attack: Tentacle +19 melee; or touch +18 melee touch; or spell +18 ranged touch
Full Attack: tentacle +19 melee and 3 tentacles +19 melee; or touch +18 melee touch; or spell +18 ranged touch
Damage: tentacle 1d4 plus 1d8+5 negative energy, or tentacles 1d4, touch 1d8+5 negative energy plus paralysis
Special Attacks/Actions: Extract, fear aura, improved grab, mind blast, negative energy touch, paralyzing touch, psionics
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 22, Con -, Int 22, Wis 21, Cha 26
Special Qualities: immunity to cold, immunity to electricity, immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities, immunity to polymorph, SR 37, turn resistance +4, undead traits (Mind Flayer Lich 12th-Level Sorcerer)
Feats: Alertness; Combat Casting; Craft Wondrous Item; Improved Initiative; Spell Penetration; Weapon Finesse; Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Skills: Bluff +16, Concentration +28 (+32 casting defensively), Craft (alchemy) +17, Diplomacy +20, Disguise +8 (+10 acting in character), Hide +22, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (arcana) +26, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +18, Knowledge *the planes) +14, Listen +29, Move Silently +22, Search +20, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +20, Spot +29, and Survival +5 (+7 other planes)
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: Standard plus possessions (see below)

Source: Lords of Madness

Alhoons, or illithiliches as they are sometimes known, still seek our brains, even though they no longer need them for sustenance.

Extract (Ex): An alhoon that begins its turn with all four tentacles attached and that makes a successful grapple check automatically extracts the opponent's brain, instantly killing that creature. This power is useless against constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, and undead. It is not instantly fatal to foes with multiple heads.

Fear Aura (Su): Like all liches, an alhoon is surrounded by a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of fewer than 5 Hit Dice in a 60-foot radius that look at an alhoon must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 12th). The save DC is Charisma-based. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same alhoon's aura for 24 hours.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an alhoon must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and attaches the tentacle to the opponent's head. If an alhoon begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can attach its remaining tentacles with a single grapple check. The opponent can escape with a single successful grapple check or an Escape Artist check, but the alhoon gets a +2 circumstance bonus on the check for every tentacle that was attached at the beginning of the opponent's turn.

Mind Blast (Sp): An alhoon can discharge a devastating psionic attack in the form of a cone 60 feet long. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Negative Energy Touch (Su): An alhoon has a melee touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save (DC 28) halves the damage. An alhoon can use this in place of its tentacle attacks (in which case the negative energy touch is a melee touch attack), or instead make a normal tentacle attack and add the negative energy damage (in which case it is a melee attack, nor a melee touch attack).

A creature struck by the negative energy touch when used as a melee touch attack is also subject to an alhoon's paralyzing touch (see below).

Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature hit by an alhoon's touch attack must succeed on a DC 28 Fortitude save or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim (see the bestow curse spell. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by an alhoon seems dead, though a DC 20 Spot check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Psionics (Sp): At will - charm monster (DC 22), detect thoughts (DC 20), levitate, plane shift, suggestion (DC 21). Effective caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Skills: Like other liches, alhoons have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks.

Typical Sorcerer Spells Known: (6/8/8/8/8/6/4 per day; caster level 12th): 0 - arcane mark, daze (DC 18), detect magic, disrupt undead (+18 ranged touch), flare (DC 18), ghost sound (DC 18), light, message, read magic; 1st - chill touch (+18 melee touch; DC 19), mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (+18 ranged touch), shocking grasp (+18 melee touch); 2nd - command undead (DC 20), minor image (DC 20), resist energy, see invisibility, touch of idiocy (+18 melee touch); 3rd - fly, haste, lightning bolt (DC 21), non detection; 4th - dimension door, Evard's black tentacles, greater invisibility; 5th - cone of cold (DC 23), teleport; 6th - globe of invulnerability.

Possessions: gloves of Dexterity +4, ring of / +4, ring of evasion, cloak of resistance +4, wand of scorching ray, green ioun stone, lavender ioun stone.

An alhoon is a horrendously formidable foe. It uses spells such as greater invisibility, stoneskin, resist energy, mage armor, haste, and see invisibility to protect itself and improve its odds in battle.

An alhoon's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of over-coming damage reduction.

Augmented Subtype

A creature receives this subtype whenever something happens to change its original type. Some creatures (those with an inherited template) are born with this subtype; others acquire it when they take on an acquired template. The augmented subtype is always paired with the creature's original type. For example, a wizard's raven familiar is a magical beast (augmented animal). A creature with the augmented subtype usually has the traits of its current type, but the features of its original type. For example, a wizard's raven familiar has an animal's features and the traits of a magical beast.