Monster: Illithocyte

Monster: Illithocyte

The illithocyte is an ooze-like aberration that springs up from evolved illithid tadpoles. What causes them to not become larval flayers or neothelids is unclear.

Monster: Oortling

Monster: Oortling

The oortlings were quite a sophisticated race that built ice palaces on comets in space. In the old times, they were found by the illithids and turned into fodder thanks to their oversized, delicious brains. Now, the "free" oortlings are pathetic, degenerate creatures that hides from everyone on the comets, and the captive ones are just cattle for the mind flayers. Not very suitable as combatants and as PCs (they tend to have many cowardice-related mental disadvantages).

Monster: Brainstealer Dragon

Monster: Brainstealer Dragon

The brainstealer dragons combine the powerful body of a dragon and the powerful mind of an illithid. They cannot be controlled even by the elder brains, so they typically act independently from the mind flayer colonies. They lack breath weapon and spell-like abilities, their wings are too weak to serve as weapons, but they possess an array of psionic abilities.

Monsters: Illithidae

Monsters: Illithidae

From left to right: kigrid, embrac, saltor

The illithidae are to the mind flayers are what the animals are to the humans. They came to this world along with the illithids and tend to live close to the illithid colonies.

Monster: Elder Brain

Monster: Elder Brain

The elder brain is a telepathic powerhouse that rules a particular mind flayer colony (unless it is ruled by a paragon mind flayer or a brainstealer dragon). They have almost all the telepathic powers from GURPS Psionic Powers. This post assumes that psi and anti-psi powers can be taken together.

Monster: Brain Golem

Monster: Brain Golem

The brain golem is a peculiar construct budded from the mind flayer elder brain. Despite being a mindless automaton, it can use some psionic abilities.

Monster: Tzakandi (Half-Illithid Lizardfolk)

Monster: Tzakandi (Half-Illithid Lizardfolk)

Fiend Folio presents the half-illithid template that can be applied to non-human humanoids. Technically, that's just the abilities of a normal mind flayer slapped onto another creature. In GURPS terms, it makes no sense making it a separate lens - just apply the mind flayer racial template to another racial template. The book uses the lizardfolk as an example, but there are several different kinds of ceremorphs in other supplements.

Monster: Cranium Rat Swarm

Monster: Cranium Rat Swarm

Cranium rats are rats with exposed brains and a hive mind, used as spies by the illithids. They grow smarter and more psionically powerful near other such swarms. These were tricky to build.

Monster: Mind Flayer Vampire

Monster: Mind Flayer Vampire

The mind flayer vampire is a special kind of undead that is unlike the normal vampires. It is feral and requires both fresh blood and brains to survive.

Monster: Ulitharid

Monster: Ulitharid

Ulitharids are bigger, stronger, smarter, and more ill-tempered illithids. Thankfully, they are quite rare too. Also, they have two additional long tentacles.

Monster: Alhoon (Illithilich)

Monster: Alhoon (Illithilich)

The alhoon, also known as the illithilich, is a vile combination of a mind flayer and a lich. A threat both in terms of magic and psionics. Reviled by the normal mind flayers. I don't think there's a point in making it a lens if it can only be applied to a single type of creature.

Lens/Monster: Paragon Creature/Paragon Mind Flayer

Lens/Monster: Paragon Creature/Paragon Mind Flayer

Let's get back to some monster conversions. I've been asked to do some mind flayer-related monster, so let's start with the simple one. "Paragon creature" is a simple number bloat template from Epic Level Handbook. In the book, they list the paragon mind flayer as an example, said to either lead mind flayer cities or be hunted by the others for its valuable, but dangerous brain. This creates an interesting dynamic with the elder brains.