Mind Flayer, Ulitharid

The statistics block below contains details for more than one type of ulitharid. Use the horizontal scrollbar below it to display the desired one or select from the links below that.

	Mind Flayer, Ulitharid ⬇️ Large Aberration	Mind Flayer, Psionic Ulitharid ⬇️ Large Aberration
Hit Dice:	12d8+36 (90 hp)	12d8+36 (90 hp)
Initiative:	+6	+6
Speed:	30 ft. (6 squares)	30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class:	20 (−1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural, +4 mage armor), touch 11, flat-footed 18	20 (−1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural, +4 mage armor), touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple:	+9/+16	+9/+16
Attack:	Long tentacle +11 melee (1d8+3)	Long tentacle +11 melee (1d8+3)
Full Attack:	2 long tentacles +11 melee (1d8+3) and 4 short tentacles +11 melee (1d8+3)	2 long tentacles +11 melee (1d8+3) and 4 short tentacles +11 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach:	10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with 2 long tentacles)	10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with 2 long tentacles)
Special Attacks:	Extract, improved grab, mind blast, psionics	Extract, improved grab, mind blast, psionic powers
Special Qualities:	Spell resistance 27, telepathy 200 ft.	Power resistance 27, telepathy 200 ft.
Saves:	Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +13	Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +13
Abilities:	Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 21, Wis 17, Cha 21	Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 21, Wis 17, Cha 21
Skills:	Bluff +15, Concentration +18 (+22 casting defensively), Diplomacy +14, Disguise +5 (+7 acting in character), Hide +8, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (any) +15, Knowledge (any) +15, Listen +8, Move Silently +12, Sense Motive +8, Spot +18	Autohypnosis +13, Bluff +15, Concentration +18 (+22 manifesting defensively), Diplomacy +14, Disguise +5 (+7 acting in character), Hide +8, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (psionics) +15, Listen +8, Move Silently +12, Sense Motive +8, Spot +18
Feats:	Combat Casting, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack, Iron Will, Spell Penetration	Combat Manifestation, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack, Iron Will, Power Penetration
Environment:	Underground	Underground
Organization:	Solitary or court (1 ulitharid, 3–5 mind flayers, and 6–10 grimlocks)	Solitary or court (1 ulitharid, 3–5 mind flayers, and 6–10 grimlocks)
Challenge Rating:	12	12
Treasure:	Double standard	Double standard
Alignment:	Usually lawful evil	Usually lawful evil
Advancement:	By character class ♊	By character class ♊
Level Adjustment:	+9	+9

Mind Flayer, Ulitharid ⬆️

Sinister and regal, this towering humanoid-shaped being stands almost 9 feet tall. Its flesh is rubbery and mauve in color, glistening with slime. It wears ornate robes that sweep the ground. Its head is octopoidal in form, with four short tentacles and two much longer ones where its mouth should be. Its eyes are blank orbs of silver-white.

An ulitharid is in all ways a bigger, stronger, nastier mind flayer. It towers over other illithids, and in addition to the normal four tentacles of its race, it has two much longer tentacles that are nearly the length of its body. It is also smarter, worse-tempered, and much more dangerous than its smaller kin. Fortunately, ulitharids are also quite rare.

An ulitharid is the result of unknown forces playing on a mind flayer tadpole at a very early age. Even the mind flayers themselves cannot identify ulitharid tadpoles until after they are implanted into the skull of a victim. Their potential becomes apparent only after ceremorphosis has progressed far enough to show that the creature possesses six tentacles. Fewer than one in a hundred illithid tadpoles become ulitharids.

Ulitharids are treated almost as minor deities within those communities lucky enough to claim one as a resident. They occupy a position just below the elder brains in the illithid social hierarchy. Their egos expand to match their stature; they look down upon normal mind flayers in much the same way that mind flayers look down on urophions.

Combat

An ulitharid is a tremendously dangerous foe in combat, because its potent mental attacks are backed up by 10-foot reach and a grapple ability refl ective of the creature’s large size. An ulitharid can protect itself with psionic mage armor (reflected in the statistics above), and it normally maintains this power at all times.

Extract (Ex): An ulitharid that begins its turn with at least 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.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an ulitharid must hit a Small, Medium, or Large creature with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a 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. An ulitharid can grab a Huge or larger creature only if it can somehow reach the foe’s head.

If an ulitharid begins its turn with at least one tentacle attached, it can try to 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 ulitharid 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 ulitharid 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 21 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Mind Flayer, Psionic Ulitharid ⬆️

If you are using the Expanded Psionics Handbook in your game, use this variant of the ulitharid. Its powers are the much the same as the standard ulitharid, but it does not have that ulitharid’s psionic spell-like abilities or spells. Instead, it has psionic powers.

Psionic Powers: A psionic ulitharid manifests powers as a psion (telepath) of 13th level. The save DCs are Intelligence-based.