Telekinesis requires concentration and is mainly useful for three things: delivering an opponent into the melee reach of a powerful enthralled brute, shoving heavy objects around to cut off opponents’ movement, and yoinking powerful magic items (including weapons) out of others’ hands.Scrying requires concentration and takes too much time to cast in combat, but since the ulitharid lacks Sense Thoughts, this is a good way to spy on creatures that it’s sensed a couple of miles out.During a combat encounter, it’s 67 percent worse than mirror image. Project image requires concentration and is excellent for leading enemies on wild goose chases to keep them from getting anywhere near the ulitharid’s real location.“This is normal, move on, nothing to see here” is a good go-to, as is, “The real enemy is in that other room-you should go there and deal with it first” (where the “real enemy” is, say, a death tyrant). Mass suggestion, although its range is only 60 feet, is mainly useful for preventing a fight before it starts-or for manipulating opponents into placing themselves at a disadvantage-than it is within the combat encounter itself, since any damage to a target breaks the enchantment on them.Other spellcasters may be more vulnerable to the Int save, and feeblemind shuts down spellcasting regardless of which spellcasting ability a character uses. Wizards, unfortunately, will have pumped up their Intelligence and therefore will be most likely to make their saving throws. Feeblemind doesn’t require concentration, but it’s mainly useful against spellcasters, particularly non-wizards.The general rule is, put a tough melee fighter to sleep, sicken a ranged attacker or skirmisher, panic a spellcaster. Eyebite requires concentration and affects only a single enemy.But two is a fairly typical number of front-line melee fighters to face off against, and unless one is a paladin, they’re more likely to have dumped Wisdom than the spellcasters are. Confusion requires concentration, and its area of effect is not large-its radius is only 10 feet, meaning it can only be reasonable expected to affect two opponents.So let’s focus on the ulitharid’s extra psionic “spells” and how it can use them, keeping in mind that it can use each one only once per day, and also that a spell requiring concentration can’t be cast at the same time as levitate or dominate monster: This confluence of criteria isn’t going to occur often-but when it does, the target becomes the elder brain’s eyes and ears and is vulnerable to its Sense Thoughts feature. Since Psychic Link targets only incapacitated creatures, the most likely cause of incapacitation is Mind Blast, and Mind Blast has a range of only 60 feet, Creature Sense adds value only when you have three things: an elder brain, an ulitharid at another location within 5 miles of the elder brain, and a target stunned by a mind flayer at a third location within 2 miles of the ulitharid but farther than 5 miles from the elder brain. However, in conjunction with Psionic Hub, it turns an ulitharid into a repeater for an elder brain’s Psychic Link feature, extending its range by a couple of miles.

They’re the muscle, not the face.Ĭreature Sense, by itself, is little more than prophylaxis against being surprised. As part of their mind-control schemes, mind flayers may try to tempt victims with rewards, either real or imaginary ulitharids aren’t about that. The one thing an ulitharid lacks that an ordinary mind flayer possesses is proficiency in Deception and Persuasion. However, since its Constitution is higher than its Dexterity, it’s more willing than the average mind flayer to charge forward in order to make use of these psionic powers. In fact, their Psionic Hub trait assumes and requires a connection with an elder brain, so without a mind flayer colony built around one, there’s not much reason to write an ulitharid into your adventure.Īn ulitharid’s Strength and Constitution are significantly higher than those of a normal mind flayer, but these are still outweighed by its extraordinary mental abilities, which predispose it toward spellcasting and Mind Blast rather than melee attacks. They work in conjunction with elder brains to extend the influence of mind flayer colonies over a greater distance. Ulitharids are elite, extra-large mind flayers with better ability scores, a couple of additional traits, several extra psionic “spells,” telepathy that extends to a range of 2 miles, and moar tentacles.

Dnd mind flayer beholder