Voidmind Creature
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.
Creating A Voidmind Creature
"Voidmind" is an acquired template that can be added to any living aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or outsider (referred to hereafter as the base creature) of Tiny to Huge size.
A voidmind creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Armor Class: Natural armor bonus improves by 4 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).
Attacks: A voidmind creature gains a tentacle attack. At will, the creature can extrude a tentacle (resembling an oversized mind flayer tentacle) from the psionic slime in the creature's skull. This tentacle sprouts from the head of the voidmind creature and can attack with a reach 5 feet longer than the base creature's normal reach.
If the base creature can use weapons, the voidmind creature retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A voidmind creature fighting without weapons uses the primary natural attacks of the base creature, or the tentacle attack if the base creature doesn't have natural weapons. When it has a weapon, it usually uses the weapon instead.
Full Attack: A voidmind creature fighting without weapons uses the natural weapons of the base creature, its tentacle attack if the base creature doesn't have natural weapons. If armed with a weapon, it uses the weapon to make its full attack.
Damage: A voidmind creature gains a tentacle attack. Even if the base creature already has a tentacle attack, use the damage value on the table below for its new tentacle. In addition, a voidmind creature gains the improved grab ability with its tentacle (see Special Attacks, below).
| Size | Tentacle Damage |
| Tiny | 1d3 |
| Small | 1d4 |
| Medium | 1d6 |
| Large | 1d8 |
| Huge | 2d6 |
Special Attacks: A voidmind creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special abilities.
Cone of Slime (Su): Once per day as a standard action, a voidmind creature can expel the psionically charged slime in its head in a 30-foot cone. This attack deals 1d6 points of acid damage per Hit Die of the voidmind creature (maximum 20d6). A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 voidmind creature's racial Hit Dice + voidmind creature's Con modifier) halves the damage. In addition, any creature that takes damage from the spray takes a -2 penalty on its Will saves and is stunned for 1d4+1 rounds (Fortitude save negates the stun; save DC same as above). The psionic slime replenishes itself automatically in 24 hours. The save DCs are Constitution-based.
Constrict (Ex): A voidmind creature gains the ability to constrict its victim with a successful grapple check. When it constricts, one of its tentacles deals damage based on the creature's size (see the table below), plus its Strength bonus x 1-1/2.
| Size | Constrict Damage |
| Tiny | 1d3 |
| Small | 1d4 |
| Medium | 1d6 |
| Large | 1d8 |
| Huge | 2d6 |
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a voidmind creature must hit a creature of irs size category or smaller with its tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. A voidmind creature has a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks made with its tentacle. If the creature wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.
Sentient Tentacle (Ex): A voidmind creature's tentacle attacks of irs own accord. The creature can direct it to attack certain targets, but the psionic nature of the tentacle enables it to flex and move in combat without hindering the creature's other combat abilities. A voidmind grimlock that has successfully grappled a creature with its tentacle can attack another creature at no penalty, as long as that creature is within a distance equal to the tentacle's reach.
Special Qualities: A voidmind creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special abilities.
Damage Reduction (Ex): A voidmind creature has damage reduction 5/magic.
Immunities (Ex): A voidmind creature has immunity to acid and mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain.
Mind Flayer Host (Su): Three mind flayers form a bond with any voidmind creature they create. A different mind flayer cannot bond itself to a voidmind creature after creation. The creature's masters are instantly aware if the creature takes any damage, wanders out of range of their control, or is the target of any magic.
Also as a result of this bond, the masters can, as a standard action, see and hear through the eyes and ears of their bonded voidmind creature to a range of five miles. Maintaining this link requires a mind flayer to concentrate, but the mind flayer remains aware of its surroundings and can move normally.
Finally, any one of the three masters can take control of the voidmind creature, at will, as the dominate monster spell (no save). While controlling the voidmind creature in this fashion, a mind flayer can manifest its own innate psionic abilities through the voidmind creature, as though the creature were manifesting the ability itself. Any of the mind flayer's psionic powers used in this fashion can target or affect creatures within range, line of sight, and line of effect of the voidmind creature. So, for example, a mind flayer can use plane shift to send the voidmind creature to another plane, or it could send itself to another plane. Likewise, the mind flayer could use suggestion on a target it sees through the voidmind creature's eyes.
Spell Resistance (Ex): Voidmind creatures gain spell resistance equal to 10 + Hit Dice.
Abilities: Change from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +2, Cha -2 (minimum 1).
Skills: Voidmind creatures have a +4 racial bonus on Bluff, Escape Artist, and Intimidate checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Feats: A voidmind creature gains Alertness, Combat Reflexes, and Great Fortitude, if the base creature meets the prerequisites and doesn't already have these feats.
Organization: Solitary.
Challenge Rating: +1.
Treasure: Standard.
Alignment: Usually lawful evil (an enslaved voidmind creature has the alignment of its illithid masters, while a free-willed voidmind creature has the alignment of the base creature).
Level Adjustment: +3.