Elder Brain 5e: An In-Depth Guide
Elder Brain 5e: An In-Depth Guide to the Mind Flayer's Ultimate Authority
The Elder Brain is a massive, brain-like entity that controls an entire colony of mind flayers. In this article, we will explore the creature's ecology, lore, combat tactics, and encounter ideas. Whether you're a player or game master, understanding the Elder Brain will add a unique and thrilling element to your game.
Table of Contents
Ecology of the Elder Brain
The Elder Brain represents the peak of the mind flayer life cycle. Legend tells of a particular mind flayer colony in the Underdark, where the Elder Brain was so ancient that it remembered the dawn of its kind. Whispers among the denizens of the deep suggested that this brain had consumed thousands, each memory adding to its immense knowledge and wisdom.
Its physical presence is hard to miss - a vast, bulbous brain, reaching diameters of up to 15 feet. Immersed in a shimmering pool of cerebral spinal fluid, this pool not only provides it defense but regenerates its organs, ensuring its long life. The pool's silvery fluid is said to sometimes reflect visions of distant worlds and arcane secrets.
Lore of the Elder Brain 5e
Mind flayers don't just revere the Elder Brain; their existence is intertwined with it. The Elder Brain dictates the actions of its colony, each pulse and thought wave emanating from it influencing their decisions. In a certain way, the Elder Brain serves as the philosophical compass for the colony. It instills in them the belief in their own superiority, the desire for expansion, and the relentless hunt for knowledge.
It's been observed that when an Elder Brain dreams of conquest, the mind flayers become more aggressive, raiding nearby settlements with renewed fervor. Similarly, if the Elder Brain's thoughts dwell on arcane rituals, the colony may embark on gathering rare components or seek forbidden lore.
Combat Tactics
If you're looking for a challenging and memorable boss fight for your D&D 5e campaign, you might want to consider an elder brain. An elder brain is the final stage of a mind flayer's life cycle, a massive brain that floats in a briny pool and commands a colony of mind flayers with its psionic powers. An elder brain can also cast spells as a powerful sorcerer, making it a versatile and dangerous foe.
Here are some tips on how to use an elder brain's combat tactics effectively:
- An elder brain can overhear any telepathic conversation within 5 miles of it, so it can anticipate and prepare for any intruders in its lair. It can also communicate with its mind flayer minions and direct them to ambush or distract the adventurers.
- An elder brain's main offensive weapon is its mind blast, which can stun every creature in a 60-foot cone. It will use this action whenever it recharges, targeting as many enemies as possible. It will also try to avoid hitting its own minions, unless they are expendable or rebellious.
- An elder brain can also use its dominate monster ability once per day to take control of one of the adventurers, preferably a spellcaster or a healer. It will use this thrall to disrupt the party's tactics, sow confusion and inflict damage. It will also try to protect its thrall from harm, since losing concentration would end the domination.
- An elder brain can cast detect thoughts and levitate at will, and plane shift once per day. It can use detect thoughts to probe the adventurers' minds for secrets, weaknesses or valuable information. It can use levitate to lift itself or one of its enemies out of reach. It can use plane shift to escape if the fight goes badly, taking one of its minions or thralls with it.
- An elder brain's tentacle attack can grapple and stun a Huge or smaller creature, and it can have up to four targets grappled at a time. It will use this attack to finish off any stunned enemies with its extract brain action, which instantly kills the target and allows the elder brain to consume its brain. This is how an elder brain feeds and grows more powerful, so it will try to do this as often as possible.
- An elder brain is not very mobile, but it doesn't need to be. It will stay in its pool, where it is most comfortable and protected. It will rely on its spells and psionics to deal with ranged threats, and on its minions to block melee attackers. If the pool is threatened, it will use its lair actions to create obstacles, such as walls of force or psychic feedback.
An elder brain is a formidable opponent that requires careful planning and teamwork to defeat. Adventurers who face an elder brain should be prepared for a mind-bending battle that will test their wits, wills and weapons.
The Elder Brain stands out as a unique boss fight in the D&D 5e universe, with its psionic capabilities and the hive-minded control it has over its underlings. When orchestrating such an encounter, it's crucial to make players realize that they're not just dealing with the physical entity before them, but with the combined mental prowess and resources of an entire mind flayer colony.
Further tips to elevate the challenge:
- Environmental Hazards: The Elder Brain's lair can be filled with psionically-charged areas that inflict psychic damage or even impart temporary madness to those who tread carelessly. These areas can shift, making the battleground dynamic and unpredictable.
- Mental Illusions: The Elder Brain can create illusions to deceive the adventurers, making them fight against imaginary foes or perceive allies as threats.
- Summon Reinforcements: Throughout the battle, the Elder Brain could summon additional mind flayers or other psychic underlings, like intellect devourers, to aid it. This constant influx of enemies can wear down the party and divert attention from the Elder Brain.
- Psychic Feedback: When taking significant damage, the Elder Brain could release a burst of psychic energy, potentially knocking adventurers unconscious or pushing them away.
- Strategic Positioning: While the Elder Brain itself might not be highly mobile, the pool it resides in can be vast. There might be deeper sections where it can submerge itself, providing cover or allowing it to ambush adventurers when they least expect it.
- Emotional Manipulation: The Elder Brain could exploit the personal fears, desires, and memories of the adventurers, sowing discord within the party. A character might suddenly confront illusions of their lost loved ones or be tempted with promises of power and riches.
For players, the Elder Brain encounter isn't just a test of combat prowess; it's a test of mental fortitude, teamwork, and strategy. To truly defeat it, they'll need to outthink it, stay united despite its attempts to divide and conquer, and leverage their strengths against its weaknesses.
Encounter Ideas
- Researcher's Dilemma: Hired to obtain the Elder Brain's cerebral fluid, players soon find that the liquid constantly shifts, revealing nightmarish visions that can mentally scar unprepared minds. Not just facing the colony's wrath, they also grapple with the haunting reflections of the fluid.
- Ceremonial Chaos: The mind flayers' attempt to merge with the Elder Brain is a grand ritual involving chants, sacrifices, and a surge of psychic energy. Players must not just halt the ceremony but deal with spatial warps, temporal shifts, and psychic echoes during the encounter.
- Rebellion and Subversion: Joining the rebels against a tyrant allied with the Elder Brain introduces players to espionage. Sabotaging mind flayer patrols, planting misinformation, and ultimately confronting the tyrant and the Elder Brain in a climactic showdown.
- Waking Nightmare: The ancient city holding the imprisoned Elder Brain is laden with old magics. As the creature stirs, reality distorts. Players encounter past and future versions of themselves, rooms that loop infinitely, and must solve cryptic puzzles to reinforce the prison or defeat the waking brain.
Conclusion: Master the Ultimate Authority of the Mind Flayers
The Elder Brain is a fascinating and formidable creature that presents a unique challenge to players and game masters alike. By understanding its ecology, lore, combat tactics, and encounter ideas, you can create exciting and engaging gameplay that will keep your players on the edge of their seats. So why not incorporate the Elder Brain into your game and see what kind of epic adventures you can create?
With the proper preparation and strategy, the Elder Brain can be defeated, and its power can be harnessed for good. But beware, the Elder Brain is not to be taken lightly, and it will do everything in its power to defend itself and the mind flayer colony. Whether you're a player or game master, the Elder Brain 5e offers a thrilling and unforgettable gaming experience.
Statistics
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Size | Large |
| Type | Aberration |
| Alignment | Lawful Evil |
| Armor Class | 10 |
| Hit Points | 210 (20d10+100) |
| Speed | 5ft., swim 10ft. |
| STR | 15 (+2) |
| DEX | 10 (0) |
| CON | 20 (+5) |
| INT | 21 (+5) |
| WIS | 19 (+4) |
| CHA | 24 (+7) |
| Senses | Blindsight 120ft. |
| Saving Throws | Int +10, Wis +9, Cha +12 |
| Skills | Arcana +10, Deception +12, Insight +14, Intimidation +12, Persuasion +12 |
| Languages | Understands Common, Deep Speech, and Undercommon but can't speak; telepathy 5 miles |
| Challenge | 14 (11,500 XP) |
| Creature Sense | The elder brain is aware of the presence of creatures within 5 miles of it that have an Intelligence score of 4 or higher. |
| Innate Spellcasting (Psionics) | Can innately cast detect thoughts and levitate at will, and dominate monster and plane shift (self only) 1/day each |
| Legendary Resistance | 3/day. If the elder brain fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. |
| Magic Resistance | The elder brain has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. |
| Telepathic Hub | The elder brain can use its telepathy to initiate and maintain telepathic conversations with up |
| Tentacle | Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d8+2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Huge or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and takes 9 (1d8+5) psychic damage at the start of each of its turns until the grapple ends. The elder brain can have up to four targets grappled at a time. |
| Mind Blast (Recharge 5-6) | The elder brain magically emits psychic energy. Creatures of the elder brain’s choice within 60 feet of it must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 32 (5d10+5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. |
| Psychic Link | The elder brain targets one incapacitated creature it can perceive with its Creature Sense trait and establishes a psychic link with that creature. |
| Sense Thoughts | The elder brain targets a creature with which it has a psychic link. The elder brain gains insight into the target’s reasoning, its emotional state, and thoughts that loom large in its mind. |
| Legendary Actions | The elder brain can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. It can take only one legendary action at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. |
| Tentacle | The elder brain makes a tentacle attack. |
| Break Concentration | The elder brain targets a creature within 120 feet of it with which it has a psychic link. |
| Psychic Pulse | The elder brain targets a creature within 120 feet of it with which it has a psychic link. Enemies of the elder brain within 10 feet of that creature take 10 (3d6) psychic damage. |
| Sever Psychic Link | The elder brain targets a creature within 120 feet of it with which it has a psychic link. The elder brain ends the link, causing the creature to have disadvantage on all ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws until the end of the creature’s next turn. |
References and Further Reading
An expansive treatise on monsters, including details about the mind flayers and potentially the ideas for the Elder Brain.
Expands on the cosmic conflicts and offers additional details on creatures like the mind flayers.
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
Updated monsters, more art and lore, and revised race options
Websites:
- D&D Beyond: A digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons. Contains a vast amount of information, including monster profiles.
- Sage Advice: An official D&D website that addresses questions and clarifications on the game mechanics and lore.
Community and Forum Discussions:
- Reddit's r/DnD: Numerous discussions around strategies, lore, and personal experiences with mind flayers and Elder Brains.
- Giant in the Playground Forums: Active community that often discusses D&D monsters and encounters.
