Cavern of Aberrant Horrors Suggestion Post

Sorry I am late to the proverbial party, and I apologize for the novel you're about to read. :-) 1. Overarching theme: The Elder Brain of this particular hive of mind flayers has discovered that this particular Lodge was built on the "corpse" of a dead god (vaguely organic-shaped chunk of astral rock). The Elder Brain wants to attain godhood by absorbing the remnants of divine energy still contained within the corpse. 2. The problem: There is a Trappers' Lodge sitting right smack on top of the best site to steal the god's essence. How did the Trappers know to build the Lodge *right there?* Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was Something Else. 2a. The Other Problem: This plan will require the Elder Brain to be exposed to harm for a long time (Githyanki. Githzerai. Adventurers. Lodge Members. Astral Dreadnaughts. Spelljammer ships. It's a big list!). This is unacceptable to the hive, so they will bring their biggest, weirdest, and deadliest servitors to protect the Elder Brain. 3. The party in question won't just be running around the interior of a floating piece of Astral debris. They are literally running around inside the body of a dead god, trying to stay a thought ahead of the mind flayers while wrecking the hive's plans. Perhaps the god is on some level aware of what is happening, and protecting them from mind flayer domination. Maybe if the party could get to the Lodge itself, they might find better weapons and armor that have absorbed tiny amounts of divine energy. Lower level parties could sabotage the psychic machinery the hive is using to direct all that divine energy to the Elder Brain, and fry it in its transport. Higher level parties might even take on the Elder Brain's guardians directly - but not the Elder Brain. It doesn't want to incinerate itself with divine energy by getting distracted. 4. The Models. For the Hive, this is all hands on deck. The theme for the mind flayers' equipment is Biomechanical, but not Giger-esque in appearance. There can be biomech exoskeletons of different sizes for the mind flayers to wear - their version of the war suits from Avatar, for example, but shaped like giant mind flayers. They could have exo-suits with giant psychic amplifiers on the shoulders for super-powered Mind Blasts. Scatter terrain can be weird-shaped conduits, psychic transmitters, transport pods for the thralls, and other Things that the party can't identify. The thralls are cheap, disposable meat shields. You can take it super creepy by using a random assortment of humans, dwarves, githyanki, dragonborn, etc. as mentally dominated slaves. Or choose one race and use them, like grimlocks or quaggoths. The thralls can have all sorts of implanted weapons, extra limbs, etc. Humanoid heads attached to biomechanical machines shaped like things that humanoids hate - squid, spiders, etc. If any of this sounds remotely interesting I'm happy to go into more detail. I think this is long enough already. :-P

Red Knows Rain

Anything with creatures being mixed and mashed with other creatures.

I'd really like to see just a bunch of really messed up guys, really steering into the idea that they've been messing around with biology in the attempt to find new, more perfect forms. I've actually just printed the Essence Reaper, and my players love that they've got no idea what it is. I also think the biotech angle might be fun, to play with the idea that the hivemind builds itself these bodies to fulfill particular tasks. What does psionic artillery look like? What about a psionic cleanup crew?

Josh Rodell

A cephalomorphed Ettin. A Nautilus styled skiff for Illithid leadership on a more local level. A Gauth, a Hive Mother, (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE "an Eye of the Deep" inspired by the art in The Book of Abberations, as well as a gouger. A Cthulhu Kraken variation (arms head torso and wings of Cthulhu and a tentacled bottom.) A pool for an Elder Brain, with smaller pools for tentacle attacks. A giant out of control Elder Brain like in BG3 with the brain stem. An Astral Dreadnought, a captive astral dreadnaught like from Critical Role Season 2. An Eye-steroid with a mouth to ruin spelljammerss. Abeholder that dreamed of Atropis, (basically a bloated corpse with an eye in the stomache and eyes held in the hands and frrt, and under the gut, a mouth). A beholderkin that looks as though it has been cephalomorphed. A cephalomorphed Allosaurus, a Cephalomorphed Durregar, a beholder-mimic or elder brain mimic. Pocket dimension inspired bases, "idiocy-devourers" to dispose of those not worthy of a death from an intellect devourer (maybe a smo0othe brain version of intellect devourers.) Just a few ideas feel free to use any or all of them please. Oh and maybe a pygmy octophant with wings (Elephant with 8 trunks).

Odroktophant

Cavern druid, maybe fungal flaired, maybe rock/crystalline?

W.L

Would love to see the mindflayer ettin from the new bigby book!

MvdS

Mind flair zookeeper, they have lots of illithid familiars around them. Fairy dragon, cat, pixie that have all undergone Ceremorphosis.

Darrian Talamantes

Weapons with pierced brains still hanging on them

Mind flayed cave bear with a burst open torso, rib cage used as giant sideways teeth and a big tentacle tongue. The bear would standing and roaring.

Mind flayer/flayed Remorhaz for the big model.

How about some of the aberant Illithid ceremorphs and illithid creations, such as Kezreth (a mobile tank formed from the head of a disgraced illithid), Mindwitness (a beholder ceremorph), Urophion (roper ceremorph), Mozgriken (svirfneblin gnome ceremorph), Mind Worm (illithid creation resemble smaller purple worms and used as assassins), Nyraala Golem. Tzakandi (lizardman ceremorph)

stephen sale

A T-rex with tentacles for teeth and toes, brain exposed, and scythe-like hooks for hands.

DireSquirrel

Tentacle rats, for the low-level adventurers, maybe a tentacle rat king? Definitely things without eyes. Armored slug creatures that have repurposed parts of the crashed spaceship.

I would love to see your take on an Aboleth as either a boss or ally to the mind flayers

michael janney