| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Starshade |
Posted - 29 Nov 2016 : 20:31:15
Can "wild" or abnormal mind flayers like Neothelids and the odd Illithid varieties as Uchuulon or Mozgriken reproduce? Or is that only know from the pure mind flayers? |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 03 Dec 2016 : 15:02:07
im kinda tempted to go with a jellyfish reproductive cycle for tadpoles but the illithids are a mutant endpoint to the cycle and prevent the natural reproduction by consuming the larval form (tadpoles) or implanting them which interrupts their morphosis and results in a sterile form. |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 03 Dec 2016 : 14:44:10
quote:
Originally posted by Starshade
Can "wild" or abnormal mind flayers like Neothelids and the odd Illithid varieties as Uchuulon or Mozgriken reproduce? Or is that only know from the pure mind flayers?
Neothenic forms - in the way usual for their species, adjusted for anatomy and behaviour.
Probably just randomly dump eggs and sperm in "suitable" places (stagnant water) when they are ready (and the timing may greatly differ from the norm for implanted illithids), and move on. If another Neothelid did so at the same pond, there will be some cross-fertilization, and if not, never mind. Since they usually are rare and there's no culling, inbreeding will provide every genetic anomaly an opportunity to express and spread.
Some of the larva will successfully hatch and survive. If they meet a potential host, they can instinctively implant and produce a ceremorph - or a dead ceremorph, if this was an improper host, e,g. a dwarf, or another tadpole happened to enter the host's other ear. And if they don't implant, grow into another Neothelid.
As to variant ceremorphs - a host either grows reproductive system "properly", or not. Of course, even if yes hosts with metabolism wildly different from the usual may have different frequency of reproductive activity, or still fail to produce viable eggs, sperm or both. |
| Quale |
Posted - 03 Dec 2016 : 07:27:32
that's left as a mystery, on Golarion they are at war with the intellect devourers, and serve Cthulhu mythos' Outer gods
it's possible that the elder brains are created in a process similar to the brain in a jar monster, only the alchemical liquid used is different, it needs the grey ooze Ilsensine uses to create the eaters of knowledge
or through a ceremorphosis of a neh-thalggu, or some other hive mind creature |
| Markustay |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 21:43:57
quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
Elder brains, I think, are made from the brains of dead ulitharids (killed, not dying from natural causes), and it then grows by absorbing the brains of other dead illithids placed into its brine tank.
And then there's the fact that Iouluam became an Elder Brain, which makes you wonder...
quote:
Originally posted by Quale
in Pathfinder, neothelids spawn creatures called the seugathi
How do they have Neothelids, without having Illithids?  |
| hashimashadoo |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 20:53:54
Elder brains, I think, are made from the brains of dead ulitharids (killed, not dying from natural causes), and it then grows by absorbing the brains of other dead illithids placed into its brine tank. |
| Quale |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 18:00:35
in Pathfinder, neothelids spawn creatures called the seugathi |
| Starshade |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 17:49:42
Illithids are stated to be sterile, as in no longer having human/mammalian genitalia. I *assume* by the few pieces of lore I have seen, Mind flayers reproduce by parthenogenesis by depositing the offspring of the individual Illithids into the pool.
The Elder brains is, I think according to the 3.5 Monster Manual, made of the brains of the dead Illithids. I think the original sources should be some AD&D books, the illithad (reproduction) or in the Spelljammer or 2. ed Lords of Madness somewhere. To bad I don't have any of those..
I think the ecology of the *origin* of the species would decide if deviants would reproduce, or turn out sterile freaks.
Or spew out demented CR2 goblin flayers with face tentacles, who was my original though, with some monster flayerish thing as "brain" behind them :D
I just wondered if its some canonical lore I could use :)
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| Markustay |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 17:19:02
I have some great homebrew lore about 'Octopus heads' that I created to submit to Paizo. It basically recreates the Illithids without stepping on the D&D IP (and I also did enough research into similar creatures to prove TSR didn't own the concept). Then I got involved in Ravenlore Press and decided to use it there, and then that fell apart and I decided to use it in my own setting & rules (which will probably never actually see the light of day).
So now I don't know what to do with it all, but I know I can't share it because then it will become worthless if the opportunity does arise to use it (*cough* TEGG *cough*). And its weird, because I don't like aberrations, I'm not really a fan of Cthulhu literature, and I've never used Mind Flayers, nor intend to. I just had this wacky (horrifying, actually... even mores so than the D&D version, IMO) idea for them, and it all took off from there.
It also links all the similar aberrations together, not just those offshoots that are normally associated with them (like the Neothelid this thread is about). Its a kind of, 'lets go all the way back to the beginning' thing (which dazzlerdal's comment above reminded me of). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 16:34:05
i cant quite remember all the details of the illithid reproduction cycle but one big question is how are elder brains made.
if elder brains produce the little tadpoles and tadpoles make the illithids what starts the cycle.
if the answer is budding from and existing elder brain i suspect we do not have the wholr story. all organisms reproduce sexually (even bacteria contrary to the textbooks, they just dont do it that often). if elder brains were only produced by budding they would all be clones |
| Hoondatha |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 16:28:17
All illithids are sterile (and genderless). They only reproduce by implanting tadpoles created by the elder brain into host bodies. So no, neothelids and the illithid-created races (ie: mozgriken) would be able to reproduce. |
| hashimashadoo |
Posted - 02 Dec 2016 : 00:14:27
Not even illithids know if neothelids can reproduce. No idea about the other two. |
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