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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 20:57:31
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A friend recently asked me "Do mind-flayer tentacles even have suction cups?"
In order to answer his question I looked through various source-books (mostly the various edition Monster/Monstrous Manuals) and Underdark seemed to provide the most information. On page 77 there are descriptions of the various types of Illithid Graft a character may acquire. Of pertinence were the descriptions of the Grabbing Tentacle and the Extracting Tentacle. The grabbing tentacle was described as "a long, flexible tentacle coated with suckerlike spots" whereas the extracting tentacle was described as having the ability "to pierce flesh and bone as though they were butter." However, it was not clear from any of the books that I looked at what type of tentacle the illithid actually has.
Any information or oppinion on this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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Gellion
Learned Scribe
140 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 23:06:02
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Hmm, I really do not know. All I know is that pickled Mind Flayer tentacles sound really good. Fried Mind Flayer brain sounds pretty good too. |
"Paladine, you see the evil that surrounds me! You have been witness to the calamities that have been the scourge of Krynn... You must see now that this doctrine of balance will not work! I can sweep evil from this land. Destroy the ogre races. Bring the wayward humans into line! Find new homelands far away for the dwarves and the kender and the gnomes, those races not of your creation... I demand that you give me, too, the power to drive away the shadows of evil that darken the land!"- THE REIGN OF ISTAR, Tales IV |
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Dracandos the Spellsage
Senior Scribe
466 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 23:52:31
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| to my knowledge they do not have suction cups on their tentacles, however i could be wrong. welcome to the halls of knowledge |
Death strips away the masks men don to hide their true nature - The Slayer's Guide to Undead
The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passage - So Sayeth the Wise Alaundo
Whenever magic one doth weave, 'tis never ever wise to deceive - Elminster
Strength and power come from knowing and controlling what others do not, but never reveal all that you know - Vecna
I have been known to cast a blue mage spell now and again - Dracandos the Spellsage |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 15:59:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
A friend recently asked me "Do mind-flayer tentacles even have suction cups?"
No.
According to The Illithiad, the tentacles of a mind-flayer are primarily for brain extraction and to read their special qualith (engraved writing readable by touch). The presence of a thin duct that connects to a gland near the base of the tentacle, and runs down its entire length to the tip, is the only internal aspect to the biology of an illithid's tentacle cluster. Nowhere is there a mention of "suction cups". Even the anatomical diagrams, and cutaways of the internal make-up of an illithid does not illustrate any basis for the notion that these tentacles have suction cups.
The fault I believe, lies in assuming that the standard illithid tentacle cluster is like that of an octopus. It is not. The primary functions of the tentacles have been mentioned above.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 16:14:13
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quote:
Nowhere is there a mention of "suction cups".
Thank you for your answer.
I suspected that the main function of the illithid's tentacles was for feeding and not manipulation as, in the Monster Manual, it says that when all four of a mind-flayer's tentacles are attached the victim's brain is extracted. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
Edited by - Kiaransalyn on 18 Nov 2004 16:15:42 |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5696 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 16:16:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
quote:
Nowhere is there a mention of "suction cups".
Thank you for your answer.
I suspected that the main function of the illithid's tentacles was for feeding and not manipulation as, in the Monster Manual, it says that when all four of a mind-flayer's tentacles are attached the victim's brain is extracted.
You mention The Illithiad could you provide me with a little more information about that tome? (Obviously I'm going to perform a web-search on that title as soon as I may.)
Well met
If I may...
The Illithiad is a wonderful tome of old and was part of the old AD&D Monstrous Arcana series, along with The Sea Devils (detailing Sahuaghin) and I, Tyrant (detailing Beholders). Each tome (of 128 pages, I believe), was then followed up with a trilogy of adventures  |
Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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Dracandos the Spellsage
Senior Scribe
466 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 16:37:44
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
A friend recently asked me "Do mind-flayer tentacles even have suction cups?"
No.
According to The Illithiad, the tentacles of a mind-flayer are primarily for brain extraction and to read their special qualith (engraved writing readable by touch). The presence of a thin duct that connects to a gland near the base of the tentacle, and runs down its entire length to the tip, is the only internal aspect to the biology of an illithid's tentacle cluster. Nowhere is there a mention of "suction cups". Even the anatomical diagrams, and cutaways of the internal make-up of an illithid does not illustrate any basis for the notion that these tentacles have suction cups.
The fault I believe, lies in assuming that the standard illithid tentacle cluster is like that of an octopus. It is not. The primary functions of the tentacles have been mentioned above.
leave it to The Sage...any info on the existance of those fireseeds in the realms my friend, or any lore on the Untherian cast making? |
Death strips away the masks men don to hide their true nature - The Slayer's Guide to Undead
The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos shall be sown from their passage - So Sayeth the Wise Alaundo
Whenever magic one doth weave, 'tis never ever wise to deceive - Elminster
Strength and power come from knowing and controlling what others do not, but never reveal all that you know - Vecna
I have been known to cast a blue mage spell now and again - Dracandos the Spellsage |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 29 Nov 2004 : 15:19:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Dracandos the Spellsage
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Kiaransalyn
A friend recently asked me "Do mind-flayer tentacles even have suction cups?"
No.
According to The Illithiad, the tentacles of a mind-flayer are primarily for brain extraction and to read their special qualith (engraved writing readable by touch). The presence of a thin duct that connects to a gland near the base of the tentacle, and runs down its entire length to the tip, is the only internal aspect to the biology of an illithid's tentacle cluster. Nowhere is there a mention of "suction cups". Even the anatomical diagrams, and cutaways of the internal make-up of an illithid does not illustrate any basis for the notion that these tentacles have suction cups.
The fault I believe, lies in assuming that the standard illithid tentacle cluster is like that of an octopus. It is not. The primary functions of the tentacles have been mentioned above.
leave it to The Sage...any info on the existance of those fireseeds in the realms my friend, or any lore on the Untherian cast making?
Yes. I've been meaning to get that information out to you, Dracandos. I have been increasingly occupied over the past few days with a little thing called "real-life"... You have heard of it, yes...?  . Anyways, I'm slowly working my way through my internet backlog. I'll get that information sent off to you in a few days.
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Mind-flayer Tentacles.
