They often wore high, flaring collars, dark hats, and various other pieces of ornamentation. They were rarely seen without distinctively two-lobed boots, which concealed their webbed nature. Illithids were known to dress in flowing and dramatic robes and cloaks. Illithid feet were webbed and had only two toes, which were also nailed and could flex widely apart, as if to assist in swimming.
Though illithid nails seemed dangerous, they were actually blunt and composed of soft cartilage, and so had little hope of being effective weapons. The remaining fingers and opposable thumb were red to mauve in coloration, and their nails were thick and black. Illithid hands were long, slender, and lacked an index finger, but were otherwise similar to those of normal humanoid creatures. Their eyes, sheltered by brow ridges, were uniformly pale and devoid of pupils in addition to being bloated and featureless, similar to those of blind cave fish. Illithids did not possess exterior ears, rather hosting small, fleshy, ridged holes on both sides of their heads, nor did they have nostrils. The tentacles hung above and around their mouths and an oily slime constantly dripped out of their maws. In reality, an illithid's mouth was more like that of a lamprey, with a circular, jawless orifice ringed by several rows of small, rasping teeth. In many apocryphal descriptions and diagrams, mind flayers were portrayed as having beaked mouths, possibly owing to their octopus-like heads. They were also incredibly dexterous, powerful, and could be fully controlled by the mind flayer to perform both fine and strength-based tasks. They writhed and undulated almost constantly and absent-mindedly while the illithid pondered or otherwise was not using them, and flexed in anticipation when sentient beings drew close. The tentacles could range in length from 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.2 meters), appearing shorter when an illithid was at rest. Īn illithid's bulging, ridged, elongated head was reminiscent of an octopus, with a cluster of four flexible, unsegmented, extendable, purplish-black tentacles surrounding their mouths. Mind flayers that were healthy from brain-rich diets excreted a thin film of slimy, glistening mucus that kept in moisture and gave off a faint odor similar to onions, garlic, or even vanilla, although the smell was imperceptible from afar.
Their skin ranged from mauve to greenish-violet in color. An illithid's flesh, was soft, supple, moist, and rubbery, resulting in an unmistakable texture easily distinguishable from any other creature by anyone familiar with it. A mind flayer's body was, in fact, a gruesome mockery of the humanoid form. Fight them to loot treasures and weapons imbued with the arcane sorcery of the ancients.In terms of height, weight, and build, mind flayers were roughly comparable to thin humans, but it was at this point that any external comparison to humanoids ended. In the darkest reaches of this world you can discover the most malicious of evils. The creatures above ground are not the only challenge awaiting you. Build your courage and discover if you have it in you to take on this quest. Tame a horse to help you travel and loot faster. You will have to become one with the wilds to survive. Decide if your calling is to be a Frontier Warden, Arcanist, or Shadowmonger in this world Master the wild Build your reputation by completing faction quests and rise up the ranks of power. Meet Faction Ambassadors in your shelter and learn about their secrets. You must shelter yourself from its seductive magic and learn the secrets of a goddess that can help you fight its power. You are not immune to the darkness in your quest to survive.