Editing Illithid (section)

== Publication history ==
Mind flayers were created by [[Gary Gygax]], who said that one of his inspirations for them was the cover painting of the [[Titus Crow]] book ''The Burrowers Beneath'' by [[Brian Lumley]].<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showpost.php?s=2747b9e3683e019185853480151270ce&p=1991676&postcount=126
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080512130715/http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showpost.php?s=2747b9e3683e019185853480151270ce&p=1991676&postcount=126
| archive-date = 2008-05-12
| title = Gary Gygax Q&A: part VII
| access-date = 2007-02-27
| date = 2005-02-01
| last = Gygax (posting as "Col_Pladoh")
| first = Gary
| author-link = Gary Gygax
}} "The mind flayer I made up out of whole cloth using my imagination, but inspired by the cover of Brian Lumley's novel in paperback edition, The Burrowers Beneath"</ref><ref name="CBR-who">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-who-are-illithids/|title=The Mind Flayers: Who Are Dungeons & Dragons' Illithids?|date=March 11, 2020|website=CBR}}</ref> [[Tim Kirk]]'s cover art on the book, then in its first printing, depicted only the tentacles of the titular burrowers, the Chthonians.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Publication: The Burrowers Beneath|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?246681|access-date=2021-05-27|website=www.isfdb.org}}</ref>

=== ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1976) ===
Mind flayers first appeared in the official newsletter of [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], ''The Strategic Review'' #1, Spring 1975, in the section named "Creature Features".<ref>{{cite book|last=Applecline|first=Shannon|date=2014|title=Designers & Dragons: The '70s|publisher=[[Evil Hat Productions]]|page=21}}</ref><ref name=Ewalt>{{cite book |first=David M. |last=Ewalt |author-link=David M. Ewalt |year=2013 |title=Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It |publisher=Scribner |pages=94, 264 |isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6}}</ref> Here, the mind flayer is described as "a super-intelligent, man-shaped creature with four tentacles by its mouth which it uses to strike its prey."<ref name="gamerant">{{Cite web|url=https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-5e-monster-mindflayer/|title=Dungeons and Dragons 5e Monster Spotlight: The Mind Flayer|date=January 13, 2020|website=Game Rant}}</ref> When it hits prey with a tentacle, the tentacle penetrates to the brain and draws it forth, allowing the monster to devour it. A mind flayer's major weapon is given as the Mind Blast, a 5-foot radius wave of "Psi force" which affects each opponent differently based on how intelligent it is; possible effects include permanent insanity, rage, confusion, coma, and death.<ref>{{Cite news
| date=Spring 1975
| title=Creature Features
| periodical=The Strategic Review
| volume=1
| issue=1
| page=2
}}</ref> The first illustration depicting mind flayers was by artist Tracy Lesch, who envisioned them "like a [[Ming the Merciless]] with the mental powers of a [[Professor X]]", which appeared in the ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]'' (1975) supplement.<ref name=AA>{{cite book |title=Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: a visual history |last1=Witwer |first1=Michael |last2=Newman |first2=Kyle |last3=Peterson |first3=Jonathan |last4=Witwer |first4=Sam |last5=Manganiello |first5=Joe |date=October 2018 |isbn=9780399580949 |publisher=[[Ten Speed Press]] |oclc=1033548473}}</ref>{{rp|45-46}} Game statistics for mind flayers were also included in the ''[[Eldritch Wizardry]]'' supplement.<ref>{{Cite book | last1 =Gygax  | first1 =Gary  | author-link =Gary Gygax  | last2 =Blume  | first2 =Brian  | title =Eldritch Wizardry  | publisher =TSR  | year =1976  | location =Lake Geneva, WI  | edition =1 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Mortdred |title=Review of Eldritch Wizardry |publisher=[[RPGnet]] |access-date=2007-11-19 |url=http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_4232.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010915161110/http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_4232.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2001-09-15 |date=2001-02-05 }}</ref>

=== ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition (1977–1988) ===
The mind flayer appears in the first edition ''[[Monster Manual]]'' (1977).<ref>[[Gary Gygax|Gygax, Gary]], in which it is described as an evil subterranean creature that considers humanity as cattle to feed upon, and draws forth brains with its tentacles. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1977)</ref> [[Roger E. Moore]] authored "The Ecology of the Mind Flayer," which featured in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #78 (October 1983).<ref>[[Roger E. Moore|Moore, Roger]]. "Ecology of the Mind Flayer." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #78 (TSR, 1983).</ref>

=== ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition (1989–1999) ===
The mind flayer appears first in the ''Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' (1989),<ref>[[David "Zeb" Cook|Cook, David]], et al. ''Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1989)</ref> and is reprinted in the ''Monstrous Manual'' (1993).<ref>Stewart, Doug, ed. ''Monstrous Manual'' (TSR, 1994)</ref>

''[[The Complete Psionics Handbook]]'' (1991) presented ways on using mind flayers with psionic powers.<ref>[[Steve Winter|Winter, Steve]]. ''[[The Complete Psionics Handbook]]'' (TSR, 1991)</ref>

The ''alhoon'', also known as the ''illithilich'' or ''mind flayer [[Lich (Dungeons & Dragons)|lich]]'', was introduced in the ''Menzoberranzan'' boxed set, in the booklet "Book One: The City" (1992).

The book ''[[The Illithiad]]'' (April 1998<ref name="Sudlow">{{cite magazine|title=The Illithiad|last=Sudlow|first=Paul|issue=39|magazine=[[InQuest Gamer|InQuest]]|publisher=[[Wizard Entertainment]]|pages=66–69|date=July 1998}}</ref><ref>Cordell, Bruce R. ''The Illithiad'' (TSR, 1998)</ref>), and the Monstrous Arcana module series that accompanies it, greatly develops the mind flayer further. ''The Illithiad'' introduced the illithid ''elder brain'' and the illithid-[[Roper (Dungeons & Dragons)|roper]] crossbreed, the ''urophion''. The module ''Dawn of the Overmind'' featured an origin story for the illithids.<ref>[[Bruce Cordell|Cordell, Bruce R.]] ''[[Dawn of the Overmind]]'' (TSR, 1998)</ref>

=== ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 edition (2000–2002) ===
The mind flayer appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2000).<ref>[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]], [[Jonathan Tweet]], and [[Skip Williams]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000)</ref> ''Savage Species'' (2003) added the mind flayer "racial class", allowing Mind Flayers to be played from level 1 onward until they reached parity with normal Mind Flayers, and added the "Illithid Savant" prestige class.<ref>Eckelberry, David, Rich Redman, and Jennifer Clarke Wilkes. ''[[Savage Species]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)</ref>

=== ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition (2003–2007) ===
The mind flayer appears in the revised ''[[Monster Manual]]'' for this edition (2003), in both playable and non-playable forms. One of the differences between the playable Mind Flayer in the ''Monster Manual'' and the Mind Flayer racial class in ''Savage Species'' is that the racial class has only itself as a favored class, while the normal Mind Flayer has wizard as a favored class. The mind flayer received its own chapter in the book ''[[Lords of Madness|Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations]]'' (2005).<ref name="LoM">[[Richard Baker (game designer)|Baker, Rich]], [[James Jacobs (game designer)|James Jacobs]], and [[Steve Winter]]. ''[[Lords of Madness]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2005)</ref>

The ''[[Expanded Psionics Handbook]]'' (2004) re-introduced the psionic mind flayer, detailing the differences between psionic and normal mind flayers, although creating a Psionic Mind Flayer still requires the information from the ''Monster Manual''.<ref>[[Bruce Cordell|Cordell, Bruce R.]] ''[[Expanded Psionics Handbook]]'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)</ref>

=== ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition (2008–2014) ===
The mind flayer appears in the ''Monster Manual'' for this edition (2008).<ref>Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2008)</ref>

=== ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th edition (2014–present) ===
The mind flayer appears in the ''[[Monster Manual]]'' for this edition (2014).<ref>[[Mike Mearls|Mearls, Mike]], [[Stephen Schubert]], and [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]]. ''[[Monster Manual]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2014)</ref> Additional information about the mind flayers is found in ''[[Volo's Guide to Monsters]]'' (2016). The information includes details about their origins, their reproduction, their dispositions and behaviors, and their elder brain. The book also details this edition's Alhoon, Ulitharid, Mindwitness and Neothelid.<ref>[[Volo's Guide to Monsters]] ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2016)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2016-10-19 |title=Dungeons & Dragons is changing how it makes books |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2016/10/19/13321200/dungeons-and-dragons-volos-guide-to-monsters-monster-manual-beholder-mind-flayer |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> The limited edition alternate cover of ''Volo's Guide to Monsters'' features an Illithid illustration by Hydro74.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2016 |title=New 'Dungeons & Dragons' Sourcebooks for Fall |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/34655/new-dungeons-dragons-sourcebooks-fall |access-date=August 31, 2023 |website=[[ICv2]] |language=en}}</ref> On the [[fictional canon]] of mind flayers, 5th Edition designer [[Chris Perkins (game designer)|Chris Perkins]], in a 2019 interview, stated:<blockquote>If something has been consistently true about a monster throughout the game's history, it's a good bet that it holds true in Fifth Edition. Everything that we know is true about mind flayers in Fifth Edition can be found in the 5E ''Monster Manual'' and the "Mind Flayers: Scourge of Worlds" section of ''Volo's Guide to Monsters''. The latter resource, in particular, picks up elements of mind flayer lore from earlier sourcebooks, including ''The Illithiad'' [from 2E] and ''Lords of Madness'' [from 3.5E].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-30 |title=D&D's Christopher Perkins delves into dark, horrible secrets of the mind flayer |url=https://venturebeat.com/pc-gaming/dds-christopher-perkins-delves-into-dark-horrible-secrets-of-the-mind-flayer/ |access-date=2023-08-31 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref></blockquote>''[[ComicBook.com]]'' reported that the "[[Big Bad|big bads]]" of the module ''Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk'' (2023) are mind flayers,<ref name="ComicBook.com on Phandelver big bad">{{Cite web |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Returns to Mind Flayers as Big Bads of Newest Campaign |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-phandelin-shattered-obelisk-mind-flayers/ |access-date=August 31, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en}}</ref> with the adventure including new variants of mind flayers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons' Next Adventure Is Perfect Follow-Up for Baldur's Gate 3 Players |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-baldurs-gate-3-mind-flayer-phandelver/ |access-date=August 29, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en}}</ref> Christian Hoffer of ''ComicBook.com'' commented that mind flayers "have appeared in many 5E adventures over the last decade", however, this module is the first in the edition to have them as the "central villain of the campaign instead of merely one of many side threats. What's more, these mind flayers have a goal somewhat similar to one of the central threats faced by players in ''[[Baldur's Gate 3]] -'' ceremorphosis, the process of becoming a mind flayer".<ref name="ComicBook.com on Phandelver big bad" />