Give illithids the ability to swim without a boat

aren't they squids anyway? Shouldn't they be able to swim w/o a boat?

I don't think they're squids, I think they're just subterranean psychic creatures with a couple of tentacles on their face.

I think calling them 'squid' began as a way of insulting them, or referring to them negatively.

Yes and shock, cone, leech, lightning resistance, and 35 INT or whatever it is clearly aren't enough.

Two races with Lightning resistance, and none with a vuln. What good are electric weapons?

To pwn Ogres.

To pwn Ogres.

Or for fighting fire/stone giants.

Correct. They should be able to dig, I think. Considering they dwell underground and all.

I don't think they're squids, I think they're just subterranean psychic creatures with a couple of tentacles on their face.

I think calling them 'squid' began as a way of insulting them, or referring to them negatively.

How about we let halflings dig. They are tiny. They could fall into that flaming hole.

Yeah, dig would be suitable if swim is not.

I don't see illithids actually being able to dig. They enslaved the drow to dig FOR them. Just like the drow enslaved the duergar.

They are on the top of that hierarchy, physical labor is completely above them and they probably wouldn't be able to do it anyhow. They have evolved past that.

On a balance note: It would be too much.

I thought fire giants were resistant to lightning, for some reason..

resistant to physical, normal for all magic, vuln to ice.

I thought fire giants were resistant to lightning' date=' for some reason..[/quote']

STORM giants are.

Illithids are not squids at all, they have tentacle like appendages that grow from the lower half of their face that they use to rip the top off your skull and suck out your brains. This is also mentioned as a very sensitive area, but sense they can easily make you willingly kneel before them by using mind control its never a problem when feeding. They have vision issues because they live in the dark (cant see very far either visually..like 100ft, hough can probe using their psi ability for miles), and hate bright lights, sunlight being detremental to their health. They do not have a sense of smell, nor can they hear, using their psionic ability to supplement all of these basic senses. I for one have many times RP'ed my illithids as smelling or hearing by using another creatures senses. I got all of this from general Illithid Lore online, and Ad&D stuff. By far my favorite of the fantasy races.

The "Squid" reference is more like a racial slurr that other races use because of the tentacled maw.

Illithids begin in a larvae like from what most lore claims to resemble a giant worm, then when they consume their first living host (beocming instantly an adult) they take on a more homonid appearance resembling their host but severely mutated. Sometimes (this all according to the collction of lore you can find online) this merging fails and results in mindless brain eating worm with insane psionic ability but no will other than to eat brains.

In FL you run into many "kinds" of illithid some that are way off from any existing lore (which is definaly NOT a problem IMHO) and others that fit the racial lore on the web and in D&D, like ogres, giants, dwarves, elves, drow, etc., tend to. Either way though, the staff tend to bend game mechanics towards the general lore and AD&D info on racial talents and skills...so I doubt you will see an innate swimming ability added. So far as digging is concerned, illithid do historically utilize slave labor for everything..including war, and lose their own tunneling abilities when they transcend into adults.

In terms of making an RP that's defined almost entirely by your race, illithids are the best possible. I had way too much fun doing the Hive RP with Xxtyx and Vryxtyx.

In terms of making an RP that's defined almost entirely by your race' date=' illithids are the best possible. [/quote']

Well, if people played Drows as though they weren't all Jarlaxle in mind-set, they could be fun too.

Not that I'm against "outside the box" or "non-traditional" RP for races, but I really feel like we have a world where race is just a list of attributes and everyone is human.

Well' date=' if people played Drows as though they [i']weren't all Jarlaxle in mind-set, they could be fun too.

Not that I'm against "outside the box" or "non-traditional" RP for races, but I really feel like we have a world where race is just a list of attributes and everyone is human.

Agreed.

Well' date=' if people played Drows as though they [i']weren't all Jarlaxle in mind-set, they could be fun too.

Not that I'm against "outside the box" or "non-traditional" RP for races, but I really feel like we have a world where race is just a list of attributes and everyone is human.

Only problem with this is that we play in a game where, to accomplish anything, you have to spend 90% of your time on the surface. If you don't play sort of a rogue, lone drow - you have to find some VERY interesting way to explain why the devil you are spending your time on the surface.

Anytime I decide to play a drow, I always draw up some reason why I have ventured to the surface as more than just a raid. Am I some sort of scout pre-empting a massive drow campaign to slaughter the surface dwelling folk? Perhaps I was caught banging the matron mother's sister and got banished. There are a number of reasons - but somehow, you have to explain the surface element, which 90% of the time will incorporate being ostracized from Drow society.

That is, if you stick to traditional Drow RP.

Perhaps I was caught banging the matron mother's sister and got banished.

I think you'd get more then banished for bonking the matrons mothers sister.

I think he'd probably just get laughed at. Don't the Matron Mothers murder their siblings?