Dungeons & Dragons Returns to Mind Flayers as Big Bads of Newest Campaign

Dungeons & Dragons' hot mind flayer summer continues with the release of their latest adventure. Ahead of the release of Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that the "big bads" of Phandelin and Below: The Shattered Obelisk are mind flayers. Although mind flayers are one of Dungeons & Dragons' most popular monsters and have appeared in many 5E adventures over the last decade, The Shattered Obelisk marks the first time that mind flayers have been 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. While ceremorphosis involves a tadpole being implanted inside a humanoid's brain, The Shattered Obelisk involves a much more sinister plot that involves a new illithid "godlet. "With everyone playing with a mind flayer tadpole in their heads in BG3, we thought it would be fun to tell a story about a favorite D&D monster with a penchant for taking names and eating brains," said Amanda Hamon, lead designer of Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, in a quote provided by Wizards of the Coast. "You may have already guessed from the tentacles visible on the alternate cover and from what's happening to that cow in some of the images we've released, but I can reveal that the masterminds behind the goblins' mischief in Phandalin are, in fact, mind flayers, and the plot against Phandalin is much more terrifying than just a little mischief. These illithids are different than any others we've encountered in D&D. They are involved with a godlet who's been previously unknown to fans and is lurking in the far reaches of the multiverse. Can these fanatical mind flayers use the obelisk pieces to complete a ritual that would allow ceremorphosis to occur without using a tadpole? Let's hope not!"

Additionally, Wizards of the Coast provided ComicBook.com with two exclusive images from Phandalin and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, one showing the mind flayers completing their sinister ritual involving the shattered Netherese obelisk, and another showing the godlet Ilvaash who appears to be lurking in the Far Realm. You can check them both out and shudder in horror below! 

What Are Mind Flayers?

Mind flayers are eldritch abominations inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and other occult horror works that have appeared in every edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Mind flayers (also known as illithid) are feared for both their powerful psionic attacks and their desire to eat the brains of their victims. Mind flayer colonies collectively have a hive mind connected via a powerful elder brain, a literal oversized brain made up of the brains of dead mind flayers that lived inside a briny pool and constantly produced more mind flayer tadpoles. 

Players can experience more of the horror of mind flayers when Phandelin and Below: The Shattered Obelisk comes out on September 19th.