Ilithid serum

FredN

.....So we finished the Mindflayer dungeon in the Underdark, and whew! That was a grinding siege. Took me 2 days in RL, and at the end I felt worn out. Among other things, I gathered a fair amount of Ilithid Serum, and used some to wake the sleeping captives. However, I seem to have several more vials in excess of what we needed. Is there any use for these, or can I just toss the nasty stuff? Some old references from years ago seem to indicate they are of no value once we leave the mindflayer area, but things could well have changed in the interim. Just making sure.
.....Also, I have one Ilithid control circlet left. Can this be used to control mindflayers in other areas, like the mindflayer tunnels back in Athkatla? We have some brine potions also. I presume these protect from any psionic attacks, even outside the Underdark?

jmerry

Any excess serum is indeed useless now.

Excess control circlets can be used, and not just on mind flayers. Anything that's not immune to charm/domination is fair game, and you don't have to worry about saves or magic resistance. (Elven charm resistance does work, though. Don't waste that circlet on a drow.)

The brine potions protect from any psionic attacks. Which are only ever used in this game by illithids and githyanki, and most of them are fully negated by successful spell saves, so I don't think I've ever actually used a brine potion.

atcDave

As always, I'm not the best "technical" guy, but I think only the brine potions have any future value. Even then, Chaotic Commands is actually better. Much longer lasting at least.

jmerry

Yes, CC protects against almost all psionics. Almost. There are two damaging psionic attacks (Ballistic Attack, Detonate) that Chaotic Commands doesn't help against but the brine potions do. I'm not sure anything uses them unmodded, though.

FredN

OK, thanks for the fast responses. Sounds like the control circlet is rather useful. No save? No Magic resistance? I'll have to save it for a really tuff opponent. I do have a feeling that big time bosses ... Balthazar, Sendai, Irenicus and the like ... are going to be immune to this, much the way elves are.

jmerry

Any quest boss that needs to say stuff before they die is definitely going to be immune to charm. So, ToB story bosses ...
Illasera is an elf. 90% resistant.
Gromnir is a Barbarian. Immune while raging, and he is scripted to rage.
Yaga-Shura is immune.
Sendai is immune.
Abazigal is immune.
Balthazar is immune.
And, of course, the final boss is immune.

Irenicus? He's an elf. And every version of him except the one from the first pocket plane challenge is immune to charm, because they have to do scripted stuff at the end the battle and aren't allowed to die or have their scripts overriden before that.

Regarding mind flayers, you could theoretically get them with a Charm Person - they're humanoid. It's just that it would only work 0.5% of the time without preparation, due to excellent spell saves and 90% magic resistance. Which is why those control circlets don't allow a save or MR.