Illithid powers

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Illithid powers are special abilities tied to the mind flayer tadpole that the player character, Origin, and some non-Origin companions are infected with.

Notably, Halsin, Jaheira, and Hirelings cannot get illithid powers.

Once the player attempts to cross the bridge leading to the Goblin Camp in Act One, a cutscene involving the Mysterious Artefact will trigger. During the next long rest, they will be visited by the Dream Guardian who encourages the player to accept and wield the power the tadpole gives. This dream starts the Embrace Your Potential quest and enables the party to consume tadpoles in exchange for illithid powers.

Once the quest has started, consuming Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens, such as from the corpses of other infected, will allow the player to unlock new powers. Karlach, Wyll, Lae'zel, and Shadowheart will initially refuse to use illithid powers, but can be convinced to use them through Persuasion checks. The opportunity to convince these party members to partake in illithid powers will be provided again in early Act Three, if they remain reluctant early on.

List of illithid powers[edit | edit source]

Power Type Description Requires
  Illithid Persuasion Passive Feature You can use your connection to the parasite in your brain to force cultists of the Absolute to obey you. Unlocked automatically
  Psionic Overload Class Action Your attacks deal an additional 1d4 Psychic damage, but you take 1d4 Psychic damage every turn. None
  Favourable Beginnings Passive Feature The first  Attack roll or   Ability check you make against any target gains a bonus equal to your Proficiency Bonus. None
  Force Tunnel Class Action Charge forward, pushing all objects and creatures in your path 4 m / 13 ft away from you. None
  Concentrated Blast Class Action Deal 3d6 Psychic damage. You must be   Concentrating on another spell to cast this. If the target was concentrating, you heal as much as the damage that was dealt to it. The spell you were concentrating on will end. None
  Transfuse Health Class Action Sacrifice half your remaining   hit points to heal a target for the same amount. None
  Stage Fright Class Action Your targets have   Disadvantage on  Attack rolls and take 2d6 Psychic damage each time they miss. Targets overcome their Stage Fright early when they succeed on an Attack Roll. Psionic Overload
  Ability Drain Passive Feature Once per turn, when you make an  Attack roll, the attack reduces that target's corresponding Ability by 1. The Ability that is reduced is the same as the one used to make the Attack Roll. Psionic Overload
  Luck of the Far Realms Passive Feature When you make a successful  Attack roll against a foe, you can change that attack into a Critical Hit.   Recharge: Long rest. Favourable Beginnings
  Charm Reaction Channel the dark allure of the tadpole to   Charm an enemy that attacks you, preventing them from attacking you until their next turn.

Note: Enemies have   Advantage on the   Saving throw against being charmed.

Favourable Beginnings
  Displace Passive Feature Creatures suffering Falling damage because of your actions take an additional 1d8 Psychic damage. Force Tunnel
  Repulsor Class Action Push anything and anyone back 6 m / 20 ft. Deals 2d6 Force damage, targets take half damage if successful on save. Force Tunnel
  Psionic Backlash Reaction When an enemy within 9 m / 30 ft casts a spell, you can use your   Reaction to inflict 1d4 Psychic damage to the caster per the spell‘s level. Concentrated Blast
  Cull the Weak Toggleable Passive Feature When you bring a creature down to fewer   hit points than your number of evolved illithid powers, it dies and all nearby creatures take 1~4 Psychic damage. Concentrated Blast
  Shield of Thralls Class Action Conjure a volatile shield around yourself or an ally, granting the target   10 temporary hit points. Transfuse Health
  Perilous Stakes Class Action Invest a creature with power that heals it when it attacks, but also makes it vulnerable to all damage. Transfuse Health

Elite powers[edit | edit source]

See also: Partial-illithid

When you first gain access to illithid powers, the outer ring of abilities will be locked. At the very end of Act Two, on the road to Baldur's Gate, you will be given the opportunity to unlock these powers by agreeing to absorb the Astral-Touched Tadpole and become a partial-illithid. Doing this will automatically unlock Fly (Illithid Power) and the 5 powers of the innermost ring, i.e.   Concentrated Blast,   Favourable Beginnings,   Force Tunnel,   Psionic Overload, and   Transfuse Health. Any regular tadpoles the character might have already spent to unlock these abilities will be refunded. Absorbing the Astral-Touched Tadpole will also permanently mark your character's face with dark veins and darken their eyes.

Power Type Description Requires
  Fracture Psyche Class Action Invade a target's mind and disrupt its defences. The target's   Armour Class is reduced by 1. If the target dies while its psyche is fractured, you can cast Shatter Psyche on another target. Unlock one of:
  Illithid Expertise Passive Feature You have deepened your sense of self, gaining   Expertise in   Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation checks.

Also grants Proficiency in those skills if not already possessed.

Unlock one of:
  Psionic Dominance Reaction Use your   Reaction to cancel a spell targeted at you if its spell level is less than or equal to your proficiency bonus. Unlock one of:
  Black Hole Class Action Summon a black hole that pulls in nearby enemies and potentially   Slows them. Up to five more black holes can be summoned after first casting.   Recharge: Short rest. Unlock one of:
  Fly Class Action Fly to a target position. Consumes   Movement speed but not an   Action or   Bonus action. Unlocked automatically
  Mind Blast Class Action Spew forth a conical wave of psychic energy and possibly   Stun targets within. Deals 4d8+Spellcasting Ability Modifier Psychic damage. None
  Mind Sanctuary Class Action Sculpt a magical nexus that allows those within to take   Actions and   Bonus actions interchangeably.   Recharge: Long rest. Unlock one of:
  Freecast Toggleable Passive Feature You have discovered a marvellous adaptability within yourself. Spell slots, charges, and similar resource costs for your next action or spell are removed.   Recharge: Long rest. Unlock one of:
  Absorb Intellect Class Action Gobble up a foe's intellect, lowering their   Intelligence by 1 per turn and healing your wounds for 5 turns (1d8 hit points each turn). Unlock one of:
  Displacer Beast Shape Class Action Transform into a displacer beast that can Displace itself and enemies, and has   85 hit points. You take on the attributes of a displacer beast, but maintain your   Intelligence,   Wisdom, and   Charisma scores. When your displacer beast form drops to 0 hit points, you revert to your original form. Unlock one of:

Full ceremorphosis[edit | edit source]

See also: Full-illithid

During the final quest, Confront the Elder Brain, Karlach or the player character will have the option to undergo full ceremorphosis and become a full-illithid. At this point, they will automatically unlock most illithid powers and gain access to more powerful versions of a select few.

These abilities are not available through the "Illithid Power" screen, but are instead granted automatically after transformation.

Power Type Description
  Strengthened Force Tunnel Class Action Charge forward, pushing all objects and creatures in your path 12 m / 40 ft away from you. Deals 3d10+4 Force and may cause   Prone
  Fierce Perilous Stakes Class Action Grant an ally an additional 15 Psychic damage, automatic Critical Hit when they roll a 15 or higher, and healing on hit. However, they will also be vulnerable to all damage.
  Nebulous Black Hole Class Action Create a point of intense gravity dealing 3d10+4 Force damage and possibly   slowing enemies.
  Synaptic Consumption Class Action Lower all of an enemies ability scores by 5, then 1 per turn, and regain 2~20 hit points per turn for five turns. The foe is left   Prone.
  Augmented Shield of Thralls Class Action Target two creatures, granting them   25 temporary hit points. Once these hit points are diminished, the shield bursts and leaves nearby enemies   Stunned.
  Potent Concentrated Blast Class Action Deals 9d6 Psychic damage to an enemy. If they were   Concentrating on a spell, heal an equal amount of hit points.
  Extract Brain Class Action Lobotomise a nearby creature that is   Stunned,   Prone,   Sleeping or Unconscious, dealing 5d10+50 Piercing damage and regaining 6d6 hit points.
  Tentacle Whip Class Action Deal 3d10+5 Psychic melee damage, and possibly   Stun the target.
  Levitate Class Action Float to a destination using   Movement speed.

Other powers[edit | edit source]

These illithid powers are not part of the illithid power tree and are instead unlocked through story events.

Power Type Description Requires
  Survival Instinct Class Action If the character reaches   0 hit points, it regains 3d4 hit points instead of falling Unconscious. Reward from: Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite
  Awakened Passive feature You can use all of your Illithid Powers as a   Bonus action. Your resistance to the zaith'isk in the githyanki infirmary awakened this power. Succeed on all three saving throws when interacting with the Zaith'isk in Crèche Y'llek. Or, if Lae'zel is in the Zaith'isk, succeed on the finalability check.

Mind flayer parasite locations[edit | edit source]

Act One[edit | edit source]

True Souls[edit | edit source]

Dropped by defeating the following characters:

Loot[edit | edit source]

  • One is found in the Enclave Library of the Druid Grove on a table X: -445 Y: 17.
  • Three are found in the Infirmary of Crèche Y'llek, next to the Zaith'isk. Two are around one table X: 1285 Y: -818 and one is on another table X: 1285 Y: -802.

Quest rewards[edit | edit source]

Siding with Absolute cultists may net two Gifts from the Absolute, which are functionally the same as Tadpole Specimens. In Act 1, there are two which can be obtained in the following ways:

Act Two[edit | edit source]

True Souls[edit | edit source]

Dropped by defeating the following characters:

Loot[edit | edit source]

  • Two are found by taking the Zhentarim Shipping Crate X: -71 Y: -187 at the docks of Moonrise Towers.
  • One can be found in Zealot Krizt, who will be guarding the broken bridge to Moonrise Towers when first approaching it. If she is not attacked, her corpse X: 625 Y: -87 can be later found in the Oubliette under Moonrise Towers.
  • Found in a Brine Pool X: 678 Y: 45, after passing a DC16 Perception check, in the Mind Flayer Colony under Moonrise Towers.
  • If Isobel was abducted from Last Light Inn, she will have a parasite on her body when you fight her alongside Ketheric.

Quest rewards[edit | edit source]

Two Gifts from the Absolute will be rewarded for:

Act Three[edit | edit source]

True Souls[edit | edit source]

Dropped by defeating the following characters:

Minthara[edit | edit source]

Becoming a Partial-illithid refunds all tadpoles spent on unlocking any of the 5 "inner circle" Illithid Powers, i.e.   Concentrated Blast,   Favourable Beginnings,   Force Tunnel,   Psionic Overload, and   Transfuse Health. Since Minthara starts with some of these Illithid Powers already unlocked, transforming her into a Partial-illithid will net the party 2 tadpoles.

Loot[edit | edit source]

Rivington and Wyrm's Crossing:

  • Found on a barrel X: -225 Y: 108 at the docks in Rivington.
  • Two are found in Storage X: -212 Y: 129 on the ship at the Western Beach in Rivington.
  • Found in a locked Gilded Chest X: -32 Y: 219 on the top floor of Wyrm's Rock Fortress, near a bed, where Gortash goes after his coronation. This can be found along with the Helldusk Boots.

The Lower City:

  • Found on a table X: -9 Y: -92 at Sorcerous Sundries.
  • Found next to the Gnarly Cauldron X: -2336 Y: -120 in The Blushing Mermaid - Basement.
  • Found on a table X: -45 Y: 18 inside a flooded room in the Iron Throne.
  • Found on a desk X: -208 Y: -86 on the second floor of The Lodge.
  • Found on a table X: -1856 Y: -428 in the Sanguine Laboratory in the cellar of Crimson Draughts, accessed through a wooden hatchX: -91 Y: -90.
  • Found in High Security Vault n.6 X: -713 Y: 881 in The Counting House.
  • Six are found in Cargo Shipment X: -202 Y: -125, disguised as Wooden Trunks, on a ship just east of the Steel Watch Foundry.
  • Found on a table X: -1937 Y: 447 in the Steel Watch Foundry - Lab Level.

Quest rewards[edit | edit source]

Spellcasting ability modifier[edit | edit source]

Illithid powers follow the same rule as scrolls when it comes to which ability is used for the saving throws of spells that requests one (e.g. Stage Fright).

If the player has invested their levels in one class only, their spellcasting ability modifier will be the one from that class. Classes abilities are listed in the spells page.

It gets more complicated in the case of Multiclassing, as the spellcasting ability modifier will be the one from the last class that has been added to the character, with a quirk: fighters and rogues will provide their ability modifier only if they are level 3 and in their spell subclass (Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster).

Example: Wizard 5, Monk 1, Rogue 2 will use the   Wisdom stat for the saving throw difficulty of their illithid powers, as rogue is not taken into account here, and monk is the last class added before rogue.

Pre-release powers[edit | edit source]

In Early Access, illithid powers were much simpler. Instead of consuming other tadpoles to gain points to spend on powers, your tadpole grew more powerful as you used Illithid Persuasion options in dialogue. Once you'd used Illithid Persuasion three times, a special cutscene was triggered during your next long rest and each character gained a single illithid power unique to their class. Some of these abilities were reworked into the current illithid powers. A full list of Early Access powers can be seen below:

Early Access Illithid Powers
Power Class Description How to Obtain
  Endless Rage Barbarian While Raging, deal an additional 1d4 damage with weapon attacks, but receive 1d4 Psychic damage each turn. Prevents Rage from ending early. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Stage Fright Bard Drown your enemies in an overwhelming fear of failure. They receive   Disadvantage on  Attack rolls and take 2d6 Psychic damage each time they miss an Attack Roll. Ends when they hit with an Attack Roll. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Survival Instinct Cleric Infuse a creature with psionic force. If it reaches 0 HP, it regains 3d4 HP instead of falling Unconscious. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Aberrant Shape Druid Magically assume the shape of an Intellect Devourer that can deal Psychic damage. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Psionic Pull Fighter Pull a creature or object toward you. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Fracture Psyche Paladin Invade a target's mind and disrupt its defenses (Reduces target's   Armour Class by 1). Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Force Tunnel Ranger Charge forward and push all objects and creatures in your path away from you. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Inkblot Rogue Create a cloud of magical darkness and immediately attempt to hide. Creatures within the cloud are Heavily Obscured and Blinded. Creatures cannot make ranged attacks into or out of the darkness. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Horrific Visage Sorcerer Release the eldritch magic within you and terrify a creature with your twisted powers. Regain 2 Sorcery Points and potentially deal 1d4 Psychic damage per turn for 3 turns. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Supernatural Attraction Warlock You are part of a greater whole. Concentrate on your connection to teleport to another tadpole-infected creature. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Reflective Shell Wizard A protective shell envelops you. It reflects any projectiles targeted at you to their point of origin. Does not affect creatures that don't rely on sight or that can see through illusions. Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
  Repulsor All Classes Channel the power of the Absolute, knocking back all creatures and objects and dealing 2d6 Force damage. Help Omeluum investigate the parasite

Achievements[edit | edit source]

Expand Your Mind
Consume a parasite and unlock a new power - is it meant to wriggle the whole way down?


Gallery[edit | edit source]