Species: Unbound Illithid

    When an elder brain is destroyed, and any of its mind flayer drones are not killed before the death of the brain, many of the surviving mind flayers awaken to a state of existence they are never prepared for: intellectual independence.
    The lack of a psionic network through which its powers are directed means both that the free illithids have weaker psionic powers than the regular kind, and that they are free to decide how to employ these powers.
    The regular natural illithid dietary restrictions still apply, however. An unbound illithid thus stands before a non-euclidean logical crossroads that most sapient creatures would find absurd: 
    "what's the most workable way for me to consume brains?"

Medium Aberration
	    
    Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

    Ability Score Decrease. Your Strength score decreases by 2.

    Alignment. Unbound from the Elder Brains and their Grand Design, a free illithid is nonetheless a soulless creature to whom morals are an abstraction at best and an illusion at worst. Their basic moral standard is best described as True Neutral, although
                    they are readier than most creatures to conform to whichever type of moral behavior is most workable at any given moment. Those free illithids who integrate themselves into some particular group of non-illithids,
                    be it a village or an adventuring party, often find themselves attuning to the moral sensitivities and principles of that group in order to better sustain themselves within it, and it is not unheard of for those
                    specimens to internalize those values as their "own". An unbound illithid living (usually disguised) in a village where Selûne is a dominantly worshipped deity is likely to assimilate into a chaotic good alignment,
                    while an illithid infiltrating the Zhentarim would instead be likely to become a neutral evil entity.

    Size. Illithids are Medium creatures, usually circa 6 feet tall.

    Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. You also have a flying speed of 30 feet.

    Darkvision. Your vision in darkness and dim light is as unhindered as it is in bright light.

    Languages. You can speak, read, and write Deep Speech, Undercommon and one additional language of your choice.

    Telepathy. You can communicate telepathically with any number of creatures you can see within 120 feet. You can communicate with multiple creatures simultaneously in this manner.

    Brain Diet. Brain matter of creatures that had an intelligence of 6 or higher is your only effective form of sustenance. 
		To remain healthy, you need to eat one full brain, of at least 8 Intelligence, per month.
		If you go a month without consuming a brain, you will begin to suffer one point of exhaustion weekly.
		As usual, you die when attaining six points of exhaustion.

    Soulless. As illithids do not have souls, they cannot be resurrected after death.

    Innate Spellcasting (Psionics).

        The mind flayer's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save 8 + intelligence modifier + proficiency modifier). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:

        Up to 6 times per long rest, collectively: Dissonant Whispers, Sleep, Detect Thoughts, Disguise Self, Charm Person

    Natural Weapon: Tentacle Lash.
	Unarmed Attack: (Dexterity modifier + proficiency modifier) to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 1d6+dex psychic damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until this grapple ends.
    Natural Weapon: Extract Brain.
	Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one unconscious or incapacitated humanoid grappled by the mind flayer. Hit: The target takes 10 piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the mind flayer kills the target by extracting and devouring its brain.
	This heals the mind flayer for a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + the humanoid's intelligence modifier. 

    Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6).
       The mind flayer magically emits psychic energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC (8 + intelligence modifier + proficiency modifier) Intelligence saving throw or take 2d6 psychic damage and be stunned for 1 turn. The damage increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 4d6 at 11th level, and 5d6 at 16th level.
    After you use your mind blast, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.