OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Mind Flayer Name Generator
Illithid, Elder Brain and Colony Names for Cold, Sibilant Dungeon Villains
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How the Mind Flayer Name Generator works
A mind flayer name generator for D&D's illithids. Mind flayers are tentacled psionic horrors who eat brains and serve an elder brain, so their names are cold, sibilant and built from sounds humans hiss rather than speak. Generate a name for a single mind flayer, a mind flayer with a role in the colony, an elder brain, a colony or a nautiloid ship.
How the mind flayer name generator works
Illithids communicate by telepathy, so their spoken names are more a sound than a word. The generator builds them from soft, hissing openers, ss, th, zh, gh, joined to long vowels and liquid endings, which gives names like Sslitharoth or Vhelixeth. Role mode adds a job in the colony, arcanist, inquisitor, harvester, because every mind flayer exists to serve the colony's plan. Elder brains get grander, older names with a title like the One Mind. Colony and ship modes name the brine pool at the heart of a colony and the spiral nautiloid ships mind flayers travel in.
Mind flayer villains
Mind flayers work best as a threat the players hear about before they see. A named colony and a named elder brain make a campaign-long enemy, and the name of a single inquisitor gives the party someone to hunt.
Not affiliated
Dungeons and Dragons and the mind flayer are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast. This site is not affiliated with them. Names are original.
FAQ
What do mind flayer names sound like?
Soft, hissing and wet. Most start with ss, th, zh or gh and end in a long vowel or a liquid sound like -yss or -ith. They should sound slightly wrong in a human mouth, since mind flayers rarely need to say them aloud.
Do mind flayers have individual names?
Yes, though the colony matters more than the individual. Many illithids are known by their role, an arcanist, an inquisitor, as much as by name. The Mind flayer with role mode gives you both so the name carries the character's place in the colony.
What is an elder brain name?
An elder brain is the huge brain that rules a colony from a pool of brine. Its name should feel ancient and grand, like the Dreaming Sszaroth or the Thought Below. Players may only ever hear the title.
Can I use these for a nautiloid ship?
Yes. The Nautiloid ship mode names the spiral-shelled ships mind flayers use to travel between worlds, such as the Coiled Harvester. They work for any alien vessel in a space fantasy game too.
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