The Emperor/Combat

Overview

Combat

Dream Guardian

This page focuses on the Emperor's behavior during turn-based combat gameplay. This page is a list of information, rather than a guide. Please refer to separate pages for full combat guides.

The Emperor possesses a number of illithid abilities commonly used by other mind flayers, and in some encounters will have other unique abilities with special functions.

Attacks and actions

Class Actions

 Extract Brain ()

Damage: 12~102

10d10 + 2⁠Piercing

Healing: 6~36

6d6⁠Healing

Try to extract the brain of a Stunned or Unconscious creature.

 Melee: 1.5 m (5 ft)

 Recharge: Per turn

 Levitate ()

Float effortlessly to a destination.

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Mind Blast ()

Damage: 4~32 + modifiers

4d8 + Spellcasting modifier⁠Psychic

Spew forth a conical wave of psychic energy and possibly  Stun targets within.

 INT Save

 Recharge: Long rest

 Mind Flayer Domination ()

Dominate a nearby humanoid. Allies are unaffected.

Each time the dominated creature takes damage, it may repeat the Saving throw against your domination.

 INT Save

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Shield of Thralls ()

Conjure a volatile shield around yourself or an ally, granting the target 10 temporary hit points.

If these temporary hit points are lost due to incoming damage, the shield bursts, possibly  Stunning nearby foes.

 Range: 9 m (30 ft)

 Recharge: Short rest

 Tentacle Whip ()

Damage: 6~24

2d10 + 4⁠Psychic

Lash out with your tentacles and possibly Stun your target.

 INT Save

 Melee: 1.5 m (5 ft)

Spells

 Evard's Black Tentacles ( + )

Damage: 3~18

3d6⁠Bludgeoning

Tentacles sprout from the ground, turning the area into  Difficult Terrain, attacking and  Smothering creatures within.

 STR Save

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Sleep ( + )

Put creatures into a magical slumber. Select targets up to a combined 24 Hit Points.

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Slow ( + )

Alter time around up to 6 enemies to Slow them. They won't get far, they can't do much, and they're easier to hit.

 WIS Save

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

 Telekinesis ( + )

Throw a creature or object up to 18 m (60 ft) with a thought. Once per turn, you can use Telekinesis again without expending a Spell Slot.

Heavier items deal more damage.

 STR Save

 Range: 18 m (60 ft)

If the party chose to give the Triune Netherstone to the Emperor:

 Karsus' Compulsion ()

Channel the stones' magic to control the Crown of Karsus and dominate the Netherbrain.

The caster must  channel this spell until their next turn for it to take effect.

 Range: 6 m (20 ft)

Conditions

This information is not specified on the Emperor's Examine page, but has resulted from testing. If this information varies depending on whether the Emperor is hostile, allied, or neutral, then please specify this in the applicable section.

Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities include specific named Conditions that can be afflicted onto this character, even if the chance of successfully afflicting this condition on the character is really, really low.

The Emperor can be affected by all of the following Conditions:

•  Shredded Armour
•  Sleeping
•  Sluggardly

Encounter details

This section is a list of specific combat encounters where The Emperor gets added into the initiative, and any specific differences about how The Emperor can behave in each combat encounter.

Astral Plane

This encounter is triggered by the quest Help Your Protector during Act Three.

• Even if friendly, the player cannot control his actions like a companion or summon.
• When the Emperor takes enough damage, they will use at least one  Potion of Superior Healing. Up to 2 of these potions are available but using them here means the Emperor will not have them during later encounters.

Note: If The Emperor's hit points reach 0, the combat encounter immediately ends and a cutscene triggers. This results in a "Game Over" screen.

The Upper City

When it is finally time to Confront the Elder Brain, the Emperor can proceed as the player's ally during this final mixture of open-world and combat gameplay. The Emperor will be attached to one character like a summon for the duration of this battle.

• When The Emperor's hit points reach 0, they will become "downed" like any other controllable ally, and will make death saving throws.

Atop the Netherbrain

Ally

• The Emperor can be downed, and can die, but revivify and resurrection methods are allowed. On death then resurrection, for some reason, any unused potions of angelic reprieve will be dropped on the ground.^[verify]
• The Emperor is capable of casting spells off of some, but not all scrolls, if players open up the group inventory screen while the Emperor is actively selected, and right-mouse-clicks on the scroll item (PC Platforms only). The criteria allowing or disallowing the use of a scroll is unclear.

Enemy

• As an enemy, the Emperor will start combat with the  Volatile Shield condition.

Bugs

• The Emperor possesses  Counterspell, but due to a coding error can never actually cast the spell.