Originally Posted by Leucrotta
There was also something about mindflayers having no souls, which unless it is a 5e retcon, is a Larian retcon, because Mindflayers definitely had souls back in the day with my 3rd and 2nd edition material.
But yeah, that aspect certainly struck me as a rather drastic departure from prior depictions of mindflayers, particularly because it's an aspect of their biology/culture that Larian changed that is so very critical to the plot of the game.

At least with the many other departures from their prior lore things were handwaved away with the excuse of 'netherese tadpoles'.
The thing that is weird and unique about mind flayers in D&D is that they are the only sentient species that arrived to the forgotten realms from outer space...they are literally cosmic horrors. Now there are all the various planes of existence and the forgotten realms that are governed by all the deities of D&D, all who fall under the rule of AO...but I'm not sure even they would know what to do with the souls of illithids if illithids have them. Illithids don't really care for the deities of D&D and no D&D deity ever govened over them as far as I am aware. So illithid souls would not likely be something the deities of D&D would even know what to do with. It may well be that illithids have an entirely different system of handling for their souls(if they have them) and potentially an entirely different deity of sorts that is entirely beyond the understanding and control of AO or any other D&D deity. They are literally unknowable cosmic horrors. So from that aspect I am fine with a deity from D&D believing they don't have souls.