The ABC’s of DND: A is for...

Previously I talked about reasons why dragons can be a bit of a pitfall for D&D campaigns. But where does that leave us? Well luckily we have a huge manual of monsters to draw upon, and with a challenge rating of 10 and some interesting lore, I would like to start with one of my favourite monsters of all time. But first let us set the scene:

Your party has made their way to an ancient underwater ruin. Through racial traits or magical acts they have overcome the simple hurdle of breathing under water and now you sneak through the coral covered halls. You are looking for some artefact or secret needed to aid you in your quest. The stakes are high, high enough you have all ignored the warnings of the salty sea dog who captained the boat that brought you to this remote place. As you explore you see mosaics cover the walls of the ruins. Images of humanoids making offerings before some colossal figure. Other mosaics depict figures bent in supplication, and another shows figure clawing at their own head, desperately trying to carve out their own brains. But times are dire, you cannot turn back without the vital macguffin you came for. Entering the depth of a temple you arrive at a great hall. Vaulted ceilings are held up by salt crusted pillars, wrapped in carved tentacles. And as you peer into the dark you see skeletons piled high at the rooms edges, some frozen in their moment of death, reaching towards the door as though desperately trying to escape. Then a horror moves in the darkness. Intelligent and cruel, seeking fresh minds to enslave. This is the creature you all must face. Psychic pressure splits through your mind like a lance, and you look to your friends trying to work out if they have been able to resist the call. You had been warned that this being would not deal easily with mortals. As it moves out of the darkness, tentacles pulling it’s twisted maw closer to you, rows and rows of sharp teeth on display, you may wonder… is this quest truly worth it? Surely there must be an easier way of gaining the information you all need to save the world? But it’s too late, the DM is already smiling, for now you have caught the attention of an Aboleth. It’s time to roll initiative. For those of you who don’t know the Aboleth is a creature of the far realms, and like other such denizens of the outer planes, they possess a terrifying arsenal of psionic attacks. With the ability to detect hidden presences and mentally enslave their chosen prey (as well as do a truly humbling amount of psychic and bludgeoning damage) the Aboleth is not a foe to be faced lightly. Aboleth lore to me is fascinating. They are sentient, intelligent creatures, although they look more like a leech and a squid had a torrid love affair. Unlike many other species in DND, they possess a racial memory. Meaning they are psychically linked not only to other living members of their species, but also those that came before. Even young Aboleths are dangerously intelligent as they are born entirely aware. While they have no religion or gods themselves (owing to the ability to remember a time before the gods were so), they are not above placing themselves as gods before the mortal species. Through fear and psychic dominance Aboleths will try to enslave any other sentient species they come across. Those they cannot force into service are greeted with death. Aboleths grow in proportion to their age and can either be a solitary presence, or part of a cluster of individuals known as a brood. This makes them a very versatile enemy when designing encounters for your party. They are also one of the first sentient races, something they themselves are aware of and perhaps explains their sense of entitlement. Because of this it means they can be the holders of any number of ancient secrets you may want to impart to your party. Another reason that they are one of my favourites is the ability to charm their opponents. If there is a way for me to turn one of my players against their party so they can do my dirty DM work for me, then you best believe I will be using it. Their ability to dominate people also means you can have all sorts of fun with additional enemies on the field. Cultists (or in Aboleth terms, servitors) can add additional peril if you are feeling particularly sadistic. And the Aboleth are able to gift their servitors with a membrane which allows them to breathe underwater. So while it might seem like your options are limited initially to Kuo-Toa or Tritons, in fact you can have a whole host of adds, and once the membrane is pierced, the party have a quick way to clear the field and focus their efforts on the Aboleth, lending the encounter a nice element of problem solving should they be so inclined. So next time you are looking for a horror from the deep for your party fun, remember the Aboleth, because they will remember you. They remember everything.