Aboleth Greater

Resembling a primeval fish nearly thirty feet long, this creature has a bulbous head and crescent-shaped tail. Bony ridges protect its three slit-shaped eyes, stacked horizontally on the front of its head. Long tentacles writhe about its body, dripping mucus.

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Greater aboleths are larger, more intelligent versions of the common aboleth. They are normally only encountered in an aboleth city, where they control the slave population with unrelenting cruelty. Their superior enslavement powers make them well-suited for this task. Up to a dozen of these creatures may be found in a single aboleth city, each maintaining its own group of slaves.

A greater aboleth has a pink belly. Four pulsating blue-black orifices line the bottom of its body and secrete gray slime that smells like rancid grease. It uses its tail for propulsion in the water and drags itself along with its tentacles on land. A greater aboleth is 30 feet long and weighs several tons.

Aboleths speak their own language, as well as Undercommon and Aquan.

Aboleth, Greater
Huge aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice	12d8+72 (126 hp)
Initiative	+1
Speed	10 ft. (2 squares), Swim 60 ft.
Armor Class	18 (-2 size, +1 Dexterity, +9 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple	+8/+26
Attack	Tentacle +16 melee (1d8+10 plus slime)
Full Attack	4 tentacles +16 melee (1d8+10 plus slime)
Space/Reach	15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks	Bite, enslave, psionics, slime
Special Qualities	Amphibious, Darkvision 60 ft., knowledgeable, mucus cloud, telepathy 60 ft.
Saves	Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +14
Abilities	Strength 30, Dexterity 12, Constitution 22, Intelligence 21, Wisdom 19, Charisma 19
Skills	Bluff +19, Concentration +21, Diplomacy +6, Disguise +4 (+6 acting), Intimidate +6, Knowledge (any three) +20, Listen +21, Spellcraft +20 (+22 scrolls), Spot +21, Use Magic Device +19 (+21 scrolls), Swim +18
Feats	Alertness, Combat Casting, Iron Will, Rapid Metabolism, Spell Penetration
Environment	Underground
Organization	Solitary, brood (2-3), slaver brood (1 plus 1-5 aboleths plus 7-60 skum), or city (7-12 plus 1 ruler aboleth, 3-8 noble aboleths, 35-60 aboleths and 60-160 skum)
Challenge Rating	11
Treasure	Double standard
Alignment	Usually lawful evil
Advancement	13-16 HD (Huge); 17-36 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment	–

COMBAT

A greater aboleth attacks by flailing with its long, slimy tentacles, though it prefers to fight from a distance using its illusion powers.

Astral Traveler (Sp): At will, a greater aboleth can join an astral caravan. This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name.

Bite (Ex): Although a greater aboleth’s mouth is relatively small, it can still deliver a nasty bite. An aboleth’s bite attack is considered an unarmed strike, not a natural attack, and without the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, it provokes attacks of opportunity. Likewise, the act of extruding its feeding stalks and rearing back to bite is a clumsy move for most aboleths, so a bite attack is a full-round action. An aboleth can’t attack with its tentacles at the same time as it bites. On a successful hit, a greater aboleth’s bite deals 1d4+5 points of damage.

Enslave (Su): At will, a greater aboleth can attempt to enslave any one living creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 23 Will save or be affected as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 20th). An enslaved creature obeys the aboleth’s telepathic commands until freed by break enchantment (remove curse has no effect), and can attempt a new Will save every 24 hours to break free. The control is also broken if the aboleth dies or travels more than 5 miles from its slave. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +3 racial bonus.

Knowledgeable (Ex): A greater aboleth makes Knowledge checks for any Knowledge skills as if it had a minimum of 10 ranks in that skill. To surpass the 10-rank minimum, it must assign more than 10 ranks to the skill as normal.

Mucus Cloud (Ex): A greater aboleth underwater surrounds itself with a viscous cloud of mucus roughly 1 foot thick. Any creature coming into contact with and inhaling this substance must succeed on a DC 21 Fortitude save or lose the ability to breathe air for the next 3 hours. An affected creature suffocates in 2d6 minutes if removed from the water. Renewed contact with the mucus cloud and failing another Fortitude save continues the effect for another 3 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Psionics (Sp):

• At will – dimension door, hypnotic pattern (DC 16), illusory wall (DC 18), levitate, mirage arcana (DC 19), persistent image (DC 19), programmed image (DC 20), project image (DC 21), telekinesis (DC 19), veil (DC 20).
• 3/day – detect thoughts (DC 17).

Effective caster level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Slime (Ex): A blow from an aboleth’s tentacle can cause a terrible affliction. A creature hit by a tentacle must succeed on a DC 21 Fortitude save or begin to transform over the next 1d4+1 minutes, the skin gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane. An afflicted creature must remain moistened with cool, fresh water or take 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. The slime reduces the creature’s natural armor bonus by 1 (but never to less than 0). The save DC is Constitution-based.

A remove disease spell cast before the transformation is complete will restore an afflicted creature to normal. Afterward, however, only a heal or mass heal spell can reverse the affliction.

Skills: An aboleth has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while Swimming, provided it Swims in a straight line.

Greater Aboleths and Lords of Madness

If you are using Lords of Madness in your campaign, greater aboleths may qualify for a number of the aboleth specific feats.

A greater aboleth that takes the Powerful Bite feat may qualify for the following new feat.

Oversized Maw [General]

An aboleth with this feat develops jaws large enough to swallow smaller creatures whole.

• Prerequisite: Aboleth, Huge or larger, Strength 30, Powerful Bite, Weapon Focus (bite).
• Benefit: An aboleth with this may attempt to swallow a creature up to two size categories smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes piercing and slashing damage from the aboleth’s tooth-lined esophagus. The amount of damage is based on size: 2d8+Strength for Huge, 3d8+Strength for Gargantuan, and 4d8+Strength for Colossal. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the esophagus (AC equals 10 + 1/2 aboleth’s natural armor bonus). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. An aboleth’s interior can hold 1 creature of two size categories smaller, 4 creatures of three size categories smaller, 16creatures of four size categories smaller, and 64 creatures of five or more size categories smaller than itself.

1988 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Originally found in Dragon Magazine #131

See Also Aboleth