Aboleth Noble

Resembling a primeval fish over thirty feet long, this creature has an oversized 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. Two of these tentacles are smaller, ending in three-fingered handlike appendages.

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Noble aboleths serve the city as scientists. They spend their time doing research, conducting experiments, and traveling to other worlds and planes to Gather Information.

A noble 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 noble aboleth is over 30 feet long and weighs several tons.

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

Aboleth, Noble
Huge aberration (Aquatic)
Hit Dice	16d8+112 (184 hp)
Initiative	+5
Speed	10 ft. (2 squares), Swim 40 ft.
Armor Class	18 (-2 size, +1 Dexterity, +9 natural),, touch 9, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple	+12/+32
Attack	Tentacle +22 melee (2d8+12 plus slime)
Full Attack	4 tentacles +22 melee (2d8+12 plus slime)
Space/Reach	15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks	Bite, enslave, psionics, slime
Special Qualities	Amphibious, Darkvision 60 ft., item master, knowledgeable, mucus cloud, telepathy 60 ft.
Saves	Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +18
Abilities	Strength 34, Dexterity 12, Constitution 24, Intelligence 25, Wisdom 23, Charisma 23
Skills	Bluff +25, Concentration +26, Craft (any one) +26, Diplomacy +8, Disguise +6 (+8 acting), Intimidate +8, Knowledge (any three) +26, Listen +27, Spellcraft +26, Spot +27
Feats	Alertness, Combat Casting, Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Jack of All Trades, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (telekinesis)
Environment	Underground
Organization	Solitary, brood (2-3), slaver brood (1 plus 1-5 aboleths plus 7-60 skum), or city (3-8 plus 1 ruler aboleth, 7-12 greater aboleths, 35-60 aboleths or saltwater aboleths and 60-160 skum)
Challenge Rating	14
Treasure	Double standard
Alignment	Usually lawful evil
Advancement	17-48 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment	–

COMBAT

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

Astral Caravan (Sp): Once per day, a noble aboleth can lead an expedition through the Astral Plane. This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name, with augmentation.

Bite (Ex): Although a noble 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 noble aboleth’s bite deals 1d4+6 points of damage.

Enslave (Su): Three times per day, a noble aboleth can attempt to enslave any one living creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 24 Will save or be affected as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 16th). An enslaved creature obeys the aboleth’s telepathic commands until freed by remove curse, 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 1 mile from its slave. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Item Master (Ex): A noble aboleth can use any magic item, even spell completion items such as wands or scrolls. It can also create any item or construct as though it had the necessary feats and prerequisite spells or other requirements.

Knowledgeable (Ex): A noble 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. Additionally, a noble aboleth gains a racial bonus on all Knowledge checks equal to half its Hit Dice (+8 for a typical noble aboleth).

Mucus Cloud (Ex): A noble aboleth underwater surrounds itself with a viscous cloud of mucus roughly 3 feet thick. Any creature coming into contact with and inhaling this substance must succeed on a DC 25 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 18), illusory wall (DC 20), levitate, major image (DC 18), mirage arcana (DC 21), persistent image (DC 21), programmed image (DC 22), project image (DC 23), telekinesis (DC 21), veil (DC 22).
• 3/day – detect thoughts (DC 19), energy resistance, freedom of movement, heal, quickened telekinesis (DC 21).

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 25 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.

Psionic Noble Aboleths

A psionic noble aboleth does not possess spell-like abilities or the enslave ability of the standard noble aboleth. Instead, it has psi-like abilities, including psionic dominate.

Special Attacks: Bite, enslave, psi-like abilities, slime

Special Qualities: Amphibious, Darkvision 60 ft., knowledgeable, mucus cloud, psionic item master, telepathy 60 ft.

Skills: Bluff +25, Concentration +26, Craft (any one) +26, Diplomacy +8, Disguise +6 (+8 acting), Intimidate +8, Knowledge (any three) +26, Listen +27, Psicraft +26, Spot +27

Feats: Alertness, Combat Manifestation, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (futuristic weapons)(B), Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Overchannel, Psionic Meditation

Psi-Like Abilities:

• At will – astral traveler, body equilibrium, disable (65-ft. cone, 23 HD, DC 26*), false sensory input (eight targets, DC 19*), mental disruption (50-ft. radius, DC 26*), mindlink (unwilling, twenty targets, DC 17*), psionic dimension door (move action*), psionic levitate, telekinetic force (625 lbs., DC 19*), telekinetic maneuver (+33 check modifier*), telekinetic thrust (625 lbs., DC 19*);
• 3/day – adapt body, body adjustment (8d12*), ego whip (ML 14th, 3d4, DC 22*), id insinuation (ML 14th, six targets, DC 23*), psionic dominate (any 2 targets, 20 days, DC 26*), read thoughts (DC 19), thought shield (power resistance 30, 18 rounds*);
• 1/day – astral caravan (25% miss chance, observed speed 40 ft., Knowledge (the planes) check once every 12 hours*), psionic modify memory (DC 20), remote viewing (DC 20), wall of ectoplasm (DC 20). Manifester level 20th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

*Includes augmentation for the aboleth’s manifester level.

Psionic Item Master (Ex): A noble aboleth can use any psionic item, even power completion items such as power stones. It can also create any item or construct as though it had the necessary feats and prerequisite powers or other requirements.

Technological Noble Aboleths

Some variant noble aboleths focus on technology, rather than magic or psionics. These noble aboleths have access to technology far beyond that of most other races.

These “futuretech items” mimic the effects of standard magic items, but do not detect as magic, and are not vulnerable to antimagic and magic-suppressing effects. A noble aboleth may create these items using its item master ability.

Noble Aboleths and Lords of Madness

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

A noble 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