Monsters: Aboleths

Monsters: Aboleths

Their original art doesn't really make them look very intimidating.

I decided to update my very first blogpost – the aboleth. I really like aboleths, they are one of my favorite D&D monsters, and I even picked up Dominions 3 because that game had an aboleth nation. So, who are the aboleths? They are huge fish-like beings with tentacles that drip slime that suffocates air-breathers, but also gives them ability to breathe water, making them dependent on the aboleth for survival. The aboleths possess a racial memory that makes them a great repository of knowledge, as they have been in this world even before the gods. Highly-intelligent, they also have an array of psionic abilities. There are multiple subtypes of aboleths, but I am not going to cover them all in this post, only some of them.

As always, let’s start by building it’s body. Being 20 feet long and weighing 6,500 pounds, they should have SM+3 and ST around 30. They should also have 37 HP. Despite its size, it is quite dexterous, so let’s give it DX+1. It is also quite tough, so let’s give it HT+3. Due to its fish-like body, it lacks a neck, so let’s give it Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]. Its skin is thick – I will give it DR 3 (Tough Skin, -40%) [9].

The most difficult morphological trait will be the aboleth’s mode of movement. It’s an aquatic creature, but it can use its four tentacles to drag itself slowly along the ground. Let’s give it No Legs (Semi-Aquatic). However, this feature does not remove the normal skill penalties for being underwater, so let’s also give the aboleth Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties, -50%) [5] – this way the penalties are removed, but the slow movement on land is retained. Since it still can move on land, but it can only crawl this way, I should also add Horizontal [-10]. If the aboleth were a fully-aquatic being, then this disadvantage would’ve made no sense. I will also give it Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water) [10].

Now, what about the tentacles? Honestly, this is going to look very confusing, but this is how GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races suggest doing it. The aboleth has four tentacles, but he has to use at least two of them for locomotion on land. The tentacles also are longer than normal arms would’ve been, and are extra-flexible. So, to modify the existing “arms”, I will have to give to aboleth Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms [30]. Since the existing “legs” also can be used as arms, I will also give it Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2 [24], and since all four tentacles can be used as legs, I will give it Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick, -50%; Extra-Flexible, +50%; Long 1, +100%) [10]. I will also give it Extra Attack 1 [25] for some additional combat power. If this all is confusing to you, don’t worry – I’m as confused as you are.

The aboleth has three eyes – this is a 0-point feature. Let’s also give it Nictitating Membrane 2 [2] and Infravision [10] because it can see in the dark. It also has a small mouth full of serrated teeth, but its biting muscles are weak. Let’s give it Sharp Teeth [1] and Weak Bite [-2].

Speaking of teeth, what do the aboleths eat? Lords of Madness for D&D 3.5 says that they are carnivores that can also subsist on plankton. I will give the aboleth Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]. GURPS Animalia gives whales a 0-point feature – Plankton Strainer, and I am going to borrow it here. The book also implies that they have Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only, -50%) [4] – it lives in water, so Food Only makes sense. The book also says that they really like how victims transformed by their slime taste and go out of their way to eat such victims, so I believe that a quirk should be used here – Likes eating victims transformed by slime [-1]. Also, I should add Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]. By the way, since it’s a mostly aquatic being that is said to live in the deepest trenches, let’s make it immune to pressure by giving it Pressure Support 3 [15]. Deep trenches are cold, so I will give the aboleth Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold) [3]. The aboleths also can speak both in air and underwater, so let’s give it Speak Underwater [5].

Aboleths can live forever, so let’s give them Unaging [15].

Now, there’s one physiological aspect that I haven’t explored yet – breathing. While the aboleths are mostly aquatic beings, they don’t actually breathe water or air – they breathe mucus produces by their special organ called milathast. This mucus requires water and food to produce, but it quickly dries up when water is not present, becoming rough, leathery, and completely waterproof. The aboleth itself becomes paralyzed and enters a state similar to suspended animation – it does have to breathe or eat. It remains aware of its surroundings, but loses tactile and olfactory senses, and cannot perform any actions, even purely mental. If this membrane is pierced, the aboleth is likely to bleed out, but otherwise it can remain in this state forever. It is difficult to represent something like that in GURPS, but possible. However, instead of making an incredibly complex group of traits with uncontrollable triggers and other limitations, I would rather just represent it with Doesn’t Breathe [20] and Dependency (Water; Constantly) [-25] and limit it with a new limitation Enters hibernation after losing 1xHP, -50%. Also, since the mucus is very slippery, I will give the aboleth Slippery 3 [6].

When underwater, the aboleth also surrounds itself with a mucus cloud. Anyone sharing hexes with an aboleth risks breathing in this mucus. If a victim does so, it must roll against HT or lose their ability to breathe air and gain the ability to breathe water for 30 minutes times the margin of failure. This is not a magical ability, so I decided to give it the Biological, Passive power modifier.

Oh, by the way, did you know that freshwater aboleths and saltwater aboleths are two different species? The common aboleth is the freshwater variant, so let’s add Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes) [-5].

I forgot one more thing – the aboleths have two hearts! I will represent it with a perk Two Hearts, which means that a Heart Attack Affliction will have to affect the aboleth twice to have any effect. Also, I will give the aboleth 5 extra FP.

Then there is another biological ability, but this time an active one – the aboleth can coat a tentacle with slime that deals follow-up toxic damage with an onset for eleven cycles. Each cycle can be resisted, but also can be negated by moistening the victim with cool, fresh water. The victim slowly begins to transform, his skin becomes a soft, transparent membrane, and if he loses 1/3 of his HP to this attack, then his natural DR with Tough Skin is reduced by 2 until he heals above this threshold.

Now, let’s talk about the aboleth’s mind. They are said to be extremely intelligent, so let’s be bold and give them a +5 bonus to IQ. However, their senses are on par with human senses, so let’s compensate the Perception increase by giving it a -5 penalty to Perception. It seems that the aboleths are very logical beings, so let’s give them No Sense of Humor [-10] and Callous [-5], they are also cruel after all.

Next, we have one of the defining features of the aboleth race – their racial memory. Fortunately, GURPS has an advantage for that – Racial Memory (Active; Immersive, +50%) [60].

Now, the only things that are left are the aboleth’s racial psionic abilities. The D&D aboleth has a lot of them, and it’s important not to overload the GURPS aboleth. After all, it’s only a racial template – something that all aboleths have from birth. If we check the list, we get a general sense of the aboleth’s psionic capabilities – communication, control, non-lethal mental attacks, mental defense, and mental domination. They also can create walls of ectoplasm, and even though I have converted this ability as a psionic power, I don’t think it fits here. So, let’s go with Mental Blow 4, Mental Surgery 2, Mind Shield 5; Suggestion 3, Telecontrol 2, Telereceive 4, and Telesend 5. That’s a lot of telepathic abilities, so let’s give it Telepathy Talent 2 and one point in every one of these skills. You should keep in mind that Telecontrol only works on humans, so it would be a good idea to replace Specialized, Humans, -40% with Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%, which will increase the cost to 75 points.

Finally, we get a racial template that costs 799 points. That’s a lot, but it is not supposed to be a weak creature.

Aboleth [Monster Manual, page 8, Expanded Psionics Handbook, page 185]

779 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140]; DX+1 [20]; IQ+5 [100]; HT+3 [30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+3; HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10]; FP+5 [15]; Per-5 [-25].

Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties, -50%) [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 3 (Tough Skin, -40%) [9]; Double-Jointed [15]; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water) [10]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick, -50%; Extra-Flexible, +50%; Long 1, +100%) [10]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms [30]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2 [24]; Infravision [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]; Pressure Support 3 [15]; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive, +50%) [60]; Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only, -50%) [4]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Slippery 3 [6]; Speak Underwater [5]; Striker (Tail; Crushing; Cannot Parry, -40%; Limited Arc, Rear, -40%; Reversed Arc, +0%) [1]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold) [3]; Unaging [15].

    Mucus Cloud: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Underwater only, -30%; Aura, +80%; Advantage, Alternate Form (same template, but with Doesn’t Breathe (Gills; underwater only)); +150%; Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Biological, Passive, -5%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Respiratory Agent, +50%) [40].

    Slime: Toxic Attack 1d (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Tentacles, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, being moistened with cool, fresh water negates damage, Resistible, +200%; Onset, 1 minute, -10%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, Negated Advantage, DR 2 with Tough Skin, +18%) [12].

Disadvantages: Appearance (Hideous) [-16]; Callous [-5]; Dependency (Water; Constantly; Enters hibernation after losing 1xHP, -50%) [-12]; Horizontal [-10]; Intolerance (Land dwellers) [-10]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]; Weak Bite [-2]; Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes) [-5].

Perks: Two Hearts [1].

Quirks: Likes eating victims transformed by slime [-1].

Features: No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); Plankton Strainer; Three Eyes.

Racial Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4 [28]; Mental Surgery 2 [25]; Mind Shield 5 [20]; Suggestion 3 [30]; Telecontrol 2 (Replace Specialized, Humans, -40% with Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%) [75]; Telereceive 4 [45]; Telesend 5 [27].

Racial Psionic Skills: Mental Blow (H) Will [1]; Mental Surgery (H) IQ [1]; Mind Shield (H) Will [1]; Suggestion (H) IQ [1]; Telecontrol (H) IQ [1]; Telereceive (H) IQ [1]; Telesend (H) IQ [1].

Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

Creature Type: Aberration.

Knowing Your Own Strength [843] Replace ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140] with ST+20 [200] Replace HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10] with HP+7 [14].

Sapient-Only Telepathy [-19] Mental Blow 4 [28] -> Mental Blow 4 [27] Mental Surgery 2 [25] -> Mental Surgery 2 [20] Suggestion 3 [30] -> Suggestion 3 [25] Telereceive 4 [45] -> Telereceive 4 [40] Telesend 5 [27] -> Telesend 5 [24]

Typical Stats

ST:	30	HP:	37	Speed:	6
DX:	11	Will:	15	Move:	1 ground, 6/9 water
IQ:	15	Per:	10
HT:	13	FP:	18	SM:	+3
Dodge:	9	Parry:	8 (unarmed)	DR:	3* (tough skin)

    Sharp Teeth (11): thrust 1d cutting (KYOS: 2d+2 cutting), Reach C.

    Tentacle (11): thrust 3d-1 crushing (KYOS: 5d+1 crushing), Reach C-3.

    Tail (11): thrust 4d-1 crushing (KYOS: 7d crushing), Reach C-2. Can only attack rear hexes. Cannot parry.

    Slime: Before rolling to hit with a tentacle attack, the aboleth can spend 1 FP to coat it in slime. If this attack hits, then it deals 1d follow-up toxic damage with an onset of one minute, unless the victim resists with HT-3. Then every minute for ten more cycles, the damage repeats. Being moistened with cool, fresh water negates cyclic damage, and each cycle can be resisted with HT-3. The skin of the victim gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane, and after losing 1/3 HP to this toxic damage, the victim’s natural DR with Tough Skin becomes reduced by 2, to the minimum of 0, until he heals above this threshold.

    Mucus Cloud: When underwater, the aboleth exudes a mucus cloud. Any creature in the same hex as the aboleth that breathes in the mucus must make a successful HT roll or lose the ability to breathe air and gain that ability to breathe water for 30 minutes times the margin of failure.

    Water Dependency: The aboleth’s survival depends on the mucuous membrane it creates around itself. This mucus requires water to produce, so it dries up quickly on land. The aboleth loses 1 HP per minute outside of water. To stop this damage, it must immerse itself in water for at least a minute. When it loses 1xHP due to this, it enters a state of hibernation – it remains aware of the surroundings, it can see and hear, but it loses its tactical and olfactory senses. The mucuos membrane hardens up, granting the aboleth DR 6, but also completely paralyzing it. This “long dreaming” is considered to be a fate worse than death, as the aboleth is in constant pain. It does not have to breathe, eat, or drink, and if this membrane is penetrated, it will bleed out and die quickly.

    Traits: Ambidexterity; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties); Appearance (Hideous); Callous; Doesn’t Breathe; Double-Jointed; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water); Extra Attack 1; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick; Extra-Flexible; Long 1); Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2; Horizontal; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No Neck); Intolerance (Land dwellers); Likes eating victims transformed by slime; Nictitating Membrane 2; No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); No Sense of Humor; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings); Plankton Strainer; Pressure Support 3; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive); Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only); Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Sharp Teeth; Slippery 3; Social Stigma (Monster); Speak Underwater; Telepathy Talent 2; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold); Three Eyes; Two Hearts; Unaging; Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes).

    Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4; Mental Surgery 2; Mind Shield 5; Suggestion 3; Telecontrol 2 (Can affect any sapient being); Telereceive 4; Telesend 5.

    Skills: Brainwashing/TL3-16; Expert Skill (Psionics)-16; Interrogation-16; Intimidation-16; Research/TL3-16; Thaumatology-16.

    Psionic Skills: Mental Blow-15; Mental Surgery-15; Mind Shield-15; Suggestion-15; Telecontrol-15; Telereceive-15; Telesend-15.

    Creature Type: Aberration.

    Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

Lords of Madness for D&D 3.5 also had some aboleth variants – amphibious aboleth, uobiltyh, and stygian aboleth. Previous editions had some more – saltwater aboleth, greater aboleth, noble aboleth, ruler aboleth, and grand aboleth. But for now, let’s do the 3.5 subraces.

The first subrace is the amphibious aboleth. They are identical to their aquatic kin, but can survive almost indefinitely on land. So, let’s increase their ground Move by 1, and decrease the frequency of their water Dependency from Constantly to Weekly. That’s easy.

Amphibious Aboleth [Lords of Madness, page 20]

816 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140]; DX+1 [20]; IQ+5 [100]; HT+3 [30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+3; HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10]; FP+5 [15]; Per-5 [-25]; Ground Move +1 [5].

Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties, -50%) [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 3 (Tough Skin, -40%) [9]; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water) [10]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick, -50%; Extra-Flexible, +50%; Long 1, +100%) [10]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms [30]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2 [24]; Infravision [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]; Pressure Support 3 [15]; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive, +50%) [60]; Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only, -50%) [4]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Slippery 3 [6]; Speak Underwater [5]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold) [3]; Unaging [15].

    Mucus Cloud: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Underwater only, -30%; Aura, +80%; Advantage, Alternate Form (same template, but with Doesn’t Breathe (Gills; underwater only)); +150%; Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Biological, Passive, -5%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Respiratory Agent, +50%) [40].

    Slime: Toxic Attack 1d (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Tentacles, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, being moistened with cool, fresh water negates damage, Resistible, +200%; Onset, 1 minute, -10%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, Negated Advantage, DR 2 with Tough Skin, +18%) [12].

Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Dependency (Water; Weekly; Enters hibernation after losing 1xHP, -50%) [-5]; Horizontal [-10]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Weak Bite [-2]; Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes) [-5].

Perks: Two Hearts [1].

Quirks: Likes eating victims transformed by slime [-1].

Features: No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); Plankton Strainer; Three Eyes.

Racial Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4 [28]; Mental Surgery 2 [25]; Mind Shield 5 [20]; Suggestion 3 [30]; Telecontrol 2 (Replace Specialized, Humans, -40% with Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%) [75]; Telereceive 4 [45]; Telesend 5 [27].

Racial Psionic Skills: Mental Blow (H) Will [1]; Mental Surgery (H) IQ [1]; Mind Shield (H) Will [1]; Suggestion (H) IQ [1]; Telecontrol (H) IQ [1]; Telereceive (H) IQ [1]; Telesend (H) IQ [1].

Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

Creature Type: Aberration.

Knowing Your Own Strength [880] Replace ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140] with ST+20 [200] Replace HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10] with HP+7 [14].

Sapient-Only Telepathy [-19] Mental Blow 4 [28] -> Mental Blow 4 [27] Mental Surgery 2 [25] -> Mental Surgery 2 [20] Suggestion 3 [30] -> Suggestion 3 [25] Telereceive 4 [45] -> Telereceive 4 [40] Telesend 5 [27] -> Telesend 5 [24]

Typical Stats

ST:	30	HP:	37	Speed:	6
DX:	11	Will:	15	Move:	2 ground, 6/9 water
IQ:	15	Per:	10
HT:	13	FP:	18	SM:	+3
Dodge:	9	Parry:	8 (unarmed)	DR:	3* (tough skin)

    Sharp Teeth (11): thrust 1d cutting (KYOS: 2d+2 cutting), Reach C.

    Tentacle (11): thrust 3d-1 crushing (KYOS: 5d+1 crushing), Reach C-3.

    Slime: Before rolling to hit with a tentacle attack, the amphibious aboleth can spend 1 FP to coat it in slime. If this attack hits, then it deals 1d follow-up toxic damage with an onset of one minute, unless the victim resists with HT-3. Then every minute for ten more cycles, the damage repeats. Being moistened with cool, fresh water negates cyclic damage, and each cycle can be resisted with HT-3. The skin of the victim gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane, and after losing 1/3 HP to this toxic damage, the victim’s natural DR with Tough Skin becomes reduced by 2, to the minimum of 0, until he heals above this threshold.

    Mucus Cloud: When underwater, the amphibious aboleth exudes a mucus cloud. Any creature in the same hex as the amphibious aboleth that breathes in the mucus must make a successful HT roll or lose the ability to breathe air and gain that ability to breathe water for 30 minutes times the margin of failure.

    Water Dependency: The amphibious aboleth’s survival depends on the mucuous membrane it creates around itself. This mucus requires water to produce, so it dries up on land. The amphibious aboleth must immerse itself in water at least once a week for six hours or it will lose 1 HP per six hours after missing a weekly dose. When it loses 1xHP due to this, it enters a state of hibernation – it remains aware of the surroundings, it can see and hear, but it loses its tactical and olfactory senses. The mucuos membrane hardens up, granting the amphibious aboleth DR 6, but also completely paralyzing it. This “long dreaming” is considered to be a fate worse than death, as the amphibious aboleth is in constant pain. It does not have to breathe, eat, or drink, and if this membrane is penetrated, it will bleed out and die quickly.

    Traits: Ambidexterity; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties); Callous; Doesn’t Breathe; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water); Extra Attack 1; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick; Extra-Flexible; Long 1); Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2; Horizontal; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No Neck); Likes eating victims transformed by slime; Nictitating Membrane 2; No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); No Sense of Humor; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings); Plankton Strainer; Pressure Support 3; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive); Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only); Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Sharp Teeth; Slippery 3; Speak Underwater; Telepathy Talent 2; Temperature Tolerance 3 (Cold); Three Eyes; Two Hearts; Unaging; Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes).

    Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4; Mental Surgery 2; Mind Shield 5; Suggestion 3; Telecontrol 2 (Can affect any sapient being); Telereceive 4; Telesend 5.

    Skills: Brainwashing/TL3-16; Expert Skill (Psionics)-16; Interrogation-16; Intimidation-16; Research/TL3-16; Thaumatology-16.

    Psionic Skills: Mental Blow-15; Mental Surgery-15; Mind Shield-15; Suggestion-15; Telecontrol-15; Telereceive-15; Telesend-15.

    Creature Type: Aberration.

    Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

The second subrace is the uobilyth, also known as the aerial aboleth. Let’s remove all water-related traits – Amphibious, No Legs (Semi-Aquatic), Speak Underwater, Pressure Support 3, Mucus Cloud, Dependency, Weakness, Plankton Strainer. It still can pull itself on the ground with its tentacles, so let’s give it a -5 penalty to Basic Move. Let’s replace Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water) with Enhanced Move 0.5 (Air). Since the uobilyth lives in the clouds, it should have a higher level of Temperature Tolerance – I suggest increasing it to 5, and it should also be tolerant to low pressures – but the uobilyth has Doesn’t Breathe, so it’s fine. It doesn’t live in the water now, so let’s remove Food Only, -50% from Reduced Consumption. As for the flight itself, the book says that it’s a supernatural ability. I will give it Flight with the Psychokinesis power modifier. The uobilyth really should stay away from anti-psis if it doesn’t want to splat on the ground.

Uobilyth (Aerial Aboleth) [Lords of Madness, page 20]

773 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140]; DX+1 [20]; IQ+5 [100]; HT+3 [30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+3; HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10]; FP+5 [15]; Per-5 [-25]; Basic Move -5 [-25].

Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 3 (Tough Skin, -40%) [9]; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Air) [10]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick, -50%; Extra-Flexible, +50%; Long 1, +100%) [10]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms [30]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2 [24]; Flight (Psychokinesis, -10%) [36]; Infravision [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive, +50%) [60]; Reduced Consumption 4 [8]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Slippery 3 [6]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold) [5]; Unaging [15].

    Slime: Toxic Attack 1d (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Tentacles, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, being moistened with cool, fresh water negates damage, Resistible, +200%; Onset, 1 minute, -10%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, Negated Advantage, DR 2 with Tough Skin, +18%) [12].

Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Horizontal [-10]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Weak Bite [-2].

Perks: Two Hearts [1].

Quirks: Likes eating victims transformed by slime [-1].

Features: Three Eyes.

Racial Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4 [28]; Mental Surgery 2 [25]; Mind Shield 5 [20]; Suggestion 3 [30]; Telecontrol 2 (Replace Specialized, Humans, -40% with Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%) [75]; Telereceive 4 [45]; Telesend 5 [27].

Racial Psionic Skills: Mental Blow (H) Will [1]; Mental Surgery (H) IQ [1]; Mind Shield (H) Will [1]; Suggestion (H) IQ [1]; Telecontrol (H) IQ [1]; Telereceive (H) IQ [1]; Telesend (H) IQ [1].

Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

Creature Type: Aberration (Air).

Knowing Your Own Strength [837] Replace ST+20 (Size Modifier, -30%) [140] with ST+20 [200] Replace HP+7 (Size Modifier, -30%) [10] with HP+7 [14].

Sapient-Only Telepathy [-19] Mental Blow 4 [28] -> Mental Blow 4 [27] Mental Surgery 2 [25] -> Mental Surgery 2 [20] Suggestion 3 [30] -> Suggestion 3 [25] Telereceive 4 [45] -> Telereceive 4 [40] Telesend 5 [27] -> Telesend 5 [24]

Typical Stats

ST:	30	HP:	37	Speed:	6
DX:	11	Will:	15	Move:	1 ground, 12/18 air
IQ:	15	Per:	10
HT:	13	FP:	18	SM:	+3
Dodge:	9	Parry:	8 (unarmed)	DR:	3* (tough skin)

    Sharp Teeth (11): thrust 1d cutting (KYOS: 2d+2 cutting), Reach C.

    Tentacle (11): thrust 3d-1 crushing (KYOS: 5d+1 crushing), Reach C-3.

    Slime: Before rolling to hit with a tentacle attack, the uobilyth can spend 1 FP to coat it in slime. If this attack hits, then it deals 1d follow-up toxic damage with an onset of one minute, unless the victim resists with HT-3. Then every minute for ten more cycles, the damage repeats. Being moistened with cool, fresh water negates cyclic damage, and each cycle can be resisted with HT-3. The skin of the victim gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane, and after losing 1/3 HP to this toxic damage, the victim’s natural DR with Tough Skin becomes reduced by 2, to the minimum of 0, until he heals above this threshold.

    Traits: Ambidexterity; Callous; Doesn’t Breathe; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Air); Extra Attack 1; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick; Extra-Flexible; Long 1); Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2; Flight (Psychokinesis); Horizontal; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No Neck); Likes eating victims transformed by slime; Nictitating Membrane 2; No Sense of Humor; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings); Racial Memory (Active; Immersive); Reduced Consumption 4; Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Sharp Teeth; Slippery 3; Telepathy Talent 2; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Three Eyes; Two Hearts; Unaging.

    Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4; Mental Surgery 2; Mind Shield 5; Suggestion 3; Telecontrol 2 (Can affect any sapient being); Telereceive 4; Telesend 5.

    Skills: Brainwashing/TL3-16; Expert Skill (Psionics)-16; Interrogation-16; Intimidation-16; Research/TL3-16; Thaumatology-16.

    Psionic Skills: Mental Blow-15; Mental Surgery-15; Mind Shield-15; Suggestion-15; Telecontrol-15; Telereceive-15; Telesend-15.

    Creature Type: Aberration (Air).

    Notes: Size 14 hexes; Weight 6,500 lbs.

The final subrace that I’m going to tackle is the stygian aboleth. They are just like the normal aboleths, but bigger, stronger, and fiendish. First, let’s scale up the aboleth, for example from 6,500 lbs. to 11,000 lbs. That should be roughly ST 40 and HP 44, and I will increase SM from +3 to +4. Stygia is supernaturally cold, so let’s increase Temperature Tolerance from 3 to 5. Fiendish creatures usually have some minor resistances to fire and cold, so I will give the stygian aboleth DR 5 against these types of damage. Also, they often are resistant to magic, so let’s give it Magic Resistance 2 (Improved, +150%) [10]. The River Styx has a supernatural quality that wipes your memories, and since these aboleths live there, I can represent this highly specific immunity with a perk. Finally, since this is a fiendish creature, let’s give it Vulnerability to holy weapons.

Stygian Aboleth [Lords of Madness, page 20]

856 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST+30 (Size Modifier, -40%) [180]; DX+1 [20]; IQ+5 [100]; HT+3 [30].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM+4; HP+4 (Size Modifier, -40%) [5]; FP+5 [15]; Per-5 [-25].

Advantages: Ambidexterity [5]; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties, -50%) [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 3 (Tough Skin, -40%) [9]; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water) [10]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick, -50%; Extra-Flexible, +50%; Long 1, +100%) [10]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms [30]; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2 [24]; Infravision [10]; Injury Tolerance (No Neck) [5]; Magic Resistance 2 (Improved, +150%) [10]; Nictitating Membrane 2 [2]; Pressure Support 3 [15]; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive, +50%) [60]; Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only, -50%) [4]; Sharp Teeth [1]; Slippery 3 [6]; Speak Underwater [5]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold) [5]; Unaging [15].

    Elemental Resistance (C,F): DR 5 (Includes Eyes, +10%; Includes Internal, +20%; Limited, Cold, Fire, -35%; Tough Skin, -40%) [14].

    Mucus Cloud: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Underwater only, -30%; Aura, +80%; Advantage, Alternate Form (same template, but with Doesn’t Breathe (Gills; underwater only)); +150%; Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Biological, Passive, -5%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Respiratory Agent, +50%) [40].

    Slime: Toxic Attack 1d (Biological, -10%; Follow-Up, Tentacles, +0%; Cyclic, 1 minute, 10 cycles, being moistened with cool, fresh water negates damage, Resistible, +200%; Onset, 1 minute, -10%; Resistible, HT-3, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, Negated Advantage, DR 2 with Tough Skin, +18%) [12].

Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Dependency (Water; Constantly; Enters hibernation after losing 1xHP, -50%) [-12]; Horizontal [-10]; No Sense of Humor [-10]; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings) [-15]; Restricted Diet (Carnivore) [-10]; Vulnerability (Holy Weapons, x2) [-10]; Weak Bite [-2]; Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes) [-5].

Perks: Immunity to Stygian Memory Wipe [1]; Two Hearts [1].

Quirks: Likes eating victims transformed by slime [-1].

Features: No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); Plankton Strainer; Three Eyes.

Racial Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4 [28]; Mental Surgery 2 [25]; Mind Shield 5 [20]; Suggestion 3 [30]; Telecontrol 2 (Replace Specialized, Humans, -40% with Accessibility, Only sapient beings, -10%) [75]; Telereceive 4 [45]; Telesend 5 [27].

Racial Psionic Skills: Mental Blow (H) Will [1]; Mental Surgery (H) IQ [1]; Mind Shield (H) Will [1]; Suggestion (H) IQ [1]; Telecontrol (H) IQ [1]; Telereceive (H) IQ [1]; Telesend (H) IQ [1].

Notes: Size 28 hexes; Weight 11,000 lbs.

Creature Type: Aberration (Evil).

Knowing Your Own Strength [915] Replace ST+30 (Size Modifier, -40%) [180] with ST+22 [220] Replace HP+4 (Size Modifier, -40%) [5] with HP+12 [24].

Sapient-Only Telepathy [-19] Mental Blow 4 [28] -> Mental Blow 4 [27] Mental Surgery 2 [25] -> Mental Surgery 2 [20] Suggestion 3 [30] -> Suggestion 3 [25] Telereceive 4 [45] -> Telereceive 4 [40] Telesend 5 [27] -> Telesend 5 [24]

Typical Stats

ST:	40 (KYOS: 32)	HP:	44	Speed:	6
DX:	11	Will:	15	Move:	1 ground, 6/9 water
IQ:	15	Per:	10
HT:	13	FP:	18	SM:	+4
Dodge:	9	Parry:	8 (unarmed)	DR:	3* (tough skin), 5 (vs. cold and fire)

    Sharp Teeth (11): thrust 2d-1 cutting (KYOS: 2d+1 cutting), Reach C.

    Tentacle (11): thrust 4d crushing (KYOS: 6d-1 crushing), Reach C-5.

    Slime: Before rolling to hit with a tentacle attack, the stygian aboleth can spend 1 FP to coat it in slime. If this attack hits, then it deals 1d follow-up toxic damage with an onset of one minute, unless the victim resists with HT-3. Then every minute for ten more cycles, the damage repeats. Being moistened with cool, fresh water negates cyclic damage, and each cycle can be resisted with HT-3. The skin of the victim gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane, and after losing 1/3 HP to this toxic damage, the victim’s natural DR with Tough Skin becomes reduced by 2, to the minimum of 0, until he heals above this threshold.

    Mucus Cloud: When underwater, the stygian aboleth exudes a mucus cloud. Any creature in the same hex as the stygian aboleth that breathes in the mucus must make a successful HT roll or lose the ability to breathe air and gain that ability to breathe water for 30 minutes times the margin of failure.

    Water Dependency: The stygian aboleth’s survival depends on the mucuous membrane it creates around itself. This mucus requires water to produce, so it dries up quickly on land. The stygian aboleth loses 1 HP per minute outside of water. To stop this damage, it must immerse itself in water for at least a minute. When it loses 1xHP due to this, it enters a state of hibernation – it remains aware of the surroundings, it can see and hear, but it loses its tactical and olfactory senses. The mucuos membrane hardens up, granting the stygian aboleth DR 6, but also completely paralyzing it. This “long dreaming” is considered to be a fate worse than death, as the stygian aboleth is in constant pain. It does not have to breathe, eat, or drink, and if this membrane is penetrated, it will bleed out and die quickly.

    Traits: Ambidexterity; Amphibious (Accessibility, Only skill penalties); Callous; Doesn’t Breathe; Enhanced Move 0.5 (Water); Extra Attack 1; Extra Legs (Four Legs; Cannot Kick; Extra-Flexible; Long 1); Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Arms; Extra-Flexible Long (+1 SM) Foot Manipulators 2; Horizontal; Immunity to Stygian Memory Wipe; Infravision; Injury Tolerance (No Neck); Likes eating victims transformed by slime; Magic Resistance 2 (Improved); Nictitating Membrane 2; No Legs (Semi-Aquatic); No Sense of Humor; Odious Racial Habit (Eats sapient beings); Plankton Strainer; Pressure Support 3; Racial Memory (Active; Immersive); Reduced Consumption 4 (Food Only); Restricted Diet (Carnivore); Sharp Teeth; Slippery 3; Speak Underwater; Telepathy Talent 2; Temperature Tolerance 5 (Cold); Three Eyes; Two Hearts; Unaging; Vulnerability (Holy Weapons, x2); Weakness (Immersion in saline water, 1d per 30 minutes).

    Psionic Abilities: Mental Blow 4; Mental Surgery 2; Mind Shield 5; Suggestion 3; Telecontrol 2 (Can affect any sapient being); Telereceive 4; Telesend 5.

    Skills: Brainwashing/TL3-16; Expert Skill (Psionics)-16; Interrogation-16; Intimidation-16; Research/TL3-16; Thaumatology-16.

    Psionic Skills: Mental Blow-15; Mental Surgery-15; Mind Shield-15; Suggestion-15; Telecontrol-15; Telereceive-15; Telesend-15.

    Creature Type: Aberration (Evil).

    Notes: Size 28 hexes; Weight 11,000 lbs.

And that’s it! Four aboleth monsters are done, and I have to say that I didn’t really change much during the conversion, as these monsters are interesting as is, which is great.