Page 13 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

PERILOUS LORE The best thing to do with an aberration’s spellbook or power
Learning too much about an aberration race is dangerous in stone is to bury it someplace where it will never see the light
the extreme. Not only do the aberrations themselves object of day again.
to any attempt to study their secrets, the actual results of the In general, the more atypical the creature’s origin, the
effort are injurious to the humanoid psyche. No mage sleeps less healthy it is to know too much about it. Creatures such
better after learning the language of the aboleths, mastering as beholders or umber hulks are frightening, but do not

spells devised by mind flayers, or exploring the alchemical normally threaten one’s reason. On the other hand, creatures
science of the grell. There are things that humanoids were spawned in especially inimical places or times—previ-
not meant to know. ous universes, the Far Realm, the worlds around distant
In order to truly comprehend some artifact of a master
stars—are more dangerous. Aboleths, grell, psurlons, and
CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS AN ABERRATION? aberration’s mentality—its language, its magic, its own tsochari are particularly alien and incomprehensible.
comprehension of the mundane world—it is necessary
to absorb concepts and symbologies that are drastically at
THE
variance with human norms. The more one studies these
ABERRATION CAMPAIGN

things, the more difficult it is to set aside these concepts and
return to normal modes of thought and speech. Eventually, The most iconic aberrations in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
it becomes impossible, and sanity (at least, as humans define game boast a number of traits that make them ideal as feature

it) is lost altogether. As tempting as it might be to study the villains in a campaign. They possess the ability to enslave or
mighty spells or psionic powers of the mind flayers, these dominate other creatures, so many disparate monsters can be

things carry a terrible risk for the reckless mage or psion. found toiling in their service. Their magical and psionic powers
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FORTY ABERRATION ADVENTURE IDEAS 20 A terrible bandit lord turns out to be a half-farspawn mon-
Use the following list for quick adventure seeds or ideas for your strosity in human shape.
own adventures. 21 A secret cult of evil human monks follows a lama who wor-
1 Aboleths enslave a local lord. ships Far Realm entities.
2 Neogi slavers carry off the heir to the kingdom; civil war 22 A beholder mage raids an arcane library.
threatens. 23 Mind flayers are the secret masters behind a slave ring.
3 Mind flayers seek an artifact that will extinguish the sun. 24 Aboleths experiment with new servitor monsters.
4 A beholder makes itself lord over all the monsters of a 25 A vital prophecy includes a phrase written in a language
desolate frontier. known only to the aboleths.
5 A gate opens to the shrieking madness of the Far Realm. 26 Mind flayers experiment with using creatures other than
6 Tsochari subvert the leaders of a wizards’ guild. humanoids for ceremorphosis.
7 A nest of cloakers takes over the city sewers. 27 A chuul waylays boat traffic on an important river.
8 A destrachan destroys a remote monastery. 28 Umber hulks burrow into a dwarf outpost in search of food
9 Cultists prepare a rite designed to summon a Far Realm and treasure.
entity into the world. 29 An aboleth savant attempts to transform itself into a vam-
10 An ancient mind flayer machine hurls the heroes into the piric creature.
dark, dying world of the far future. 30 Untrustworthy drow offer the heroes the opportunity to
11 Aboleths prepare a terrible spell designed to enslave all infiltrate a mind flayer city and destroy the elder brain.
arcane spellcasters to their will. 31 A mind flayer wizard uses polymorph any object to begin
12 Aboleths are building gigantic gates to the Elemental Plane a long-term infiltration of human society, taking a human
of Water deep underground in order to drown the world form.
above. 32 A beholder allies itself with a blackguard.
13 A grell colony needs mithral to produce some alchemical 33 Neogi enslave an androsphinx and use the creature to
device. waylay rival caravans.
14 A beholder cult seeks to overthrow the prevailing faith of a 34 Human barbarians from the moon are engaged in a fierce
kingdom. war against spacefaring mind flayers.
15 Mind flayers and their grimlock thralls raid the surface 35 A terrible Far Realm entity is imprisoned in the depths of a
world. lake, soon to awaken.
16 A gate in a ruined castle leads to a demiplane on the Ethe- 36 Working through charmed agents, a beholder hires the
real Plane that is haunted by ethergaunts. heroes to attack a rival.
17 A noted wizard visits the Far Realm and returns, completely 37 An evil naga guards the ruins of an unholy temple deep in
insane. the jungle.
18 Neogi secretly support a guild of disreputable human mer- 38 A nest of destrachans haunts the windswept ruins of a
chants so they can carry on their trade in a human city. buried desert city.
19 Mind flayers find a way to exchange brains between experi- 39 Psurlons breed a gigantic sandworm.
mental subjects. 40 An aboleth sigil causes insanity in any who view it.
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