Page 14 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

make a variety of tactics viable, so multiple encounters with frightful price—a character who willingly flirts with madness,

monsters of the same race play and feel different. They have the or allows herself to be captured and experimented on by her
intelligence and insidiousness to contemplate campaign-span- foes, or who abandons her moral and ethical anchors in order
ning plots to destroy kingdoms, subvert good organizations, or to win the knowledge necessary.

bring ruin and horror to the entire world. Finally, their goals The adventure begins with a difficult, possibly lethal,

and desires are innately repulsive to humanoids of all sorts, encounter that shakes the players’ confidence in their char-
and heroes need little in the way of special motivation to take acters’ ability to meet the threat. It slowly becomes “easier” as
up arms against them. the characters acquire more information and understanding
Creating a “featured villain” in your campaign is a powerful of the enemy they face, but ultimately their preparations are

way to build a central theme for the game. It provides continu- insufficient in the face of the cosmic evil they have chosen to
ity from scenario to scenario and gives your players a clear oppose. The horrific adventure is a bleaker, more challenging

foe for their characters to strive against. A memorable villain game in which characters die (or suffer other incapacitating ABERRATION? CHAPTER 1
is an essential part of any D&D game, and few villains are as dooms) more frequently than they do in conventionally WHAT IS AN
memorable or as dangerous as a master aberration. heroic games.

HEROIC VS. HORRIFIC ADVENTURE COMPONENTS OF AN
The typical pacing of an adventure presumes that the threat ABERRATION CAMPAIGN

gradually gathers, and the heroes in turn first face relatively Not only does an aberration-centric campaign feel different
simple challenges that grow more dangerous the deeper they from a campaign featuring mundane enemies, it also plays
proceed into the plot. In effect, the heroes grow to meet differently. Aberration races include extremely powerful
the challenge, and by the time they confront the ultimate individuals, creatures with access to mighty mental powers,
encounter, they have been strengthened by their efforts. They and creatures steeped in evil so relentless and sinister that
are more capable, more courageous, and hopefully equal to the only the strongest and most courageous of characters can face
task of defeating the ultimate threat. In game terms, a heroic them without retreating.
adventure built around five key encounters might follow a

progression like this: Epic-Level Play

Terrible creatures rule over the aboleth and mind flayer cities.
First encounter EL –1 An aboleth savant-lord or mind flayer elder brain is a foe that

Second encounter EL +0 only the most accomplished of characters can challenge with
Third encounter EL +0
Fourth encounter EL +1 any hope of survival. Moreover, master aberrations frequently
Fifth encounter EL +3 entertain plots and schemes of truly epic scale. These two facts
imply that aberration-focused campaigns eventually enter the
Heroic adventures grow more challenging and offer a climactic realm of epic-level play. Characters who have not yet achieved
battle when the heroes are ready for it. epic levels themselves might find that they cannot defeat the

Aberration adventures are not heroic. Instead, they are lurking cosmic evil at the root of their troubles, and must settle

horrific. They start badly, and end worse. The heroes’ first for containing it as best they can.
encounter with their adversary teaches the heroes that they Since many aberrations are quite brilliant, it is not at all
are up against a threat that likely exceeds their capabilities. unusual for individuals to acquire class levels in psion, sorcerer,

Resolving a horrific adventure almost certainly requires ter- wizard, or other classes. Such creatures with racial Hit Dice
rible sacrifice on the part of the heroes; the best they can hope and class levels can easily exceed 20 total Hit Dice and begin to

for is to return things to the way they were before. A horrific qualify for epic feats. For example, a 16th-level aboleth wizard

adventure built around five key encounters follows a much has 24 Hit Dice, and could reasonably select epic feats when

harder progression: it reaches 21 and 24 HD. For that matter, some aberrations
might advance both by gaining more Hit Dice, as monsters
First encounter EL +3 do, and adding class levels. A truly awful aboleth savant might
Second encounter EL +2 be a Gargantuan monster with 18 racial Hit Dice and fifteen

Third encounter EL +1 (+2)
Fourth encounter EL +1 (+3) wizard levels.
Fifth encounter EL +4 (+5)
Psionics
The parenthetical Encounter Levels represent the differ- Aboleths and mind flayers are renowned for their psionic

ence between informed and uninformed characters. If the might. While the spell-like “psionics” described in the Monster
characters take steps to understand their foes and plumb Manual certainly permit a psionic aberration to do terrible
their horrible secrets, they have an easier time in dealing things to an unfortunate character’s mind, you should consider

with them, at least at first. Comprehension should come at a making use of the rules presented in the Expanded Psionics

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