Page 18 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

have a highly developed sense of taste nonetheless. The most back from the skull is the spinal cord, a wide set of interlocking
sensitive parts of an aboleth’s body are its tentacles and the tip bones with incredible flexibility; an aboleth can coil up like a

of its tail (where its reproductive organs are located). snake if it wishes. Descending from either side are numerous
long ribs, each independently articulated and connected on the
Skin beast’s underside to a large, flat bone that protects its stomach

An aboleth’s hide is actually a thick layer of multiple mem- and other internal organs from attacks and damage. The ribs
branes too solid to be called mucus and too runny to be vanish as the tail begins. The tail is supported by a long exten-

called skin. The membrane layer acts like soggy rubber when sion of the spinal cord. The creature’s fins contain no bones
manipulated, capable of stretching out to great lengths but and are supported by thick sets of cartilaginous spines.
returning to its original shape when released. The material
is far tougher than skin and is quite difficult to cut or pierce, Digestive System

affording excellent natural armor when buttressed by the An aboleth’s digestive system is straightforward as well, consist- MASTERS CHAPTER 2
creature’s skeleton. To casual observation, the membranous ing of a mouth, an esophagus, a particularly large stomach, and THE DEEP
“skin” seems to be a dark, nauseating green, but on closer coils of intestines. The creature’s teeth are small but numerous,
inspection, a rainbow of faint colors can be seen dancing across and they extend all the way down its esophagus (4) to the

and under its surface. These flashes of prismatic light are no stomach (5). An aboleth takes several minutes to swallow food,
mere figments; they are the latent energies the creature uses and such morsels are slashed and torn by the tiny teeth the

to manifest its amazing psionic powers. entire way. Food reaches the stomach as a slurry.
When the layer of membranes dries, it becomes rough, The stomach breaks the food down further and siphons

leathery, and completely waterproof. This seals essential off a certain portion to a long, flat organ wedged between
moisture inside the aboleth but the drying process is excru- the stomach and the lower ribcage. This organ is part of the
ciatingly painful and debilitating to the creature. An aboleth’s respiratory system and is known as the milathast (6). The
membranes dry quite rapidly once the creature is out of water; actual process of extracting nutrition from food occurs in an

under such conditions, it takes 2 points of Dexterity damage aboleth’s intestines (7). The creature can digest flesh, bone, and
per hour (to a minimum Dexterity of 1). This damage can be vegetable matter with equal ease; other materials are either not

cured by magic or by immersion in water (which cures all swallowed in the first place or passed through the intestinal
damage and rehydrates the membranes at the rate of 2 points tract with great pain.
of Dexterity per minute).
An aboleth whose membranes remain dry does not die. It Respiratory System
merely enters a state of suspended animation similar to sleep, While it is commonly believed that aboleths breathe water,
except that the creature remains aware of its surroundings. It they do not. They possess neither lungs nor gills, yet they still
can hear and see, but cannot detect odors or feel tactile sensa- must process something to provide their blood and bodies with
tions. The creature’s natural armor gains a bonus of +6 (which energy. Whatever it is that aboleths breathe, it is found only in
offsets the loss of Dexterity), and it gains damage reduction the clear, runny mucus that they constantly produce.
5/adamantine. It retains the ability to think and observe, but This mucus is generated in the creature’s milathast, the
it can take no actions, not even purely mental actions. Inside, closest organ an aboleth has to a lung. The milathast draws

it remains moist and functional; an aboleth in this state that in water from the numerous ventral orifices on the creature’s
is badly cut or pierced leaks and quickly bleeds to death. Left body, mixes it with material siphoned from the creature’s
undisturbed, though, it can remain in this state forever. This stomach, and squirts the resulting mess back outside the body,
is known to aboleths as the “long dreaming” and is considered where it interacts with the surrounding water to create a thick
a fate far worse than death. cloud of mucus that the creature can then breathe.
An organ similar to the milathast is located above the
INTERNAL ANATOMY creature’s stomach, nestled between its two hearts. This organ,
Unlike other aberrations, an aboleth’s internal organs are fairly the nilthast (8), converts liquid mucus into a foul-smelling gas.
analogous to those found in more natural creatures—in their By regulating the amount of mucus and gas in this bladder-
case, fish. Despite these similarities, certain aspects of the like organ, an aboleth can quickly gain or lose buoyancy, and

aboleth’s innards defy logic and explanation. thus more easily navigate vertical changes in direction while
swimming. The gases generated here are also used to assist
Skeletal System respiration when the monster is not in water.
The creature’s skeletal system is perhaps the simplest of its
internal organs. Fully a third of the creature’s skeleton consists Circulatory System
of its massive skull, a huge shape that extends from the front The most interesting aspect of an aboleth’s circulatory system
where its three jawbones (which allow for its triangular mouth) is that it has two hearts. The primary heart (9) is located just
come together down to the midpoint of its back. Extending above the intestines in the creature’s lower back. This organ

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