Page 185 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations
P. 185
Crystals of Nature’s Wrath (Su): At 5th level and higher, quickly that way. Against beholders, it’s probably best to
your wild shape natural attacks are enhanced with jagged assume the form of Small (or Tiny) animals, since the size
crystals. These crystals are harmless to most creatures, but to and Dexterity bonuses to your Armor Class help you avoid
aberrations they cause terrible welts and acidlike burns. An their eye ray attacks.
aberration struck by one of your natural weapons must make If you are of good alignment, the few good-aligned aberra-
a Fortitude save (DC 10 + abolisher level + Cha modifier) or tions (such as silthilar; see page 168) pose a great difficulty to
become sickened for 1 minute. An aberration that makes its you. Some good-aligned abolishers are comfortable with simply
saving throw is immune to this effect for the duration of that forcing good-aligned aberrations to relocate, but others take
use of wild shape. pity on such creatures and do what they can to remove the taint
of the aberration from them. Some good-aligned abolishers
Waves of Nature’s Purity (Su): Beginning at 7th level,
CHAPTER 9 THE ABERRATION HUNTER you can create a rippling aura of white vapor that spreads in merely observe good-aligned aberrations closely to make sure
they don’t cause trouble, while others have gone so far as to
a 20-foot radius. The vapor does not obscure vision, and it is
convince a good-aligned aberration to voluntarily submit to a
cool and refreshing against the skin of nonaberrations. Against
reincarnation spell. Ultimately, how you react to good-aligned
aberrations, the waves of nature’s purity are foul and unsettling.
An affected aberration must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +
abolisher level + Cha modifier) each round or become nause- aberrations is something you must decide for yourself.
ated for that round. You can use this ability once per day, and Advancement
the power lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma Although you don’t have to take any druid levels to qualify
modifier (minimum 1 round). Activating this ability is a stan- for the abolisher prestige class, the fact that so many of your
dard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. powers as an abolisher are tied to the wild shape ability means
Fires of Nature’s Rage (Su): A 10th level, you can infuse that you should at least consider taking a few druid levels to
your wild shape form with flickering ghostly fire three times augment this feature. Reaching at least 5th level as a druid
per day. The fires of nature’s rage burn any aberration that before taking abolisher levels works best, since your abolisher
comes in contact with them. Your natural attacks do an extra levels eventually grant you an effective bonus of +3 to your
3d6 points of fire damage against aberrations, and an aberra- druid level for the purpose of determining how many times
tion that hits you, even with a weapon, takes 3d6 points of fire per day you can use your wild shape ability.
damage. You can activate the fires of nature’s wrath as a free If you don’t have it already, you should take the Natural Spell
action, as long as you are in wild shape form. Doing so does feat as soon as possible so you can spend the majority of your
not provoke attacks of opportunity, and each activation lasts time in wild shape form and still be able to cast spells. Since
for 1 round. many aberrations have spell resistance, Spell Penetration and
Greater Spell Penetration are good choices as feats as well.
PLAYING AN ABOLISHER Combat feats that can be used in wild shape form are useful
An abolisher is grim, determined, and often pessimistic. You too, especially feats such as Improved Grapple and Weapon
remain devoted to your cause at all times, but the fact that Finesse if you prefer to wild shape into dexterous creatures.
your enemies are so ancient and powerful weighs upon your Spend your earnings on items that are equally useful to you
soul. This realization, combined with the fact that you and in wild shape form as they are in your natural form. Armor with
your fellow abolishers see aberrations at their worst and most the wild special ability (see page 219 of the Dungeon Master’s
mind-numbing, tends to leave most abolishers cold, distant, Guide) and ioun stones are obvious choices, as are animated
and difficult to befriend. wooden shields. A druid’s vestment is helpful as well, since it
directly augments your wild shape ability.
Combat
Abolishers live to fight aberrations. When you face an aber- Resources
ration in combat, you should do everything in your power The Circle of the True is your best resource as an abolisher.
to defeat the creature. Since you have fewer hit points and a You don’t need to establish an allegiance to this group before
lower base attack bonus than a fighter, though, you want to be you take your first abolisher level, but a representative of the
careful about engaging in melee with aberrations, especially group should contact you before you reach 3rd level if you
since many of them have dangerous special attacks. don’t seek one out yourself. As a member of the Circle, you
An abolisher is strongest in a fight while in wild shape, have access to more information about aberration activity in
and you should take advantage of this fact by spending much the area, as well as emotional and logistical support from a
of your time in the form of an animal (or plant, if you can) group of like-minded individuals.
selected for its capabilities against the kind of aberration you
expect to fight. For example, if you’re going after aboleths, ABOLISHERS IN THE WORLD
the form of a shark or a squid might work best. On the other Abolishers are solitary individuals for the most part, gathering
hand, if you’re fighting mind flayers, some fast creature that together only occasionally for meetings of the Circle of the
has several attacks, such as a deinonychus or tiger, is a good True. The PCs have a greater chance of encountering abolish-
choice; you can get up close and tear into an illithid more ers the more they fight against aberrations, and if they build a
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