Page 20 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

AN ABOLETH’S MIND this period. After reaching maturity at age ten, a fully grown
Those who have had mental contact with an aboleth’s mind tell aboleth has finally developed all of its psionic powers and

of a powerful and alien intellect both vast in size and horrifying enslave abilities, and is ready to head off on its own.
in scope. If a human’s mind can be said to be analogous to a Aboleths continue to grow in size, albeit at a much slower
river, traveling through diverse lands and touching numerous rate, as they age. This growth continues until the creature
points of the world, then an aboleth’s mind is the ocean—a reaches a Gargantuan size and a length of about 40 feet. Tech-
vast, seemingly endless primal source into which all rivers nically, the creature keeps growing after this point, but its
must eventually pour. physical growth slows to such an extent that it can be measured
Most amazing is an aboleth’s vast racial memory. While only on a geologic scale.
one aboleth has no direct access to the personal memories Nevertheless, it is distinctly possible that larger aboleths
of any other, its own memories are handed down completely with far more than 24 racial Hit Dice exist, since barring death
intact through the generations. A pair of aboleths can easily from disease or violence, aboleths are effectively immortal. MASTERS CHAPTER 2
determine how they are related if they examine their memories Their minds and bodies remain as completely formed at age THE DEEP
far enough into the past. ten as they are at age ten thousand and beyond. For this reason,
Aboleth memories are legion and predate those of all other they do not gain penalties or bonuses to their ability scores
races. Mere access to such a vast wealth of memories would as they age; all that expands in aboleths’ minds as they grow
quickly and irrevocably drive human minds insane, but older are their memories.
aboleths do not have human minds. It takes time for them Aboleths, as a rule, are not religious. They distinctly remem-

to retrieve specific bits of information from their memories; ber life before the arrival of the deities and feel no need to
aboleths take great enjoyment from simply wading through prostrate themselves before creatures that are relatively new to
their racial memories and can spend years observing just the the world, no matter how admittedly powerful such creatures
memories of one or two ancestors. might be. As a result, aboleths have no real concept of anything

Scholars and clerics find it profoundly disturbing that these like an afterlife, and thus have no rituals for the dead. Aboleths
memories extend back further than most creation myths. believe that any of their fellows that die committed some kind
They argue that the so-called memories are nothing more of error that led to their demise. At best, they are considered
than aboleth lies, or an exaggeration spread by humanoids sustenance to feed upon, and at worst, a rotting testimony to
who can’t fully understand the aberrant mind. The aboleths failure, barely worthy of the energy it takes to dispose of the
themselves don’t flaunt their racial memories, which some carcass. A dead aboleth is left for the creature’s minions to

observers interpret as evidence that such memories do exist. handle; aboleths have no graveyards, for to build a graveyard
In any case, it is indisputable that the aboleths as a race are old is to admit mortality.
beyond reckoning.
THE ABOLETH DIET

Although aboleths can subsist by filtering microscopic organ-
ABOLETH LIFE isms out of the surrounding water, they view this practice as
Aboleths are born completely cognizant and mature, their something done in desperation only. Aboleths are carnivorous

minds instantly absorbing and assimilating the knowledge and enjoy feeding on a wide variety of flesh. They are fond
and memories of their parent. They do not go through any of fish, squid, octopus, whale, and jellyfish, but their favorite

period of childhood per se, but they are still physically quite foods are those found only on land. The flesh of human-

weak and helpless for several years after hatching. As it grows, a oids—especially that of humans and gnomes (svirfneblin in

young aboleth remains close to its parent for approximately ten particular)—is considered a delicacy. Aboleths find the flesh

years, obeying the parent completely and without question for of creatures transformed by their tentacle slime to be the most
delectable and easy to digest, so they take pains to make sure
food is properly “seasoned” before feeding.
pqqqqqqqqqrs
Despite its great size, an aboleth need not eat much to subsist.
ABOLETH BITES

Although an aboleth’s mouth is relatively small, it can still Its stomach and intestines are so fantastically efficient that a
deliver a nasty bite. An aboleth’s bite attack is considered an typical Medium creature can nourish an aboleth for a month.
unarmed strike, not a natural attack, and without the Improved Aboleths might brand their slaves by eating nonessential por-
Unarmed Strike feat, it provokes attacks of opportunity. Like- tions of them, or simply select their least efficient slave when

wise, the act of extruding its feeding stalks and rearing back to it’s time for a meal.
bite is a clumsy move for most aboleths, so a bite attack is a
full-round action. An aboleth can’t attack with its tentacles at As an unusual aspect of an aboleth’s dietary process, it gains

the same time as it bites. flashes of memory and emotion from the body of the creature

On a successful hit, an aboleth’s bite deals 1d4 points of being eaten. These flashes come at random times and are little
damage, plus half its Strength bonus. more than partial memories or powerful emotions. An aboleth
regards them as the height of the culinary experience.
pqqqqqqqqqrs
19