D&D 5E (2014) Aboleth entry in 5e Monster Manual

[DMZ2112]

The aboleth is one of the clear misses in the book, for me. As soon as they felt like they needed to show it baring teeth in order to appear threatening, it was all downhill.

 

[Boarstorm]

How odd. The entry actually made me more excited to include one in my adventures. Heck, I even dug out Night Below for inspiration.

 

[Kai Wren]

I love the Aboleths!

In fact, they're going to be front and center for my planned campaign (which I made a thread for, somewhere around here). I also think they tie in great to Warlocks with the eldritch horror theme; learning the ancient knowledge of the Aboleth pre-civilization could be a great character concept.

 

[Alzrius]

While I agree that the bit about reincarnating on the Plane of Water can be made into some sort of "fail-safe due to an ancient pact that they blackmailed out of an elemental lord" or something like that, that doesn't make the underlying statement itself less problematic (re: Rule 0 Fallacy), since by itself it just posits that this is somehow the "natural" state for aboleths.

Since I don't believe in keying cars, I'm instead going to start making a voodoo doll of the author of this particular entry. Please contribute to my forthcoming Kickstarter in this regard.

 

[Agamon]

How odd. The entry actually made me more excited to include one in my adventures. Heck, I even dug out Night Below for inspiration.

While I would never again touch Night Below, I agree with the rest of your sentiment.

 

[TerraDave]

I wager its to mimic the "immortal alien horror" concept; they long ago mastered a fail-safe that allows them to cheat death by being reborn (take that Death God!) in a hospitable environment far away from its killers.

You don't kill aboleths, you just inconvenience them.

The write up says "god like" a number of times. Watery rebirth is clearly a way of reinforcing this.

Its a good example of strong flavor. Some people will like it, and some hate it. But the DM can always leave that flavor out of his fish-godling stew.

 

[Boarstorm]

The reincarnate bit can be hilarious if taken literally.

You slay the Aboleth! Unfortunately, it reincarnates on the plane of water... <rolls dice> ... as a halfling. And immediately drowns.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The aboleth has come a long way since Dwellers of the Forbidden City

 

[Mistwell]

Zak Smith's hack of the 5e Aboleth was appropriately creepy.

 

[ephemeron]

And why the plane of water? They are not water elementals or anything natural. They are aberrations! They aren't even fish! An aberration appearing on an elemental plane would draw the wrath of every elemental there.

That sounds like an epic-scale campaign seed right there: Long ago, the aboleths seized a portion of the Elemental Plane of Water as their domain and refuge. All who do not worship them hate and fear them -- and many of those who do worship them, also hate and fear them -- but none have been able to dislodge them. Can their cycle of reincarnation be broken and the purity of Elemental Water restored?