Iconic Monster Use - The Aboleth

[Fishbone]

Screw Mind Flayers. In the pants.
Aboleths are stronger, easier to advance, and not as played out. In fact, they're criminally underused.

 

[Barak]

I really loathe anything having to do with underwater "action" (or ships, but that's irrelevant), since it's seems to me as if it's a zero-sum thing. The difference between it and "normal" combat are either completely removed (with water breathing and free movement), in which case, what's the point, or completely overbearing/hosing, which is no fun. So as a DM I completely avoid it, and as a player I do my best to avoid it/keep it as short as possible, so no aboleths for me.

 

[Dr Simon]

Your forgetting a fishbowl, like the one the guild navigators stay in in Dune (novels and movie).

And LoM's long dreaming concept allows them to be just about anywhere. Just add some water to get them active again.

Legacy of the Dragons, the monster book for Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved, has creatures called Quallegs that use a sort of telekinetically controlled ball of water/slime that they roll around in, so I see no reason for aboleths not to have something similar.

For the campaign idea, the creature would interact more via skum and other minions than directly. Echo Fishbone's comments - this came from a resurrection of an old 1st Ed. campaign I ran way back in the late 80s in college, and the original sequel concept involved mind flayers using organic cybertech. Many years later, looking at Chaositech (*) and pondering, I decided that Mind Flayers were too over-used and looked for a different tentacled underworld evil mastermind type creature. That they come with in-built minions is a bonus.

(*)Yes, I'm probably a bit of a bee-yatch for Monte.

 

[Imruphel]

You're forgetting a fishbowl, like the one the guild navigators stay in in Dune (novels and movie). (snip)

I created a golem for the aboleth in my Night Below conversion that was essentially a gelatinous cube made of water (well, rectangular prism;it was 3E rather than 3.5E). The aboleth was protected by the surrounding golem and its melee attacks enhanced plus it allowed it to travel away from water.

 

[Greg K]

Never used them. never encountered them. Never considered them iconic.

 

[Shroomy]

Aboleths

See Richard Pett's "The Styes" in Dungeon 121 for a great usage of the aboleth.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Having run Dwellers of the Forbidden City once - then it's once for me.

However, I have plans for an Aboleth in my upcoming campaign, so who knows? It might go up to twice.

The main problem with using aboleths is the same as any aquatic monster, really. You generally need to manipulate things quite heavily to get the players in a situation where they can meaningfully interact with them. An aboleth in a pond (as in I1) is pretty useless. However, as a mastermind behind a slaving operation rather than a one-off combat encounter, that I can see potential

Actually, since aboleths can survive a long time on land, this is the best place for them to attack (assuming they cast fly beforehand). Removing the ability to breathe air when no water is in sight is a nasty trick.

I used them occasionally before the Night Below, a lot during that adventure, and will use them again when my players run through The Styes.

 

[airwalkrr]

The aboleth is a must have for any campaign featuring aberrations as a pivotal villain. However, the aboleth is not well-suited to a "wandering monster." It is the architect, the crafty villain, the wheel within the wheel within the wheel. Hence, I have only used it a couple of times, and once was in Return to the TOEE.

 

[Rel]

When reflecting on the question posed in this poll, I realized that I've used them several times but the party has never actually encountered one. They have always met the Skum spawn of the Aboleth but otherwise steered clear of a direct confrontation. In fact, I'm prettys sure that the players had no idea that an Aboleth was involved at all. They were always more like, "Look, we've got important stuff to do and we don't need to go haring off to fight a bunch of fish-men. What kind of treasure are they going to have anyway? Like a +2 Barnacle?"

I still think they're cool and make a neat force to be reckoned with. But I've always had them located in places where they were hurting the party's foes more than their friends. BUT, (and don't tell anybody) I might try and fit something similar into my Warhammer Pirates of the Caribbean campaign I'm planning to run next. It seems like a good fit.

 

[Dr Simon]

Actually, since aboleths can survive a long time on land, this is the best place for them to attack (assuming they cast fly beforehand).

Good point. I've played systems without a cheap and easy Fly spell for so long I'd forgotten about that. I was picturing the aboleth flopping about in an ungainly fashion like an elephant seal! Not a very threatening image...