Special Conversion Thread: Aboleths

[Shade]

Looking at probability travel in the Complete Psionics Handbook, it is almost exactly like a combination of astral caravan/astral traveler. So simply adapting those two should work.

 

[bykov]

Looking at probability travel in the Complete Psionics Handbook, it is almost exactly like a combination of astral caravan/astral traveler. So simply adapting those two should work.

I was looking it over also and it spawned a few thoughts. First, probability travel & astral caravan take an awful long time to navigate the astral plane to get to a different location on the same prime material, it would be faster for them to swim and with swimming or navigating the astral they would run into the same issues managing their goods.

Second, the teleport spells are faster and more efficient and considering that they could be transporting 7-12 slaves in a shot, a greater aboleth would not have the manifester level to transport them in one shot, thus the need for the noble aboleth.

Third, the greater aboleth, if given teleport would have a range of 100 miles per manifester level plus 1 medium creature + 1/ 3 manifester levels. Even if the noble only had teleport, it would have sufficient range and capacity to teleport the slaves and the greater aboleth. Granting the noble greater teleport eliminates the range limit and chance of showing up off target.

Finally, probability travel/astral caravan gives the added ability to go to different planes and prime materials (I believe within the same crystal sphere, but I am not sure). This seems to be more of a function needed for a ruler or grand aboleth looking for a new world to rule.

The nice aspect of astral passenger and astral caravan, is that as psi-like abilities, they stack nicely and you do not have to remove PLAs from more powerful aboleths. If we go this way, I would be thinking along the line of:

Greater - astral passenger (at-will)
Noble - astral passenger (at-will), astral caravan (1/day since it takes approx. two weeks to make it to destination)

If we were to go the teleport route, I would say:

Greater - teleport (3/day)
Noble - greater teleport (3/day), astral passenger (at-will)
Ruler - greater teleport (3/day), astral passenger (at-will), astral caravan (1/day)

You could also just leave the greater alone, as the noble has the mojo to do it all. Thus it could likely be a service that the greater would owe something to the noble for service rendered.

Of course, for something that lives thousands of years, what are a few weeks?

Bykov.

 

[Shade]

I'm just not feeling teleport for them...probably because it's so common among the outsiders.

I don't mind (and in fact like) the ability for them to travel to other worlds and planes. It seems to fit their Lovecraftian flavor.

I definitely agree with your astral caravan/traveler progression.

What do the rest of you think?

 

[freyar]

I like the astral traveler/caravan progression. And write it up as a Su for the nonpsionic version (kind of like psionic dominate gets converted to Enslave)? It is kind of weird, though, that it would take so long to travel even a short distance on the Material if you took a "shortcut" through the astral. It really does seem meant for very long distance travel.

 

[bykov]

I like the astral traveler/caravan progression. And write it up as a Su for the nonpsionic version (kind of like psionic dominate gets converted to Enslave)? It is kind of weird, though, that it would take so long to travel even a short distance on the Material if you took a "shortcut" through the astral. It really does seem meant for very long distance travel.

Yep. We go from 1d6+6 hours in the Complete Psionics Handbook to the following:

Each successful check indicates that you are one step closer to your goal. To finally arrive at your location, you must succeed on six checks within a span of 12 days. (If you fail to make six successful checks within the first 12 days, you can continue to make one check per day until you get the requisite six successes within a span of 12 consecutive days).
When you successfully make the requisite number of checks, the journey ends, and you appear on your chosen plane within 10–1,000 (1d% × 10) miles of your intended destination on that plane.

The great thing is you could actually end up farther away than where you started.

I think with that, eventhough I will likely be out voted , I am in favor of psionic teleport & teleport.

 

[Shade]

Despite the shortcomings of astral travel, I'm still not feeling the telport love. What do the rest of you think?

 

[freyar]

Astral travel feels more flavorful. This seems like something they just don't use for short trips.

 

[Shade]

OK...so we use bykov's astral traveler/caravan progression described above?

For the non-psionic version, should we spell out the power as a SLA, or something more simple like the following:

Astral Traveler (Sp): This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name.

and...

Astral Caravan (Sp): This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name, with augmentation.

 

[bykov]

OK...so we use bykov's astral traveler/caravan progression described above?

For the non-psionic version, should we spell out the power as a SLA, or something more simple like the following:

Astral Traveler (Sp): This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name.

and...

Astral Caravan (Sp): This functions exactly as the psionic power of the same name, with augmentation.

That works. Just make sure to note "This ability can be used X times per day."

Bykov.

 

[Shade]

Good point!

Updated greater aboleth.
Updated noble aboleth.