Monster Book: Aboleth

Finished editing all the A monsters now.  Here's the entry for Aboleth.  I'll put some more up tomorrow.  As a teaser I'm going to put a work-in-progress sketch up of the first monster for each letter of the alphabet.  In the finished book I'm adamant that every single monster will have an illustration.

Aboleth

NO. ENC.:  1d4 (1d4)
ALIGNMENT:  Lawful (evil)
MOVEMENT:  30’ (10’)
SWIM:  90' (30')
ARMOUR CLASS:  4
HIT DICE:  8
ATTACKS:  4 (tentacles)
DAMAGE:  1d6/1d6/1d6/1d6
SAVE:  F8
MORALE:  10
HOARD CLASS:  XVII
XP:  2,060
AVG. HP:  36


Aboleths are large, fish-like, amphibious creatures.  They measure 20 feet long from head to tail, and weigh 6,000 pounds.  They have a bulbous head with a rubbery, toothless mouth, and three, long, purple-red, slit-like eyes.  Four 10-foot long tentacles extend from the back of an aboleth's head.  Their bodies are a blue-green colour with grey splotches and a pink underbelly. 

Aboleths usually dwell in underground lakes and caverns.  They are highly intelligent, and hate most land-going forms of life.  They will endeavour to enslave or destroy the beings of the surface world whenever the opportunity arises.  Aboleths are an ancient race and they often live for 2,000 years or more.  There are reports of huge underwater cities built by the aboleths and those they enslaved.  But these reports, along with the stories of their vast stores of knowledge, have never been proven.

On land, aboleths are slow and lumbering, and use their tentacles to pull along their bulky bodies.  In water, their powerful, large-finned tail allows them to move with surprising speed and agility.

In combat, the aboleth attacks with its 4 tentacles for 1d6 points of damage each.  Any creature struck by an Aboleth's tentacles must save vs. spells or the victim's skin will change into a clear, slimy membrane over the next 1d4+1 rounds.  This change can be stopped if a cure disease spell is cast on the victim.  Once the change is complete, the membrane must be kept damp with cool water, or the victim will suffer 1d12 points of damage each turn because of intense pain.  A cure serious wounds spell will change the membrane back to normal skin.

Aboleths are highly intelligent creatures and can create very realistic illusions with audible and visual components.  However, whilst an illusion is being sustained, the aboleth must remain focused on it and may not take any other actions.  They can also try to enslave other creatures 3 times per day.  This ability can be used only against a single creature up to 30 feet away.  The victim must save vs. spells or be filled with desire to serve the aboleth.  Enslaved creatures will not fight for the aboleth but will attempt to follow any other telepathic commands.  If an enslaved character is separated from the aboleth by more than a mile, a new saving throw may be made each day.  This charm can be broken by remove curse or dispel magic spells, or the death of the enslaving aboleth.

In water, an aboleth will secrete a cloud of mucus a distance of 1 foot all around its body.  Any creature drawn into the mucus must save vs. poison or it will inhale the stuff and be unable to breathe air.  Thereafter, attempting to breathe air will result in suffocation in 2d6 rounds.  However, the aboleth uses its mucus to give its slaves the power to breathe water in the same way as a potion of water breathing, for 1-3 hours.  The mucus may be dissolved by soap or wine.