Aboleth
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, aboleths (AB-o-leth) are a fictive race of malevolent, eel
-like aberrations
with potent psionic
abilities. Aboleths are some of the most ancient beings in existence, according to Lords of Madness
, a Dungeons & Dragons supplement book about creatures classified as "aberrations" such as aboleths, illithid
s and beholder
s.
for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
(1981), and later appears in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983).
The aboleth was detailed in Dragon
#131 (March 1988), in the "Ecology of the Aboleth", which also describes the grand aboleth, the greater aboleth, the noble aboleth, and the ruler aboleth.
The saltwater aboleth appears in Dungeon
#12 (July 1988).
The abilities of psionic aboleths are detailed in The Complete Psionics Handbook
(1991).
The savant aboleth first appears in Night Below: An Underdark Campaign (1995), and in Monstrous Compendium Annual Two (1995).
The psionic aboleth appears in the Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004).
The aboleth receives its own chapter in the book Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations
(2005), which also includes the amphibious aboleth, the stygian aboleth, and the uobilyth (aerial aboleth).
The aboleth movable citadel of Xxiphu is described in the Sixth Chapter of this edition's Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide
(2008), in the Settlements and Features section.
qualities; they have long, tubular bodies, like that of an eel, but fish-like tails at the end and two fins near the head and a dorsal fin
near the back. Their bodies are also segmented, which is a worm
or insect
-like characteristic. Their underbellies are orange-pink, and their topsides sea-green. A little bit back from the head are four long tentacles, two on each side, two on the topside and two on the underbelly. Their heads are roughly triangle shaped, with a spherical, somewhat beak-like nose. Above the nose are their three eyes, each one set atop the other. Tendrils and a few shorter tentacles dangle from the bottom of the head. Four blue-black slime-secreting orifices line the bottom of their bodies.
Aboleths have powerful psionic powers, being natural psions
like the illithids. However, the aboleth, like the other archetypal aberrations, has a much more fearsome ability: aboleths secrete a viscous grey fluid, much like mucus
, which brings about a terrible transformation in air-breathing creatures. The skin of the victim is transformed into a membrane which allows it to breathe in water, but robs the creature of air-breathing. This allows the aboleth to keep slaves, which it dominates and keeps captive with its mind. This same mucus is the only way aboleths breathe at all – if robbed of the ability to extrude aboleth slime, they suffocate in water or on land. Out of the water, an aboleth's membranelike skin dries out quickly, but this does not prove fatal. Instead, the aboleth will eventually enter a state of suspended animation
, called long dreaming, a fate considered far worse than simply dying. It forms a tough, waterproof membrane, but, once the membrane is pierced, liquid floods out and death is usually not far off for the aboleth. With the exception of the gained damage reduction and increased armor class, an aboleth out of water is simply a sitting duck.
Another strange feature of aboleths is their memory
. An aboleth is born with a racial memory, each individual inheriting the memories of its ancestors. Furthermore, it assimilates the memories of those it consumes. An aboleth's memories are stored in an ever-growing part of its brain
which extends down its back as it ages. Aboleths enjoy spending time lost in particularly fine memories of their ancestors, and if they have nothing better to do, they may relive entire portions of their lives.
Aboleths do not die of age, and so live on indefinitely barring violence or disease.
Aboleth cities are vast affairs of bizarre and alien architecture, located deep underwater. The Shape of Water, located in the Underdark
's Glimmersea, is the largest known Aboleth city. This is where the leaders of the race reside and hold council.
Aboleths have no gods. While they acknowledge the presence and power of gods, they have memories of a time long before any modern gods were worshipped and recall such gods' birth and often demise. They are not concerned with an afterlife since they intend to live forvever, considering death a failure. They do have a certain respect and reverence for the ancient beings known as the "Elder Evils
" Bolothamogg, Holashner, Piscaethces
, Shothotugg, and Y’chak, based on the Cthulhu Mythos
of H. P. Lovecraft
. According to the 2nd edition box set Night Below they do have a god, known as the Blood Queen.
Other sources also indicate that a minority of them worship Juiblex
.
In the 4th Edition Underdark sourcebook, it is noted that some sages are unsure whether aboleths have a true self-awareness, or instead have a form of psyche utterly alien to all existence. It is also noted that aboleths were originally native to the Far Realm, and they actually seek to have not just the world, but the totality of the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos as well, subsumed by the Far Realm.
Aboleth have both male and female sexual organs. A mature aboleth reproduces once every five years by concealing itself in a cavern or other remote area, then laying a single egg and covering it in slime. The parent aboleth guards the egg while the embryo grows and develops, a process that takes about five years. A newborn aboleth takes about 10 years to mature.
The omnivorous aboleth will eat any organic matter, usually algae and micro-organisms, but they are also fond of intelligent prey so they can absorb nutrients and information at the same time. Aboleth have no natural enemies, as even the mightiest marine creatures give them a wide berth.
The Xxiphu citadel, a "glyph-inscribed obelisk wrapped in an eternal storm that soars over the surface of the world," is said to hold in its inscriptions meanings too ghastly for mortal minds to comprehend and remain sane, as well as the consciousnesses of some of the few enormous conscience-altered elder aboleths, whose minds are inimical to creatures not part of their ancient Sovereignty.
, the Aboleths are responsible for shaping much of the pre-history of humanity and many other races of the setting's world, Golarion. This ended when the Aboleths called down a massive meteor in retaliation when their human slaves revolted. The ubiquity of Aboleth influence on and creation of the races of Golarion is so widespread that it has become a subject of cautionary humor among the authors.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, aboleths (AB-o-leth) are a fictive race of malevolent, eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
-like aberrations
Aberration (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aberration is a type of creature, or "creature type". Aberrations generally all have bizarre anatomies, strange abilities, alien mindsets, or any combination thereof....
with potent psionic
Psionics (role-playing games)
Psionics, in role-playing games, is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind, similar to the paranormal psionic abilities that some people claim in reality.- Common features :...
abilities. Aboleths are some of the most ancient beings in existence, according to Lords of Madness
Lords of Madness
Lords of Madness is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Contents:It includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them, and information on how to hunt aberrations.-What Is an...
, a Dungeons & Dragons supplement book about creatures classified as "aberrations" such as aboleths, illithid
Illithid
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, illithids are monstrous humanoid aberrations with psionic powers. In a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, they live in the moist caverns and cities of the enormous Underdark...
s and beholder
Beholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
s.
Publication history
The aboleth was created by David "Zeb" CookDavid Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
for the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The aboleth first appears in the module Dwellers of the Forbidden CityDwellers of the Forbidden City
Dwellers of the Forbidden City is an adventure module, or pre-packaged adventure booklet, ready for use by Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1981), and later appears in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983).
The aboleth was detailed in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#131 (March 1988), in the "Ecology of the Aboleth", which also describes the grand aboleth, the greater aboleth, the noble aboleth, and the ruler aboleth.
The saltwater aboleth appears in Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#12 (July 1988).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The aboleth appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).The abilities of psionic aboleths are detailed in The Complete Psionics Handbook
The Complete Psionics Handbook
The Complete Psionics Handbook is a supplemental rulebook for the 2nd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991 by TSR Inc. It contains a variety of information useful to playing psionic characters in the game....
(1991).
The savant aboleth first appears in Night Below: An Underdark Campaign (1995), and in Monstrous Compendium Annual Two (1995).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The aboleth appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The aboleth appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), along with the aboleth mage.The psionic aboleth appears in the Expanded Psionics Handbook (2004).
The aboleth receives its own chapter in the book Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations
Lords of Madness
Lords of Madness is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Contents:It includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them, and information on how to hunt aberrations.-What Is an...
(2005), which also includes the amphibious aboleth, the stygian aboleth, and the uobilyth (aerial aboleth).
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The aboleth appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the aboleth lasher, the aboleth slime mage, the aboleth observer, and the aboleth servitor.The aboleth movable citadel of Xxiphu is described in the Sixth Chapter of this edition's Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published in 1987, detailing the Forgotten Realms setting, containing information on characters, locations, and history as well as setting-specific rules for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
(2008), in the Settlements and Features section.
Physical description
Aboleths are fishlike amphibians, twenty feet long and weighing about 6,500 pounds; they continue to grow as they age, however, and some fantastically ancient specimens reach much longer lengths. They are a kind of hybrid of fish and eel with some insectoid and annelidAnnelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...
qualities; they have long, tubular bodies, like that of an eel, but fish-like tails at the end and two fins near the head and a dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
near the back. Their bodies are also segmented, which is a worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
or insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
-like characteristic. Their underbellies are orange-pink, and their topsides sea-green. A little bit back from the head are four long tentacles, two on each side, two on the topside and two on the underbelly. Their heads are roughly triangle shaped, with a spherical, somewhat beak-like nose. Above the nose are their three eyes, each one set atop the other. Tendrils and a few shorter tentacles dangle from the bottom of the head. Four blue-black slime-secreting orifices line the bottom of their bodies.
Aboleths have powerful psionic powers, being natural psions
Psion (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Psionics are a form of supernatural power that are similar to, but distinct from, arcane and divine magic.-Overview:...
like the illithids. However, the aboleth, like the other archetypal aberrations, has a much more fearsome ability: aboleths secrete a viscous grey fluid, much like mucus
Mucus
In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...
, which brings about a terrible transformation in air-breathing creatures. The skin of the victim is transformed into a membrane which allows it to breathe in water, but robs the creature of air-breathing. This allows the aboleth to keep slaves, which it dominates and keeps captive with its mind. This same mucus is the only way aboleths breathe at all – if robbed of the ability to extrude aboleth slime, they suffocate in water or on land. Out of the water, an aboleth's membranelike skin dries out quickly, but this does not prove fatal. Instead, the aboleth will eventually enter a state of suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, called long dreaming, a fate considered far worse than simply dying. It forms a tough, waterproof membrane, but, once the membrane is pierced, liquid floods out and death is usually not far off for the aboleth. With the exception of the gained damage reduction and increased armor class, an aboleth out of water is simply a sitting duck.
Another strange feature of aboleths is their memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
. An aboleth is born with a racial memory, each individual inheriting the memories of its ancestors. Furthermore, it assimilates the memories of those it consumes. An aboleth's memories are stored in an ever-growing part of its brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
which extends down its back as it ages. Aboleths enjoy spending time lost in particularly fine memories of their ancestors, and if they have nothing better to do, they may relive entire portions of their lives.
Aboleths do not die of age, and so live on indefinitely barring violence or disease.
Society
Aboleths are utterly self-centered as a race; they know they were among the first beings in existence, and see all else as theirs. Their enmity towards other races stems in part from their perception that these "upstart" races have stolen what is rightfully the aboleths'. All that stops them from conquering the surface is their weakness on land (though an aboleth is always a fierce opponent) and the fact that they would rather enjoy themselves than waste time subduing feeble creatures such as humans. By contrast they are greatly unsettled by the Illithids due to their lack of information over that race's creation.Aboleth cities are vast affairs of bizarre and alien architecture, located deep underwater. The Shape of Water, located in the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
's Glimmersea, is the largest known Aboleth city. This is where the leaders of the race reside and hold council.
Aboleths have no gods. While they acknowledge the presence and power of gods, they have memories of a time long before any modern gods were worshipped and recall such gods' birth and often demise. They are not concerned with an afterlife since they intend to live forvever, considering death a failure. They do have a certain respect and reverence for the ancient beings known as the "Elder Evils
Elder Evils
Elder Evils is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game.-Contents:It includes new content for epic level characters, in the form of extremely powerful, alien monstrosities intent on destroying the world .The book presents nine “elder...
" Bolothamogg, Holashner, Piscaethces
Piscaethces
Piscaethces the Blood Queen is the aboleth deity of domination and oppression, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Her symbol is a sphere of mucus surrounded by droplets of the same substance.-Creative origins:...
, Shothotugg, and Y’chak, based on the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. According to the 2nd edition box set Night Below they do have a god, known as the Blood Queen.
Other sources also indicate that a minority of them worship Juiblex
Juiblex
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Juiblex, also called The Faceless Lord, is the demon lord of Slimes and Oozes. Juiblex's lair is on the 222nd layer of the Abyss, which he shares with Zuggtmoy, the Demoness Lady of Fungi. In Gary Gygax's Gord novels, Juiblex is alternately called Szhublox...
.
In the 4th Edition Underdark sourcebook, it is noted that some sages are unsure whether aboleths have a true self-awareness, or instead have a form of psyche utterly alien to all existence. It is also noted that aboleths were originally native to the Far Realm, and they actually seek to have not just the world, but the totality of the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos as well, subsumed by the Far Realm.
Ecology
An aboleth brood consists of a parent and one to three offspring. Though the offspring are as large and as strong as the parent, they defer to the parent in all matters and obey it implicitly.Aboleth have both male and female sexual organs. A mature aboleth reproduces once every five years by concealing itself in a cavern or other remote area, then laying a single egg and covering it in slime. The parent aboleth guards the egg while the embryo grows and develops, a process that takes about five years. A newborn aboleth takes about 10 years to mature.
The omnivorous aboleth will eat any organic matter, usually algae and micro-organisms, but they are also fond of intelligent prey so they can absorb nutrients and information at the same time. Aboleth have no natural enemies, as even the mightiest marine creatures give them a wide berth.
Forgotten Realms
The aboleth were eventually roused from a period of hibernation that spanned millennia, and the city of Xxiphu has since risen above the Sea of Fallen Stars, and the aboleth conquered territory for the Sovereignty.The Xxiphu citadel, a "glyph-inscribed obelisk wrapped in an eternal storm that soars over the surface of the world," is said to hold in its inscriptions meanings too ghastly for mortal minds to comprehend and remain sane, as well as the consciousnesses of some of the few enormous conscience-altered elder aboleths, whose minds are inimical to creatures not part of their ancient Sovereignty.
Pathfinder
In the Pathfinder Roleplaying GamePathfinder Roleplaying Game
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing...
, the Aboleths are responsible for shaping much of the pre-history of humanity and many other races of the setting's world, Golarion. This ended when the Aboleths called down a massive meteor in retaliation when their human slaves revolted. The ubiquity of Aboleth influence on and creation of the races of Golarion is so widespread that it has become a subject of cautionary humor among the authors.
Additional reading
- Baur, WolfgangWolfgang BaurWolfgang Baur is an American game designer, best known for his work with Dragon magazine. He designs role-playing games and also is known for his work at Wizards of the Coast.-Biography:...
. "Secrets of the Sunless Seas." Dragon #222 (TSR, 1995). - Jacobs, James. "The Ecology of the Kaorti." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#358. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, - Schneider, F. Wesley and James Lafond Sutter. "The Lightless Depths." DungeonDungeon (magazine)Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#144. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
External links
- Aboleth – d20D20 SystemThe d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
System Reference DocumentSystem Reference DocumentThe System Reference Document, or SRD, is a set of reference role playing game mechanics licensed under the Open Game License by Wizards of the Coast and based upon their Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. The SRD forms the basis of WotC's various d20 System role-playing games, including the...
entry - Monstrous Database older edition statistics
- Aboleth – Article at the Forgotten Realms WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...