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View Full Version : Lets Read Lords of Madness or how to take care of your pet mindflayer



BobVosh
2010-08-10, 01:45 PM
Basically inspired by two (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163724) other threads (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144804), I thought I would do my attempt at a LR:LoM.
Edit:New thread showed up recently as well: Lets Read the Advanced Bestiary. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=163740)

You can get most of the gist of what a "lets read" is and what to expect from the second link. Since my particular book is a bit less like a MM and more like the races of X book it obviously won't be quite as detailed. Also since I can't quote directly from the text for copyright issues, things may end a bit more vague.

What the heck is a "Lords of Madness"?
The full title is Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations. Amazon link for purchase, if you wish. (http://www.amazon.com/Lords-Madness-Aberrations-Roleplaying-Supplement/dp/0786936576) It is a 3.5 book, so no worries about the minor updates from 3.0.

Now time to get at the delicious brain suckers themselves.


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Origins of Aberrations
In a section that could have been written much shorter as "Other," we get a fairly long section of text explaining that aberrations come from other times, dimensions, places, alternative histories, hibernation from long ago, planes, and basically anywhere.

Origins of Chuuls
Oddly in a subtext type release they give a large background for chuuls in this section. Fairly uninspired mad scientistwizard creates a critter out of what is at hand. Things live maybe a year, which annoys him. So he whomps up an immortality process and puts himself and the crustacean-insect-amphibian creatures through it. Goes into char-op mode and makes 600 of them in a 100 years. Decides it is time to do what they do every night, try to take over the world. Turns out sending out ALL your minions somehow is BAD. -1 creator wannabe god. Chuuls start breeding minor chuuls in comparison, and thus the mutate Kermits are born.

That is it for now, since I need to eat. More later tonight.

Thrice Dead Cat
2010-08-10, 05:17 PM
As I've got a copy of LoM on hand, I'd be willing to help go through this in typical LPR fashion!

Yora
2010-08-10, 05:25 PM
Are we suppossed to add our own thoughts and views of the chapters in question in here as well?

BobVosh
2010-08-10, 06:15 PM
As I've got a copy of LoM on hand, I'd be willing to help go through this in typical LPR fashion!


Are we supposed to add our own thoughts and views of the chapters in question in here as well?
Feel free to add anything I miss, didn't feel like highlighting, or even posting a bit more. Questions on specifics I didn't cover are welcomed, general comments on anything mildly related (long book, lets not get too far off topic or this will never end :D )


Ok, now for the long post that I originally planned.

Aberration Characteristics
Nothing here you don't know if you have ever been in a D&D group. You have smart aberrations, the weird creatures of far, far away, just not human, and some little fluff about how hard it is to understand the creatures.

The Aberration Campaign
General tips on it. Gives the boring generic themes for a quickie campaign I guess. Gives general text on epic and psionic play, better handed in the books for such or D20. Some are mildly interesting but noone ever says "wow lets do this!" So skipping on.

More Aberrations
Gives a bunch of critters, then gives the book and page numbers.
Avolakia: Worm creatures that can go humanoid and lure prey to its nercomatic domains.
Ethergaunt Ethereal Sorcerers Mad Scientist.
Gibbering Orb Those sages that Rappy loves so much think they are the ancestors of beholderkin.
Ha-Nagas Epic naga threats.
Hook Horror "Surface Adventurers," not those famous sages, thinks they were a servant race.
Ineffable Horror Winged critters in the underdark.
Ixitxachitl Devil-rays. I assume that is a stingray creature, but I don't feel like checking right now.
Naga Nagas. You know what they are.
Neh-ThalgguThose crazy people who gather brains for knowledge. Library cards just take too long, sometimes.
Nilshai Raiders from the ethereal plane.
Nothic Least helpful description: failed experiment. Probably gone wrong.
Yurian Crab-people, crab people, taste like crab, talk like people.

Aboleth Anatomy
For those who wondered what they cut up when they turn into a sushi chef on the gooey fish folk, here is the chance for your bizarre fascination. Generally huge fish, with 4 tentacles. Each tentacle contains a slime tube. Which I find kinda strange, as I just imagined that slime was their sweat, there you have it. The kind of interesting thing on this is that the slime is required for breathing. If they loose their ability to create it they will suffocate even in water.
Skin
There are two things really neat about this section. When dry it is water proof, and if the aboleth dries out this way it goes into essentially a waking coma. Gains stuff like DR, natural armor, and can't even do pure mental actions though it does think. It will last this way forever, and is apparently the best way to torture one.
Internal Anatomy
It goes in a fair amount of detail, but if you want to know this is something best to read. I can't think of why one would care that much about that.
Reproductive system.
They are hermaphrodites, and reproduce asexually...with eggs. Seems a bit odd, but there you have it. Lay their own eggs, fertilize em, and watches em in solitude.
Aboleth's Mind
Now to the more interesting bit in this section. They can remember anything from a direct ancestor up to their birth. Long, long, long memories especially since these creatures supposedly have been around as the first sentient race.

Aboleth Life
Adults by 10, they are now fully developed in mind and SLA. Full size tends to be gargantuan, although they slowly grow still like lizards. Without a concern for the newcomer gods (due to remembering everything way before deities came around) they have no afterlife considerations. Dead aboleths are left where they fall as rotting failures. Or food if you need a snack.
Aboleth Diet
Can eat microscopic stuff, loves humanoids. Guess which ones? Thats RIGHT, humans. Also the bug-eyed gnomes. In order for a good meal to be such, they need to get that right feel. Whenever they eat a creature they get powerful emotions from the creature or a maybe a flash of a memory.

Next up: variants.

Rappy
2010-08-11, 12:34 AM
Ixitxachitl Devil-rays. I assume that is a stingray creature, but I don't feel like checking right now.
Yeah, ixies are vampiric stingrays. Fun stuff.


Aboleth Diet
Can eat microscopic stuff, loves humanoids. Guess which ones? Thats RIGHT, humans. Also the bug-eyed gnomes. In order for a good meal to be such, they need to get that right feel..
Oh, you've got to love D&D ecology. The only food chain where anthropophagy manages to become not only beneficial, but a thriving dietary trait amongst many species.

hamishspence
2010-08-11, 04:58 AM
In Demonomicon, they're vampiric manta rays- it suggests mantas were created by Demogorgon, and when he went into the newly formed Abyss and became corrupted, some of his manta servitors were with him and also became corrupted.

However, this is 4E- in 3E they don't look as manta-ish.

Rappy
2010-08-11, 05:06 AM
In Demonomicon, they're vampiric manta rays- it suggests mantas were created by Demogorgon, and when he went into the newly formed Abyss and became corrupted, some of his manta servitors were with him and also became corrupted.

However, this is 4E- in 3E they don't look as manta-ish.
I imagine 4E chose manta rays because they are large and visually impressive (although I'd personally counter that Himantura chaophraya are a prime example of non-manta rays being impressive). I mean, they certainly wouldn't have the same look of dread if they were, say, guitarfish.

hamishspence
2010-08-11, 07:32 AM
The picture also looks more "manta-ish"- long wings, two projections on the head, black and white (biggest difference is that the mouth is still on the underside, rather than the front as on mantas).

Unlike 3.5 ixitxachitls, they are Medium rather than Small, and can fly- more like the ixzans (Underdark mutant ititxachitls) from Lost Empires of Faerun.

There's the basic version "demonray" and the "priest" version which has a vampiric bite.

Starscream
2010-08-11, 07:52 AM
Oh, you've got to love D&D ecology. The only food chain where anthropophagy manages to become not only beneficial, but a thriving dietary trait amongst many species.

Seems like an evolutionary mistake. Humans are well optimized, so they are often powerful enough to defend themselves. If an adventuring party blunders into your lair, do the smart thing for your species; eat the half-elf first.

BobVosh
2010-08-11, 08:56 AM
Seems like an evolutionary mistake. Humans are well optimized, so they are often powerful enough to defend themselves. If an adventuring party blunders into your lair, do the smart thing for your species; eat the half-elf first.

Ah, I didn't say it earlier; one of the features of the aboleth is that it's digestive track is the pinnacle of digestive tracks. It basically said they are the most successfully evolved creatures. They only need ONE human a month.

Plus everyone knows half-elves don't have feelings :P

BobVosh
2010-08-11, 03:44 PM
Now onto the variants.

Amphibious
Exactly what it says on the tin.

Uobilyth (Aerial Aboleth)
Switches swimming for a SU flight. Never-lawful race, interestingly, with the fairly standard usual NE or CE clause on monsters. They live in clouds maintained by their magic, and thats the Uobilyth.

Stygian Aboleth
No crunch changes, but its a odd story. Basically giant elders of Aboleth kind teleport a world of slaves and moved in on Stygia. A few changes but they listed out a stat block for it. Oddly they listed psionics as a feature but don't say how powerful it is in terms of a class, or powers known.

Savant Aboleth
First hard crunch thing in the book. A full casting arcane class for the level 5 wizard aboleth. This class gives it all. Full casting, decent HD, AC bonus, 9th level SLA, and makes the enslave amazing. No distance, no saves each day. You just enslave. Prereqs are simple, however it does take 5 feats.

Aboleth Feats
Speaking of feats...
Craft Aboleth Glyph
Resetting. No clue why its Aboleth only. Allows master glyphs (later posts on these)
Death Frenzy
Odd feat. Rage and other benefits for the close to death.
Enlarge Mucus Cloud
Massive size increase.
Memory Eater
Odd in that it takes 21 charisma. I can't see anything taking it though, allows untrained skill checks.
Powerful Bite
Reach Bite
Toxic Mucus
Guess. ;)
Quickslime
Want them to suffocate on land? Heres how it becomes combat effective.
Thicken Mucus
Slows movement of creatures who are far too close to the aboleth. Fighter hate at its finest.

Next up: Aboleth magic, magic item slots, and probably a touch on religion.

Rappy
2010-08-11, 04:02 PM
Savant Aboleth
First hard crunch thing in the book. A full casting arcane class for the level 5 wizard aboleth. This class gives it all. Full casting, decent HD, AC bonus, 9th level SLA, and makes the enslave amazing. No distance, no saves each day. You just enslave. Prereqs are simple, however it does take 5 feats.
Argh, I'm having Illithid Savant flashbacks just looking at your summary...

BobVosh
2010-08-11, 04:09 PM
Illithid savant is a neat concept...implementation not so much. I like the aboleth savant fairly well. Especially since its only 5 levels so no epic progression, unlike illithid savant (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ei/20030608a) here.