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Aboleth Thrall

Challenge
str
14
dex
14
con
14
int
10
wis
10
cha
12

AC 12

HP 45 (7d8 + 14; bloodied 22)

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.


Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 12

Skills Any one skill

Senses passive Perception 10

Languages Common, unlimited-range telepathy with aboleth


Sea Changed. The aboleth thrall can breathe water and air, but must bathe in water for 1 hour for every 12 hours it spends dry or it begins to suffocate. It is magically charmed by the aboleth .


ACTIONS

Poison Ink Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.


REACTIONS

Self-Sacrifice. When a creature within 5 feet of the thrall that the thrall can see hits an aboleth with an attack, the thrall can make itself the target of the attack instead.

Combat

When protecting their master, thralls move into melee range with the most dangerous opponents, sacrificing themselves for the aboleth . They fight to the death.


Legends and Lore 

With an Arcana or History check, characters can learn the following:

DC 10 Aboleths are underwater monsters. They are said to have dealings with merfolk and sea hags .

DC 15 Aboleths are ancient aberrations that turn victims into charmed servants.

DC 20 Aboleths maintain a network of spies working behind the scenes in settled lands.

Description

Aboleths use their Baleful Charm to turn creatures into their thralls, keeping some as bodyguards and sending others to infiltrate the sunlit world. They have agents in positions of power in many lands. Aboleths make tantalizing promises of power and immortality to their servants; many thralls continue to serve their overlords even when their magical charm is broken.

Behavior

1 Tries to detect thoughts , then communicates with you telepathically and offers you a trade: information about something you desire in exchange for a future service

2 Uses major image to draw travelers in with illusory visions of something they desire

3 Tries to detect thoughts and then ambush intruders; during the battle, it drops hints about useful information it possesses, which it will provide if you surrender

4 Its evil plans are too far advanced to risk any trouble; it tries to escape if interfered with

5 Meeting with one of its thralls , a well-known human or merfolk noble ; they will kill you to preserve their secret

6 In its lair, monologuing about how it is one of the last of a species beyond age, knows secrets beyond mortal ken, has been banished by treacherous gods, etc.; its monologue lasts until killed

Signs

1 A projected image of the nearby aboleth ; it promises you information or treasure in exchange for your promise to perform a task on the surface world or to kill a rival monster

2 An aboleth thrall that tries to lead you towards or away from the aboleth ’s lair

3 A telepathic vision of you swimming into a nearby underwater cave and finding treasure

4 Wet footprints lead to a dying humanoid, diseased by an aboleth tentacle; it’s gasping out its last, unable to breathe air

Encounters

Aboleth Encounters Aboleths dwell among the ruins of forgotten cities in underground lakes or at the bottom of the sea.

CR 11–16 Aboleth ; aboleth and 1 or 2 thralls ; aboleth and 1 or 2 merrow ; aboleth and sea hag or siren (see harpy )

Treasure 170 pp, 600 ep, platinum statuette of a three-eyed piscine humanoid (900 gp), gold crown for a Large creature (750 gp), 2 potions of water breathing that also allow water-breathing creatures to breathe air, periapt of health

CR 17–22 Aboleth and 1d4 + 1 thralls ; aboleth and 1 or 2 chuuls  

Treasure 6,000 gp, 30 scattered pearls (100 gp each), 2 potions of supreme healing , folding boat , staff of charming

CR 23–30 Aboleth and 1d4 + 5 thralls ; aboleth and 3 chuuls ; ancient aboleth and 1d4 thralls

Treasure 500 bars of gold stamped with the name of a legendary empire (50 gp each), life-sized silver statue of a sea elf (7,500 gp), apparatus of the crab , rod of lordly might

Monster Type Description

Humanoids include a number of different intelligent, language-using bipeds of Small or Medium size. Humans and elves are humanoids, and so are orcs and goblins. Humanoids may employ magic but are not fundamentally magical—a characteristic that distinguishes them from bipedal, language-using fey, fiends, and other monsters. Humanoids have no inherent alignment, meaning that no humanoid ancestry is naturally good or evil, lawful or chaotic.