Aboleth Lasher

Aboleth Lasher (Heavy; CR 17)

Pure Evil - Large - Aberration (Aboleth, Aquatic)

Lore:	K. (Dungeoneer)
34		49
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

27

Perception:
41	+31
Passive	Active

Ambush:

8+

on a d20

• Ambush Notes: only when submerged; cannot ambush from land

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Heartsight 150 ft.
• Mindsense 150 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 15 ft.
• Greater Swim 60 ft.
• Jet 200 ft.

Defense

AC

41

Man Def

41

Monster Health
1,222	611	32
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+14
Refl:	+16
Will:	+20

Strong Against:

• DR 32/-, bypassed by Cuprium-infused weapons.
• (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.
• Immune (no effect): All mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Large
10 ft.		10 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+25

Man Off

+28

Action

1

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

Full Attack (Melee):

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 2x Infinite Lash +29 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (5d8+24/19-20 x2)
  as Psychic (energy, uncommon)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: Aberrant Thoughts

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 4x Infinite Lash +29 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die) (5d8+24/19-20 x2)
  as Psychic (energy, uncommon)
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)
  plus: Aberrant Thoughts

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

15

STR

17

DEX

24

CON

36

INT

21

WIS

24

CHA

Skills:

• Barter: 28
• Bluff: 29
• Diplomacy: 28
• Intimidate: 30
• Perception: 31
• Stealth: 29
• All other skills: 23 (no ranks)

Languages: F'thaghu'fhalma, Enuncia (confused or enthralled creatures only), Gurahn'lloig

Feats:

• Point-Blank Master (EFFECT: Do not provoke attacks of opportunity while firing one ranged projectile weapon)

Special Abilities

Spell Resistance (Su) Always On

This creature has spell resistance. In order to affect them with a spell or spell-like ability, the caster must first make a Caster Check versus the creature's Maneuver Defense value (40). If the check is successful, the spell or spell-like ability is resolved as normal. If the caster check fails, the spell is cast, but does not affect the creature in any way.

Liquescing Froth (Su, Aura 10') Automatic within 10 feet

Any creature that moves within 10 feet of the aboleth's space, or is within 10 feet of the aboleth's space as a result of the aboleth's movement, must make a Reflex save, DC 27, or they take 4d8+28 points of acid (energy, common) damage. If the creature is under the effects of the Confused condition, it does not receive a saving throw. Creatures that succeed on the saving throw take only half damage. This ability can only affect a creature once per aboleth per round.

Aberrant Thought (Su) Automatic after ranged attack

The first time each round that a creature is struck by an aboleth's Infinite Lash ranged touch attack, the creature must make an immediate Will save, DC 27, or become Subdued. If the creature is already Subdued, there is no saving throw, and the creature must immediately move at its fastest move speed toward the Aboleth that struck it, instead. This is forced movement, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. This ability can only affect a creature once per aboleth per round.

Withering Tirade (Su) Swift Action 1/Rnd against Confused creature

Once per round as a swift action, the aboleth can target one Confused creature within 20 feet of its space with a powerful psychic assault. The Confused creature may make a Will save to resist this effect, DC 27, or it may use the saving throw to immediately end its Confused state, but accept the effects of Withering Tirade (no roll necessary; see Confused for details). If the creature fails the save, or elects to end the Confused state, the creature gains the Withered condition, and suffers 4d8+28 points of psychic (energy, uncommon) damage. If the creature succeeds on the saving throw, they remain Confused, but are otherwise unharmed.

Reversal of Fortune (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time in an encounter that a Heavy is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Heavy becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires. At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Heavy is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (611 hit points). Furthermore, the Heavy may immediately Slide up to 8 squares (40 feet) as a free action, after which its immunity to damage expires. As forced movement, this Slide does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but even if it did, the Heavy is immune to all damage and effects until after the slide is completed. It must perform this Slide before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to Slide first. The Heavy is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Aboleth Lasher

This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

This monster frequently has the Heavy role, but may be set to other roles if desired.

Aboleths look like the result of the unholy union of a giant carp and a giant squid, that also fell into a vat of demonic slime sometime after their bizarre birth. They are 12-foot long fish, with features of a catfish, modified with numerous flowing tentacles emerging from their upper torso. They are prodigiously slimy, often covered so thickly with effluvium that they are difficult to make out. They inhabit any aquatic environment, whether fresh water, brackish, or salt water. Some variants have even been known to survive (and thrive) in other liquid environments, such as the lava of active volcanoes, or within caustic pools of boiling acid.

Aboleths require frequent exposure to water to survive, but can flop about on land if necessary, though they are ungainly when doing so and lose a great deal of their agility. They prefer instead to lure their prey into the water with them, using trickery, traps, or other subterfuge to make diving into that pool of water seem like a good idea.

No one can say what the origin of the aboleth species is, but it is clearly documented that they have existed for a very long time. Even the most ancient writings of the fey indicate that aboleths are an ancient species.

While their origins are unknown, their predilection for conquest is widely reported. Aboleths are powerfully psychic, and dominate any creatures who stray into their domains. They are also highly intelligent, and carefully plan and plot how best to expand their domains into all the lands surrounding their lair. They will use their dominated thralls to lure more people to them, dominating them and expanding their influence even further. They have been known to tamper with the politics of the civilized races, subverting towns and cities with their enslaved thralls, and manipulating the populace to their own ends.

Indeed, as threats to the world go, aboleths share the same kind of infamy as liches and mummies, whose plots span centuries, and whose corruption and influence can sometimes be felt continents away from their actual lairs. Aboleths are known to associate with sahaugin and locathah, but nearly any creature could be enthralled to an aboleth, or coerced to follow its will.

Aboleth lashers are unusual for aboleths in that they thrive in melee combat. Where most aboleths will serve a supporting or artillery role in a combat, throwing thralls in the way to avoid direct engagement, lashers can scrap with the best of them. Of course, they also host a battery of powerful psychic abilities, making them terrible threats, but they will fearlessly wade into battle all the same.

Combat Tactics

Aboleth Lashers do not have a melee attack, instead drawing enemies close into their foamy acidic aura and ignoring them, after Withering them. Aboleth lashers have been known to attack in small packs, posing a major threat to even the most seasoned adventuring party. They are adept at stealth when there is an aquatic environment large enough to hide them, but cannot ambush prey if they are flopping about on land.

Lashers will spend the first round attempting to inflict Confused on as many of their opponents as they can. However, if some of their prey proves too difficult to confuse, they will ignore them in favor of subjugating those they succeeded in confusing. Their ranged attacks go against Touch AC, and do not provoke against melee opponents (due to Point-Blank Master (Feat)), and any attack made against a confused opponent draws them closer to the aboleth (in addition to doing psychic damage). Once a confused opponent is close enough, they will use Withering Tirade to render that opponent Withered, making them nearly irrelevant for the remainder of the fight. Rather than finishing them off, they will then target other foes, in hopes of subduing, rather than killing, everyone present. If a melee combatant is still troubling them, they will use five foot steps to ease away, or target them with their very powerful ranged touch attacks, which do not provoke.

Out of Combat

Lashers aren't killers; they aren't seeking the deaths of anyone they fight. They intend a FAR worse fate for those who would dare to challenge them. The lasher's ability Aberrant Thought, inflicts the Subdued condition, making capture of their prey far more likely than killing them.

Captured opponents are subjected to a dark ritual which renders them completely enslaved to the aboleths. Enthralled creatures seem physically altered by this process, but only if you cut them open to examine their brains. Their brains are encased in a thick, pleghmy substance which seems to preserve the victim's personality and ability to interact normally, while at the same time, completely replaces their will with the will of their new master. Subverted thralls are nearly impossible to detect without killing them first, unless their orders from the aboleth force them to behave out of character. They can still converse with their friends, they remember their pasts, and seem like themselves for all intents, except that they cannot control their actions any more.

Restoring an enthralled person's will requires a Raise Dead (Cleric Spell) or Resurrection (Cleric Spell), even though the victim still lives. If there are other, less brute-force, methods of restoring an enthralled victim, they are not well-known.

Rewards

XP: 204,800 (Heavy role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 102,889 gp.

Weight: 340 lbs.     Volume: 13.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)