Monster Monday - Aboleth

It's Monster Monday time, again! Today, I am looking closely at the aboleth. They have long been a favorite monster of mine. One first showed up in the module "The Dwellers of the Forbidden City," by David "Zeb" Cook. Aboleths are highly intelligent, and have several special abilities that lend them to being a "mastermind" monster.

Creighton Broadhurst's aboleth, licensed from Rogue Genius

Using the S&W version, they have Charm Monster 3x daily, and Phantasmal Force 3x a day. They have a mucous cloud that makes people in contact with it unable to breathe air. (It is not noted in S&W that they breathe water instead, but that's typically the case.) They have 4 tentacles that strike for d6 damage each, and can cause disease.
Most versions of the aboleth note they have a very high intelligence level. However, what most early descriptions of the aboleth lack is how they communicate. 2E remedied this with the addition of telepathy (specifically Mind Link). Pathfinder moved this bar a bit further, giving them the languages: aboleth, aklo, aquan, and undercommon. 5E gave aboleths the ability to learn a creature's greatest desires if the aboloth can see it and communicate telepathically.

All of this adds up to a creature that is formidable in combat (disease, 4 attacks, force creatures into foreign environment,) able to Charm/Dominate/control other creatures, and with an intelligence to move plans forward. Aboleths are under-used.

In Mord Mar, the best known aboleth is in a fountain somewhere inside the shops district. This particular aboleth, whose name is unpronounceable with a human tongue, is not like its kin. It is content to rule over a small kingdom of orcs, gnolls, goblins, and other humanoids. It often buys and sells information with adventurers. Often it will ask for a share of a treasure horde for this information. Only twice have adventurers double crossed the aboleth.

There is another aboleth, deeper in the dungeons. In the "Grotto and Caverns" area there is an aboleth in a subterranean pond. Above her is a Mind Flayer squidhead, in an open hole in the ceiling. Ludos (the squidhead) has come to an agreement with the aboleth. In return for guarding Ludos' lair, the aboleth receives magical training. The aboleth's current enslaved roster is a cyclops, 2 ogres and a doppleganger.

An aboleth also resides somewhere to the north of Stonemire. This aboleth acts more like an aboleth "should." This aboleth delights in torturing and destroying all creatures that make their home on land. It decorates its lair with bones from its victims, including goblins, catoblepas, dwarves, humans, lizardmen and other creatures. It is rumored that a great paladin fell to this foul creature and a Holy Avenger sword is within its treasures.

 Aboleths are great creatures to throw against a thinking party. With their illusions, and charm abilities, they can make for a great encounter. They make for an even better long-term villain, pulling the strings from the darkness of the caverns below. Here are some more ideas on how I haven't used aboleths. Yet.

A dwarven king ran across an aboleth years ago. Now, his kingdom slides slowly into ruin. The king insists his decisions are for the people, but can the party prove the truth?

An elven druid found a strange egg long ago. The hatching aboleth quickly gained control of the druid, and he has been systematically destroying the land-based life in the area. Now the aboleth is hatching a plan to have the nearest village dam up the river. Even the druid is speaking for it! When the reservoir is full, the aboleth plans to destroy the dam, washing away the village, and all of the people in one easy step.

An aboleth has taken control of an orc chieftan in the hills not far from the Keep. The orcs have become more brazen, and the constabulary hires the party to find out why.