SAVANT ABOLETH – 5e stats

Huge aberration, lawful evil

Armor Class 18 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 202 (27d12 + 27)
Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.

Proficiency Bonus +5
Proficiency Bonus +12 (5th Edition Advanced Mode)

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
21 (+5)7 (-2)13 (+1)20 (+5)16 (+3)19 (+4)

Saving Throws Con +6, Int +10, Wis +8
Skills Arcana +12, History +12, Perception +10 (See Invisibility always active within 60 feet)
Senses Darkvision 120 Ft., passive Perception 21
Languages Deep Speech, Telepathy 120 Ft.
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Amphibious. The savant aboleth can breathe air and water.

Mucous Cloud. While underwater, the savant aboleth is surrounded by transformative mucus. A creature that touches the aboleth or that hits it with a melee attack while within 5 ft. of it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is diseased for 1d4 hours. The diseased creature can breathe only underwater.

Probing Telepathy. If a creature communicates telepathically with the aboleth, the aboleth learns the creature’s greatest desires if the aboleth can see the creature.

Spellcasting. The aboleth is an 12th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The aboleth has the following wizard spells prepared:

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The aboleth makes four tentacle attacks.
  • Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become diseased. The disease has no effect for 1d4+1 rounds and can be stopped by a greater restoration spell and it can be reversed by a cure wounds spell. After 1d4+1 rounds, the diseased creature’s skin becomes translucent and slimy, the creature can’t regain hit points unless it is underwater, and the disease can be removed only by heal or another disease-curing spell of 6th level or higher. When the creature is outside a body of water, it takes 6 (1d12) acid damage every round.
  • Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
  • Enslave (3/day). The savant aboleth targets one creature it can see within 100 ft. of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed by the aboleth until the aboleth dies or until it is on a different plane of existence from the target. The charmed target is under the aboleth’s control and can’t take reactions, and the aboleth and the target can communicate telepathically with each other over any distance. Whenever the charmed target is asked to accomplish a suicidal command it may attempt a new saving throw. The domination can be broken if the target is taken one mile far from the savant, thus entitling the target to attempt a new saving throw every day with a DC 16. In addition a dispel magic or remove curse spell grant the target a new saving throw.

5th Edition Advanced Mode
Limiting the power of a character and making the overall difficulty of the game harder, does not reduce the creativity, indeed it does quite the opposite.
The Game Master has the option to use any and all of the instances proposed in this guide, or just some of them according to their preference.

It is the lack of something that move and motivate characters, not the abundance of it

DESCRIPTION

Savant aboleth are the most powerful and intelligent of the aboleth, a race of ancient and evil aquatic creatures. They have a distinctive appearance, with a large and heavily armored head that houses their formidable mind. Their tentacles are also strong and covered with hard nodules that can inflict serious damage. Their skin is slimy and mottled, and they can secrete a substance that causes other creatures to suffocate in water.

Savant aboleth have mastered the art of magic, and can cast spells as a 12th-level wizard. They specialize in enchantment spells, using their innate psionic abilities to manipulate and dominate the minds of their enemies. However, they are not limited to this school of magic, and can also cast spells from other schools, except for those that involve fire, light, or positive energy.

Savant aboleth are very rare among their kind, as only a few are chosen by the Blood Queen, the mysterious and malevolent deity of the aboleth. They are revered and feared by their peers, and often serve as leaders or advisors in aboleth society. They are also ambitious and arrogant, and seek to expand their knowledge and power at any cost.

COMBAT

The savant aboleth prefers to avoid direct confrontation, and relies on its spells and psionics to subdue and control its foes. It can cast a variety of spells, ranging from offensive to defensive to utility, depending on the situation. It can also use its domination power to take over the minds of other creatures, turning them into loyal slaves.

The savant aboleth is well aware of its vulnerability in melee combat, and usually surrounds itself with powerful allies that it has dominated. These can be any creatures that the savant aboleth has encountered and enslaved, such as dragons, giants, or even other aboleth. The savant aboleth uses these bodyguards to protect itself from harm, and to deal with any enemies that resist its mental influence.

HABITAT / SOCIETY

Savant aboleth are the elite and the rulers of the aboleth race, a sinister and ancient civilization that dwells in the depths of the Underdark. They rarely venture out of their vast and hidden cities, where they plot and scheme to expand their dominion over the surface world. They delegate the menial tasks of gathering food and slaves to their lesser kin, while they focus on their arcane studies and experiments.

Savant aboleth are born with exceptional mental gifts, which are recognized and nurtured by their elders. They are infertile, and cannot produce offspring of their own. Instead, they seek out young aboleth with latent savant potential, and bring them to their cities to be trained and indoctrinated. Sometimes, they are guided by the Blood Queen, the mysterious and malevolent goddess of the aboleth, who bestows her favor on a few chosen ones.

Savant aboleth have a voracious appetite for magic and lore. They do not need spellbooks to cast their wizard spells; they can recall them from memory after resting. They also learn from each other, using their telepathic link to share their knowledge and secrets. Savant aboleth are always eager to devour spellcasters and magic-using creatures, to improve their own understanding of magic.

Savant aboleth have a complex symbolic glyph system they use for all written communication. They can create magical glyphs by psychokinetic force, one glyph per day. The casting time depends on the complexity of the glyph, which can range from simple to complex master glyphs. The total number of glyph-elements a savant aboleth can maintain at any one time equals its Intelligence score.

Savant aboleth glyphs come in four categories:

  • Simple glyphs are identical to glyphs of warding.
  • Complex glyphs combine the effects of two glyphs of warding – for example, an aboleth complex glyph might inflict cold damage and also cause paralysis.
  • Master glyphs (each of which counts as a three-element glyph for the purposes of the savant aboleth’s glyph limit) have unique effects.

The following are a few examples of master glyphs:

  • The Glyph of Law. Within 30 feet of this glyph, all creatures of nonlawful alignment are subject to an adverse prayer effect (-1 to all attack, damage, and saving throw rolls).
  • The Glyph of Enfeeblement. Within 20 feet of this glyph, all non-aboleth feel themselves weakened and debilitated, suffering -3 penalties to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution until leaving the area of effect and for 1d4 rounds thereafter.
  • The Glyph of Extension. Any aboleth within 20 feet of this glyph has double the normal range for its domination power.
  • The Glyph of the Slime Curse. Within 30 feet of this glyph, saving throws against the transformational effect of an aboleth’s tentacle are made at a -4 penalty and transformation occurs in but a single round.

Finally, great savant-aboleth of exceptional mastery (18 or higher Wisdom and Intelligence, 10th level or above as both priests and wizards) can create complex master glyphs which add an extra element onto a master glyph (for example, a glyph of enfeeblement which also does cold damage); these complex muster glyphs can even include effects from different schools. Complex master glyphs still only count as three glyphs for the purpose of determining the limit on the number of glyphs the savant can maintain at any one time, but they require six turns to create.

Aboleth glyphs of all kinds can be removed by a successful dispel magic cast against the highest level rating for the savant aboleth which created them. Saving throws are permitted against each element in a complex or master glyph separately, but saving throws against the effects of a master glyph are made with a -1 penalty; against complex master glyphs the penalty is -2. Only one saving throw is permitted against the whole battery of magical effects radiated by a master glyph or a complex master glyph.

This glyphic skill is central to the savant’s position within aboleth society. Being very lawful, ordinary aboleth acquiesce to the greater power of the savants as a matter of course, but this ability to defend and protect the aboleth city with a battery of complex glyphs earns the savant aboleth the loyalty and respect of ordinary aboleth.

ECOLOGY

Savant aboleth are either the apex predators or the cunning exploiters of their aquatic environment, depending on how one views them. They consume the same food as ordinary aboleth – algae, fish, various water plants, and so on – but they have a special taste for the flesh of spellcasters and magic-using creatures, as they believe it enhances their own magical power. Savant aboleth have no natural enemies, as they can dominate or destroy any creature that dares to challenge them. Most intelligent marine life knows better than to cross their path, and avoids their territory at all costs.