How to Build Challenging Encounters Against an Alhoon
If you are looking for a formidable foe to challenge your adventurers in the dark depths of the Underdark, you might want to consider an alhoon. An alhoon is a mind flayer that has achieved a twisted form of lichdom, combining arcane magic and psionics into a deadly arsenal. Alhoons are outcasts from their own kind, spurning the elder brains that rule the illithid societies and seeking immortality through dark rituals. They are feared and hated by both living and undead creatures, and often plot to overthrow or enslave their former masters.
In this article, we will explore the alhoon’s abilities, motivations, and tactics, as well as some tips on how to create memorable encounters with these monstrous beings. We will also look at the alhoon’s perspective, and how they view themselves and their enemies. Whether you want to use an alhoon as a main villain, a side quest, or a random encounter, this article will help you make the most of this terrifying creature.
Alhoon Abilities
An alhoon is a formidable opponent that combines the natural abilities of a mind flayer with the arcane powers of a lich. As an undead creature, an alhoon has many resistances and immunities to damage and conditions, as well as a high magic resistance. An alhoon can also regenerate some of its lost hit points every round, unless it is damaged by fire or radiant energy.
An alhoon retains the mind flayer’s innate psionic abilities, such as telepathy, mind blast, and extract brain. These abilities allow an alhoon to communicate, stun, and devour the brains of its enemies. An alhoon can also detect the thoughts of any creature within 60 feet of it, giving it an edge in combat and social situations.
In addition to its psionic abilities, an alhoon is a skilled spellcaster that can cast a variety of wizard spells. An alhoon has access to spells from the schools of abjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation. Some of the spells that an alhoon commonly uses are detect magic, shield, invisibility, ray of enfeeblement, animate dead, counterspell, fireball, fly, vampiric touch, blight, dimension door, greater invisibility, and finger of death.
An alhoon can also create and command undead minions, such as zombies and skeletons. These minions serve as guards, servants, and fodder for the alhoon’s experiments. An alhoon can also create more powerful undead creatures, such as wights and mummies, by using its finger of death spell.
An alhoon’s most prized possession is its phylactery, a small metal box that contains its life force. An alhoon can only be permanently destroyed if its phylactery is found and destroyed. Otherwise, an alhoon will regenerate from any damage within a few days. An alhoon usually hides its phylactery in a secret and secure location, protected by traps and guardians.
Alhoon Motivations
An alhoon is driven by a thirst for knowledge, power, and immortality. An alhoon seeks to uncover the secrets of the multiverse, especially those related to magic, psionics, and the Far Realm. An alhoon also desires to expand its influence and dominion over other creatures, using its spells and minions to achieve its goals. An alhoon’s ultimate ambition is to transcend its imperfect state of undeath and become a true lich, or even a god.
An alhoon is also motivated by fear and hatred. An alhoon fears the wrath of the elder brains, who view it as a traitor and a heretic. An alhoon also fears the destruction of its phylactery, which would end its existence. An alhoon hates the living, especially other mind flayers, who shun and persecute it. An alhoon also hates the undead, especially other liches, who rival and mock it. An alhoon seeks to destroy or enslave anyone who opposes or threatens it.
An alhoon’s perspective is twisted and warped by its unnatural condition. An alhoon views itself as a superior being, a master of both magic and psionics, a seeker of truth and enlightenment. An alhoon views its enemies as inferior beings, obstacles to be overcome, resources to be exploited, or experiments to be conducted. An alhoon views its allies as tools to be used, pawns to be manipulated, or servants to be rewarded. An alhoon has no loyalty or compassion for anyone but itself.
Alhoon Long Term Strategies
An alhoon is not a mindless undead that attacks on sight. An alhoon is a cunning and scheming creature that plans its moves carefully and patiently. An alhoon has several long term strategies that it pursues, depending on its goals and circumstances. Some of these strategies are:
- Seeking the secrets of true lichdom. An alhoon is not satisfied with its current state of undeath, which is imperfect and unstable. An alhoon wants to become a true lich, a master of life and death, and a potential god. To achieve this, an alhoon studies ancient lore, seeks out powerful artifacts, and experiments with dark magic. An alhoon may also try to contact or ally with other liches, hoping to learn from them or steal their secrets.
- Creating a network of allies and minions. An alhoon knows that it cannot achieve its ambitions alone. An alhoon needs allies and minions to support its plans and protect its interests. An alhoon may use its spells, psionics, and charisma to manipulate, charm, or dominate other creatures, such as drow, duergar, svirfneblin, kuo-toa, troglodytes, orcs, goblins, kobolds, and other denizens of the Underdark. An alhoon may also create and command undead servants, such as zombies, skeletons, wights, mummies, or even dracoliches. An alhoon may also seek out other outcasts or rebels among the mind flayers, such as ulitharids, neothelids, or illithidae.
- Expanding its territory and influence. An alhoon is not content with hiding in a secluded lair. An alhoon wants to expand its territory and influence over the Underdark and beyond. An alhoon may use its allies and minions to scout, raid, or conquer nearby settlements or regions. An alhoon may also use its spells and psionics to create portals, teleportation circles, or astral conduits to travel to other planes of existence, such as the Shadowfell, the Feywild, the Elemental Planes, or even the Far Realm. An alhoon may also seek out places of power or interest, such as ancient ruins, forgotten temples, arcane libraries, or planar nexuses.
- Destroying or enslaving its enemies. An alhoon has many enemies that oppose or threaten its plans. An alhoon wants to destroy or enslave them all. An alhoon’s main enemies are the elder brains and their mind flayer colonies, who view it as a traitor and a heretic. An alhoon may use its spells and psionics to infiltrate, sabotage, or attack the mind flayer colonies, hoping to weaken or overthrow the elder brains. An alhoon may also try to corrupt or convert other mind flayers to its cause, creating more alhoons or illithiliches.
An alhoon’s long term strategies are not mutually exclusive. An alhoon may pursue several of them at the same time, depending on its resources and opportunities. An alhoon is always adaptable and flexible in its plans, ready to change them if necessary. However, an alhoon is also arrogant and overconfident in its abilities, often underestimating its enemies or overreaching its limits. This may lead to an alhoon’s downfall or defeat by the hands of adventurers or rivals.
How to Outwit and Outmaneuver Your Foes: An Alhoon’s Guide to Combat Tactics
An alhoon is not a mindless undead that attacks on sight. An alhoon is a cunning and scheming creature that plans its moves carefully and patiently. An alhoon has several favored combat tactics that it uses, depending on the situation and the enemy. Some of these tactics are:
- Ambush. An alhoon prefers to strike from hiding, using its Stealth skill and invisibility spell to avoid detection. An alhoon may also use its telepathy to lure unsuspecting victims into a trap, or its detect thoughts ability to anticipate their actions. An alhoon’s first attack is usually its mind blast, which can stun multiple enemies at once, making them vulnerable to its extract brain action or its spells
- Defend. An alhoon knows that it cannot afford to take too much damage, especially from magic weapons or spells that bypass its resistances and immunities. An alhoon uses its shield spell to boost its AC, its mirror image spell to create decoys, and its wall of force spell to create barriers. An alhoon may also use its fly spell to gain a height advantage, or its dimension door spell to escape a tight spot. An alhoon also uses its counterspell ability to shut down any harmful incoming spell of 4th level or lower.
- Attack. An alhoon is not afraid to unleash its full arsenal of spells and psionics against its enemies. An alhoon uses its fireball spell to deal massive damage to groups of enemies, its ray of enfeeblement or vampiric touch spells to weaken and drain individual foes, and its finger of death spell to kill or create undead minions. An alhoon may also use its chill touch or shocking grasp cantrips, which are more powerful than its chilling grasp action, or its blight spell, which can deal necrotic damage without resistance.
- Control. An alhoon is not above using its spells and psionics to manipulate, charm, or dominate other creatures, either as allies or as enemies. An alhoon may use its charm person, suggestion, or dominate person spells to turn an enemy into a friend, or a friend into an enemy. An alhoon may also use its animate dead spell to create undead servants, or its finger of death spell to create more powerful undead creatures, such as wights or mummies. An alhoon may also use its telepathy to communicate with or command its allies and minions.
An alhoon’s favored combat tactics are not fixed or rigid. An alhoon is always adaptable and flexible in its tactics, ready to change them if necessary. However, an alhoon is also arrogant and overconfident in its abilities, often underestimating its enemies or overreaching its limits.
Possible Tactics of Alhoons in Different Terrains
Alhoons are cunning and ruthless creatures that use their arcane and psionic abilities to gain an advantage over their enemies. Depending on the terrain they are in, they may employ different tactics to achieve their goals.
- In the Underdark, alhoons often lurk in the shadows, using their stealth and telepathy to ambush unsuspecting prey. They may also use their spells to create illusions, traps, or barriers to confuse or hinder their foes. Alhoons may also ally themselves with other Underdark creatures, such as drow or duergar, and use them as pawns or distractions.
- In urban environments, alhoons may disguise themselves as humans or other races, using their deception and history skills to blend in with the society. They may also use their spells to charm, dominate, or manipulate people to serve their interests. Alhoons may also seek out places of arcane power, such as libraries, universities, or temples, and try to acquire more knowledge or magic items.
- In natural environments, such as forests, mountains, or swamps, alhoons may use their spells to alter the terrain to their advantage, such as creating fog, walls of fire, or pits of acid. They may also use their spells to summon or control natural creatures, such as animals, plants, or elementals, and use them as allies or weapons. Alhoons may also use their spells to enhance their own abilities, such as flying, invisibility, or haste.
Alhoons are versatile and adaptable foes that can pose a threat in any terrain. Adventurers who encounter them should be wary of their magic and psionics, and try to find ways to disrupt or counter them.
Alhoon’s Special Tactics
Alhoons are not only powerful spellcasters and psionicists, but also masterful manipulators and schemers. They use their abilities to gain allies, enemies, and resources to further their goals of immortality and domination. Here are some of the special tactics that alhoons may employ in different situations:
- Allying with other outcasts: Alhoons may seek out other creatures that have been shunned or exiled by their own kind, such as renegade drow, rogue beholders, or fallen angels. They may offer them protection, knowledge, or power in exchange for their loyalty and service. Alhoons may also use their charm and dominate spells to coerce or enslave weaker-willed beings, such as goblins, orcs, or humans.
- Creating phylacteries: Alhoons are not true liches, as they have not completed the ritual that would grant them a phylactery, a device that stores their soul and allows them to regenerate after death. However, some alhoons may attempt to create their own phylacteries, using rare and expensive materials, such as gems, metals, or magic items. These phylacteries are not as reliable or secure as those of true liches, and may be destroyed by powerful magic or physical force.
- Experimenting with magic: Alhoons are always eager to learn new and forbidden secrets of magic, especially those that relate to necromancy, transmutation, or planar travel. They may conduct experiments on themselves, their allies, or their enemies, using spells such as modify memory, disintegrate, or plane shift. They may also seek out ancient artifacts or relics that contain hidden or lost lore.
- Harvesting brains: Alhoons retain their mind flayer heritage of devouring brains, but they do so not only for sustenance, but also for knowledge. By consuming the brains of other creatures, alhoons can absorb some of their memories, skills, or secrets. They may target creatures that have valuable information or abilities, such as wizards, clerics, or spies. They may also use their mind blast to stun their victims before extracting their brains with their tentacles.
The Alhoon’s phylactery
An alhoon is a mind flayer that has become a lich by creating a phylactery, a device that stores its life force and allows it to regenerate after death. A phylactery can be any object, but it must be made of a solid material and be of high-quality craftsmanship.
An alhoon might choose a phylactery that reflects its personality, goals, or interests. For example, an alhoon that values knowledge might choose a book, a scroll, or a crystal ball as its phylactery. An alhoon that seeks power might choose a weapon, a crown, or a ring as its phylactery. An alhoon that is secretive or paranoid might choose a small, inconspicuous, or hidden object as its phylactery, such as a coin, a pendant, or a false tooth.
An alhoon might also choose a phylactery that has some connection to its mind flayer heritage, such as a tentacle, a brain, or a nautiloid shell. Alternatively, an alhoon might choose a phylactery that is related to its arcane or psionic abilities, such as a wand, a staff, or a gemstone.
Whatever the choice of the phylactery, an alhoon would likely protect it with various spells and traps, such as arcane lock, alarm, glyph of warding, or symbol. An alhoon would also try to hide or disguise its phylactery from potential enemies, using spells such as illusion magic, nondetection, or modify memory.
Alhoon’s Combat Tactics Against a Generic Party of Adventurers
Alhoons are formidable opponents that can challenge even the most experienced and well-equipped adventurers. They use their spells and psionics to attack, defend, and escape, depending on the situation. Here are some of the combat tactics that alhoons may use against a generic party of adventurers:
- Targeting the weakest link: Alhoons may use their telepathy to probe the minds of their enemies, looking for the ones that have the lowest intelligence, wisdom, or charisma scores. They may then use their mind blast, charm, or dominate spells to incapacitate, control, or turn them against their allies.
- Using their lair: Alhoons often dwell in places that are dark, hidden, or fortified, such as caves, ruins, or dungeons. They may use their spells to create traps, illusions, or obstacles to hinder the intruders. They may also use their lair actions to manipulate the environment, such as collapsing tunnels, summoning shadows, or teleporting around.
- Exploiting their vulnerabilities: Alhoons may use their spells to exploit the weaknesses of their enemies, such as fireball against flammable creatures, disintegrate against metal or stone objects, or banishment against extraplanar beings. They may also use their spells to negate the strengths of their enemies, such as counterspell against spellcasters, dispel magic against magical effects, or antimagic field against magic items.
- Escaping when necessary: Alhoons are not suicidal and will not fight to the death unless they have no other choice. They may use their spells to escape from a losing battle, such as dimension door, invisibility, or plane shift. They may also use their spells to cover their tracks, such as erase memory, modify memory, or nondetection.
Examples of Encounters with the Alhoon
Alhoons are rare and dangerous creatures that can pose a threat to adventurers of any level. They may be encountered in various locations and situations, depending on their goals and plans. Here are some examples of possible encounters with the alhoon:
- A group of adventurers is hired by a local lord to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances in a nearby town. They discover that the town is under the influence of an alhoon, who has charmed or dominated some of the townsfolk and uses them to lure more victims to its lair. The alhoon feeds on the brains of its captives, hoping to learn more secrets and magic from them. The adventurers must find a way to break the alhoon’s hold on the town and confront it in its hidden dungeon.
- A group of adventurers is exploring an ancient ruin in the Underdark, looking for treasure and lore. They encounter a band of drow, who are also searching for the same ruin. The drow are led by an alhoon, who has allied itself with them in exchange for protection and resources. The alhoon is interested in the ruin, which contains a portal to another plane of existence. The alhoon wants to use the portal to escape from its enemies and find new sources of power. The adventurers must either fight or negotiate with the drow and the alhoon, or try to reach the portal before them.
- A group of adventurers is contacted by a mysterious benefactor, who offers them a large sum of gold to retrieve a rare and valuable magic item from a hidden vault. The vault is located in a busy city, where the alhoon has disguised itself as a wealthy and influential merchant. The alhoon is the owner of the magic item, which is actually its phylactery. The alhoon has set up a trap for the adventurers, hoping to use them as pawns or sacrifices for its dark rituals. The adventurers must find out the truth about their employer and the magic item, and decide whether to keep it, destroy it, or return it to the alhoon.
Conclusions about the Alhoon
The alhoon is a monster that can offer a unique and exciting challenge for adventurers of various levels. It is a mind flayer that has become a lich, combining arcane and psionic abilities with undead resilience. It is a cunning and ruthless creature that seeks knowledge, power, and brains.
The alhoon can be used as a villain, an ally, or a neutral party, depending on its motivation and goal. It can also be encountered in various locations and situations, such as the Underdark, urban environments, or natural environments. The alhoon can use its spells and psionics to attack, defend, or escape, as well as to manipulate or control its enemies, allies, or environment.
The alhoon is not a mindless undead, but a smart and adaptable creature that can improvise and change its strategy according to the situation. It can also use its abilities and actions in unexpected or unconventional ways. The alhoon is not a monster to be underestimated or taken lightly, as it can pose a serious threat to anyone who crosses its path.