Dungeons and Dragons Lore: Aboleth

[@volstad44]

Ahhh. The greatest Monster in D&D. I am so glad you regognise the puny nature of the 5e Monster Manual version. It hurt my heart so. The great Aboleth Empire shall rise again! Hahahahahaha!

[@AJPickett]

*BWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*

[@darthchocolate7911]

@ Volstad-Germaine-Death to the Aboleths. They're all psionic fish punks!

[@volstad44]

@@darthchocolate7911 Bring it homonid!

[@Thkaal]

It's just a fish with tentacles...always has been, always will be.

[@draxthemsklonst]

@@Thkaal Convergent evolution. It's not really a fish.

[@ethanotoroculus1060]

_"Before there was time, before there was anything... There was nothing. And before there was nothing... There were monsters."_

[@rejvaik00]

"I stole that dialogue" - Rune smith

[@ethanotoroculus1060]

@@rejvaik00 I made this comment before he uploaded that actually if I remember right?

[@midnightmoon3084]

The time might be over but the adventure never ends.

[@derekphelps138]

That is a bad-ass quote from Adventure Time (which was obviously deeply influenced by D&D) which is one of my all time fav shows

[@ethanotoroculus1060]

@@derekphelps138 Absolutely. The Lich is just one of those series antagonists that just _cannot_ be forgotten.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Aboleth: Senses party of adventurers entering its lair. Lower ranking Aboleth: Should we attack them?” Aboleth: Looks 10 minutes into the future and laughs. “Naw, they don’t make it past the first set of traps...”

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

I just love the whole idea of telling the PCs, through an aboleth, something like "your gods are nothing but stories, told by beings you couldn't begin to imagine" I am an eldritch overgod: confirmed

[@HumbleMemeFarmer]

>be me, manlet paladin of Moradin >craft crappy hammers and pray to god every week, but dream every night of big-tiddy goth GF to call my own >Stupid inquisition find out, slap me and send me on spirit quest to "correct my allignment" >FFS >Out exploring dank af cave or whatever, feel a coldness wash over me >"Hippity Hoppity, you are now my property!" >Fucking Abboleth >slaps skin off me, turns me into frog-manlet. Hurts to move, and can only breathe underwater. >Still got big-tiddy frog GF despite short and grossness >thanks creepy squid fish >fuck you, Moradin

[@purplehaze2358]

*When you’re 90% sure aboleths are the most lovecraft thing to ever lovecraft, but only 10% sure that this is a reupload.*

[@spm3591]

I was thinking the same thing

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

I like the idea of Aboleth being the stock that the Gods bred the Kraken from. As though a god saw an Aboleth and said “Well that’s fucking scary...we should weaponize that.”

[@rhapsody5645]

My mind was blown a long time ago by "More than one multiverse."

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Multiple multiversi

[@razzelmire2008]

It’s how WotC explains how MtG worlds and Eberron have their own cosmology yet also are now part of the D&D Multiverse. Each Crystal Sphere and it’s universe/world will either share some, all, or none of the core D&D Great Wheel planar structure and have its own multiverse. So far, Sigil the City of Doors and the Infinite Staircase, as well as the deep Shadow Plane, are the only “bridges” to these other multiverses. Maybe even Yggdrasil’s branches too, but only to worlds where a Norse deity is worshipped in some form.

[@JoseMolina-ij3xx]

I remember there is a serious rivalry between the Aboleth, Beholders and the Illithid and this rivalry mimics the minions of the Star Spawn of Chtulhu, The Polyps The Elder Things and The Ancient race of Yith in the Lovecraftian mythos.

[@dirtywhitellama]

I have a player who told me her character would sell her soul for knowledge. She has a sailor background, and we're going in space (spelljammer). I think an astral aboleth in a subconscious reverie would be a great patron for her upcoming levels of warlock.....

[@DkKombo]

You forgot the fact that the slaves are made to have endless dreams of their ultimate fantasy, which is why you see these things are never in pain. It can even be argued at some points they are just misunderstood if they weren't so pessimistic in their own views on the fleeting creatures. I can see one being empathetic to a small creature and raising it as a pet. I mean really, how cruel are we to animals to never let them have the free will to do what they want? "Oh they'll have a better life this way!" Interesting choices for players, I can even see an aboleth merely contesting this idea with good aligned characters, or using this on a grander scale to convince entire civilizations to be subservient to or not bother them.

[@suruxstrawde8322]

I just like the fact mind flayers are afraid of them.

[@antwan1357]

i would love to have an Aboleth that is aware that it is in a game... aware of previous versions of the game , and is even aware that Gary Gygax created the game it exists in. If the Aboleth is able to read the minds of the player characters it becomes aware of the players and the DM currently playing , or has enough awareness that when a certain character in its domain seems a little too powerful to define as for normal as to what should have happened that it could be dealing with players. Knowing players are mostly murder hobos , the Aboleth would seek to direct the Aboleth away from itself giving them something worthwhile to target very far away from itself. Potentially creating a scenario where an npc that will never ever meet you under any conditions pulls the strings to keep you occupied with it's enemies , or merely just to keep you as far away from itself as possible , and direct your destructive potential away from its influence area.

[@JoseMolina-ij3xx]

The Aboleth knows that it is a creation of another author that supercedes Gary Gygax. That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.

[@krispalermo8133]

Aboleth traveled around the astral seas, came by Earth, looked through multiple realities, it inspire Lovecraft and dream plague/ inspire Gygax into creating D&D so nerds will dream up stories about them and feed them our collective physic energies.

[@wisesavvy3065]

Never touched anything remotely related to dnd but I religiously watch every video.

[@GregtheGrey6969]

Interesting... Wonder why?

[@AJPickett]

I appreciate it 😊

[@wisesavvy3065]

loki Griffith i played diablo 3. In Texas there isn’t really anyone I know to play it with.

[@StarboyXL9]

Plot twist: Aboleths are just what we as players and DMs manifest as when not possessing characters to go on adventures for our own amusement: Horrifying, monstrous abominations that can induce madness by merely speaking or communicating with characters. But srsly tho these guys are just plot devices

[@Huggamugger1]

Whimsy is my favorite Aboleth. 8) "He's precious!" -- See Puffin Forest

[@joewhite6844]

The one with duel persona?

[@Huggamugger1]

@@joewhite6844 Yes! Every time I watch Whimsy's story, which must be around 30 times, I LMAO!

[@nullvoid4063]

Knocked it out of the park AJ! On a side note, I know I've made a lot of requests (Silthilar, Neogi, Fleshwarping, etc.), but thanks for taking it in stride. I know you're doing your best to keep up with viewer requests. So while I'm not able to contribute monthly (U.S.A. college tuition does that), I can still enjoy your videos, subscribe, and show your content to other fans of D&D. Thanks AJ!

[@DCdabest]

Out of the 3; Aboleth are far worse in my mind than Beholders or Illithids. Illithids have almost human motivations and almost co-operative at times when it comes to overlapping goals with others (like killing aboleths lol). When they aren't trying to eat your brain, enslave you or take over the world you can do business with them. Beholders are scary individually but are hopelessly narcissistic and treacherous to each other. But Aboleth are so thoroughly alien and so thoroughly evil and inimical to every other form of life they demand to be destroyed without prejudice.

[@GoGoOnGordon]

As a Humanoid Creature I strongly disagree, Aboleth are Lawful Evil so they aren't going to really attack you without a reason. Aboleth don't go looking for trouble like the Illithids, you would have to cross their territory to get their attention. Not only that you have a better chance of making deals with the Aboleth than the other 2 so as long as you're not a Cleric or any type of person who worships the Gods since the Gods are their True Enemies. Aboleth are also a great source of knowledge since they have perfect memory... Aboleth are the most dangerous compare to the Beholders and the Illithids, but just because they are the most dangerous doesn't make them the biggest threat. Beholders will kill anything or anyone who isn't them individually, Illithids/Mind Flayers if you ain't them then prepare to get a tadpole put into your brain and lose yourself completely, or eaten as food, or worse watch your brain walk out on you literally. However being killed on sight and likely to die quick from 10 different rays is probably the best thing you can asked for compare to being a puppet for 7 days or less and go through a painfully transformation and no longer exist while a creature takes your body as its own, or dependent on water the rest of your life and hope that your master might find you essentially useful so he doesn't decide to eat you when he's hungry or punish you.

[@skyshatter7]

So awesome that you redo your old videos... I love that

[@shamusfarmer]

That psychic drug stuff was FASCINATING. Could you please, maybe, someday do a video on all the different drugs in DnD? Like lower plane drugs, feywild drugs, underdark drugs, stuff like that?

[@AJPickett]

Hey Shamus. Hmmm it is a subject I do really enjoy.. the whole idea of magical potions is awesome.

[@shamusfarmer]

@@AJPickett Yeah, how do those work by the way..? Is it just a normal liquid infused with a heal spell (for example) or is it more of an alchemical thing? A video on various potions would be awesome too!

[@garagestudios01]

Thanks for taking this on and a super generous review.

[@mjp152]

The image at 7:10 is probably one of my favorite D&D illustrations - so evocative.

[@antwan1357]

Supposedly Aboleths created all sorcerers from experimenting on humans. The very first sorcerers where so powerful they was godlike. This was back when Aboleths where curious about magic , and humans , and experimenting on humans. Which they no longer do for obvious reasons.

[@Gabranicus]

In my world, the 'disease' that turns you into an aboleth servitor or 'skum' is actually just the aboleth 'de-evolving' you back to your original state, since the aboleths of my world are responsible for accidentally creating all other life on the planet.

[@antwan1357]

Gabranicus makes sense and sounds like the same lore. The Aboleths simply do it out of curiosity and disregard it once it becomes uninteresting.

[@ShaneCopen]

The aboleth under the Isle of Dread still use glyphs. Of course this means - all aboleths can use glyphs.

[@robertwilson2516]

Nothing brings people together better than an evil psychic Squid/Catfish trying to take over the world.

[@AJPickett]

Just one world?

[@robertwilson2516]

@@AJPickett Good point it should be Worlds.

[@tatsusama3192]

2:10 Knowing what these things are, this is technically an insult, but this photo made me think of extraterrestrial koi. Such a cool picture

[@michaelmoes6378]

Hey, good timing! I was going to watched your old Aboleth video yesterday and thought it was one in need of an update. Thanks, AJ!

[@IndigoJulze]

Now I want to run a Aboleth noble that has a cache of multiverse artefacts. Iron helmet from skyrim with preserved vocal cords next to it. Mjalnir armour from halo, Godzilla's scales, a com badge and red star trek uniform, a light saber with a pile of sand, a glinting metal skeleton with three claws extending from the knuckles. And on a pedestal at the center of the room, every D&D game book ever published complete with print outs of the player character's character sheets.

[@matthewbennett1972]

Indigo Julze lets get meta. And the caretaker could be Ambrose Bierce

[@krispalermo8133]

WotC 3.5e system for both D&D and Star Wars, my game shop drop Vader and a few dozen storm troopers into Castle Ravenloft, we even had a Gith spelljammer fleet attack a star destroyer and faced of against the Emperor and Vader.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

Despite the fact that they're supposed to inevitably rule the whole multiverse, I feel like the Illithids don't hold a candle to the Aboleth in power and potential. Maybe they're more driven, in the way that humans are naturally weak but ambitious.

[@ChuckKingofChairs]

Do you ever think you might make a vid on the gods themselves along with their heralds? Love the vids either way, you make my daily work schedule much more bearable.

[@HBHaga]

"Jack, you don't look so good. What did you just drink?" "What? There's nothing cruvis with me." "Oh, no." "What?"

[@epiccthulu]

Here’s the real question: Can you salt an aboleth like you can a slug, given that they are both mucus based? If so... there is an elemental plan of salt where Water touches the negative plane.

[@AJPickett]

No. :)

[@Taricus]

The paraelemental plane of salt sucks for anyone. It's touching the water and ooze elemental planes though :P Negative elemental plane is 3 removed from salt. Water>>Salt>>Ooze>>Dust>>Negative. It only touches negative when you view it from the poles of air and earth, not the prime.

[@matthewhartshorn5204]

So glad to see these older ones being redone! The quality has improved a LOT in 3 years!

[@rayanderson5797]

Aboleths: They're old, they're evil, and they're smarter than you.

[@DCdabest]

Aboleths are a LE retirement home.

[@GoGoOnGordon]

You forgot to add 'extremely' in front of 'smarter than you part' lol!

[@psyberklown3434]

Aboleth so smart they know they are D&D monsters.

[@AJPickett]

They know that some planes of existence are so weird, the barrier between them takes on the form of pure thought and myth... stories.

[@StarboyXL9]

@@AJPickett So Aboleths would find our universe, with its structured order, clockwork systems, and slow ineluctable slide towards total and complete entropy alien and wierd?

[@AJPickett]

@@StarboyXL9 I think they would love it here.

[@StrattCaster]

fascniating content! Growing up I always had the most fun with Dee and D by reading the dungeon master books and learning all the lore, they kept me busy for many hours

[@DavidChachere]

"Mind-bending stuff. And even more amazing that you understood exactly what I'm talking about. Well done! I think you're ready to do these horrible creatures justice."

[@TerrariaGolem]

Yaaas! Mindflayers be packin. Yer boi the Aboleth has arrived.

[@wayfarerzen]

I think Baldur's Gate 3 might have taken their main plot point from this video lmao, that brain parasite thing is a sick idea.

[@rickeymariu1]

One of your best videos by far. Thanks A.J.

[@GrandMoffJake]

"Aboleths have as much knowledge of the D and D universe as you or I do" Lumping me and you is like saying the halfling is about as strong as the storm giant. Lol

[@andyh2783]

AJ were you aware of the Abolethic Sovereignty books set in the Forgotten Realms.....it suggests that the aboleths of the sovereignty were different from the normal aboleths of toril. They were unfettered meaning they could swim through the air and were from the far realm.....the oldest of them being huge beyond ancient creatures

[@AJPickett]

I have not read the books yet, but I am aware of the story line, it appears in the lore here and there.

[@Silversmith70]

Nothing scares me as much as listening to you tell me stories, geezus, its like I am there. I don't want to be an Aboleths thrall! But then again.... what choice do I have, its too late!

[@That80sGuy1972]

I've used these monsters in a lot of my campaigns. I think I played them too well. The Aboleths were smart enough to dodge my veteran players so they never were quite sure it was an Aboleth encounter... they mostly blamed Illithids that were miles away.

[@jasoncrowell8863]

You can never play Aboleth TOO well. Heck, I think that if their empire even slightly resembled what they were actually capable of, we'd all be speaking Aboleth right now.

[@crankysmurf]

I played an after work homebrew adventure where my coworkers and I were stuck on a magical cursed island (think Lost) after our ship was encased in ice. We wandered to a nearby ancient temple where there were talking twin baboons who had been stuck on the island for centuries and they suggested that we disable six shrines scattered around the island. After doing so our party went back to the temple and found the baboons had magically merged into a giant two-headed baboon. After we killed it, we moved to a demonic catacomb dedicated to Demogorgon below the temple and eventually found our way down to an underground lake cavern where the final boss, an aboleth, was. Luckily my Protector Aasimar Paladin of Devotion ignored the aboleth's watery lair powers by flying over the water and was immune to its enslave charm power and diseased touch. As the party treaded water and fought the aboleth my paladin faced Demogorgon slowly emerging from the portal. An enslaved party member had the crown used as a key to fully unlock the portal but my paladin wrestled it out of his hands and closed the portal.

[@krispalermo8133]

That is some smurf epic stuff.

[@onlycorndog6322]

I think the really interesting thing about Aboleths is that they apparently don't remember where Mind Flayers came from in their racial memory, which supports the theory that Mind Flayers came from the distant future.

[@daltonwilliams8541]

I actually just watched your old aboleth video yesterday in prep for a session in a few days from now. Looks like chance is on my side.

[@plutoniummin]

As a newer D&D player, I bought a mini monster manual to be a bit more knowledgeable, and when i saw these guys I fell in love with their eeriness. They’re probably my favorite underwater monster

[@kyleknox4129]

I have gentically modified giant eels that act as wifi routers for dominate in my setting. They have special pustules of ooze on their bodies connected to aboleth ooze umbilical cords, letting their infected thralls walk on land... like the grossest scuba suits.

[@Oooze3424]

I haven't had aboleths appear in a campaign yet but my plan for 'em is that they'll all look wildly different with the sole similarity of resembling some kind of aberrant paleozoic sea beast, like a dunkleosteus or jaekelopterus.

[@cb2291]

My favourite lore source

[@jakecrichton562]

Good update! I was hesitant to ever use these things, now I'm bloody terrified! Thanks AJ!

[@thewerdna]

Aboleths are indeed terrifying... ...unless they happen to be named Whimsy.

[@tidetight]

Splish, splish, splish…"he's precious."

[@AJPickett]

@Jujubear's Adventures Puffin Forest :)

[@andyh2783]

According to novels ive read the aboleths of the abolethic sovereignty are from the far realm and are ruled by an ancient specimen called the eldest which is quit possible one of the anciet evils maybe even an obirith....in the novels the author made sure that the reader knew that these aboleths were the original and very different from torils normal ones.....for instance they were all unfetered meaning they could swim through the air.....they could even unfeter other normally seafaring creatures like krackens and such. These particular aboleths had a guge kracken named Gethshemeth that protected their floating fortress over the sea of falling stars.

[@AJPickett]

Thank you, I really should read those, they sound excellent. Also, I wonder what is going on in the kingdoms of Seros during all that?

[@andyh2783]

@@AJPickett they were a pretty good read.....written by Bruce Cordell if I remember correctly

[@kordelshorgar122]

i known aboleths since early pathfinder but i have loved them ever since

[@wellsb973]

Love the modern update. Nice work.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

Everyone should play an Aboleth campaign at least once. I personally don't use them as the gods made damn sure they had no hold on the material world.

[@joshuazane3210]

Huge improvement from the original video. This was really excellent!

[@richardneri9759]

Lol. Dragon magazines ecology “video.” I like it. Excellent video as always sir. This one flows a lot better than the original. Two storm giant sized thumbs up.

[@nobodyspecial9097]

Just a thought how does the creature supernaturally foul the water if it doesn’t have any magical abilities?

[@AJPickett]

It projects psychic presence and energy through the water, one byproduct of that is that it manifests ectoplasm, which is fairly nasty stuff (though not poisonous per se).

[@nobodyspecial9097]

AJ Pickett if they can summon biological material in the form of ectoplasm, could they not then construct a familiar made of pure psychic energy, or reconstruct and reshape other lifeforms at a whim? It basically seems like they have the stone ship ability but with flesh. Which honestly makes them even more terrifying, instead of poly morphing you into another shape, they telekinetically reassemble you into another life form entirely.

[@shakescan]

I had the "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" module (may still have) when it came out. Great encounters in that module!

[@Lunar_Wombat]

running an aberration filled campaign w an aboleth bbeg and this was so helpful, thank you!

[@iksarguards]

Could an aboleth be a warlock’s patron? I’m thinking pact of The Great Old Ones. Kind of going for an arcane researcher that investigated too deeply into forgotten lore and came under the sway of a Lovecraftian existential-horror-monster. An Aboleth would nicely fit this role, offering the warlock access to the secrets of time and space and untold eldrich powers in return for submission.

[@Edgar_A_Bro]

There are great old ones included in the mythos well Cthulhu is and possibly Nyalarthotep.

[@TerrariaGolem]

Lurker Warlock in a newer unearthed arcana seems better than GOOlock.

[@JoseMolina-ij3xx]

The Aboleth remind me strongly of the Great Race of Yith, with their alien minds and incredible psychic abilities. The alien scientific inventions and their ability to traverse time and space like we would move from one room to the next. Perhaps, a splinter group of Yith decided to project their minds into the Aboleth and created this fantastic race?

[@darthchocolate7911]

Hey AJ, if the Mind Flayers attempted to re-establish their vanquished empire would the Aboleths ally themselves with the Githyanki or Githzerai in order to defeat them?

[@AJPickett]

The Aboleth might appear to do so on a small scale, but their grand objective is always total domination, including any lesser beings they "soften" with offers of allegiance.

[@markusnavergard2387]

@@AJPickett what if a illithid and Aboleth combined?

[@cypher4783]

My rageaholich axe murderer, I mean my bezerker barbarian would think of how tasty they would be. My John wick rip off rouge assassin would find a hole in the ground and drink himself to Oblivion My warlock would be like, "high boss."

[@AJPickett]

Lol! "Hi boss"

[@alanschaub147]

Nate the Nerdarch is the man! Thanks for the great video, AJ!

[@dragonballtalk8527]

I dislike nerdarchy cause of cool thumbnails then when I click its giggling bearded old dudes I need images and info on a subject not what they got

[@angrygardengnome8383]

Their lore explores that Lovecraftian theme of human cosmic insignificance in a really novel way. It answers questions that cosmic horror usually leaves open, but does so in a way that keeps you unsettled. Good stuff.

[@Baalslegion07]

Imagine a great aboleth being fused with an elder-brain... good bye Toril

[@ThisNameIsBanned]

Monsters like this are the reason that Aquatic campaigns are complete nightmares , not just for the intimidate death of drowning all the time and what not.

[@misterjoshua5720]

Love the update! Great graphics and sound quality is top shelf.

[@Ibird92]

This rehash on the Aboleth video is excellent! Please redo some of your early videos on the monsters you have already done, the encounter scenarios that you have been adding to this and previous videos would be great addition to the re-uploads if you choose to do them.

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

They reproduce but they never die? This has some very bad implications for the future of the multiverse.

[@krispalermo8133]

Alignment lawful evil. AD&D2ndE Planescape campaign setting, and 5e Descent into Avernus, .. Aboleths make some nice and tasty Soul Stones. Humans used to hunt bears with spears for sport, and hunt sharks with spear guns and fishing lines. What do fiends of the lower planes go fishing for ?

[@willmendoza8498]

Best horror monster in D&D, hands down.

[@Turenkoren]

Yoooo AJ keep up the good work bud

[@AJPickett]

Roger roger :)

[@jkl1110]

favorite creature in dnd cuz of it's lore. If i am ever in a game where we make a setting i always try to add a aboleth plot

[@thedm8873]

Yet another great video!

[@Norwyn]

This is so fascinating! Aboleths are one of my favourites! I am very interested in hearing more about all those different aboleth types. Could you tell us more about them? Also I soon will be able to fulfill a dream of mine and play as an aboleth in my own homebrew world. I am so excited!

[@krispalermo8133]

Roll the dice monster battle, two players, two monsters .. Such as from back in the days of AD&D2ndE thirty years ago for my group. Have your PC party fight any monster in the monster manual by .. randomly .. opening the book to any given page. So one player rolls the dice for an Aboleth and another player rolls the dice for a black dragon.

[@Norwyn]

@@krispalermo8133 I think I prefer the roleplaying aspect of being an ancient, immortal fishlike entity, that conducts experiments and uses its powers to create new life and fix the damage that mortals do to the ecosystems of many worlds.

[@krispalermo8133]

@@Norwyn Less lawful evil, more Druid .. cool. I'm a big fan of 3.5e Psionic hand book. The mechanics can be worked out. Fill a note book with ideals around the concept. Even if it will not be a publish work. Your grand children or other young family members could read through it one day ten or thirty years down the road. I am having a rough enough time just trying to draw out my own chess board to get 3D printed.

[@LordSignur]

You just casually forecasted BG3's scenario 4 years in advance...

[@AJPickett]

I mean... yeah.

[@eros5420]

I would like to imagine the party exploring the underdark and coming across an aboleth who has gotten stuck in an underground lake for an unknown amount of time. He introduces himself and the party explains their races and classes.... and the aboleth mumbles about the gods and their "power creep" and all the new books ruining everything and wishing it was still first edition or whatever. Leaving the characters in game really confused... but the players laughing.

[@AJPickett]

Haha! Sort of so crazy he is sane.

[@Thkaal]

So...what you're saying is..... I'm an aboleth.

[@eros5420]

@@Thkaal Do you have whiskers? Are you a good swimmer? Do you have three eyes? If you answered yes to any of these you may be an Aboleth and not realize it.

[@Thkaal]

@@eros5420 whiskers....check. good swimmer.....check. three eyes......check

[@1337karm]

I love this remake! Great work sir!

[@spedwyrm7427]

These creatures and their potions of domination are why I love the "Night Below" campaign

[@cowdogg3085]

All I can think of is the show SLIDERS . A group of adventurers manipulated by an elder aboleth with a device that sends them into parallel worlds. Just so they can observe the world's and scout new species to enslave. Also to see how the adventures adapt to all manner of struggle and stress. Only to try and destroy them when it finally tires of the game and has collected enough information. Oh and did I mention that the device is a permanent mark on the adventures skin that looks like a common mole.

[@leekyb3837]

my first homebrew's BBEG was an Aboleth based off the pokemon Primal Kyogre with a Mega swampert as its lieutenant. I loved learning and writing about this thing. Shale will absolutely be brought back in other homebrews.

[@charleshartley9597]

Awesome video AJ! In my current campaign I have substituted the illithid elder brain for aboleths, all agents of the greatest "dreamer" of all… Cthulhu. They seek the knowledge and "keys" to awaken their master and return him to his rightful place as master of the prime material… all iterations of it. The collective dream-telepathy of aboleths is known elsewhere as "the dreaming dark" (a la Eberron). In short, I know I've somewhat simplistically gathered the "tentacle" monsters together, but their collective use of psionics seemed too good to pass up.

[@ThisNameIsBanned]

A player with a anti-psyconic helmet is going to demolish them all. Just like in Baldurs Gate 2 , when you get one to slaughter the Mindflayers.

[@possiblyfatal]

Writing a new campaign and i’m stealing this - awesome idea!

[@kevinchristiansen4348]

What happened to the cheese talk aj? I loved that you are so awesome when you do that!

[@Greenscyth22]

Regular Aboleth are pretty damn scary...but I love love LOVE the Stygian Aboleth. You'd think that something couldn't be affected by other planar environments, but even the 9 Hells can "corrupt" something as alien as an Aboleth.

[@uncleben726]

Aboleths are undoubtably the first to call god cringe

[@erichz628]

New favorite creature! Thank you great vid!

[@onlycorndog6322]

Another fantastic video AJ, keep up the great work!! Edit: When is the High elf video happening?

[@Giles29]

"I'm gonna get my butt kicked by a giant psychic catfish..."

[@volijay1019]

Love the lore and the narrator! Are you going to do Obox Ob? Centipedes are a personal fear of mine

[@briciusd.8478]

His note to the Wizards of the Coast... It would seem you have shown your hand AJ. You are indeed from a realm where D&D is reality, and players are the gods of you! And through some luck, you as one of their run away characters at the end of a campaign have used plane shift to come here and write your own story! Conspiracy confirmed folks.

[@AJPickett]

Elminster owes me $20

[@dragonturtle7645]

1.) How is there an aberration not from the far realm? Is this part of the fact they are from an older version of the multiverse; it was that alien to what we know now? 2.) Can they upgrade their cast when they re-form? 3.)So we have the common, greater, noble, ruler, and grand Aboleth, and the rest are specialists, outcasts, and mutants? 4.) Do they need a mate to reproduce, or is that just preferable? 5.) Dose their prey need to still be alive to get their memories? 6.) Do you know if they eat each other (alive or dead)? 7.) So the oldest (the ones that out lived their natural live span are like psychic liches? 8.) Do they also have indeterminate growth, or is it just their psychic energy form that is large? 9.) What are the Qualm? Do you have a video on them? 10.) Who is the oldest (at least if you forced a Aboleth to give an honest answer)? 11.) Can the Aboleth weaponize their alien minds through their telepathy, or is it just a hazard if someone wants to read its thoughts? 12.) Is it possible to permanently kill an Aboleth by killing it in the plane of water (or the normal soul destroying methods)? 13.) If they could just keep using Phantasmal Force, can't they just keep putting people in phantasmal burning/freezing cages until the party is dead? 14.) Can they manipulate the water in living organisms? 15.) Do you know that you have the disease before the minute is up? 16.) Do they need to personally experience the memories through revery to benefit from them, or can they just do it? 17.) Do these devices come with them to alternate prime worlds? 18.) Do alternate Prime Material worlds (and/or the Feywild and Shadowfell) count as layers of the prime? 19.) Are the alternate dimensions of the Prime Material plane previous timelines, or are they separate? 20.) Do Aboleth have arcane outcasts like the Mind Flayers? 21.) If that is what magic is, what is the weave (or is it that just a significant portion of magic is the result of the Dawn War, or was it the original magic before some gods started adopting arcane portfolios and better supporting/regulating it)? 22.) How significant/weird are their personal modifications? Should we just look to the varying artistic takes on them over the years? P.s. Just so that you are aware, you said that Dragon magazine gave them their own ecology video here 1:34.

[@ShaneCopen]

Also of note with the magic question. How does that tie into Aboleths using glyphs? Aboleth cities are known to have magical glyphs made by the Aboleth.

[@JoseMolina-ij3xx]

@@ShaneCopenAny sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Maybe, they don't use magical glyphs? Maybe it's alien technology that resembles magic?

[@chriscalvin5083]

great video AJ

[@kendrickrochelanzot2053]

Aboleth: WHO DARES ENTER MY- the party: *confused screaming* Seriously tho, aboleths are easily a awsome monster to make into a main villain.

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

Ok, you got me there, AJ. I saw the video and thought to myself "22 minutes ago? You mean like two years... oh, wait! That thumbnail is different!" 🤣🤣🤣 Touche, sir! So, you already covered illithids, and that was an awesome video, but do you think you could do a video dedicated to the elder brain? None of the D&D geniuses on KZbin have done a comprehensive treatment on it yet, and you're my favorite among them, so it would be awesome if you could.

[@abdullahalghanimi379]

26:28 AJ, did you predict Baldur's Gate 3 before it happened? 😅😆

[@AJPickett]

Ahem... maybe.

[@scottmcley5111]

So would the Aboleth collective remember the secret of smokepowder after it was forgotten during the spellplague? 🤔

[@AJPickett]

I suppose so.

[@brianroberts783]

Did the Aboleth play any significant part in the Dawn War? I would imagine that as powerful creatures from an Elemental Plane they would likely have a lot in common with the Primordials.

[@AJPickett]

Their secretive underwater enclaves are repositories of some of the most ancient lore, but, how much is one willing to risk to get it?

[@jacobfreeman5444]

I would say yes, as they are not subject to the god's will. Even if that significant part was only to repel all comers. The gods have generally subjugated the primordials or forced them out. The abolith does what they want despite the loathing of the gods. Speaks volumes to how impressive they must have been.

[@jima6545]

If it wasn't mentioned below, in The Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, by Monte Cook, one of the leaders of Tharizdun's high priests. Known simply as The Second

[@LurkerDaBerzerker]

*Relevant and Supportive Comment* The giant tablet(?) at 23:56 reminds me of the Elder God of the Legacy of Kain series, I wonder how it would be rendered into D&D, something tells me you would like it AJ.

[@nave236]

Love that series!