Aboleth Elder Evils (The Big Five!) | D&D Lore

[@aliceofspades]

The "Fifty Shades of Grey" joke made me laugh so hard. You're awesome, Jorphdan! :D

[@Jorphdan]

😀

[@matthewdaley4403]

There are a few things that some other sources have explored on the Far Realms that I want to elaborate on here. Aboleths aren't from the Far Realms, they were the result of the "stuff" of the Far Realms bleeding into this reality and squishing into a form that the multiverse is capable of handling. I highly doubt they could ever go back, because doing so would subject them to a whole other array of physical laws they weren't prepared to handle. For this next bit, I'm going to quote Vox's Quest Blog, as he's done a great job of explaining: "The Far Realms is outside reality. No, not in another dimension, we know what those are - those are the Planes. It’s outside reality; it is Somewhere Else. “It” is probably even the wrong term, since by definition any place (”place”) that isn’t the multiverse as D&D knows it is the Far Realm. To paraphrase Afroakuma, if the Great Wheel is a Lego brick, the Far Realm is a giant squid; if the Great Wheel is a bowl of Fruit Loops, the Far Realm is the theory that intelligences from Pluto rig the results of major sporting events. The contexts are not compatible. These two things do not go together in any way. Combining the two can only end in sorrow and woe. So mortals try to combine the two all the time, because we’re dipshits like that." (qm-vox.tumblr.com/post/186657231636/the-far-realms-vs-obyriths-cosmic-horror-in-dd)

[@justnoob8141]

So… another series by anoher unrelated company of unrelated genre then?

[@lelduck6388]

@@justnoob8141 the far realm is raid shadow legends

[@cassandramuller7337]

"wrote a terrible book", shows the fifty shades series. man my friend, you just made my day. I laughed way too hard at that and I love this channel just a little more now :P Edit: I just got to the second one and it just made it better. I love this joke waaaaaay too much :D

[@frostdragonking5336]

Thank you Jorphdan T_T I love Eldritch horrors and the far realms and these videos (as well the others) always keep me happy and hoping for more when you can.

[@w.qualls7930]

Check out the Savage Tide Adventure Path from Paizo's Dungeon Magazine run. Bilestone is an important component of a recurring cluster of demonic minor artifacts.

[@jaywingate187]

The Aboleth city in ST is so fun to run. And the concept of a Demon Lord manipulating the remnants of a far older, deadlier entity for his own violent ends is quite fascinating.

[@marthachampagne316]

i think i remember bile-stone being a material used for special sacrificial daggers/altars in the book of vile darkness and as a desecrated/unhallowed flooring in the stronghold builders guidebook... basically it granted a bonus if used in evil rituals. think advantage on a check to get the attention of an evil god/outsider or counting as an evil altar being present for desecrate/unhallow spells.

[@g3heathen209]

a cthulhu catfish appears!

[@Jorphdan]

Roll initiative

[@spym4330]

I love 2:46 the photoshop about "PANDA"monium

[@Legendary2295]

PANDAmonium hehe 🐼 2:45

[@Jorphdan]

good catch!

[@slade88green]

Awesome. Perfect timing as my players are just realizing that The Eldest is working on bringing the Blood Queen into the prime material plane.

[@KnicKnac]

Good ideas for Warlocks and Aberrant Mind Sorcerers. Never bought that book, but it looked interesting.

[@wade0004]

I love the karate chops for Y'chak

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks!

[@AnthonySmith-wc8ky]

That was a quick change on the panda-monium joke :)

[@migcasas1]

Semi-related topic: on the case of the Far Realm, I would like to think of them as something far more ancient and primordial than the Gods and Primordials (even the Overgods), Prime Movers, and even the Obyriths. In fact, I'd like to think that the Obyriths were spawned from the Far Realm and into their own dimension before they went haywire with their chaotic evil surge and nearly destroyed their dimension before Tharizdun discovered them.

[@maguszeal5818]

Nice i think I'll adopt this principal. I feel like it fits thematically.

[@lagenstien]

the Y'Chak chop got me

[@parthmishra5942]

Thank you Yorph, very cool

[@iansharp1543]

My head canon for the Far Realm is that if a multiverse is possible with infinite variations, and every "adjacent" realm to "ours" is only a slight variation (ala Rick and Morty), then there must be a realm that is the complete opposite of what we experience in every way.

[@mrl9418]

Lol the panda in pandemonium

[@Jorphdan]

🐼

[@xagatal]

Volothammog? Watcher in the dark. Volothamp Geddarn intrepid observer. Coincidence? I think not. He’s nyarlathotep of faerun.

[@lukemarcello1229]

Idk why but when I looked at the word evil I thought Elvis, Aboleth elder Elvis impersonator. Lol that would be a fun campaign.

[@jerdow]

Great and informative as always!

[@Jorphdan]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pitanguirj]

Loved this one, Lore Dude.

[@grimboguppis7432]

I'm a big fan of the visual Easter eggs

[@imperialadvisoraremheshvau3788]

@Jorphdan Pathfinder has an excellent Adventure Path called Strange Eons, and the whole series is excellent. In the first adventure alone all the players wake up in a mental asylum with no memories. Then things get far worse.

[@Jorphdan]

Oh nice! I'll have to check it out

[@marthachampagne316]

@@Jorphdan it has strong hp lovecraft and call of cuthulu vibes to it, you have been warned. i also saw a playthrough of it on youtube a few years back, even though the reached the end of the adventure they do not have a lasting victory, they only delay the inevitable.

[@SlabakBG]

Watching the series, waiting for the time of my BBEG Pandorim to enter the stage... :D

[@cernunnos_lives]

If only Lovecraft knew what kind of effect he would have later? If only RPG'S were available to him. I wonder what he would've created with others (without any of the negative implications about his xenophobia).

[@m3nace454]

😲 wow! Never knew this my dude 👍

[@dmstantastic3653]

Yachacha is probably Pazuzu.

[@CeoTHULHU]

Honestly it would seem like Y'chak is more like Nyarlathotep than Hastur

[@Deannatheos]

I think your cat is a norwegian forest cat great cat have a nice day.

[@EnvisionerWill]

Can someone hashtag Explain The Joke on that Aboleth = Aberration subliminal? I don't get why "mending" or "stitches" or "a gap in the seam" is a salient reference here.

[@firetarrasque4667]

I should note - You mentioned the Queen of Chaos at the beginning of the video, but she isn't technically an Elder Evil. She's Obyrith, part of a subtyping of demons. In fact, it's because of her that the Tanar'ri, the most common form of demon, exists at all. Obyrith are both extremely rare and extremely powerful, but they aren't Elder Evils. Other examples of Obyrith include Obox-Ob, Dagon, and Pazuzu, along with all the Sibriex flesh-crafters. The Queen of Chaos herself isn't actually much of a threat these days. Basically the entire rest of the Abyss hates her guts, which makes it rather hard to establish a power base.

[@Jorphdan]

Correct! Just used as an example. You don't necessarily fight the Queen of Chaos, but you do her minions. I could have used Asmodeus in the same regard.

[@BaloosSketchbook]

okay okay Cthulhu as a Warlock patron? where do i sign up? I have tone of blood if something

[@derekstein6193]

You're in luck. The warlock's Great Old One patron would include Cthulhu.

[@theFLCLguy]

When do you get to the 5? Edit: 7:10 so most the video isn't on the 5.

[@p-leif630]

How about Zargon (the returner) reading the Lost City for 5e (by good man games9 right now will you make a video about Zargon too?

[@sumdude4281]

Mr. Crawley....

[@ericgonzalez934]

Tnx

[@epiccthulu]

So what does it mean to be a far-realmy aberrant mind sorcerer? Maybe revelation in flesh is temporary incorporation of those destructive thoughts?

[@eosdawn6399]

Pokimon

[@pieanator1598]

Anyone know where to find the art at 4:04? Love it and would love to have it. Tried researching it, but nothing came up.

[@Jorphdan]

triplecrit.fandom.com/wiki/The_Far_Realm

[@pieanator1598]

Thanks Jorphdan! I would have never guessed just looking up The Far Realm would yield the art.

[@supersmily5811]

6:42 This is apparently factually incorrect. There's (To my knowledge, though I'm still reading Frostmaiden) exactly one deity statblock in 5e, for Tiamat. She's CR 30, the most powerful creature in the game with a statblock, and CANNOT be defeated permanently within the mechanics of the game. The reason for this is a little power ripped straight out of Mystic called Discorporate. If Tiamat is reduced to 0 hit points or dies, she "discorporates" instead, poofing away to The Nine Hells to respawn. This power has no limit and no counter, meaning she can only be beaten temporarily. Presumably, all deities in the D&D multiverse (And probably the Elder deities as well) work in a similar fashion. This doesn't mean you should give them statblocks but in the age old words of the internet, "Just because it has stats doesn't mean you should try to kill it."

[@agentchaos9332]

What you're describing is because the Tiamut you fight in rise of Tiamut is largely considered to be an avatar, a magical construct and extension of Tiamuts power which is weaker then her true form. This is because deities are generally not allowed on the prime material plane in their true form by decree of Ao the overgod. Now, theoretically you could kill Tiamut permanently IF you descended to Avernus and destroyed her there instead of in the prime, but as I said she should be stronger there and no second official stat sheet exists for her true form. However this is backed up by the legendary handbook and certain named dragons having a higher CR then Tiamut which makes no sense unless the Cr 30 creature is only a portion of her true power

[@cernunnos_lives]

Fifty Shades of Y'Chak?

[@EnvisionerWill]

I strongly disagree with the interpretation that things like Aboleths might just be misperceptions of higher-dimensional beings. It's true that if a creature existed in four spatial dimensions, let alone five or even more, we couldn't possibly get an accurate perception of the whole...but there's no reason why the part of it that we can perceive would look like a giant fish with tentacles and three eyes and a triangle mouth, which spews mucus that transforms people into amphibians. If you want a creature that fits this concept, you should give it a far MORE nonsensical description than that, like it being in several physically separated pieces that all move relative to each other in a way that suggests they're connected invisibly by sections which don't intersect your dimension. It should probably also look like you're seeing part of the creature's insides, but never an entire whole organ at once, just cross-sections of tissue that shift at random intervals in a fashion that you could in theory predict, but in practice doesn't make any sense according to what perceptions you have access to.

[@davidjay7116]

I want to hate these VSauce style jumps into frame, but I just cant.

[@wbbartlett]

D&D comes up with the absolute dumbest names - Codex Anathema? Did they even bother to look up the origin & meaning of those words or are did they just use the Japanese t-shirt method of picking random words they liked the sound of?

[@TerrariaGolem]

Whoever commented first is The Eldest.

[@Jorphdan]

Ṫ̰h̙̉é̱͓̌ È̖̤͝l͔͝d̨͑e̱̍s͉͖̋͊t̢̮̅̿ W̳̯̊̃a̠̫͊͠t̛͙̜͂c͎̝̑͝h̰̀̈͢e̻͗š̨̜̀ f̥̅͆͜r͇̲̃͝ö͎́m̯͝ b̠̪͆͠e̛̤̜̚l̖̇ö͔́w͍̥̽͗

[@TheBroot0999]

@@Jorphdan he's talking about me again. Bah. Just because I started playing during 1st edition....

[@TerrariaGolem]

@@Jorphdan *gruntingly gibbers jargon*

[@NeilRubel-mh9kq]

@@TheBroot0999 Me too. I started playing AD&D in 1984.

[@johngleeman8347]

Y'chak is also the elder evil of karate chops. XD

[@johngleeman8347]

Also loves having staring contests with Pale Night. :p

[@SamuraiMujuru]

Really handy resource for more effectively integrating the unknowable nightmares beyond reality into a 5E game is Sandy Peterson's Cthulhu Mythos. Rather than stating Azathoth, it addresses how to handle a bit of Azathoth bleeding into reality, for example

[@The_Petrichor]

I'm not much of a lovecraft boi, but isn't Azathoth the sleeping one whose dreams we are

[@scepta101]

Yes

[@WormsWeGot]

Yes, Azathoth's dream is in essence the multiverse, or even beyond that. Constantly lulled by a (and I quote) "flopping horde of mindless and amorphous dancers, and lulled by the thin monotonous piping of a demoniac flute held in nameless paws." In layman's terms, his own creation (unbeknownst to him, from which he derives the nickname "The blind idiot God") works tirelessly to keep him lulled fast asleep. Should Azathoth awaken, all realities, even the mere concepts of life, death, time, space, everything in between, would seize to exist. But that's the beauty of the enigmatic Outer God, he is a "blind idiot" because he is unaware of what his dreams are doing.

[@pancakes8670]

I'm not sure if Lovecraft himself ever wrote about the Universe being Azathoths dream. I could never find a source on that, but either way the idea that the Cthulhu Mythos is just a dream inside Azathoth is a popular one. Some interpretations don't paint Azathoth as the creator of the Universe, but rather just the creator of the Milky Way Galaxy, implying that Azathoth is the Sagittarius A Black Hole and that there is more in space beyond its dream.

[@fistimusmaximus6576]

would have said the blood queen was shub niggurath, also remember reading somewhere when she came to this plane, before the gods a piece of her was copied like the effect of her brief moment of touching physical space reacted and that was how the first came into being and he is still about while a few of her spawn became elder evils as they were around time before time.

[@Brilchan]

I love those little editing jokes like the panda in the pandemonium great video thanks

[@kevinferreira6608]

On the far realm, the PH aint silent! One could also argue that it means... Phar Helm :p

[@Jorphdan]

haha

[@gabrydonze91]

Clicked on the notification, still have to watch the video because I need the time to enjoy this and listen carefully. LOVE the Elder Evils and they have always been a staple in my campaign (I'm a Lovecraft fanatic). Thanks for posting this, you've been of great help for me for years and finally... THE ELDER EVILS 😍

[@benruniko]

Commenting for Black slime from Star Trek :))) love the videos on ancient evils, very interesting lore!

[@migcasas1]

I would respect Y'chak the Violet Flame as an aspect of Nyarlathotep or Hastur (my top two faves in the Cthulhu mythos). But being an Eldritch god, he can manifest other forms in other avatars. Initially, being a Lovecraftian violet flame sounds a bit unappealing to me. LOL but then again, it is how we portray it in our games, I guess.

[@RoadAegis]

The Y'chak chops killed me. Thank you for those laughs. Always love these vids and super glad to see you taking on the Elder Evils!

[@mysterionlibrary]

I really like the idea that Hastur, or, as it would be more correct, the King in Yellow, is the devil. Not Satan personally, but one of his henchmen, a powerful demon of lies and false teaching, who embodies his lies through art filled with devilish, God-defying meanings. I even came up with an angelic name - Haziel. The fact is that Chambers did not write Hastur as an "ancient evil", he described him in the context of the Christian worldview and even depicted him with many references to the devil and Lucifer. In addition, Hastur, as a Great Ancient extremely unprocessed character, can even be said to have no idea. But as the embodiment of the dark side of creative inspiration and power over the crowd in every sense of the word (Hastur-pastor-shepherd + King in Yellow + he called himself "Carcosa's Lie"), he is an extremely interesting idea.

[@rjh7101]

Your videos are informative but I your pop-ups just kill me 🤣

[@AWW8472]

Ah, black greasy stone. Methinks GRRM has read some D&D lore.

[@unluckysoul5494]

I love this video I needed it for a patron to one of my players and the main villain. I know what to do for the villain

[@DM-MilkMan]

I have a question: If Aboleths pass down information generational and can remember a time millenia even before the gods existed, why do they "believe" that Piscaethces is their creator when they should know? Not looking for flaws, just looking for an answer. Anyone able to confirm this?

[@dasbroisku]

That hero forge service is pretty cool, actually... 👀

[@worldbigfootcentral3933]

Nice try on the Cthulhu mythos names, I am just guessing here, but you don't play Call of Cthulhu, right?

[@Jorphdan]

I haven't yet 😅😅😅

[@splayedoutcat3153]

I like the idea that aboleths interpret the outer gods as great aboleths.

[@ArcRevenant]

+1 for the Starcraft 2 screenshot of creep

[@Jorphdan]

zerg ftw!

[@sheerahoward]

You look like Zach Galafanakis. Thanks for all the wonderful content. Your brain is an encyclopedia.

[@nathanpfirman625]

You need to do a video on all of the elderitch horror type beings and where they come from like the oberiths and different far realm beings. I just really find the far realms and other contorted and chaotic beings from seemingly absurd and horrific planes and other places. It doesn't even have to be the actual Far Realms It can be anything that's crazy like that or completely unknown. Like where do the oberiths come from if they didn't come from the far realm?

[@Dogsplaza]

I’m running a Call of Cthulhu game with my players now a days. They’re about to encounter Tsathoggua. I pronounce it like this: Sa-tho-guwa

[@JohnDoe-xv9du]

if you went to a lovecraft or forgotten realm, everything would be in stasis because everything would be in three dimensions. Atoms would not exist because everything would be euclidean. The physics teacher would be right to call a penguin a rectangle.

[@jamesvance1367]

Its a giant catfish with tentacles and a god complex. Let's not try to act like it's form is somehow beyond mortal comprehension. 😂

[@ClickityClack]

Love your videos. Also kinda wish the "ph" WASN'T silent. Y'Chak!!

[@robbabcock_]

A total ripoff of Lovecraft but he'd probably be cool with it. In his lifetime many authors shared the world he created and he got a kick out of it.

[@Chernobog34]

Shout out to SMITE's depiction of Cthulhu popping up. Love that game.

[@Asa_exmachina1665]

I think Quan chi from the new mortal Kombat is a warlock who's patron is based on Halashaner

[@rns7426]

Excellent review, thank you, one of my fave extra-planar subjects! It’s interesting to see how people differently pronounce the names. Who’s to say what’s correct, madness!!!!!!!

[@Connor-lv9wt]

that 50 SHADE was hilarious

[@hermeticbear]

so, these are potential warlock patrons?

[@Jorphdan]

no I think you could use them right now!

[@jerod256]

Idk, my players are scary old men. I would consider them elder evils.

[@stevenclark2188]

I like that the Aboleths are interested in Piscaethces return to Toril, not because she will "Fulfill the prophecy and set her children in their rightful place above the gods" or something, but because it would settle a bet.

[@toptentex3541]

There are user chat guidelines now? One more nail in the youtube coffin

[@billp6602]

Oh damn never been this early. And for an elder evil video. Love all things far realm/lovecraftian.

[@supersmily5811]

8:32 Shut up and take my gold pieces!

[@PrimetimeD]

You said the H-word! Don't say the H-word!

[@mariamowrang7458]

Hey Jorphdan, loved the video - I would love to see you cover Eberron's answer to elder evils without a far realm - Daelkyr, the lords of madness from the plane of Xoriat

[@jaywingate187]

Between the Daelkyr, Overlords and Quorri, eberron is overflowing with Lovecraftian entities looking to twist reality into knots

[@Persona-Non-Grata555]

Lovecraftian?

[@lidlonez]

ty i love hp lovecraft and your videos

[@markusnavergard2387]

all of the far realm is just Gary Larssons far side

[@EnvisionerWill]

Assigning all aberrations to the Far Realm was mostly a convention of 4E's simplified cosmology, which is being carried forward as the default in 5E even though they've opened the options back up; as a 3E grognard, the period in which I think the Far Realm was first invented as a concept and was very specific to just certain weird monsters (eg the Kaorti), I disapprove of this shift. The aboleths in particular should not be tied to the Far Realm, as they are absolutely native to the planets of the D&D cosmos, just not to the *time period*; they are survivors of the most ancient primordial oceans of whichever worlds first gave rise to life, long before there was any spiritual component to existence. Think of them as having existed before magic, before technology, before language, and quite possibly before AIR. They dwell in the darkest, coldest depths of the world, and besides the obvious Cthulhu comparison, they could also borrow a lot of the fluff of Tolkien's Balrogs, minus the fire part of course.

[@MariusKeint]

The aboleths ARE tied to the Far Realm in the sense that they are thought of as creations/spawn of the Elder Evils, which are also implied to be the source or at least the reason for the far realm existing. 4th edition was a bit more vague on what the Far Realm is but you cannot deny the tie to the Far Realm for the Aboleths at least not to the Far Realm as it was originally envisioned in 3rd edition: "reality" beyond time and space. Aboleths are NOT native to the planets of the D&D cosmos as you think, for the simple fact that they existed BEFORE those planets. You see them as survivors of a great catastrophe, much like sharks remain from the time of the dinosaurs. In fact, they are survivors of a different reality, a whole Big Bang if you will not just "the same planet, after a world catastrophe". Aboleths don't simply want to conquer the world and reshape it to their own image, the want to reshape all of reality to its previous form before the Gods and their creations (including the planet)!

[@EnvisionerWill]

@@MariusKeint This is a possible explanation, but is unclear. The world may well have existed before the gods who claim to have created it, but who in fact only created its current crop of inhabitants. The aboleths may simply be old, rather than transdimensional. Even their worship of the Elder Evils doesn't prove that those beings are actually connected to them; it could just be what passes for religious faith among such alien minds.

[@SkullCowboy333]

Hail the Chained God, hail Tharizdun!

[@jongroskin729]

Let's get Lovecraftian up in here!

[@zombiestomper73]

My eyes went and did the dyslexia again. I read this video title as "Abolish Elder Elvis". Now I know who the next Lich I write is going to be modeled after. A CURSE A MY SOUL WHATS A WROOONG WITH ME...YOULL NEVA GONNA FINDA MY PHYLACTERY *shakes bedazzled pelvis* (insert mandatory Elvis "thank you very much" quote)

[@genghisgalahad8465]

Bolo’s Guide to Nothingness...

[@RammyHamster5]

Y'CHAK!

[@Elipus22]

I used Y'chak as an antagonist, using a colony of aboleth as the final showdown. The party is currently gaining allies in various underdark monsters, from kuo-toa to myconids to sahaguan and even potentially ithilid, if they agree to capture a dragon and bear witness to a trufully gruesome birth. As it stands, level 10s can't fight off dozens of aboleth, fight a Harbinger of Y'chak and a beefed aboleth, as well as two powerful casters. Y'chak won't be involved directly, but the violet pillar of flame is at the base of the final fight, and as the weave is torn asunder through spells, so too is the strength to keep Y'chak at bay. As it progresses, the flame expands and Y'chak grows closer. If the fight drags too long, she will burst forward, obliterating all life she can. The alter the pillar of flame spews from can be destroyed, preventing this from happening, but if Y'chak comes through, I've plenty of back-up plans to keep the campaign alive. One character is an avatar of Selune, another is blessed by a deceased homebrew deity, the third is a harbinger of y'chak as well, and would be spared until the end, and the fourth is literally born from magic.

[@citizensguard3433]

These bad ass far realm creatures have inspired me to create a very lame far realm creature... I submit for your approval: GthYikkott ShiiBub. He doesn’t drive you mad by the sheer sight of him, he just approaches you randomly and says “so... hey... I forgot my sanity at home... can I borrow yours?” Or.. “so, hey guys, can I see your mind for a moment? I just want to look at it. I promise not to shatter it. I just want to see it a second. I’ll give it right back.” He.... ....doesn’t have many followers... 😕

[@philipstephens9205]

Lords of madness was a fun book to read.

[@DillyDallyLove]

Great stuff, man. Love the jole thing but the bur you little interpretation of why we perceive "The Lords of Madness" at 3:10 draws me more into D&D. Thank you! This and "Book of Vile Darkness" are the most interesting things so far. Would love to watch you play some adventure concerning The Lords of Madness or heck... play with you!

[@gnorley]

Bilestone slingshot let’s go!

[@TravisDoomGuide]

I love “Hero Forge” I made my Tiefling Kelemvor grave cleric and a couple of weeks after get my beautiful mini Rhona the grave cleric met her God a little too early. She now sit on my display with my Lego Ecto-1.

[@kaiomewolf]

The karate chop addition to saying Y'chak nearly caused me to spit out my drink because of the ensuing guffaw

[@tabarnacus5629]

Best example of an Elder Evil would be the Elder God from the Legacy of Kain franchise.