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Sample file CREDITS DESIGNERS ART DIRECTOR D&D RICHARD BAKER, JAMES JACOBS, DAWN MURIN DEVELOPMENT TEAM COVER ARTISTS MICHAEL DONAIS, ANDY COLLINS , ED COX EDITORS INTERIOR ARTISTS , RAY VALLESE STEVE BELLEDIN, MITCH COTIE, ED COX, MANAGING EDITORS DENNIS CRABAPPLE-MCCLAIN, , WAYNE ENGLAND, COLIN FIX, , , , CHUCK LUKACS, JIM NELSON, DESIGN MANAGER , , CHRISTOPHER PERKINS , DAN SCOTT, DEVELOPMENT MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER DEE BARNETT SENIOR ART DIRECTOR RPG CARTOGRAPHER DENNIS KAUTH DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST ANGELIKA LOKOTZ PRODUCTION MANAGERS IMAGE TECHNICIAN JOSHUA C. J. FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS JASON WILEY

Resources: The Illithiad by Bruce R. Cordell; I, Tyrant by ; Night Below by Carl Sargent; Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil by ; Player’s Guide to Faerûn by Richard Baker, Travis Stout, and James Wyatt; by Monte Cook; Faiths and Pantheons by Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona; by David Noonan; by Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick; Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, by Monte Cook and John Tynes (based on the work of Lynn Willis and Sandy Peterson); “Llurth Dreier: City of Ooze,” Polyhedron #140, by Eric L. Boyd; “Eye Wares: Potent Powers of the Beholders,” Dragon #313, by Michael Mearls.

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. and , and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by , Monte Cook, , Richard Baker, and . This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision.

This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.

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Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd Chapter 5: The Slave Takers ...... 89 Silthilar ...... 168 Neogi ...... 89 Urophion ...... 170 Contents Adult Neogi ...... 90 Zeugalak ...... 171 Neogi Spawn ...... 91 Introduction ...... 4 Chapter 9: The Aberration Hunter ...... 173 Great Old Master ...... 91 The Book of Aberrations ...... 4 The Great Foes ...... 173 Neogi Society ...... 92 What You Need to Play ...... 4 Aboleths ...... 174 Neogi Characters ...... 93 Beholders ...... 174 Chapter 1: What Is an Aberration? ...... 5 Neogi Anatomy ...... 93 Mind Flayers ...... 175 Origins of the Aberrations ...... 6 Neogi Life ...... 97 Minions and Cultists ...... 175 Aberration Characteristics ...... 10 Leaders and Slavery ...... 97 Unhuman Gods ...... 177 The Aberration Campaign ...... 12 Language ...... 98 Feats for the Aberration Hunter ...... 178 Religion ...... 98 Chapter 2: The Deep Masters ...... 15 Aberrant Feats ...... 178 CONTENTS Relations with Other Races ...... 99 OF TABLE Aboleth Anatomy ...... 15 Aberration Banemagic ...... 178 Neogi Magic ...... 99 Aboleth Life ...... 19 Aberration Blood [Aberrant] ...... 178 Neogi Goals ...... 99 The Aboleth Diet ...... 19 Aberration Wild Shape [Aberrant] . . . . 178 Wreck of the Mindspider ...... 101 Aboleth Variants ...... 20 Aquatic Spellcasting ...... 178 Savant Aboleth Prestige Class ...... 21 Chapter 6: The Eaters ...... 107 Bestial Hide [Aberrant] ...... 179 Aboleth Feats ...... 22 Grell 107 Darkstalker ...... 179 Aboleth Magic ...... 24 Grell Philosopher ...... 109 Deepspawn [Aberrant] ...... 179 The Nightmare Out of Time ...... 26 Grell Anatomy ...... 109 Durable Form [Aberrant] ...... 180 Aboleth Religion ...... 27 Grell Variants ...... 111 Inhuman Vision [Aberrant] ...... 180 Aboleth Language ...... 29 Grell Society ...... 111 Music of the Outer Spheres ...... 181 Relations with Other Creatures ...... 29 Language ...... 112 Ocular Spell [Metamagic] ...... 181 Aboleth Lairs ...... 30 Religion ...... 112 Parrying Shield ...... 181 Aboleth Minions ...... 31 Leaders 113 Quick Recovery ...... 181 Aboleth Cities ...... 31 Relations with Other Races ...... 114 Scavenging Gullet [Aberrant] ...... 181 Aboleth Characters ...... 32 Grell Magic ...... 114 Starspawn [Aberrant] ...... 181 The God in the Lake ...... 33 Sangkon Bhet ...... 115 Thrall Bred ...... 182 Warped Mind [Aberrant] ...... 182 Chapter 3: The Eye Tyrants ...... 37 Chapter 7: The Wearers of Flesh ...... 121 Waterspawn [Aberrant] ...... 182 Beholder Anatomy ...... 37 Tsochar ...... 121 Wild Talent ...... 182 Beholder Life ...... 40 Tsochar Characters ...... 123 Picking a Prestige Class ...... 182 The Beholder Diet ...... 41 Tsochar Anatomy ...... 123 Abolisher ...... 182 Beholder Variants ...... 41 Tsochar Variants ...... 126 Darkrunner ...... 186 Beholder Mage ...... 42 Tsochar Society ...... 126 Fleshwarper ...... 189 Beholder Feats ...... 44 Language ...... 126 Keeper of the Cerulean Sign ...... 194 Agile Tyrant ...... 44 Religion ...... 127 Sanctifi ed Mind ...... 198 Bane of the Unclean ...... 44 Leaders 129 Topaz Guardian ...... 203 Disintegration Finesse ...... 44 Relations with Other Races ...... 129 Magic ...... 206 Disjunction Ray ...... 45 Tsochar Magic ...... 129 Spells ...... 209 Focused Antimagic ...... 45 The House of Deros Frist ...... 130 Metaray 45 Arms of Plenty ...... 209 Skilled Telekinetic ...... 45 Chapter 8: New Monsters ...... 135 Befoul ...... 209 Beholder Magic ...... 45 Beholderkin ...... 135 Blast of Force ...... 209 Beholder Society ...... 47 Hive Mother ...... 135 Bolts of Bedevilment ...... 209 Religion ...... 47 Director 137 Spider ...... 209 Language ...... 47 Eye of the Deep ...... 138 Damning Darkness ...... 210 Relations with Other Creatures ...... 47 Overseer ...... 139 Darkbolt ...... 210 Sane Beholders ...... 48 Spectator ...... 140 Despoil ...... 210 Hives and Hive Cities ...... 49 Cildabrin ...... 141 Detect Aberration ...... 211 Sekarvu’s Lair ...... 52 Cloaker, Shadowcloak Elder ...... 142 Invoke the Cerulean Sign ...... 211 Cult of the Hungry Eye ...... 56 Elder Brain ...... 144 Invoke Magic ...... 212 Elder Eidolon ...... 146 Maddening Scream ...... 212 Chapter 4: The Mind Flayers ...... 61 Gas Spore ...... 148 Morality Undone ...... 212 Mind Flayer Anatomy ...... 61 Gibbering Mouther ...... 150 Nature’s Purity ...... 213 Variants ...... 64 Half-Farspawn ...... 151 Pox ...... 213 Illithid Magic ...... 67 Hound of the Gloom ...... 153 Probe Thoughts ...... 213 Mind Flayers and Magic Items ...... 67 Illithidae ...... 154 Undulant Innards ...... 213 Nautiloid ...... 69 Embrac 154 Utterdark ...... 213 Psionic Seal ...... 69 Kigrid 155 Magic Items ...... 214 Resonance Stone ...... 69 Saltor 156 Grafts ...... 215 The Whispering Shadow ...... 70 Mind Flayer, Alhoon ...... 157 Defenders of Humanity ...... 217 Language ...... 71 Mind Flayer, Ulitharid ...... 158 Circle of the True ...... 217 ReligionSample ...... 71 Mind Flayer, Vampire ...... 160 Darkrunner Guildfile ...... 218 Relations with Other Races ...... 72 Pseudonatural Creature ...... 161 Society of the Sanctifi ed Mind ...... 219 Mind Flayer Goals ...... 73 Psurlon ...... 162 The Topaz Order ...... 221 Lagurno, Illithid Sept ...... 77 Shaboath ...... 166 The Lair of Sarkt ...... 82 Shadow Creature ...... 167 3 4 CHAPTER #

Sample monsters: The include following races the major aberration to other aberrations. reference chapter, little own their with in discussed each physiology. Therefore, are major the ofaberrations races or beholders shareand any common origins donot really fl mind aboleths, underground, deep dwell and ties abili- magical have monsters that powerful inhuman all than a broad thematic link. Other than the fact that they’re Mortis, populate that creatures the Unlike campaign. existing an ready in and toused be locations includes encounter an also races site, complete keyed with chapter devoted Each to onebook. major ofthe aberration to (or campaign event, an such you aplayer) are if your survive this found be in can in race aberration iconic an highlight to of hidden you lore need about Everything creatures. these same tremendous amounts and monstersters, feats, monster spells, Naturally, Dungeon Masters will fi items. magic and any ofseveral new domains can benefi can grafts (a swarm) new aberration silthilar and New aboleth, illithid, elements applymany new ofthese to other can rules creatures. on aberrations, is book ofthis focus the While type. aberration enemies include monsters ofthe whose principal for characters prestige classes and Chapter 9includes anumber offeats, spells, herein. contained information the in interested be should adversaries character’s his about more know to wishing player any that universe prevalent D&D the and iconic, in powerful, tome so this are in the monstersDungeon Masters, discussed for primarily intended seemto might be book this While file dimensions terror. ofcosmic and times very existence outrages nature, creatures that belong to distant the world outside. whose These creatures the aberrations, are over ofconquest dominion and dreams alien terrible dreaming remote deep the and places, in horror—lurk mind-poisoning and tentacles, squirming eyes, deadly of monstrosities—things antediluvian Bizarre, evil. terrible their worldthe wreak and to enter opportunity the seeking planes, infernal of their borders at push the and pry devils Demons and humankind. of lands for to sweep thechance on down theunsuspecting places, waiting the wastelands barren and in lurk sullenly plunder. and Hordes ofravening to burn towns seeking skies, the its roam monsters. unforgettable are Dragons game elements iconic D most ofthe the Among aberrations share few common characteristics other sharefew common characteristics aberrations t an adventurer in any sort of campaign, as as ofcampaign, adventurer any sort t an in Introduction ABERRATIONS THE BOOKTHE OF nd dozens of new mon- new of dozens nd UNGEONS &D or or RAGONS ayers, ayers, Libris Libris and virulent threats to humans and other good races. They other good and races. to humans threats virulent and mentioned races The six here most the widespread pose society. human in pass they that can so invasive wear that thestolen parasites victims of their bodies The territory. other blunder that races into all their destroy ruthlessly grell ofalchemy fearsome the science, and cipherable admixture inde- an lonely and with places of world. the wild the Armed world. human the webs across merchants their who ofgold spin misery and world. of the surface lands daylight the in ofhumanoids dominion to the threat dangerous evil. become overlord the beholder easily of can realm ofits own or asingle enslave arrogant, confuse, and foes. Rapacious their paralyze, they kill, power. glance asingle magical With innate the earth. places in mages infl and whose sinister psions aboleths the mighty are races, major the aberration all of Perhaps seas. underground inscrutable and the most alien are not strictly necessary. notare strictly they book, your enjoyment ofthis enhance supplements will East. Unapproachable F the as well Mortis, Libris Handbook, F supplements, several from D&D ences including to material Guide, rulebooks— core D&D Madness of Lords ofgrafts. masters silthilar, bizarre the and psurlon; psionic the aberrations; have that with of creatures consorted anew template for offspring the half-farspawn, the including book, this found be in can Many these. other aberrations than creatures more many forth spawning for responsible are earth places deep, the ofthe and dark Far the Realm course, Of domains. their Brave heroes the are nightmare. indeed whoand venture into ofmadness born things inscrutable, and alien they are malice; power,combine genius, cold, and magical calculating ruthless creatures.ing Mindfl iend Folio, Monster Manual II, , Miniatures Miniatures Handbook, Level Epic II, Manual Folio, Monster iend Neogi, Neogi, fl Mind Beholders, Grell, Aboleths, WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY and Tsochari, Tsochari, or the eaters, are an alien race of predators that haunt haunt that predators of race alien an are eaters, the or ayers, the slave takers, are a race of greedy and sinister slavethe of sinister arace greedyand are takers, Monster Manual Monster ORGOTTEN or the deep masters, are the loathsome lords of the loathsome lords the ofthe are or deep the masters, the terrible eye tyrants, command fearsome fearsome command eye tyrants, terrible the makes use of the information in the three three the in information ofthe use makes or , are brilliant, cruel, and terrify- and cruel, brilliant, are or illithids, or fl wearersofthe the Although possession of any or all of these these of all or any of possession Although ayers might most comprise the single R Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Master’s Dungeon Handbook, Player’s EALMS and . In addition, it. In includes refer- uence wells up from the deepest deepest the upfrom uence wells Expanded , ® supplements of esh, arace are Underdark and as Illus. Lukacs Lukacs by by C. C.

o single common characteristic easily distinguishes the depths of space and reality with the aid of the Ebon an aberration from any other sort of creature, or Mirror, a powerful artifact that allowed him to see into signals a kinship to creatures of this type. Some strange and terrible places indeed. The Codex Anathema are intelligent, some are not; some are in records the frightful visions he observed in the Ebon shape, some are not; some possess innate magical powers, Mirror, along with rambling essays in which Iphegor and some do not. This book is chiefl y concerned with those describes his own fi ndings and conclusions about mat- aberrations that pose a pervasive and signifi cant threat to ters no sane being should dwell on for long. humankind. While a creature such as a carrion crawler is The Codex includes accounts of astral voyages into certainly a dangerous monster, it lacks the intelligence to the dim antediluvian eons when aboleths ruled over entertain dark schemes against the creatures of the world the world, frenetic narratives about passages into the above. It is simply an unreasoning beast, albeit an unusually depths of the Far Realm, and dialogues with illithid bizarre and alien one. sages and tsochari imposters. Studies and observations Creatures such as aboleths, beholders, and mind fl ayers are about creatures such as beholders, chuuls, psurlons, far more signifi cant because they represent entire societies of and beings clearly originating outside of nature unhuman and amoral intelligences that regard humans and comprise a large part of the Codex. Overall, the book as potential slaves at best, or, more likely, bleating is poorly organized, consisting of a haphazard col- cattle awaiting slaughter. These intelligent, evil aberrations lection of essays, narratives, notes, and odd arcane do share some common characteristics, even if they are not formulae jotted down in whatever order Iphegor remotely related to one another. happened to think of them. No one knows Iphegor’s fi nal fate, but it is said THE CODEX ANATHEMA that the Ebon Mirror still exists, buried in some OverSample a thousand years ago, the wizard known as Iphegor of the dreadful dungeon. To stare into its depthsfile is to risk Ebon Mirror composed a terrible book, the Codex Anathema. A life and sanity—yet secrets of untold power might lie student of distant places, times, and planes, Iphegor plumbed within its starry void. 5 from the remote reaches of the Material Plane come from ORIGINS OF THE worlds such as these, places stranger and more menacing than ABERRATIONS all but the most fearsome of Outer Planes. Aberrations as a kind seem to cry out for explanation. Other Because these far worlds are still part of the Material Plane, monsters are part of the natural world, or come into being it is possible to reach them via greater teleport, teleport circle, through the actions of natural beings, but aberrations have no and similar magic. In fact, it is possible for vessels with the place in the usual order of things. Their origins are unthinkably proper magic to voyage between the worlds without any sort of distant in time, space, or planar cosmology. While they are teleportation. Flying ships (sometimes known as spelljammers) now natives of the Material Plane (they would be outsiders if can reach the moon(s), nearby planets, or possibly even the they were not), aberrations share little or no kinship with the worlds of other stars altogether. Journeying to a nearby world, other living creatures of the world. whether it is the moon of the characters’ own native world or a As a DM, defi ning an origin for a major aberration race you different planet in its own right, might require anything from intend to feature in your campaign will help you to create a few hours to months or even years of star-sailing. plots and schemes for that race. For example, a race older than The neogi are perhaps the best-known example of an extra- WHAT IS AN ABERRATION? CHAPTER 1 the world itself might retain memories or lore of extremely terrestrial race. Descending from the dark night skies in their ancient events. Heroes who fi nd that they need to understand sinister, spiderlike fl ying ships, these rapacious slavers and oily how a god died thousands of years ago, or where and when a merchants wander from world to world, trading with those very ancient artifact was last seen, might discover that the strong enough to warrant caution and stealing from those knowledge they seek exists only in the secret lorepools of the who are not. Neogi merchants enjoy access to the resources aboleths. Aberrations that came from distant worlds might have and markets of many worlds, and few can follow them when an insatiable appetite for human slaves and wealth to send back they depart for their next destination. Slaves taken by the neogi to their alien homelands through magical doorways. Races rarely, if ever, see their homelands again. that exist through the intervention or corruption of a dark and The tsochari also hail from a distant world, a cold and light- terrible god might seek ways to fully wake their progenitor, or less place of terrible black ruins and endless, shrieking winds. form insidious cults to capture the worship of “lesser beings,” Unlike the neogi, who move from world to world so easily such as humanoids, for their divine master. that they themselves do not recall the world of their origin, the tsochari do not build starfaring vessels. They must labor OUT OF SPACE long and hard to create the magical gates that allow them to Most intelligent creatures live their lives on a single world in venture between worlds. the Material Plane, and do not dream that the Material Plane includes anything other than the world they know. However, OUT OF TIME the Material Plane is indeed an infi nite plane. It is fi lled with Just as the origins of an alien race can be physically remote countless worlds, so inconceivably far removed from one from the normal world, they can also be temporally removed another that only the most powerful of wizards can hope to from the world humans know. Some aberrations do not hail travel from world to world. Each of these Material Plane worlds from places where the rules are different, but instead originate possesses its own unique conditions, and some of these distant in times when the world is, was, or will be a very different worlds nourish strange and inimical forms of life. Aberrations place than it is now. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs

ABERRATIONS IN Nearly everything in this book is perfectly usable if you are run- Aberrations that venture near human habitation are frequently ning a campaign in the world of the EBERRON . the focal point of degenerate cults loosely termed the Cults of After all, one of the guiding principles of the EBERRON setting is the Dragon Below. Cultists of the Dragon Below are insane, be- “If it exists in D&D, it exists in Eberron.” That said, aberrations lieving that aberrations are beautiful and holy creatures that can have a unique role in Eberron that might change how you use lead them to a subterranean promised land or reward them with some material in this book. annihilation when they bring the daelkyr up from the depths to Millennia ago, a bizarre and alien race called the daelkyr in- destroy the world. vaded Eberron through planar portals leading from their home Most of this information amounts to background details plane of Xoriat, the Realm of Madness—a plane similar to the about the various kinds of aberrations, and has little impact Far Realm discussed in this book. While on Eberron, the daelkyr on their actual use in play. The vast majority of the informa- created many of the known species of aberrations, including tion contained in Lords of Madness, including details about the beholders and chokers. Mind flayers served as the lieutenants anatomy, society, abilities, and tactics of various aberrations, of the daelkyr, and originated with them on the plane of Xoriat, is just as true in the EBERRON setting as in any other D&D cam- making them extraplanar aberrations when they appear on Eb- paign. Simply alter or ignore details about the origins of differ- erron.Sample New kinds of aberrations are found on Eberron as well, ent aberrations presented in this filebook, placing them instead in including dolgrims and dolgaunts. the context of the ancient daelkyr invasion. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs 6

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