Uargleth

Large Aberration (Aquatic) HD: 8d8+40 (76 hp) Initiative: +1 Speed: 30 ft. Armor Class: 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +7 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+16 Attack: tentacle +12 melee (1d6+6) Full Attack: 4 tentacles +12 melee (1d6+6) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Enslave, psionics, slime Special Qualities: Darkvision Saves: Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +10 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 15 Skills: Concentration +10, Hide -3, Knowledge (any one) +12, Listen +12, Spot +13 Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (tentacle) Environment: Underground Organization: Solitary or brood (1 plus 1d6 skum or other servitor creatures) Challenge Rating: 7 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Usually neutral evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: --

Illustration by Scott Purdy, used with permission. A larger version is available at Scott's website.

This creature is the size of a hill giant but with a monstrous form. Its arms are fat clusters of tentacles, its head has more tentacles and three pale eyes, and its body ends in a thick long eel-like tail. Its skin is moist and the creature smells like dead fish.
   Even the wicked aboleth have members so tainted and evil that they turn on their own kind; aboleths who discover such a traitor use their psionics and transformative powers to mutate the offender into a landbound horror with only a shadow of its former powers. Cursed with a form horrid to it and exiled by its own kind, an uargleth ("sibling-eater" in the aboleth language) wanders the cool tunnels near underground lakes and rivers, drawn to the waters of its birth but faring little better there than the dirt-walkers it hates. Sometimes a particularly cruel elder aboleth transforms one of its young into an uargleth to learn more about the dry areas near its home; the mutated offspring is promised that when it reports enough news its parent will reverse the transformation, though is often a lie to ensure the creature's obedience.
   An uargleth is usually solitary, but some are lucky enough to drag some of their skum servitors into exile with them. Its natural shape is a wrecked and tortured version of its former body; its tentacle "arms" are often asymmetrical (such as three tentacles on one "arm" and one on the other). While it can breathe water, its new body is not well-suited for swimming (at least compared to its original form) and they spend little time in the water after their transformation.
   Though the transformation from aboleth to uargleth weakens its mind, an uargleth is still an evil creature with plans to dominate others, and it uses its abilities for that purpose as best it can. An uargleth tries to steal skum from other aboleths, usually ambushing lone scouts and using its enslave ability. Those unable to find skum may establish a guard of other underworld creatures such as orcs, drow, bugbears, or troglodytes.
   An uargleth stands about 10 feet tall and weighs about 1,700 pounds.
   Uargleths speak Aquan, Undercommon, and the language of aboleths.

Combat

An uargleth uses aboleth strategies, using illusions to trick enemies and funnel them into traps or ambushes, using its tentacles only as a last resort. They sometimes use their disguise self abilities to pretend to be ogres or ophidian creatures to better spy on or infiltrate larger groups, with eventual plans to take over. As an uargleth hates the aboleths that transformed it even more than it hates drylanders, it can be bribed with information or assistance in its goals of vengeance, though it is likely to turn on its allies once the responsible aboleths are dead.
   An uargleth can use its tentacles as well as a humanoid creature uses hands.
   Like some aboleths, a few uargleths pursue wizardry in an attempt to find a way to reverse their transformation.

   Enslave (Su): Once per day, an uargleth can attempt to enslave any one living creature within 30 feet. The target must make a Will save or be affected as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 8th). An enslaved creature obeys the uargleth's telepathic commands until freed by remove curse, and can attempt a new Will save every 24 hours to break free. The control is also broken if the uargleth dies or travels more than 1 mile from its slave. Will negates DC 16.
   Psionics (Sp): At will--disguise self, hypnotism (DC 13); ; 1/day--illusory wall (DC 16), hallucinatory terrain (DC 16), major image (DC 15), veil (DC 18). Caster level 8. DC 12 + spell level. The DCs are Charisma-based.
   Slime (Ex): A blow from an uargleth's tentacle can cause a terrible affliction. A creature hit by a tentacle must make a Fortitude save or begin to transform over the next 1d4+1 minutes, the skin gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane. An afflicted creature must remain moistened with cool, fresh water or take 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. The slime reduces the creature's natural armor bonus by 1 (but never to less than 0). A remove disease spell cast before the transformation is complete will restore an afflicted creature to normal. Afterward, however, only a heal or mass heal spell can reverse the affliction. Fortitude negates DC 19.

   This content is produced under version 1.0a and/or draft versions of the Open Game License and the System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast.
   Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: The illustration of the uargleth.
   Designation of Open Game Content: Subject to the Designation of Product Identity above, the entirety of "Monster of the Month: Uargleth" is Open Game Content. "Monster of the Month: Uargleth" Copyright © 2005 Sean K Reynolds. All rights reserved.
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