Alghollthu, PlizeazothThis massive raylike aquatic creature has five bulbous red eyes. Long tentacles protrude from the sides of its wide mouth, and its slimy skin undulates with sickening shudders.Plizeazoth CR 12Source Pathfinder #125: Tower of the Drowned Dead pg. 88
XP 19,200
NE Huge aberration (aquatic)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., thoughtsense 60 ft.; Perception +10
Aura mucus cloud (30 ft., DC 23)DefenseAC 26, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +13 natural, –2 size)
hp 157 (15d8+90)
Fort +13, Ref +11, Will +13
Defensive Abilities amorphous; Immune mind-affecting effects, pain effects; Resist cold 10; SR 23OffenseSpeed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee 2 tentacles +20 (1d8+10 plus psychic spike and slime), tail slap +14 (2d6+5 plus slime)
Space 15 ft., Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks psychic spike, slime
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +21)
At will—crushing despair (DC 20), detect thoughts (DC 18), inflict painOA (DC 19), project image (DC 23)
3/day—scarring crushing despair (DC 20), emotive block (DC 19), mad hallucination (DC 18), mind thrust IV (DC 20), modify memory (DC 20)
1/day—eyebite (DC 22)StatisticsStr 30, Dex 18, Con 23, Int 5, Wis 18, Cha 23
Base Atk +11; CMB +23; CMD 38 (can't be tripped)
Feats Ability Focus (psychic spike), Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (tentacle), Scarring Spell-Like Ability (crushing despair)
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +9, Intimidate +18, Perception +10, Swim +18
Languages Aboleth, Aklo, Aquan, Common, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ compressionEcologyEnvironment any water
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesMucus Cloud (Ex) While underwater, a plizeazoth exudes a 30-foot-radius cloud of transparent slime. Every creature within this area must succeed at a DC 23 Fortitude save each round or lose the ability to breathe air (but gain the ability to breathe water) for 24 hours. Renewed contact with this mucus cloud and failing another save extends the effect for another 24 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Psychic Spike (Su) Each time a plizeazoth hits a creature with a tentacle attack, it releases a mental spike that embeds itself in the target’s psyche. A plizeazoth can maintain a maximum number of spikes equal to the plizeazoth’s Hit Dice (15 for a normal plizeazoth). A psychic spike remains embedded in the target’s mind for 1 hour, until it is detonated or until the target and the plizeazoth move more than 100 feet from one another. As a swift action, the plizeazoth can detonate any number of its own psychic spikes within 100 feet, dealing 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d2 points of Wisdom damage per detonated psychic spike. The target can attempt a DC 25 Will saving throw once per detonation (not per spike) to halve the nonlethal damage and negate the Wisdom damage. This is a mind-affecting, pain effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Slime (Ex) A creature hit by a plizeazoth’s natural attacks must succeed at a DC 23 Fortitude save or have its skin and flesh transform into a clear, slimy membrane over the course of 1d4 rounds. The creature’s new flesh is soft and tender, reducing its Constitution score by 4 as long as the condition persists. If the creature’s flesh isn’t kept moist, it dries quickly and the creature takes 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. Remove disease and similar effects can restore an afflicted creature to normal, but immunity to disease offers no protection from this attack. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Tentacles (Ex) A plizeazoth treats its tentacles as primary natural attacks.DescriptionOne of the largest alghollthus, the raylike plizeazoths are merciless predators that torment their victims’ minds, breaking them for impending service to other alghollthus. Plizeazoths rely on their primal instincts rather than intelligence to complete their tasks. Despite their powerful mental and psychological talents, many plizeazoths do not comprehend the true power they have, long ago bred into a life of subservience to their veiled master overlords. For millennia, the veiled masters subjugated their humanoid victims themselves, but eventually they decided to delegate this joyous yet time-consuming task to others. The veiled masters approached their ancient alghollthu rulers and requested subservient creatures to complete this task. The resulting plizeazoths were impressive in their physical might and ability to efficiently deal pain, but they were immune to such sensations themselves and thus unable to truly comprehend their value within alghollthu society. The brutish beasts are generally content to carry out their masters’ orders, with little will of their own or motivation for them to break from their monotonous existence.
Because they generally do not leave the alghollthus’ deep underwater territories— and even then only to carry out specific orders given to them by the society’s true masterminds— plizeazoths are largely unknown among land-dwelling cultures. Even their victims recall only their pain and suffering, with at best foggy recollections of their tormentors; the emotional and psychic scars left on their minds scour away all memory of the creatures. The rare victim who escapes a plizeazoth with her mind and memories intact recounts brutal assaults to her psyche, breaking down her reality into a twisted landscape of pain and crushing despair, the only escape from which, she believed, was eternal servitude to the plizeazoth’s master.
A plizeazoth has five ruby-red eyes, each capable of moving on its own, providing it a wide field of vision and excellent perceptive skills. Plizeazoths are bottomfeeders and, when not tormenting victims, typically scour the ocean floors for other alghollthus’ scraps. A typical plizeazoth is about 22 feet wide and weighs approximately 4,400 pounds.EcologyPlizeazoths have wide, dark-teal fins that allow them to move stealthily through deep waters. Each plizeazoth has a tentacle on each side of its wide sucking mouth, which it uses both as a natural weapon and to manipulate tools and its environment in the rare event it needs to do either. A plizeazoth’s hardened scabrous tail can likewise be employed as a weapon, but the alghollthu lacks the dexterity to do more than simply slam it broadly into an enemy. A plizeazoth’s body is malleable, which allows it to easily squeeze into tight caverns and small structures. This also allows it to make subtle alterations to its normal raylike form, moving its vital organs around to accommodate a number of different configurations.
Savage in its telepathic and mental prowess, a plizeazoth’s only desires are to defend itself from would-be attackers or brutally subjugate its victims in the name of its veiled master overlords. Plizeazoths are skilled at using emotion, hallucination, and pain to their advantage; they make quick work of weak-minded foes but take particular pleasure in whittling down determined, willful enemies. After its victim has been sufficiently broken, a plizeazoth quickly moves on to its next task, ever eager to please its superiors.Habitat and SocietyIn alghollthu society, plizeazoths have little status and keep to themselves until summoned by their masters. Other alghollthus look down on the creatures, judging them as primitive and thus unpredictable, keeping their distance merely as a precaution. In general, only its master will approach a plizeazoth, and then only to issue new commands to the servant; commands are generally very basic and easy for the plizeazoth to understand, even if the creature’s actions may be part of much larger, more complex plots.
Plizeazoths are kept as something akin to pets by their masters, and the massive brutes rarely stray far from underwater alghollthu cities unless dispatched on a specific task that sends them farther afield. Plizeazoths don’t typically create homes or lairs for themselves, and the creatures are content to simply graze near deep trenches for food until they receive a telepathic command that spurs them into action. Plizeazoths are usually solitary creatures, but if the need arises, the veiled masters have been known to give a pair a mission and instructions to cooperate in carrying it out.
In their current subservient state, plizeazoths obey their veiled masters without question and pose little threat to creatures they have not been expressly instructed to attack. With years of evolution, however, plizeazoths that gain self-awareness and an increased intellect could become a threat even to other alghollthus. This concern does not distress their mysterious rulers, however, as they already have plans in motion for when that time comes.Creatures in "Alghollthu" CategorySource Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 8
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