Alghollthu, Thalassic ArchitectThis piscine nightmare glares with five eyes. Four tentacles, two of them terminating in small claws, flank its fanged jaws.Thalassic Architect CR 10Source Pathfinder #121: The Lost Outpost pg. 88
XP 9,600
LE Large aberration (aquatic)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4DefenseAC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+4 Dex, +11 natural, -1 size)
hp 126 (12d8+72)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +14
Immune electricity, mind-affecting effects, sonic; Resist cold 10; SR 21OffenseSpeed 15 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee bite +13 (1d8+5 plus slime), 2 claws +13 (1d6+5 plus slime), 2 tentacles +11 (1d6+2 plus 2d6 sonic)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with claws and tentacles)
Special Attacks deadlight, glyph carver, mucus cloud, water manipulation (DC 20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +18)
Constant—read magic
At will—detect magic, detect thoughts (DC 16), hydraulic torrent, project image (DC 21), telekinesis
3/day—illusory wall (DC 18), mirage arcana (DC 19), quickened hydraulic torrent, stone shape, wall of force
1/day—disintegrate (DC 20), fabricate, make whole, move earthStatisticsStr 20, Dex 18, Con 23, Int 17, Wis 18, Cha 19
Base Atk +9; CMB +15 (+17 sunder); CMD 29 (31 vs. sunder)
Feats Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (hydraulic torrent)B
Skills Craft (stonemasonry) +13, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +11, Knowledge (engineering) +13, Knowledge (history) +13, Knowledge (nature) +13, Stealth +11, Swim +26, Use Magic Device +12
Languages Aboleth, Aklo, Aquan, Undercommon; telepathy 100 ft.EcologyEnvironment any water
Organization solitary, pair, or crew (1 thalassic architect plus 2–30 aboleths, skum, and other dominated creatures)
Treasure doubleSpecial AbilitiesDeadlight (Su) Once per round as a free action, the thalassic architect can affix its center eye on one target. The target must succeed at a DC 20 Will saving throw or become transfixed as per lock gaze at caster level 14th. Once a creature has been affected by this ability, it becomes immune to it for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Glyph Carver (Su) A thalassic architect can cause its tentacles to vibrate at an intense frequency when it rends through solid matter, such that the tips can engrave inhuman patterns into solid stone. When activated, the tentacles count as adamantine for the purpose of bypassing DR and hardness. Furthermore, the additional sonic damage caused by the tentacles is treated as energy damage when used as part of a melee attack (as per normal) but is treated as additional normal physical damage when used to perform a sunder combat maneuver. The thalassic architect can turn this ability on or off as a free action. While this ability is activated, the tentacles can’t be used to manipulate physical objects, nor can the thalassic architect attempt Stealth checks. While this ability is deactivated, the tentacles cause no sonic damage.
Mucus Cloud (Ex) While underwater, a thalassic architect exudes a cloud of transparent slime in a 100-foot-radius spread. All creatures in this area must succeed at a DC 22 Fortitude save each round or lose the ability to breathe air (and gain the ability to breathe water) for 8 hours. If a creature comes into contact with this mucus cloud again and fails another save, the effect extends for another 8 hours. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Slime (Ex) A creature hit by a thalassic architect’s tentacle must succeed at a DC 22 Fortitude save or its skin and flesh transform into a clear, slimy membrane over the course of 1d4 rounds. The target’s new “flesh” is soft and tender, reducing the creature’s Constitution score by 4 as long as the effect persists. If the creature’s flesh isn’t kept moist, it dries out quickly and the victim 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.
Water Manipulation (Su) A thalassic architect is adept at the telekinetic manipulation of matter, including the waters it inhabits. This at-will ability is a standard action with a duration of concentration + 1 round. The ability functions in two different modes that can be used only one at a time.
The architect can force the water around a creature to lock in place and act as a solid, paralyzing the target as per hold monster unless the target succeeds at a DC 20 Reflex save. Aside from using effects such as freedom of movement or remove paralysis, the target can also break free with a DC 20 Strength check. This ability can affect a creature more than once, but each casting grants a new saving throw.
Alternatively, it can thicken water to the consistency of gelatin in a 20-foot radius. Creatures with a swim speed treat this area as difficult terrain. Creatures without a swim speed increase the DC for Swim checks to move through the affected area by 10 (for example, calm underwater areas, usually DC 10, become DC 20). In either case, 5-foot steps become impossible. The save DC is Charisma-based.Description"Thalassic architect” is a human term for a racial subspecies of aboleth, known as uldraaghus in the language of alghollthus. Uldraaghus were engineered and bred by the mysterious entities that rule the alghollthu race from the deepest oceanic trenches. Whereas aboleths and veiled masters are adept at using telepathy and mental domination, thalassic architects use telekinetic powers to manipulate—even create or destroy—physical matter.
Uldraaghus more closely resemble veiled masters than they do standard aboleths. They’re smaller, being about 15 feet long and weighing 2,800 pounds. Furthermore, they have five eyes instead of three; four are set to either side of their head, while a larger fifth eye is set in the center and glows with a brilliant white light. Thalassic architects have four tentacles, two of which end in clawed appendages capable of manipulating objects. Dark bands of scales typically ring their silvery bodies. EcologyUldraaghus were bred to manipulate physical matter without deviating from the piscine form common to alghollthus. The rulers of the alghollthus realized that their vast intelligence had stripped their race of the ability to perform certain physical tasks without lesser beings to assist them. Not content to become utterly dependent on skum and other subservient creatures, alghollthus bred a new subspecies to fulfill this societal role. Initially, the uldraaghus could move and shape only earth and stone, while they directed the ulat-kini to perform the most tedious labor. Now, given thousands of years of evolution, they’ve developed the skills to break apart and reassemble matter on a minute level. While other creatures can move dozens of small stones, an uldraaghu can seize control of countless individual water molecules.
An uldraaghu’s brain is fundamentally different from that of an alghollthu. It lacks the ability to overwhelm the consciousness of other creatures, though it can still alter their perceptions. Their powers of illusion are seated in the portion of the brain directly behind the central eye, suggesting the center eye is responsible for snaring enemies’ attention.
The two tentacles that lack claws are more dangerous than its other limbs. Uldraaghus can vibrate these tentacles at a frequency so high that the tips can carve glyphs in solid stone. Habitat and SocietyUldraaghus’ place in alghollthu society has shifted over the millennia. Once they were considered little better than odd mutants by baseline aboleths—useful but crippled. Two factors have altered their station. First, their powers have grown considerably. Second, their alghollthu masters have always kept their population low.
The aboleths have grown accustomed to their alien and cyclopean undersea cities, and skum with mundane implements have limited usefulness without direction. Thus, alghollthus rely on uldraaghus to oversee the creation of new structures. A typical construction crew is led by a thalassic architect assisted by standard aboleths, who direct the workers. When the architecture becomes too complex for skum to build efficiently, the uldraaghu completes the structure itself.Creatures in "Alghollthu" CategorySource Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 8
|