The definiton of an aberration is pretty abstract. So i'm crowdsourcing to you:
* Makes an Aberration an Aberration?
* What makes a Monstrosity a Monstrosity?
These seem pretty similar to me except I'm more likely to see an Aberration in Spelljammer or in Sigil and a Monstrosity on Prime M. plane in Toril or Greylance setting. Is it mostly appearance and setting?
Aberrations are often alien and otherworldly, often connected to the concept of the Far Realm, a place of chaos and madness. Monstrosities, on the other hand, are more commonly fantastical creatures with a basis in reality, but often magical or unusual in nature.
Aberrations are utterly alien beings, such as aboleths, beholders, flumphs, and mind flayers.
Monstrosities are unnatural creatures with strange origins, such as mimics and owlbears.
Aberrations arise as a natural part of an unnatural environment. Mind Flayers are a normal part of the Far Realm, but for inhabitants of the Material Plane, the Far Realm itself is not normal.
Monstrosities arise as an unnatural part of a natural environment. Owlbears originated in the Material Plane, but they were created by mages, not by nature.
It's a little bit arbitrary, but as noted Aberrations typically originate from outside the Material Plane- usually they get associated with the Far Realm which is essentially just the cosmic "elsewhere" outside of the established cosmology, but there's a couple tied to other planes, like the Slaadi are Aberrations from the Plane of Limbo. Typically if it looks Lovecraftian and/or places a lot of emphasis on psychic stuff and isn't obviously something else like a psychic dragon, it's classed as an Aberration. Monstrosity is in many ways a catchall for anything that doesn't fit the vibe of the other types- it largely incorporates creatures created by magic on the Material Plane, cursed beings like Medusa and Lycanthropes, and even just obviously beefed up and fantastic but ostensibly "natural" wildlife like a Bulette.
The definiton of an aberration is pretty abstract. So i'm crowdsourcing to you:
* Makes an Aberration an Aberration?
* What makes a Monstrosity a Monstrosity?
These seem pretty similar to me except I'm more likely to see an Aberration in Spelljammer or in Sigil and a Monstrosity on Prime M. plane in Toril or Greylance setting. Is it mostly appearance and setting?
I have always seen Aberrations as your Lovecratian varieties.
Aberrations are typically natural creatures that are displaced or displaced themselves from their original habitat, to a new one that they are considered atypical in.
Monstrosities are typically unnatural, artificial and/or altered creatures in the habitat they exist in, regardless of origin.
Aberration & Monstrosity PLAYER Species, however, are either descended from or tied to existing aberrations and/or Monstrosities.
The upcoming retool Kalashtar are, for example, inexorably bound to the Quori, which are natural for the plane they live in but unnatural in Eberron's material plane & thus Kalashtar are influenced on a fundamental level into an Aberrant state, but for Thri-kreen as playable monstrosities, it's a lot more complicated.
The definiton of an aberration is pretty abstract. So i'm crowdsourcing to you:
* Makes an Aberration an Aberration?
* What makes a Monstrosity a Monstrosity?
These seem pretty similar to me except I'm more likely to see an Aberration in Spelljammer or in Sigil and a Monstrosity on Prime M. plane in Toril or Greylance setting. Is it mostly appearance and setting?
Aberrations are often alien and otherworldly, often connected to the concept of the Far Realm, a place of chaos and madness. Monstrosities, on the other hand, are more commonly fantastical creatures with a basis in reality, but often magical or unusual in nature.
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ModeratorAberrations arise as a natural part of an unnatural environment. Mind Flayers are a normal part of the Far Realm, but for inhabitants of the Material Plane, the Far Realm itself is not normal.
Monstrosities arise as an unnatural part of a natural environment. Owlbears originated in the Material Plane, but they were created by mages, not by nature.
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It's a little bit arbitrary, but as noted Aberrations typically originate from outside the Material Plane- usually they get associated with the Far Realm which is essentially just the cosmic "elsewhere" outside of the established cosmology, but there's a couple tied to other planes, like the Slaadi are Aberrations from the Plane of Limbo. Typically if it looks Lovecraftian and/or places a lot of emphasis on psychic stuff and isn't obviously something else like a psychic dragon, it's classed as an Aberration. Monstrosity is in many ways a catchall for anything that doesn't fit the vibe of the other types- it largely incorporates creatures created by magic on the Material Plane, cursed beings like Medusa and Lycanthropes, and even just obviously beefed up and fantastic but ostensibly "natural" wildlife like a Bulette.
I have always seen Aberrations as your Lovecratian varieties.
Aberrations are typically natural creatures that are displaced or displaced themselves from their original habitat, to a new one that they are considered atypical in.
Monstrosities are typically unnatural, artificial and/or altered creatures in the habitat they exist in, regardless of origin.
Aberration & Monstrosity PLAYER Species, however, are either descended from or tied to existing aberrations and/or Monstrosities.
The upcoming retool Kalashtar are, for example, inexorably bound to the Quori, which are natural for the plane they live in but unnatural in Eberron's material plane & thus Kalashtar are influenced on a fundamental level into an Aberrant state, but for Thri-kreen as playable monstrosities, it's a lot more complicated.
DM, player & homebrewer(Current homebrew project is an unofficial conversion of SBURB/SGRUB from Homestuck into DND 5e)
Once made Maxwell's Silver Hammer come down upon Strahd's head to make sure he was dead.
Always study & sharpen philosophical razors. They save a lot of trouble.
Basically, Monstrosities are weird creatures that belong on the material plane, or were created by magic. Abberations came from somewhere else.