Limited Amphibiousness. The aboleth subjugator can breathe air and water. However, while not underwater, the aboleth subjugator's transformative mucus immediately dries, becoming harmless to other creatures. After 3d4 rounds of total air exposure, the aboleth subjugator must be partially submerged in water or it will begin suffocating.
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the aboleth subjugator fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The aboleth subjugator has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Mucous Cloud. While underwater, the aboleth subjugator is surrounded by transformative mucus. A creature that touches the aboleth or that hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is diseased for 1d4+6 hours. The diseased creature can breathe only underwater. If a diseased creature is further exposed to transformative mucus for three consecutive days, they are permanently transformed into a Skum under the control of the aboleth subjugator.
Probing Telepathy. If the aboleth subjugator communicates telepathically with a creature, the aboleth immediately learns the creature’s personal history. This knowledge grants the aboleth advantage on all to Insight and Persuasion checks against this creature.
Rejuvenation. The slain aboleth subjugator rejuvenates its form somewhere within the depths of the Elemental Plane of Water 1d8 days after being slain.
Multiattack. The aboleth makes three tentacle attacks and one tail attack.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage and 13 (3d4 + 6) psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become diseased. The disease has no effect for 1 minute and can be removed by any magic that heals wounds. After 1 minute, the diseased creature’s skin becomes translucent and slimy, the creature can’t regain hit points unless it is underwater, and the disease can be removed only by a healing spell of 6th level or higher. When the diseased creature is outside a body of water, it takes 6 (1d12) acid damage every 10 minutes unless moisture is applied to the skin before 10 minutes have passed. Any creature rendered unconscious by a tentacle attack must roll all resulting Death Saves with disadvantage. If they die, they are immediately and permanently transformed into a Skum under the control of the aboleth subjugator.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. one target. Hit: 15 (3d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, is pushed 15 feet aways from the aboleth (resist DC 19), and is knockedprone.
Enslave (3/Day). The aboleth subjugator targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be magically charmed by the aboleth until the aboleth dies or until it is on a different plane of existence from the target. The charmed target is under the aboleth’s control and can’t take reactions, and the aboleth and the target can communicate telepathically with each other over any distance.
Whenever the charmed target takes damage, the target can repeat the saving throw. On a success, the effect ends. No more than once every 24 hours, the target can also repeat the saving throw when it is at least 1 mile away from the aboleth.
The aboleth subjugator can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The aboleth subjugator regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect Weakness. The aboleth makes a Wisdom (Insight) check to determine a creature's darkest secret or deepest desire as well as how best to exploit this. Any creature assessed in this way have disadvantage to any saving throw to resist the Aboleth's enslave ability for 24 hours.
Tail Swipe. The aboleth makes one tail attack and can move half its speed.
Psychic Drain (Costs 2 Actions). One creature charmed by the aboleth takes 16 (3d6+6) psychic damage, and the aboleth regains hit points equal to twice the damage the creature takes. This psychic drain does not enable the charmed creature to repeat their Enslave saving throw.
Description
Aboleth subjugators are the most common of the tendril of the aboleth empire that surface-dwelling creatures encounter. Specializing in the art of flesh-warping and masters of manipulation, these ichthyic invaders can easy enslave an entire coastal or lakeside population.
Lair and Lair Actions
Aboleth subjugators lair in subterranean lakes or the rocky depths of the ocean, often not far from humanoid settlements. An aboleth spends most of its existence underwater, surfacing occasionally to treat with visitors or worshipers.
Lair Actions
When fighting inside its lair, an aboleth subjugator can invoke the ambient magic to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the aboleth subjugator takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- The aboleth subjugator casts phantasmal force (no components required) on any number of creatures it can see within 60 feet of it. While maintaining concentration on this effect, the aboleth subjugator can’t take other lair actions. If a target succeeds on the saving throw or if the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the aboleth subjugator’s phantasmal force lair action for the next 24 hours, although such a creature can choose to be affected.
- Pools of water within 120 feet of the aboleth subjugator surge outward in a grasping tide. Any creature on the ground within 20 feet of such a pool must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet into the water and knocked prone. The aboleth subjugator can’t use this lair action again until it has used a different one.
- Water in the aboleth subjugator’s lair magically becomes a conduit for the creature’s rage. The aboleth subjugator can target any number of creatures it can see in such water within 90 feet of it. A target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or take 13 (2d6+6) psychic damage. The aboleth subjugator can’t use this lair action again until it has used a different one.
Regional Effects
The region containing an aboleth’s lair is warped by the creature’s presence, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- Underground surfaces within 1 mile of the aboleth’s lair are slimy and wet and are difficult terrain.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the aboleth that drink such water vomit it within minutes.
- As an action, the aboleth can create an illusory image of itself within 1 mile of the lair. The copy can appear at any location the aboleth has seen before or in any location a creature charmed by the aboleth can currently see. Once created, the image lasts for as long as the aboleth maintains concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. Although the image is intangible, it looks, sounds, and can move like the aboleth. The aboleth can sense, speak, and use telepathy from the image’s position as if present at that position. If the image takes any damage, it disappears.
If the aboleth dies, the first two effects fade over the course of 3d10 days.
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