Someone on the wizards boards once asked what makes an aberration different from other monster types. I responded that aberrations are primally hideous, while others are merely scary.
Yet, I can't think of a d&d aberration that is genuinely hideous. So I decided to make one of the d&d classic aberrations truly hideous; the mind flayer. Okay they eat brains, which is pretty gross but not really inspiring of horror. They eat your brain, and you die. That's all.
When I was a kid, I read the Animorph books though I am a little ashamed to say so now. In my adult life, I am a fan of Stargate SG1 (though not a FANATIC). What do the villainous aberrations of these two stories have in common? They don't eat brains, they use them for world domination.
So I've decided that instead of mind flayer reproduction involving a briny pool and a huge brain, it involves parasitic brain control. When a mind flayer has had its fill of brains to eat, and yet still has access to more grey matter it can choose to implant a group of tadpoles into its victim's head. Fully aware and yet helpless, the victim feels the things squirming through its ear canals and into the brain. There, the little guys battle each other for control of the host. The victorious tadpole exterminates the others and expels their remains out the ears. From this point on, the tadpole has complete and utter control of its host.
Now here comes the clincher: tadpoles must keep their host alive and healthy thru all of the mundane venues, but it itself requires the same sustenance that full mind flayers do; brain matter. Not wanting to kill its host, at least until it has matured for a healthy period, the tadpole uses its host to consume the food it needs. After about a year of gestation within it's host, a tadpole can choose to consume their brain, burst free and quickly grow into a full mind flayer.
Thoughts?
Congratulations, that sounds like the mental control your average wife has through manipulation and guilt until you want your brain to explode right from your skull... i.e. "Truly Hideous"
well, I guess its like this; would you rather get killed an eatin by a troll or killed an eaten by a mind flayer that might then do dispicable things to your body; use your now undead flesh to harbor the eggs of a new generation of horrors while you watch your body carry on killing and maiming others until you expode spewing your new flesh eating larva outwards. One is a monster; one is an aberation; your just as dead, but it is all in the tactile sensations that aberrents really achieve their place...alone...in the dark.
That sounds similar to "canonical" illithid reproduction. Except, as written, there aren't competing tadpoles, and the sole insertee causes the host to undergo a physical transformation into a mind flayer.
I actually kind of prefer it where the thing just kills them, as you've described, rather than turning them into one.
Either way, aberrations are something that is "alien."It can be a fine line, but aberrations are more inspired by sci-fi/ish aliens, as in extraterrestrials, whereas other creatures such as magical beasts are more "in line" with what "feels" like standard modern fantasy. I know that explanation really falls to bunk when talking about certain magical beasts that look stranger than any aberration, or aberrations that look like they could be magical beasts (such as umberhulks), just because of how they "feel."
In the end, it's an arbitrary call reflecting the base stats the game designers wanted to bestow on a creature, along with the "feel" they want to give it. If it's supposed to be otherworldly or horrendously bizarre, it's an aberration. If that's not part of its "thing," it's a magical beast (or something else, as appropriate).
I have always viewed aberrations as those things that take what we're most comfortable with and put a spin on it. Some part of them still resembles the ordinary, but the rest does not.
Saern's right about the illithid reproduction cycle. It's called ceremorphosis and is just as horrible as the process you describe Tequila, it's just quicker and more easily controlled by mind flayer society. If you want a truly horrible aberration that takes over a creature's body Tequila you should try to get some info on the tsochari, horrifically awful aberrations introduced in Lord of Madness.
I think what makes an aberration horrible is not so much its appearance or abilities (though they can be horrendous) but its alien mindset. This is why aboleth, mind flayers, and beholders are so feared. They reduce humans to the status of cattle, test subjects, or pests to be exterminated. Of course some undead, outsiders, giants, etc share this mindset, but its the way that aberrations go about it that's so disturbing.
hmm, i think they are feared because if you follow the line of aberation spawn back far enough you find the Old Ones as the progenetors and nothing is more scarey than them.
GreatNPowerfulAahz: Bad marriage, anyone? Sorry to hear it, dude.
Saern: Yeah, that's pretty much my definition of what an aberration is. The only other difference is that because of HD type, saves and such, "battlers" are easier to make with magical beasts while "special attack users" are easier to make with aberrations. Like you say, it's just arbitrary game design.
Phil: I actually do have the Lords of Madness. I like the idea of the tsochar, but my little project doesn't involve them for two reasons. First, everyone knows mind flayers. Second, I have an issue with the idea of a creature the size of a child fitting into a human body, and being totally unnoticeable. I know, it's d&d and doesn't have to be realistic but it just bugs me.
Valegrim: As I recall, there have been a few references to the Old Ones in several books but not much more. Am I right? The idea is cool for a horror style game, but I personally wouldn't use them for a typical d&d game.
I have an issue with the idea of a creature the size of a child fitting into a human body, and being totally unnoticeable. I know, it's d&d and doesn't have to be realistic but it just bugs me.
Well, dang, there goes the other idea. There's a bug in Sharn: City of Towers that's normally Large, but will squeeze itself into the body of one of its victims. Nasty.
I designed a memnonic mind flayer once. Instead of feeding off your brain it stole your memories and your very personality. Which either killed you or turned you into a almost mindless slave that was sometimes tortured by faint remainders of memories that stayed just out of reach in the back of their mind. The mind flayer also got those memories so they would know whatever you knew. I have the stats around here somewhere.
I designed a memnonic mind flayer once. Instead of feeding off your brain it stole your memories and your very personality. Which either killed you or turned you into a almost mindless slave that was sometimes tortured by faint remainders of memories that stayed just out of reach in the back of their mind. The mind flayer also got those memories so they would know whatever you knew. I have the stats around here somewhere.
Sounds cool, though more suited for a spy/investigation campaign than a horror one.
I have an issue with the idea of a creature the size of a child fitting into a human body, and being totally unnoticeable. I know, it's d&d and doesn't have to be realistic but it just bugs me.Well, dang, there goes the other idea. There's a bug in Sharn: City of Towers that's normally Large, but will squeeze itself into the body of one of its victims. Nasty.
Sounds like the giant cockroach from MIB.
I read some of the Animorph books when I was younger, and I remember being a little freaked out thinking about this slug crawling in and out of my ear and taking complete control of my body and having all my memories. The thought of having one or all of my family members being controlled by something, or having myself hurt a family member because of this slug that has control of me, just gives me this eerie feeling. Also can you imagine the paranoia that this would breed if the party new about it got split up then met back up with each other? I love this idea to say the least.
Fizz
I would explain aberrations as being anything that might fit into a late-seventies-to-early-eighties bodyshock horror movie. :)
Sounds like the giant cockroach from MIB.I have an issue with the idea of a creature the size of a child fitting into a human body, and being totally unnoticeable. I know, it's d&d and doesn't have to be realistic but it just bugs me.Well, dang, there goes the other idea. There's a bug in Sharn: City of Towers that's normally Large, but will squeeze itself into the body of one of its victims. Nasty.
I was just about to say that. :)
Tequila: The puppeteers from the Expanded Psionics Handbook are very much like the tadpole mind flayer creatures you have described. Perhaps you could use those monsters to base your mind flayer tadpole stats on.
Personally, I have seen so many parasitic (take over your mind/eat your brain) monsters in movies that I am a bit biased against them. Mind flayers are already heavily dependent on other races for their survival (which is why I like aberrations like aboleths and ethergaunts more).
There's a bug in Sharn: City of Towers that's normally Large, but will squeeze itself into the body of one of its victims. Nasty.Sounds like the giant cockroach from MIB.
Yeah. It's called a Roach Thrall, and it's pretty close to the same thing. Pretty darn freaky.
Ever watch Slither? Yeah, there's some mind control slugs for ya.
The way I describe slither to people who haven't seen it is that as Shawn of the Dead is to Resident Evil, Slither is to Resident Evil 4.
Yeah, and by the way Tequilla, if the idea of mindsnatching worms messes you up, then TOTALLY play Resident Evil 4. It's apparently the best telling of this kind of story ever--set in a grim South American setting.
Slither is great, and Resident Evil 4 is great (can't wait for number 5). But it does sort of help my overproliferation of mind controlling slugs in films, video games and literature POV.
By the way, are you sure Resident Evil 4 is set in South America Grimcleaver? I always thought it was set in Spain (you're probably right though).
I actually am a total wuss with horror and "thriller" (just a sneaky way of saying "horror" if you ask me) films. About the scariest thing that I've ever willingly watched is the X Files. When I saw ET and Jurassic Park as a kid, I had trouble sleeping for weeks. Where was I going with this? Oh, yeah: Resident Evil and such look really cool but I have no intention of depriving myself of that much sleep.
By the way, are you sure Resident Evil 4 is set in South America Grimcleaver? I always thought it was set in Spain (you're probably right though).
You know, really you're probably right. I couldn't tell you for sure. All I know was that stalking around in the tall weeds with all those white washed buildings and rusty farm equipment...
Honestly I'm kinda' with you. Alien parasites aren't the thing that scares me. I am a huge horror fan. Huge. A movie that can really scare me, as in have me up for days with the lights on is a movie that I will place on the pedestal of all honor. For me, that movie was The Ring. That movie wigged my crud out. I seriously could not be in the same room as my TV, would jump whenever my phone rang, and made me seriously afraid of drippy faucets. I LOVE IT! Katie in the closet is the worst thing I will ever see in my entire life. Now years later I'm still not over it. I still see it from time to time when I close my eyes. It's burned into my brain.
Hence why the bodak has become one of my favorite monsters--Samara was a bodak. Seriously, look at the description! It's Samara as a D&D creature!
The Exorcist has been the scariest movie of all time for the last 20+ years according to almost every list I have ever seen; that movie really, really bothers some people. I know people that havent seen it but once and are still bothered by it. heh just my wooden nickles worth.
By the way, are you sure Resident Evil 4 is set in South America Grimcleaver? I always thought it was set in Spain (you're probably right though).You know, really you're probably right. I couldn't tell you for sure. All I know was that stalking around in the tall weeds with all those white washed buildings and rusty farm equipment...
Honestly I'm kinda' with you. Alien parasites aren't the thing that scares me. I am a huge horror fan. Huge. A movie that can really scare me, as in have me up for days with the lights on is a movie that I will place on the pedestal of all honor. For me, that movie was The Ring. That movie wigged my crud out. I seriously could not be in the same room as my TV, would jump whenever my phone rang, and made me seriously afraid of drippy faucets. I LOVE IT! Katie in the closet is the worst thing I will ever see in my entire life. Now years later I'm still not over it. I still see it from time to time when I close my eyes. It's burned into my brain.
Hence why the bodak has become one of my favorite monsters--Samara was a bodak. Seriously, look at the description! It's Samara as a D&D creature!
The Ring was excellent, and I had a particularly good (I gues?) experience with it. I was in junior high (or middle school; same difference) when it came out, and was over at a friend's house. His mom rented it for us, but first, we sat up until midnight playing Resident Evil (2, I think), THEN put in the movie.
I start pacing whenever I get nervous, and towards end, I suddenly got off the couch to start pacing around, and my friend looked at me with these massive eyes and said, "Where are you going?!"
"Just pacing, sorry; I do it when I get nervous."
The best part of my experience with The Ring, however, was when the movie was over at around 3 am. He turned the DVD off, and by some fluke of the way the channels were set up, (yeah, it was a fluke, had to be...) the thing immediately went to static. I about crapped myself, and I don't get scarred from movies easily typically!
That movie was excellent because it was so Hitchcock-like. There were some graphic images, but otherwise it was all suspense. At least, up until the end. Good call with the bodak, by the way. I now know how to play one of those bad boys! >:)
The Exorcist has been the scariest movie of all time for the last 20+ years according to almost every list I have ever seen; that movie really, really bothers some people. I know people that havent seen it but once and are still bothered by it. heh just my wooden nickles worth.
Have you seen the Exorcist prequel that came out about 2 years ago? Not nearly as good. I thought the setting was really good for general creepyness but it relied too much on those "scare the moviegoer with a sudden noise" tactics to have any real impact for me.