The table of standard monsters that make up the AbSov’s roster includes pretty much every heroic-tier aberrant creature, from Fell Taints (MM2) to the weaker varieties of Mooncalf (Threats to the Nentir Vale). It also includes Heroic-Tier versions of iconic aberrants usually found in Paragon, and non-aberrant creatures and humanoids that can act as covert agents or as the basis for mutated monstrosities with the Plaguechanged Monster theme described here.

We’ll take a look at the new monsters, NPCs, and at the template here.

Aboleth Opener

This is an aboleth specializing in brute-force psychic intrusion, “opening the mind” of its victims using mental attacks and then dominating them for transport to the underground base, where they will become test subjects. It’s a Large Aberrant Magical Beast and a Level 7 Controller with 82 HP and the Aquatic keyword. It has darkvision, a ground speed of 5, and a swim speed of 7.

The Opener projects an Eroding Mucus Haze, an aura (5) that is difficult terrain for enemies and deals 5 psychic damage to any dazed enemy that starts their turn inside. It can fight in melee with its Flaying Tentacles, which do immediate and ongoing damage, but it prefers to stick to mental attacks if possible in order to avoid damaging the goods.

The creature’s title comes from its Mental Lance ranged attack, which deals psychic damage and dazes for a turn. It can then target dazed targets with Enslaved Open Mind, a minor action power that dominates the target (save ends). This recharges whenever the Opener has no dominated victims.

Aboleth Remnant

Not even the aboleths themselves are immune to Spellplague corruption. Exposure tends to turn them into these Remnants, whose body constantly spawns and sheds tentacles and other limbs, and whose mind is in tatters. Remnants can fly, unlike typical aboleths. They’re treated like the rest of the base’s “trash”, and sent up the chasm to harass Neverwinter.

These wretches are Large Aberrant Magical Beasts and Level 5 Brutes with 78 HP and the Aquatic keyword. They have darkvision, a ground speed of 5, a flight speed of 7 (hover) and a swim speed of 10. They project an aura (2) of Maddening Mucus, which acts as difficult terrain for enemies and makes them grant combat advantage while inside.

Their attacks are a Reach 2 Telescoping Tentacle that damages and knocks prone on a hit, and a Tentacle Flurry that targets enemies in a Close Burst 2, damaging and dazing them on a hit (save ends). A miss here deals half damage. This recharges when the creature is first bloodied.

Grell Strangler

This less-venomous variety of Grell is fond of strangling its victims. It’s a Medium Aberrant Magical Beast with the Blind keyword. It has Blindsight 12, a ground speed of 1, and a flight speed of 6 (hover).

Its basic attack is a Reach 2 Tentacle Lash that deals physical damage and forces the target to grant combat advantage for a turn. That last one seems to be a poison effect.

If the strangler isn’t grabbing anyone at the moment, it can use Grasping Tentacles to remedy the situation. This Reach 2 attack does a bit of physical damage and grabs the target (escape DC 16). The grell can immediately shift 1 square and pull the victim up to 2 squares, and while the grab persists the victim takes 5 ongoing damage.

Once the strangler grabs someone, it will use Haul Away to do exactly that. This move action lets it shift half its speed and drag a victim along with it.

These are great for separating the party and messing up their formations. Defenders and controllers should focus on locking them down to prevent that.

Nothic Plagegazer

This monster is entirely made by the chaotic magic of the Spellplague pocket. Its gaze can inflict a debilitating spell sickness on its victims.

Plaguegazers are Medium Aberrant Humanoids and Level 6 Artillery with 60 HP. They have a speed of 6, darkvision, and truesight 10. They exude an Oozing Plague from their skin that causes any creature that ends their turn adjacent to the nothic to take ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends).

The nothic prefers to keep away from enemies and attack them with its Sickening Gaze, which deals necrotic damage, ongoing 5 poison damage, and slows (save ends both). After the first failed save, the Slowed condition worsens to Immobilized.

It can also use an area attack named Spread the Infection. This targets a creature taking ongoing poison damage, and affects an Area Burst 1 centered on them. It deals necrotic damage and inflicts ongoing 10 poison damage (save ends) on those it hits. On a miss, it still inflicts half its immediate and ongoing damage. It recharges when the nothic is bloodied.

If it has no other choices, it will use its claws in melee. They have no riders, but Oozing Plague will probably be in effect here.

Nothic Mindwarp

Another nothic produced by the plague pocket. It’s more insane than usual, and likes to caper and cackle about as it drives others mad with its gaze. It’s a Level 3 Lurker with 42 HP and a Speed of 6.

The mindwarp will try to affect someone with its Warping Gaze, a ranged attack that deals psychic damage and forces the target to grant CA (save ends). While the target is affected by this condition, the nothic becomes invisible to everyone but the target, and its basic claw attack does 1d6 extra damage. On a miss, the nothic still has partial concealment for a turn. The power recharges when the victim saves against it.

So the tactic here is to use Warping Gaze on someone, and then try to attack someone else with enhanced claw attacks, repeating the procedure when the gaze’s victim saves against it.

If the nothic gets surrounded, it can use its Forbidding Glare encounter power to attack enemies in a Close Burst 2, dealing psychic damage and pushing them 2 squares on a hit.

Plaguechanged Monster Theme

A monster theme modifies a monster in a less drastic way than a monster template. Templates turn a regular into an elite or an elite into a solo. Themes add a couple of flavorful powers without changing the monster’s level or “quality”. They’re a great way to really tie a dungeon together, even if the base creatures are very disparate otherwise.

Plaguechanged monsters are affected by the Spellplague. They show the scars or mutations associated with it, and possess magic abilities that use its characteristic blue flames and corruptive effects.

I was mistaken before - plaguechanged monsters do not gain the ability to sense spellscarred PCs, nor do they suffer defense penalties against these PCs. To create one, you just add one attack and one utility power to the base creature from the sets provided here.

Attack powers include:

  • Blue Fire Burst: Encounter, triggers when first bloodied. Close burst 2 vs. Reflex, deals fire and force damage, pushes 2 squares.

  • Inferno Step: Teleport 5 squares and attack a Close Burst 1 on arrival. This deals fire damage and knocks prone on a hit.

  • Scouring Lash: At-will reach 2 melee attack, deals fire and force damage and slides 1 square on a hit.

  • Unraveling Touch Encounter reach 1 melee attack, deals necrotic damage and dazes (save ends).

The attack and damage from all of these are expressed in terms of the base creature’s level, so they can be applied to any monster from any book - even minions, as the DMG2 has rules for applying themes to them.

Utility powers include:

  • Burning Gaze Encounter, minor action. Invisible or otherwise hidden enemies within 5 squares of the creature glow with blue flame, losing the benefits from cover and concealment and granting combat advantage until the end of the creature’s next turn.

  • Devourer of Flame: Encounter, triggers in reaction to taking fire damage. The creature gains temporary HP equal to half the fire damage, and a +4 bonus do damage rolls until the end of its next turn.

  • Wings of Blue Fire: Encounter, move action. The creature flies its speed, and anyone making opportunity attacks against it during this movement takes fire damage equal to the creature’s level.

Rohini, The Prophet of Helm’s Hold

Here we have a surprise NPC big-shot belonging to the AbSov faction. Rohini is the person in charge of Helm’s Hold, which as we saw before has been converted into a hospital for Spellplague victims and has a Realms-wide good reputation for its humanitarian efforts. This is where we learn that the Hold is a front for the Abolethic Sovereignity, and Rohini is their agent. There was already some mention of it in the New Neverwinter section, but this one gives us the full details.

The Prophet of Helm’s Hold presents herself as an attractive and charismatic female human, but she’s something fair weirder. Not long ago, she was a succubus summoned by the Ashmadai and tasked with infiltrating the spellscarred treatment center in Neverwinter’s House of Knowledge. There, a priest corrupted by the Sovereignity exposed her to an artifact named the Hex Locus, a solidified chunk of Spellplague magic. This warped the devil and infused her with the same essence that turns humans into foulspawn.

Rohini’s main mission is to safeguard the Locus, which she moved to Helm’s Hold. Her secondary goal is to collect new Choir candidates from among the Hold’s patients and send them to the underground base. She is called the Prophet because she makes statements about future events that tend to come true (due to AbSov meddling). Her healing blessings are entirely fake, and make patients feel good just as their condition steadily worsens.

Rohini has stats very similar to a standard succubus, making her a Level 9 Controller. There are some important differences, though. She’s Aberrant instead of Immortal. Her basic Corrupting Touch is upgraded to a Maddening Touch that does psychic damage and slides 2 squares. Her Charming Kiss turns into a Soul-Wrenching Kiss that places more restrictions upon the victim.

As before, the victim of the kiss is unable to attack the succubus, but they also can’t willingly move away from her, closing the main loophole in the basic succubus’ power. They also take 10 ongoing fire and psychic damage while under the effect of the kiss. All of this is a (save ends) package, and it also ends when Rohini attacks the victim or uses the kiss on someone else.

Her Loyal Consort power is upgraded to Mind-Warped Bodyguard. Now it works as long as the victim of the Kiss is within 5 squares of Rohini, and lets them teleport to switch places before redirecting attacks to the victim.

Chartilifax

This complicated name belongs to a young green dragon who used to inhabit the Neverwinter Wood, and which Rohini managed to seduce and subvert. Experiments performed by the AbSov’s foulspawn sorcerers have given him the ability to transform into a Medium humanoid like his master, and the Devourer of Flame power from the Plaguechanged theme.

Chartilifax spends most of his days in the shape of a green-skinned elf in the basements under Helm’s Hold, performing menial tasks. He’s also pretty close to Rohini’s seat of power, so he’s gonna be there as a nasty surprise when the PCs manage to corner her.