8,347
edits
Eldritch Abomination/Tabletop Games: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 5:
* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]'' has whole races of Eldritch Abominations; from 3rd edition onwards, they have been increasingly linked with the Far Realm, [[Eldritch Location|an impossibly vast, incomprehensible place]] far beyond the cosmology of most ''D&D'' settings. A 3.5 sourcebook, ''Lords of Madness'', gave greater detail to the "Aberration" creature type, which is mainly used for such creatures (many of the weirder/most horrible Outsider-type creatures also count).
** One of the various backstories of Asmodeus, the Lord of Nessus and King of Hell, is that he is actually one of these. What others see when dealing with him [[Fighting a Shadow|is actually an advanced illusion]]. Asmodeus' real body is that of a titanic, ''miles long'' serpentine creature who is still injured from being thrown into hell. Because he was some sort of [[Time Abyss|primordial entity who predated the Gods]], and who literally created the Nine Hells when the Gods threw him into them.
** The subterranean illithids (also known as mind flayers) are inhumanly dispassionate, squid-headed alien creatures with vast psychic powers who raise human (and other two-legged) cattle to feed on their brains. They prefer "wild" game, though, as unlike muscles, brains apparently taste better when they've been getting proper exercise. They, at least, are more humanly understandable than most Eldritch Abominations, though their physical form is ''definitely'' inspired by Cthulhu.
*** To make matters worse, the third edition gave us Mind Flayers of Thoon, illithids seriously twisted by a trip to the Far Realm (which, itself, is a breeding ground for [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]]) who worship something known as Thoon. Their numbers include various constructs, Thoon Disciples, Shadow Flayers (mind flayers that can turn invisible), Madcrafters of Thoon (sluglike monsters that can spawn constructs), Thoon Infiltrators (former slaves infected by a Far Realm parasite that can imitate regular beings and create thralls), and Thoon Thralls (slaves that can ''blow themselves up''....really, these guys are legit).
*** Illithids aren't even naturally humanoid - they reproduce by [[The Virus|infesting]] humanoids with their larvae, which then take over and mutate the victim into a new mind flayer. Occasionally they manage to infest nonhumanoid creatures, such as dragons. And larvae that survive long enough without being implanted eventually become neothelids
** Several kinds of demons in the game invite comparisons to Lovecraftian beasties as well, especially the various Obyrith subspecies: they've existed [[Time Abyss|since before the dawn of time]], often have incomprehensible biologies, and just glancing at one is enough to induce new phobias or temporary insanity. One of the oldest horrifies ''reality itself'' and can ''kill'' [[Brown Note|if you get a glance]] at [[You Cannot Grasp the True Form|its true form]].
*** While some Obyrith subspecies and especially demon lords have been present in the game for a very long time, the ''concept'' proper is relatively recent, and ironically not from any [[Wizards of the Coast]] product; the third-party supplement ''Armies of the Abyss'' by Green Ronin ([[Older Than They Think|which came out a few years prior to any first-party mention of obyriths]]) introduced the Qlippoth, inherently corrupt beings of Chaos and the original inhabitants of the Abyss, who created the first demons as slaves and playthings, but were brought low by a devastating war against Order, followed by conquest and occupation by the Eladrin ([[Chaotic Good|celestial incarnations of Chaos]]), and a rebellion of their now more numerous demon slaves. This should sound more than a little familiar to those who know about the 3.5 backstory to the obyriths.
Line 134:
*** Oh, but we're not out of the woods yet, as there's an entire class of monsters based on the theme, called the Unknowns. These creatures include such lovely things as [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/psychodrome.htm a creepy interdiemensional television "signal"] [[Touched by Vorlons|implied to have bounced off of]] [[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]], [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/hobkin.htm a thing that's biology is] [[Bizarre Alien Biology|so alien]] that nobody has the foggiest idea how the thing works, [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/xenogog.htm a diver-masked thing] that can make itself intangible at will; spawns from [[Alien Geometries]]; and can see something [[Ultimate Evil|so horrible in television static that it breaks the TV in fear]], [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/underfiend.htm a horrible thing that is pretty much the embodiment of] [[Naughty Tentacles]], and [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/avazoth.htm the] [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/grenzo.htm Meteor] [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/ziafel.htm Series]; [[Bizarre Alien Biology|which aren't even technically alive]].
*** And don't forget the "honorary" Destroyer, [http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/necromon.htm the Necromon]. Originally just [[The Symbiote]], a unique mutation caused it to grow in size and intellect until is became a [[Physical God]] with control over its smaller brethren-all of which serve as [[Amplifier Artifact|Amplifier Artifacts]] which also were the basis for an ''entire genus'' of monsters. It's [[Lawful Good|friendly]], but it says something that the ''attempted'' replication of it is a capital crime in Mortasheen, on the basis of [[Gone Horribly Wrong|what happens]]. Keep in mind the same people who banned this ''created'' the Destroyers, so something that scares [[Nightmare Fetishist|them]] must be ''really'' bad.
* ''[[Fading Suns]]'' has Void [[Space Is an Ocean|Krakens]]. They dwell in the darkness between stars... No one caught or even photographed them, but there are rather hysterical reports now and then (some of which are fake), and remnants of ships looking like ''someone'' with big suckers likes canned meals. They also seem to steer clear of the Gargoyles - given known effects of the latter, this vaguely supports the notion of Krakens being creeping evil, rather than [[Non-Malicious Monster|mere hungry beasts]].
{{reflist}}
| |||