Aballin

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, most commonly the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the Aballin is an ooze. They resemble large puddles of stagnant, jelly-like water. (They are actually oozes though, not elemental creatures of water, because their substance, though it resembles water, is actually an acid.) They were supposedly created in ancient times when a druid fell victim to an archwizard's curse and turned into the first aballin. All other aballins are thought to be descended from her.

Publication history

The aballin was introduced in second edition Fiend Folio Monstrous Compendium supplement book (1992).^[1] It also appeared for the Forgotten Realms in the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993),^[2] and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994).^[3]

The aballin was introduced for third edition in the Monsters of Faerûn supplement book (2001).^[4]

Characteristics and habits

Like most oozes, aballins live underground. Unlike some oozes, however, most of which merely drag themselves around and engulf whatever they find, aballins have a more sophisticated way of feeding. They lie dormant until prey comes along, and the said prey notices coins and other treasures, the remnants of the aballin's previous victims, floating at the bottom of the creature. Thinking it to be merely water, they reach in to retrieve the treasures, and then the aballin lashes out with liquid pseudopods, grapples with the victim, and pulls them in and drowns them.

Aballins cannot speak, and they are regarded as neutral in alignment.

References