Summary
InDungeons & Dragons, the Aberration monster category contains some of the most iconic creatures to feature in any game, possibly even any game ever. Mind Flayers and Beholders are so synonymous with fantasy monsters that Dungeon Masters are usually champing at the bit to be able to use them.
If your players are D&D experts, however, these classic monsters lose some of their mystique. They know a Beholder is dangerous, but they know its tricks and how to counter them, so you need something new. Something that has the same flavour, but will catch your players by surprise. Read below to find some of the most unusual Aberrations there are.
8Darkweaver
Not For Arachnophobes
Monstrous spiders will always get a reaction from your players, even if they themselves aren’t especially frightened of spiders. A Darkweaver is especially horrid, a creature of the dark Shadowfell plane which only desires to consume what or whoever passes by its lair.
If you want to include a Shelob proxy in your game, a Darkweaver is the best way to do it. Just verify to check in with your players that none of them have arachnophobia. No matter how interesting a monster might be, it isn’t worth it if it ruins the game for any players.
A Session Zerois the perfect time to go over things like this with your players. It allows you to check in about what things they hope for from the game, but also which things are best left out so they can relax and fully enjoy the experience.
7Dream Eater
Stuff Of Nightmares
If you need a monster that can conjure up the fears of your players there’s no shortage of choices, but the Dream Eater is one of the less well-known ones. It’s a shadowy Aberration with some interesting combat mechanics.
The Dream Eater can engulf a target, subjecting it to psychic torment. That target can attempt to extricate themselves, or an ally can try to convince them that the visions the Dream Eater is creating are false. The downside? Trying to help someone subjects you to psychic damage too.
6Eater Of Knowledge
Killer Of Adventurers
Mind Flayers are great additions to any game, but for experienced players, there isn’t much left about them to count as a surprise. They also aren’t very beefy, they’re a serious threat but distinctly lacking in the muscle department.
Throw an Eater of Knowledge into your Illithid encounter to solve both problems. This hulking mass of flesh and brains will catch your players off guard and change up the encounter by giving the Mind Flayers a juggernaut to hide behind.
5Elder Brain Dragon
Draconic Brainiac
Your adventuring party have plunged into the Underdark,fought through the Mind Flayer colony, and is now ready for the exciting but predictable final confrontation against the Elder Brain. Except you have something better in store. You have an Elder Brain Dragon.
This is what happens when an Elder Brain decides it wants to be a little more mobile, and has the Mind Flayer Colony kidnap a dragon for it to attach itself to. It’s an incredible creature to finish a campaign with.
4Eyedrake
The Eyes Have It
You’ve almost certainly wondered what it would be like if a Beholder and a dragon got mashed together, everyone has. It’s a natural thought to have, so much so that Beholders themselves dream about it. And when they do, an Eyedrake gets made.
This unholy amalgam has an odd mix of abilities. It still has the eye rays of a Beholder, but they more closely match the different effects of dragons' breath weapons. It doesn’t have a Beholders anti-magic cone, instead spouting anti-magic breath. This one is sure to keep your players on their toes.
3Flesh Meld
It’s Like A Big Hug
At first glance, you might mistake the Flesh Meld for a form of Undead, but it was never really a living creature to begin with. This sinewy creature is an amalgamation of the flesh of whatever people it can find and consume.
This horrific monster has a number of interesting features, including Spider Climb which allows it to move along any surface, vertical or horizontal. That means you can have the Flesh Meld wait on the ceiling and get the literal drop on your players.
2Gaj
Starship Troopers
Aberrations is the category generally used for creatures that feel somehow alien, and it doesn’t get much more alien than giant bugs from outer space. If you’re a fan of Starship Troopers or Helldivers 2, you’ll love the Gaj.
The Gaj are ambush predators, able to absorb the thoughts of their victims. They’re intelligent and can understand any language, although they can’t speak, so feel free to have them listen to your party’s plans before adapting their own.
1Mindwitness
Monster Mash
If your players have truly grown bored of Mind Flayers and Beholders, why not combine them? A Mindwitness is a Beholder that has been captured by Mind Flayers and converted to become a part of their psychic colony.
It isn’t as strong as either a Beholder or a Mind Flayer, but your players don’t have to know that. They’ll naturally assume it has the combined strength of both creatures and be absolutely terrified at the prospect of facing it in combat.
