Aberrant Crash
The Far Realm is an alien and incompre- hensible universe-unto-itself, a place that twists thoughts and flesh both and where even basic geo- metry can't be taken for granted. To collective relief, rulers and gods on the other side of the boundary seem intent to prevent our known multiverse from tainting what they consider true reality.
Like all great beings, such entities are disobeyed, and crafts engineered to breach the planes enter under inscru- table missions. A landing gone wrong or an attack in midair can cause the impact zone and a much wider area to suffer the madness of the Outside. The rules cease to be, minds are malleable, space and time are not quite as they ought to be—and everything is absolutely tentacular.
Perpetual Change: Unity
The psionic energy suffusing an Aberrant Crash site spontaneously links those in close contact. When one or more creatures are within 10 feet of each other, roll a d6. On a roll of 5 or 6, each creature shares one of its memories with each other creature, as if by the connection spell. Once a creature links, it can't do so again for the next 1d4 hours.
Creatures that have shared memories this way or by similar means can telepathically communicate with each other or with aberrations within the region. Communications are limited to languages the creatures know.
Connection Spell
The Aberrant Crash makes reference to an original spell, which can be found here or via our reddit and instagram accounts.
Regional Effects
Consider rolling on the Aberrant Effects table when one of the following circumstances occurs in the region:
- A creature deals psychic damage.
- A creature receives a madness, is affected by the feeblemind spell, or suffers similar mental afflictions.
- A creature is forced to take actions, such as by dominate person or crown of madness.
Aberrant Effects
| d100 | Effect |
|---|---|
| 01–05 | Each creature within the region is immune to the next instance of falling damage it takes until it leaves the region. |
| 06–10 | Speed loses meaning. For the next hour, a forced march through the region covers twice the distance, and all creatures gain the benefit of the longstrider spell. |
| 11–15 | 5d10 random creatures lose their filter for the next 10 minutes. Each such creature automatically communicates anything it is thinking telepathically to other creatures within 30 feet of it unless it concentrates, as if on a spell, to prevent its thoughts from leaking out. |
| 16–20 | 2d6 corpses within the region with intact skulls crack open and birth intellect devourers. |
| 21–25 | Psionic echoes block your progress. For the next 24 hours, any creature that moves within 10 feet of a random point within the region suffers the effects of phantasmal force. The phantasm can fit in up to a 30-foot cube and is a physical barrier of some sort. Attempting to pass it fills a creature with visions of violence, and it takes the spell's damage. |
| d100 | Effect |
|---|---|
| 26–30 | The next time a creature rolls an odd number for the region's Unity, it gains the ability to cast suggestion once within the next hour. The target must be a creature it connected to with the connection spell. Intelligence is its spellcasting ability for this spell. |
| 31–35 | Hallucinatory terrain is cast on a 1-mile square centered on a random point within the region. |
| 36–40 | The skin of 1d4 creatures within the region secretes mucus for 8 hours. Each such creature has advantage on ability checks to initiate, maintain, or escape a grapple. |
| 41–45 | A random pair of creatures that have communicated with each other via the effect of connection can only speak out of the other's mouth, regardless of distance, for the next 3d10 minutes. This effect doesn't prevent verbal components from being performed. |
| 46–50 | A random sealed flask, bottle, or other container becomes the extradimensional container for a spectator. If released, it is hostile to all creatures, starting with those closest to it. |
| 51–55 | 4d6 tentacles sprout from random surfaces within the region. Each tentacle acts as if a grasping vine and acts on initiative count 20. |
| 56–60 | Any creature within the region can eat part of a dead body no smaller than a finger, gaining the effect of the speak with dead spell on the corpse it came from. The questions are asked telepathically, and a flash of the creature's memories delivers an answer per the spell. |
| 61–65 | 3d4 relentlessly foulmouthed quasits are pulled through the planar breach. They are verbally hurtful, but do not immediately attack. |
| 66–70 | 1d8 creatures within the region must make a Wisdom saving throw against the confusion spell. |
| 71–75 | A random frog within the region gains the statistics, of an ankheg; its size remains the same. Its AC is 20 and it can't grapple creatures, though it can use its Acid Spray at will. |
| 76–80 | Over the course of the next hour, 2d4 hours pass, affecting magic and appointments alike. |
| 81–85 | For the next 6d10 minutes, each creature with a swimming speed can breathe air as well as water if it couldn't before, and has a walking speed equal to half its swimming speed. |
| 86–90 | Evard's black tentacles is cast on a random spot on the ground within the region. |
| 91–95 | Luck and fate are warped by the Far Realm. For 1d6 rounds, if a bonus granted by a trait, feature, or spell is an odd or even number (same as the number rolled on the d6), it becomes a penalty instead. This effect also causes a penalty to become a bonus instead. |
| 96–00 | 1d4 illithids appear in random areas of dim light or darkness within the region. |
Denizens and Desires
The following encounters give examples of creatures and machinations that your party may encounter while among an Aberrant Crash.
Hoarders
Settlements near the crash-site are rife with uneasy rumors about a crime wave. Exclusively thefts, no individual has come to harm but the locals are finding it almost impossible to make ends meet: not only valuables, but basics such as hammers, clothing, and food are all indiscriminately swiped.
This burglary spree is a three-person show: for each, use the statistics of a cult fanatic, thug, spy, or similar humanoids. Each of the trio has clearly been touched by the Far Realm's madness, and has the following indefinite madness: "I must open every door, search through every container, and loot everything I can carry. Anything I can find and take is mine." If the region's Unity affects it, the party catches them red-handed in their own memories.
If found and confronted, roll a d20; on an odd result, they flee, but on on an even result, they stand their ground and fight. Between the three of them, the thieves have 3d4 spell scrolls of up to 3rd level on their person, as well as two potions of healing and one Rare or Uncommon potion. Each of them can cast a spell from a scroll, drink a potion, or throw an alchemical item such as acid or alchemist's fire as a bonus action.
| Encounter Difficulty | Average Character Level |
|---|---|
| Easy | 6th and above |
| Medium | 5th |
| Hard | 4th |
| Deadly | 3rd |
Last Survivor
Although most of the passengers and crew of the craft perished in the crash, one legacy withstood the impact and clings to life among the wreckage. Further from the impact zone, wildlife has thinned and pets in the area have wandered off. Following their tracks and venturing nearer to the debris, the party will come across an illithid: wrinkled, desiccated, starving. But the flayer isn't just crushed by parts of the ship's helm, it has fused into the console.
The range of its telepathy and detect thoughts psionics both increase to 500 feet. When it senses humanoid minds using detect thoughts, its ravenous desperation commands the ship to assist it in survival: it can use its bonus action to teleport any creature it can see or detect 70 feet towards it. A creature can make a Charisma saving throw to resist the effect. On a success, it can't be teleported this way again. Additionally, the illithid can cast eldritch blast with a range of 300 feet, firing three rays each time it does so.
The illithid's speed is 0 and it can't cast levitate on itself.
If the party refuses to kill it or even fight it but has resisted its powers, the illithid is reduced to begging: it will attempt to persuade those before it to give up one of their own for its good, the greater good. It does not repay the favor.
| Encounter Difficulty | Average Character Level |
|---|---|
| Easy | 9th and above |
| Medium | 7th |
| Hard | 6th |
| Deadly | 5th |
Praise Be!
Three kuo-toa and a single kuo-toa whip have surfaced to congregate off a coast, lakeshore, or behind a waterfall, conducting a service in honor of a new deity.
The players can interrupt their fervor with violence, though each kuo-toa is under the effects of sanctuary.
The party can instead direct their belief elsewhere by succeeding at a skill challenge. They must succeed on five ability checks using the following skills before three failures: Arcana, Deception, Intimidation, Religion, Intimidation. A skill can only be used twice during the same challenge.
If the party succeeds the skill challenge, the assembled gogglers venerate them as emissaries of the chosen target of worship, or as a new pantheon unto themselves. Each player that participated gains the benefit of the bless spell for the next 24 hours, and the kuo-toa render an offering of pearls, special reagents, and a fish native to the area.
On a failure, each creature that participated in the challenge is cursed, subject to the bane spell until it finishes a long rest. The fishfolk then proceed to ignore the party.
Consider the following names for new "gods": Amborklah, Dlarbimp, Miglooglith, Voblippkid, Zugluthool.
| Encounter Difficulty | Average Character Level |
|---|---|
| Easy | 4th and above |
| Medium | 3rd |
| Hard | 2nd and below |
