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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 00:11:50
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Aboleths are powerful psionics. The phaerimm, in comparison, also have powerful mind-controlling spells as part of their magical arsenal, powerful enough to have been able to control eye tyrants and illithids. I wonder who will win should their paths cross and they have to pit their powers against each other?
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Every beginning has an end. |
Edited by - Dennis on 14 Jun 2010 00:12:55
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 00:24:00
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| I'd put some money on the Phaerimm. I don't know their exact game stats for any edition, but I vaguely recall they're both similarly powerful. The Phaerimm, at their height at least, were highly organised and aggressive (see: Karsus Folly), while the Aboleths are relatively disorganised (they don't have a single genocidal empire, AFAIK). There is the Abolethic Sovereignty, of course, but that's less Aboleths only and more Aboleths and every other Lovecraftian horror you care to name. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 00:37:15
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| I'd go for the Phaerimm,too. As I understand, aboleths are not as versatile as the phaerimm in terms of spellcasting, so while they may be in a tie in psionic powers, the phaerimm will break the tie through fast-cast, powerful spells. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Kilvan
Senior Scribe
Canada
896 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 00:47:06
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| I thought that the aboleth's power was similar to the Illithid's and the eye tyrant's. In that case, they would be canon fodder for any underwater war that the Phaerimms would care to wage, just like the Illithids and beholders were against Evereska. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 01:02:09
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Don't you know that there is an ancient, primordial connection between the two races? That a group of plane-hopping Aboleths split-off from the main group early-on and were corrupted and changed by swimming through the planer Seas?
Of course, I just made that up... but it sounds kinda cool. 
Reminds of the connection between the Skrulls and the Dire Wraiths. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 14 Jun 2010 02:10:57 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 01:14:03
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I think Bruce mentioned (or implied) in Plague of Spells that the aboleths are more powerful than the illithids...And I couldn't help but wonder if they are as great as the phaerimm at least in terms of mind-control abilities. The phaerimm's upperhand, as it appears, is their swift, deadly spellcasting abilities. In Return of the Archwizards, they even copied almost to perfection the Chosen' silverfire.
Anyway, say, an aboleth, in a very rare chance, catches a phaerimm (which is, let us also say, as old as the former) and manages to ensnare it in a web of mind-control magic, will it be able to ACTUALLY control it?
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Every beginning has an end. |
Edited by - Dennis on 14 Jun 2010 01:18:46 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 01:17:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Don't you know that their is an ancient, primordial connection between the two races? That a group of plane-hopping Aboleths split-off from the main group early-on and were corrupted and changed by swimming through the planer Seas?
Of course, I just made that up... but it sounds kinda cool.
Reminds of the connection between the Skrulls and the Dire Wraiths.
sounds interesting... |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 02:21:38
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There is a great scene (written by Elaine Cunningham of course) in Starlight and Shadows wherein an Illithid and an Aboleth have an occasionally 'duel' - the Aboleth 'eats' someone the Illithid needs to interogate, and then the Illithid mind-probes the Aboleth to find out all the information.. but the Aboleth resists. Its sort of a game they play, and the Illithid doesn't let on how strong it really is - it makes the confrontation seem close and even throws a few.
IIRC, it turns out the Aboleth was doing the same thing. 
I got the idea that the Aboleths are the only other creatures in the Underdark, aside from Drow, that Illithids fear/respect (which amounts to the same thing in the night Below).
By the same token, we saw how easily a VERY resourceful Drow member of Bregan D'aerthe was taken by an Aboleth in WotSQ. So it appears that although illithids respect both as near-equals, the Aboleths still consider the Drow merely food.
How does that saying go? "There's always a 'bigger fish'"  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 14 Jun 2010 02:22:47 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 05:32:06
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I only read Daughter of the Drow of that series. In which book did that occur? |
Every beginning has an end. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 05:43:33
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quote:
Originally posted by dennis
I only read Daughter of the Drow of that series. In which book did that occur?
Tangled Webs, as I recall. There's some follow-up in Windwalker as well. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 05:56:07
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Thanks, Sage.
Is it in canon that despite being a bigger fish in the Underdark, the Aboleths are "naturally" below the Phaerimm's might, and therefore stand no chance against them? |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2010 : 06:04:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
There is a great scene (written by Elaine Cunningham of course) in Starlight and Shadows wherein an Illithid and an Aboleth have an occasionally 'duel' - the Aboleth 'eats' someone the Illithid needs to interogate, and then the Illithid mind-probes the Aboleth to find out all the information.. but the Aboleth resists. Its sort of a game they play, and the Illithid doesn't let on how strong it really is - it makes the confrontation seem close and even throws a few.
IIRC, it turns out the Aboleth was doing the same thing.
Would the same thing have happened had the ones probing each other were the Eldest (the most powerful Aboleth) and the Elder Brain?
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Every beginning has an end. |
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe
USA
830 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 03:55:44
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This is just my opinion, but it always bugged me a bit that they used an existing core aberration with seemingly mild influence and history with the Realms for the big bad Cthulhoid aberration menace.
There were always the Phaerimm who were more or less unique to the Realms with lots of history in the setting. Imagine the collective underpants soiling if it was revealed the Phaerimm who caused the demise of Netheril were just wayward degenerate neutered Phaerimm children and the real threat is arising after eons.
Failing that, a new aberration would have been interesting to see where they went with it. |
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 11:37:02
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| Who'd win from their fight, the Sharns . |
z455t |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 12:29:25
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Maybe the Malaugrym |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 19:07:09
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A strange and powerful race of wizards connected to Shadow that return to Faerūn to wreak havoc?
yes, we had the Malaugrym, but for some reason someone thought being redundant and doing the SAME DAMN THING with the Netherease would be uber kewl. 
Now I'm going to start bashing 3e lore LOL....
Self-Edit: I erased what I had here - not the place for it, and my mood today will get me into trouble. {sigh} |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2010 : 19:56:37
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After reading the Shadow's of the Avatar trilogy, I really like the Shadowmaster's.
I wonder what they are up to in the Shadowfell in 1480 DR?
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will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
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Edited by - Brimstone on 15 Jun 2010 20:03:55 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2010 : 08:07:17
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Do the phaerimm have ELDER EVILS? |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2010 : 10:12:04
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Hmmm, I think they're powerful, self-centered, and evil enough to have that treatment.
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Every beginning has an end. |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 15:04:27
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They're a bit like Lovecraft's Great Race of Yith.
The phaerimm are individually more powerful, if you consider the number of aboleths (12 000 in Llurth Dreier e.g.) and the racial memory, aboleths have an advantage. |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jun 2010 : 15:06:25
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| The Phaerimm caused havoc for the Netherese. I say they would win. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jun 2010 : 00:52:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Alisttair
The Phaerimm caused havoc for the Netherese. I say they would win.
My thoughts exactly. But if the battleground happens to be at sea, the aboleths might have a chance.
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Every beginning has an end. |
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Aboleths vs. Phaerimm
