19. Faceless Stalker/Hulk - Pathfinder, PF2E
There is an ancient evil that stirs beneath the oceans and in the deep aquatic dark of the many worlds of D&D, one that will only continue to be spoken about in the future and come to this list some day. But for now it lurks beneath the surf, with those in power believing them to be dead or scheming. And while these creatures are certainly always a valid threat, on occasion it serves better to have creatures that can break the veil of being ancient and beyond approach, that can walk amidst those of this world, and be the schemers amongst men. Or sometimes, to simply bear the scars of their creators, and make their own bizarre futures in a world pitted against them.
There are many dozens of creations and minions to the aboleth or alghollthu that have appeared through several different editions, and I have searched throughout to find one that might be a suitable harbinger, zealot, or explorative devotee to their cause. The skum are far too simple and dull, the chuul not quite versatile enough, the cloakers have a lore that has become their own and only meets with theirs in some variants, and the deep walker simply doesn’t have enough lore. The one that stands above the rest however, with the intellect, versatility, determination, and lore to carry both the weight of themselves and the legacy of the aboleth, are the faceless stalkers, or as I will continue to call them by their proper title, the ugothol.
Full disclosure, I love the ugothol. That is all. I’ll continue now. As a basic structural analysis, the ugothol is a doppelganger that goes a step down in terms of its abilities mainly because it needs a long time to manifest a new disguise and this causes it pain, though apparently not enough to bother it much. It does gain greater benefits from a surprise attack however and gains a couple added benefits including an additional bonus against spells or abilities that deal with senses on account of not having a face, some limited damage reduction, a very slow blood drain ability, and the constant ability to know and speak all languages which lets it bypass the will save doppelgangers need to work with to become an effective information gatherer. This still leaves them with a fairly manageable canvas of CR 4 for further classing or advancing. It also has a singular variant called the faceless hulk for disguising as large sentient creatures, which doppelfangers can’t manage, and this larger form gains the additional function to expand like a sponge and push people away. I know. Pretty dope right. Sponge boi.
Naturally dwelling in swamps in the absence of their old master, the ugothols can set out on a variety of wide reaching goals either for themselves or this long lasting connection, something which they follow more ardently than any other allgholthu creation. Crafted initially to infiltrate humanoid settlements on behalf of their alghollthu masters, many also now remain scattered in secret communes across the world. Even still their is still a call within many of them to plant seeds for the return of the ocean and to deconstruct governmental bodies from the inside out. All the while, the ugothol subsist on the blood of victims, which they will often leave conscious but helpless to witness their own slow demise. This does leave them vulnerable to one telltale sign of their trickery though, as they cannot digest solid food matter, regardless of the disguise they take.
Their is one very specific way however in which the ugothol differentiate from their masters and that is found in their approach to religion. Where aboleth are largely atheistic, or at least not revering of any God, but rather elder evils, the ugothol seek the practice of faith whether they retain or are repulsed by their following of the alghollthu. This sense of attempted individuality is a unique quality that could link into many separate paths for them, though admittedly many of the gods they choose to adher to are Chaotic Evil.
There are so many ways that a big bad ugothol can play into your campaign, either by attempting to bring back its masters from its ancient slumber, distinguish itself from its creators, continuing sowing discord on their behalf, or forming a cult to some depraved god or entity. Even any plot you could consider a doppelganger for, you may also think to consider an ugothol first as their disguises allow them to basically inhabit any niche or story of your game.
https://aerial-ace97.tumblr.com/post/671597484730138624/intro-to-bmeg