Kraken
Overview
Beneath the waves, the kraken sleeps for untold ages, awaiting some fell sign or calling. Land-born mortals who sail the open sea forget the reasons their ancestors dreaded the ocean, even as the races of the deep ignore strange gaps in their histories when their civilizations nearly vanished after the appearance of the tentacled horror.Leviathans of Legend
At the beginning of time, krakens served as fierce warriors of the gods. When the gods’ wars ended, the krakens shrugged free of their servitude, never again to be bound by other beings. Whole nations quake in fear when the kraken emerges from its dark depths, and even in the middle of the deepest oceans, storms rise or abate according to its will. The kraken is a primeval force that obliterates the greatest achievements of civilization as if they were castles in the sand. Its devastating attacks can destroy ocean trade and halt communication between coastal cities. An ominous darkness presages a kraken’s attack, and a cloud of inky poison colors the water around it. Galleons and warships vanish when its tentacles uncoil from the deep, the kraken breaking their masts like kindling before drawing down ships and crew. Not even landlocked surface dwellers are safe from a kraken’s wrath. Krakens can breathe air as easily as water, and some crawl up rivers to nest in freshwater lakes, destroying cities and towns along the way. Adventurers tell of these monsters lairing in the ruins of lakeside citadels, their tentacles twined around leaning towers of disintegrating stone.Mortal Foes
Some krakens are virtual gods, with cults and minions spread across sea and land. Others are allied with Olhydra, the evil Princess of Elemental Water, and use her cultists to enforce their will on land and sea. A kraken pleased with its worshipers can becalm rough seas and bring a bounteous harvest of fish to the faithful. However, the devious mind of a kraken is ancient beyond reckoning, and is ultimately bent to the ruination of all things.A Kraken's Lair
A kraken lives in dark depths, usually a sunken rift or a cavern filled with detritus, treasure, and wrecked ships.Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the kraken takes a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects:- A strong current moves through the kraken’s lair. Each creature within 60 feet of the kraken must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 60 feet away from the kraken. On a success, the creature is pushed 10 feet away from the kraken.
- Creatures in the water within 60 feet of the kraken have vulnerability to lightning damage until initiative count 20 on the next round.
- The water in the kraken’s lair becomes electrically charged. All creatures within 120 feet of the kraken must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Regional Effects
The region containing a kraken’s lair is warped by the creature’s blasphemous presence, creating the following magical effects:- The kraken can alter the weather at will in a 6-mile radius centered on its lair. The effect is identical to the control weather spell.
- Water elementals gather within 6 miles of the lair. These elementals can’t leave the water.
- Aquatic creatures within 6 miles of the lair that have an Intelligence score of 2 or lower are charmed by the kraken and aggressive toward intruders in the area.
Juvenile Kraken CR: 14 (11,500 XP)
STR
24 +7
DEX
11 +0
CON
20 +5
INT
19 +4
WIS
15 +2
CHA
17 +3
Amphibious. The kraken can breathe air and water. Freedom of Movement. The kraken ignores difficult terrain, and magical effects can't reduce its speed or cause it to be restrained. It can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.
Actions
Multiattack. The kraken makes two tentacle attacks, each of which it can replace with a fling attack. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 3d8 + 7 piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature grappled by the kraken, that creature is swallowed and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the kraken, and it takes 6d6 acid damage at the start of each of the kraken's turns. One Medium or two smaller creatures can be swallowed at the same time. If the kraken takes 35 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the kraken must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in spaces within 10 feet of the kraken. If the kraken dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 10 feet of movement, exiting prone. Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 20 feet, one target. Hit: 3d6 + 7 bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 20). Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained. The kraken has ten tentacles, each of which can grapple one target. Fling. One Medium or smaller object held or creature grappled by the kraken is thrown up to 40 feet in a random direction and knocked prone. If a thrown target strikes a solid surface, the target takes ld6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the target is thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone. Lightning Strike. The kraken magically create a bolt of lightning, which can strike a target the kraken can see within 90 feet of it. The target must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The kraken can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The kraken regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Tentacle Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The kraken makes one Tentacle attack. Fling. The kraken uses Fling. Ink Cloud (Costs 3 Actions). While underwater, the kraken expels an ink cloud in a 40-foot radius. The cloud spreads around corners, and that area is heavily obscured to creatures other than the kraken. Each creature other than the kraken that ends its turn there must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 2d010 poison damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. A strong current disperses the cloud, which otherwise disappears at the end of the kraken's next turn.
Kraken CR: 23 (50,000 XP)
STR
30 +10
DEX
11 +0
CON
25 +7
INT
22 +6
WIS
18 +4
CHA
20 +5
Amphibious. The kraken can breathe air and water. Freedom of Movement. The kraken ignores difficult terrain, and magical effects can’t reduce its speed or cause it to be restrained. It can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled. Siege Monster. The kraken deals double damage to objects and structures.
Actions
Multiattack. The kraken makes three tentacle attacks, each of which it can replace with one use of Fling. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 3d8 + 10 piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature grappled by the kraken, that creature is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the kraken, and it takes 12d6 acid damage at the start of each of the kraken’s turns. If the kraken takes 50 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the kraken must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the kraken. If the kraken dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone. Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 30 feet, one target. Hit: 3d6 + 10 bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The kraken has ten tentacles, each of which can grapple one target. Fling. One Large or smaller object held or creature grappled by the kraken is thrown up to 60 feet in a random direction and knocked prone. If a thrown target strikes a solid surface, the target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the target is thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone. Lightning Storm. The kraken magically creates three bolts of lightning, each of which can strike a target the kraken can see within 120 feet of it. A target must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary Actions
The kraken can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The kraken regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Tentacle Attack or Fling. The kraken makes one tentacle attack or uses its Fling. Lightning Storm (Costs 2 Actions). The kraken uses Lightning Storm. Ink Cloud (Costs 3 Actions). While underwater, the kraken expels an ink cloud in a 60-foot radius. The cloud spreads around corners, and that area is heavily obscured to creatures other than the kraken. Each creature other than the kraken that ends its turn there must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d10 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A strong current disperses the cloud, which otherwise disappears at the end of the kraken’s next turn.
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