Page 197 - Monster Manual [11th Print]

K R A K E N
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 demesne, 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 OJ hydra, 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 KRAKE ' S LAIR
N
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 suc­
ceed 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
1
charged. All creatures within 2 0 feet of the kraken
• must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw,

K R AKEN