Source: Monster Manual (2024) p. 187, FRHoF. Available in the SRD and the Free Rules (2024)
Kraken
Leviathan of Legend
Habitat. Underwater
Treasure. Any
Ancient weapons of the gods, krakens slumber in the deepest oceanic abysses, awaiting their time to rise and dominate the world. These massive, many-tentacled horrors combine overwhelming physical might with formidable cunning. Their powerful limbs shatter ships and topple spires, and they use their control over storms to rain down lightning on their foes.
Krakens usually have little interest in mortal affairs. These terrors were created by the gods to wage war in ages long forgotten. Since that era, most krakens have vanished beneath the waves to slumber until the gods call on them again. Some krakens serve divine masters still, protecting deep sea treasures or entire oceans. Others have forsaken their divine creators and pursue their own agendas, manipulating forces beneath the sea and beyond.
Krakens rarely appear on the surface, but when they do, they herald times of change and doom. When roused to action, these titans directly attack coastal cities or whole armadas. Kraken onslaughts persist until their wrath is sated, their divine patrons are appeased, or their egos are placated by valuable offerings. Roll on or choose a result from the Kraken Attacks table to inspire what ruin a kraken might unleash.
Kraken Attacks
dice: 1d8
The Enraged Kraken…
1
Abducts the vessel of a leader or another important community member.
2
Attacks a community from below using flooded ruins, hidden aquifers, or sewers.
3
Breaks a lighthouse or seaside tower, carrying it and the occupants to a secret island.
4
Calls down lightning on any ship that enters its aquatic territory.
5
Carries ships to an inescapable sargassum.
6
Dams a river or cuts off a city’s sea access.
7
Devours all sea life near a fishing community, threatening it with ruin.
8
Masterminds an invasion from the sea by merfolk, sahuagin, or storm giants.
^kraken-attacks
Kraken Lairs
Kraken lairs tend to be sunken temples, eldritch ritual sites, or primeval places of divine power. They might lie deep beneath bodies of fresh or salt water, and they often connect to labyrinths of flooded subterranean tunnels or networks of magical portals.
A quote from Malfeore Serrang
A kraken dreams of casting its tentacles into the heavens and strangling that which birthed it, and when its dream exceeds its reach, it settles for the occasional passing ship.
