Converting Al-Qadim creatures

Ok, summarizing:

25HD, still Gargantuan but a bit smaller, extra NA (say +4 at least?), poison ink, slightly lower mental stats, and maybe an additional or different SLA or two. Any changes to physical stats?

I'm not sure about it being smaller. The description says they've grown "huge and powerful" and they do have 25% more HD.

Besides, we don't know what the regular Kraken's 90 foot length represents. It could be mostly tentacle. The Zakharan Kraken is 62.5% tentacle (from 100 foot tentacle + 60 foot body = 160 feet total).

If it has a Reach commensurate with those 100 foot tentacles, I'm thinking we should consider making it Colossal. That'd work better with a 90 foot or 100 foot tentacle Reach. Will we give its arms a 100 ft. Reach too, since it doesn't say they're shorter, or make them 50 ft. Reach?

I'm not sure about increasing its physical stats (or damage). I imagine it's a weak, inbred creature, being an albino. Notice that despite its greater HD the original version has tentacles that do less damage than a regular Kraken's (2d8 vs 3d6).
 

log in or register to remove this ad




Zakharan Kraken Working Draft

Kraken, Zakharan
Colossal Magical Beast (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 25d10+225 (362 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 10 ft., swim 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 24 (-8 size, +22 natural), touch 2, flat-footed 24
Base Attack/Grapple: +25/+55
Attack: Tentacle +31 melee (2d8+14/19-20)
Full Attack: 2 tentacles +31 melee (2d8+14/19-20) and 6 arms +26 melee (1d6+7) and bite +26 melee (4d6+7/19-20)
Space/Reach: 30 ft./20 ft. (90 ft. with tentacle, 50 ft. with arm)
Special Attacks: Airy water, constrict 2d8+14 or 1d6+7, control temperature, fire of the deep, improved grab, spell-like abilities, venomous ink cloud
Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision 60 ft., jet, low-light vision, spell-like abilities
Saves: Fort +23, Ref +14, Will +17
Abilities: Str 38, Dex 10, Con 29, Int 19, Wis 20, Cha 20
Skills: Concentration +22, Diplomacy +7, Hide -3, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (geography) +17, Knowledge (nature) +16, Listen +35, Search +27, Sense Motive +18, Spot +35, Survival +5 (+7 following tracks), Swim +20, Use Magic Device +17
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip
Epic Feat: Dire Charge, Epic Will
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 14
Treasure: Triple standard
Alignment: Any evil
Advancement: 26-75 HD (Colossal)
Level Adjustment: —

Six of the beast's tentacles are shorter arms about 50 feet long; the remaining two are nearly 100 feet long and covered with barbs. Its beaklike mouth is located where the tentacles meet the lower portion of its body.

Krakens speak Common and Aquan.

COMBAT

Krakens strike their opponents with their barbed tentacles, then grab and crush with their arms or drag victims into their huge jaws. An opponent can make sunder attempts against a kraken's tentacles or arms as if they were weapons. A kraken's tentacles have 30 hit points, and its arms have 15 hit points. If a kraken is currently grappling a target with one tentacle or arm, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the sunder attempt. Severing a kraken's tentacle or arm deals damage to the kraken equal to half the limb's full normal hit points. A kraken usually withdraws from combat if it loses both tentacles or three of its arms. A kraken regrows severed limbs in 1d10+10 days.

Air Water (Su): Once a day, a Zakharan kraken can create an underwater zone of "airy water", covering a sphere up to 120 feet in radius or a hemisphere up to 240 ft. radius. All creatures within the zone can breathe the airy water as if it were air or water (whichever suits their respiratory systems the best). The airy water has the physical and optical properties of air or water (the Kraken chooses one or the other when it uses this power). Creatures in the zone of airy water move and fight just as if it were ordinary water or air, as appropriate. Thus, creatures can use their swim speed in water-mode airy water, and can fly in air-mode airy water. An "air-mode" zone of airy water looks like an enormous underwater bubble of air, and nonintelligent Aquatic creatures will instinctively avoid entering it. The zone of airy water has a duration of 25 hours, but the Kraken can dismiss it as a standard action.

Control Temperature (Su): As a swift action, a Zakharan kraken can raise or lower the temperature by 10 degrees Fahrenheit in a 100-foot-radius centered on itself. Subsequent uses of this ability stack, up to a maximum change of 100 degrees, so it could, for example, raise the temperature by a total of 20 degrees after two rounds. Normally, the temperature change lasts for 10 minutes. If the kraken uses control temperature within the area of its airy water power, the temperature change lasts as long as the airy water effect does.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the kraken must hit with an arm or tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can constrict.

Constrict (Ex): A kraken deals automatic arm or tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Fire of the Deep (Sp): As a standard action, a Zakharan Kraken can cause creatures and objects in an area up to an 80 ft. cube with an eldritch glow equal to faerie fire. This glow lasts up to 8 hours, but the Kraken can extinguish it as a (free?) action. This is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell (CL 20th?).

Jet (Ex): A kraken can jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 280 feet. It must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting.

Venomous Ink Cloud (Ex): A Zakharen kraken can emit a cloud of jet-black ink in an 80-foot spread once per minute as a free action. The cloud provides total concealment, which the kraken normally uses to escape a fight that is going badly. Creatures within the cloud are considered to be in darkness.

The ink cloud contains a deadly contact poison, and is equally effective on land and underwater. The cloud persists for 1d4+1 rounds in either case.

Zakharen kraken venom: Contact, Fortitude DC 30, initial and secondary damage 1d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At-will—endure elements (DC 16); 1/day—animal summoning VI (Aquatic only), water breathing (DC 18); 1/day—control weather, control winds, dominate animal (DC 18), resist energy (DC 17). Caster level 15th. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Skills: A kraken has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
 
Last edited:

Ok, I'm convinced on the size increase, but I think I'd boost the physical stats. Maybe not the full amount, but a little. They are "powerful" after all.

Poison seems ok, and I wouldn't object to boosting the damage, either. Should be contact, though. Can it use the ink cloud on land, since it's amphibious? We should think about that.

You're right about the SLAs, but we might add something like faerie fire or summoning just to differentiate it more.
 

Ok, I'm convinced on the size increase, but I think I'd boost the physical stats. Maybe not the full amount, but a little. They are "powerful" after all.

How about increasing the Strength by +4, but leaving the Con the same, since inbred albinos are not noted for their good health.

Poison seems ok, and I wouldn't object to boosting the damage, either. Should be contact, though. Can it use the ink cloud on land, since it's amphibious? We should think about that.

I'm OK with contact, but not so sure about increasing the damage.

There's nothing in the Ink Cloud writeup that prevents it from being used out of water.

You're right about the SLAs, but we might add something like faerie fire or summoning just to differentiate it more.

Adding faerie fire is fine by me.
 

Str +4 is fine.

Well, the wyvern already does 2d6 Con/2d6 Con, and these are much worse. Then again, the DC is extremely high. So I can see both sides about the poison damage.

Should the ink cloud spread turn into a cone in the air? Or does it spread on the ground? Do we need to add something about how long it lasts or how to disperse it, given that it's poisonous?
 

Str +4 is fine.

Well, the wyvern already does 2d6 Con/2d6 Con, and these are much worse. Then again, the DC is extremely high. So I can see both sides about the poison damage.

Should the ink cloud spread turn into a cone in the air? Or does it spread on the ground? Do we need to add something about how long it lasts or how to disperse it, given that it's poisonous?

I'll update it when I can find the time.

No objection to increasing the damage, but I would rather the poison not linger. i.e. have it only lasts 1 round once the kraken expels it. Maybe it rapidly oxidises once exposed to the air/water?
 

Catching up here.

Note that while the primary tentacles do less damage, the secondary tentacles do the same and the bite does more than a regular kraken. I think that's enough to justify the Str increase for size. I'm also thinking Improved Critical (bite).

I thnk the poison should stick with the dimension of the ink cloud, and should not function on land.

Faerie fire sounds good for them.
 

Remove ads

Top