Kraken Variants

[Cleon]

If I remember correctly, what I meant by "constrict" damage (with quotes) was the damage from the krakendraugr ripping out the harpoon, like you have in the new paragraphs. I think I like these, though maybe we can simplify a little. Have to think about that.

Was the plan 1d10+X for the arms, 2d8+21 for the grapple check damage, and 6d6 for a removal attempt? That seems fine. I think I'd make the removal attempt damage the same for the krakendraugr or for another creature but different from the grapple check damage. They are, after all, different things. Does that work for you?

Se you're suggesting:

Attack: Harpoon arm +32 melee (1d10+14 plus special/19-20)​

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…Whenever the krakendraugr makes a harpoon arm attack against a harpooned creature it automatically inflicts 2d8+21 damage (halved if the creature makes a DC 27 Fortitude save)​

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…A creature, including the krakendraugr or one of its impaled victims, can pull a harpoon arm out of a harpooned creature by succeeding at a DC 24 Strength check, but each attempt deals 6d6 piercing and slashing damage to the harpooned creature (or 2d8+21 damage if the krakendraugr is making a harpoon arm attack to attempt the removal). The harpooned creature is allowed a DC 27 Fortitude saving throw to take half damage.​

Hmm, I think I'd revise the second paragraph to:

…A creature, including the krakendraugr or one of its impaled victims, can pull a harpoon arm out of a harpooned creature by succeeding at a DC 24 Strength check, but each attempt deals 6d6 piercing and slashing damage to the harpooned creature (plus 2d8+21 damage if the krakendraugr is making a harpoon arm attack to attempt the removal). The harpooned creature is allowed a DC 27 Fortitude saving throw to take half damage.​

That way the krakendraugr does more damage completely ripping its harpoon out of a victim (6d6+2d8+21 for 51 average damage) than it does twisting it around in the wound (2d8+21 for 30 average damage).

Would that suit you?

I'm open to suggestions for simplification.

 

[freyar]

That with the revised 2nd paragraph works for me!

OK, moving on. Terrifying Presence? I'm kind of thinking just the usual Frightful Presence of a true dragon would work. I think I'd let characters have more freedom in how they react to panic.

 

[Cleon]

That with the revised 2nd paragraph works for me!

Updating the Krakendraugr (Undead Kraken).

OK, moving on. Terrifying Presence? I'm kind of thinking just the usual Frightful Presence of a true dragon would work. I think I'd let characters have more freedom in how they react to panic.

The original monster's fear effect's description is:

 When the kraken appears, it causes every character to save vs. spell or panic for 2d8 rounds. Panicked characters will try to hide from the kraken, possibly diving into the sea on the other side of the ship.​

That suggests it is far more potent than a dragon's Frightful Presence, which only causes powerful opponents to be shaken at best.

It reads as causing the panicked condition, which is the most extreme version of fear in the SRD. So it's the same effect as the 3E fear spell but with a large and undefined area of effect. It's presumably a decent radius since it can affect an entire ship the Krakendraugr surfaces next to.

 

[freyar]

I guess my feeling on that is that either frightened or panicked could fit the description in the original text. Did 2e distinguish "panicked" as the strongest form of fear? Also, for reference, what did 2e dragons cause in terms of a frightful presence? We should make that comparison.

 

[Cleon]

I guess my feeling on that is that either frightened or panicked could fit the description in the original text. Did 2e distinguish "panicked" as the strongest form of fear? Also, for reference, what did 2e dragons cause in terms of a frightful presence? We should make that comparison.

AD&D didn't have official recognized ranks of terror like 3E but tended to describe the individual effects. One kind just gives you penalties, another makes you run away, a third makes you drop everything and fall to your knees paralyzed with fear.

2E Dragons had a relatively weak form of fear, here's the Monstrous Compendium explanation:

Dragon Fear: Dragons can inspire panic or fear. The mere sight of a young adult or older dragon causes creatures with fewer than 1 Hit Die (as well as all noncarnivorous, nonaggressive creatures with fewer Hit Dice than the dragon) to automatically flee in panic for 4d6 rounds.​

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Trained war mounts, organized military units, and single creature with 1 Hit Die or more, but with fewer Hit Dice than the dragon are not panicked, but they may be stricken with fear if they are within the dragon’s fear aura. The aura’s size varies with the dragon’s age category. The aura surrounds attacking or charging dragons in the specified radius and in a path along the ground directly beneath a flying dragon whose altitude is 250 feet or less. Creatures not automatically panicked are entitled to saving throws vs. petrification. Creatures failing their saving throws are stricken with fear and fight with a –2 penalty to their attack and damage rolls. The aura increases in power based on the age category of the dragon; creatures subjected to the aura receive a saving throw bonus or penalty equal to the dragon’s combat modifier. All creatures with Hit Dice equal to or greater than those of the dragon are immune to the fear effect.​

 

[freyar]

Yeah, I see what you mean. Our aquatic f(r)iend has a considerably stronger version. So just take the first bit from the 3.X dragon frightful presence (ie, the 4HD and less) without the HD cap and change duration. But I'd possibly consider putting a penalty on the DC or something. That could be a pretty strong ability for the likely CR.

 

[Cleon]

Yeah, I see what you mean. Our aquatic f(r)iend has a considerably stronger version. So just take the first bit from the 3.X dragon frightful presence (ie, the 4HD and less) without the HD cap and change duration. But I'd possibly consider putting a penalty on the DC or something. That could be a pretty strong ability for the likely CR.

Might as well use the 2d8 rounds duration rather than the Dragon Fear's 4d6.

Like so…

Terrifying Presence (Su): The mere sight of an undead kraken causes living creatures to flee in panic for 2d8 rounds (negated by a DC ## Will saving throw). The save DC is Charisma-based.​

With thirty Hit Dice and a +5 from Charisma that's DC 30, which I agree is too strong.

Something like DC 20 maybe? So either a 10 point penalty on the DC or it's based on Constitution or Intelligence instead of Charisma.

The former is:

Terrifying Presence (Su) #2: The mere sight of an undead kraken causes living creatures to flee in panic for 2d8 rounds (negated by a DC 20 Will saving throw). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a –10 racial penalty.​

Apart from that, we need numbers for its Armour Class and Jet speed.

The Undead Kraken had AC 2/–1, which is either 3 or 1 point better than a living AD&D Kraken's AC 5/0. Three and one averages to two, suggesting AC 22 for our boy as a 3E Kraken is AC 20.

That conveniently matches its AC with the same natural armour as a regular Kraken, since the Krakendraugr has a two point higher DEX bonus:

Armor Class: 22 (–4 size, +2 Dex, +14 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 20​

As for the Jet, the AD&D original jetted at 6/7th the speed of a living Kraken, which Jets at 280 feet in 3E, so an exactly proportional match would be:

Jet (Ex): An undead kraken can jet backward once per round as a full-round action, at a speed of 240 feet. It must move in a straight line, but does not provoke attacks of opportunity while jetting.​

Would that suit you?

 

[freyar]

I can agree to all of that with option 2 for Terrifying Presence.

What's the question mark for on the bite?

 

[Cleon]

I can agree to all of that with option 2 for Terrifying Presence.

Updating the Krakendraugr (Undead Kraken).

I used "krakendraugr" instead of "undead kraken" in the update.

What's the question mark for on the bite?

We hadn't actually discussed the base damage for the bite so I left a question mark in it, although I was expecting we'd give it the same 4d6 damage as a 3E Kraken as the AD&D Undead Kraken bit for 7d4 like a living AD&D Kraken.

 

[freyar]

You can drop the question mark; that base damage is fine.

Let's go with Superior Initiative for the bonus feat. I guess we can drop Imp Init then, logically speaking, though some part of me kind of wants both of them.