D&D 3E/3.5 Creature Catalog 3.5 Overhaul Project

[Shade]

"The male krakentua attacks with its tentacles, using them like whips to inflict 1-4 hit points of damage each. A tentacle making a successful hit can also grab its victim, inflicting 1-10 hit points of crushing damage in subsequent rounds. A victim has a 50% chance of having one upper limb pinned, a 25% chance of having both limbs free, and a 25% chance of having both limbs pinned. The victim cannot free himself unless the tentacle is severed. Each tentacle has 15 hit points; this is in addition to the hit points of the body. A krakentua commonly wields weapons in its tentacles, preferring katana and wakizashi."

we currently have this:
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a krankentua must hit an opponent of up to Huge size with a tentacle attack. If it gets hold, it can constrict.

Constrict (Ex): A krakentua tentacle deals 2d6+8 points of damage with a successful grapple check against Huge or smaller opponents.

I think that still works. As for the weapon use in its tentacles, I found this in the darktentacles entry in MM2, which might help here:

Weapon Use (Ex): A darktentacles of Large size can wield a melee weapon of up to Huge size in each tentacle. It is proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons.

"A male krakentua can attack with his fists for 1-10 hit points of damage each, and can also trample any victims who fall under foot for 1-100 hit points of damage."

we have:
Trample (Ex): Krakentua can trample Gargantuan or smaller opponents for 8d12+16 points of damage. Opponents that do not take an opportunity attack can attempt a Reflex save (DC 51) for half damage.

Add "the save DC is Strength-based".

"He can spit a stream of cherry milk at any single victim up to a distance of 100 feet; the victim must save versus poison or be blinded for 2-12 segments."

we have:
Spit (Su): Male krakentua only; line of cherry-milk acid, once every 1d4 rounds, 100 feet, blindness for 2d6 rounds; Reflex save (DC 44) to avoid.

Add "the save DC is Constitution-based".

"He can belch a cloud of foul red mist 50 feet in diameter; victims within the mist cloud must save versus poison or suffer 1 hit point of damage."

we have:
Mist (Su): Male krankentua only; cone of mist, once per round, 50 feet, 1d4 points of damage; Fortitude save (DC 44) negates.

This ability is incredible weak for a creature of its size and power. I'd suggest making it Con damage instead.

got that?

Yep.

"females have continual ESP, clairaudience, detect lie detect evil, and detect good."

we have:
Spell-Like Abilities: Female krankentua only; at will—detect evil, clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect good, and detect thoughts. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (save DC 14 + spell level).

Since "at will" requires them to spend an action, perhaps we could make it something like this:

"Uncanny Insight" (Su): Female krankentua continuously use detect evil, detect good, and detect thoughts as the spells (caster level 12th).

I'd leave clairaudience/clairvoyance as an "at will" spell-like, though, as it is more difficult to use.

"They can induce lifelike dreams in intelligent victims that are indistinguishable from reality. While her victims experience the dreams, the krakentua is able to imprint their mental auras so that she can track them later; the more energy expended by the victims in their dreams (for instance, if the victims imagine they are fighting for their lives), the stronger the imprint. The stronger the imprint, the greater the krakentua’s ability to find them later. Creating the dreams is extremely stressful for the krakentua; she is unable to create dreams for more than an hour a month and never more than three dreams in succession.

and this gives us a nice long description:
Dream Imprint (Su): A female can induce dreams in a sleeping opponent. The krankentua imprints the dreaming target’s aura with a sign that allows the female to track the target at a later date.

The sleeping victim is allowed a Will save (DC 40) to reject the dream. If the save fails the krakentua can imprint the target’s mind for up to 1 hour.

For every 10 minutes spent imprinting a target, the krakentua gains a +2 to its Wilderness Lore roll to track the target. It can track a target anywhere on the same plane of existence as if using a discern location spell. The krakentua can move at full speed while tracking a target in this manner.

The tracking bonus disappears after 1 week as the imprint fades from the target’s aura.

Creating the dreams is extremely stressful for the krakentua. She cannot create dreams for more than an hour a month, and she can never create more than three dreams in immediate succession.

Obviously, Wilderness Lore becomes survival. I'd recommend making the bonus either a competence or circumstance bonus.

 

[BOZ]

OK, reworked the powers a bit. Tell me what you think!

Combat flavor text:
An opponent can attack a krakentua’s tentacles with a sunder attempt as if they were weapons. A krakentua’s tentacles have 15 hit points each. If a krakentua is currently grappling a target with the tentacle that is being attacked, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the opponent making the sunder attempt. Severing one of a krakentua’s tentacles deals (X) points of damage to the creature. A krakentua usually withdraws from combat if it loses (X) tentacles. The creature regrows severed limbs in (X) days.

(female only) Dream Imprint (Su): A female krakentua can induce lifelike dreams in a sleeping target. The krakentua imprints the dreaming target’s aura with a sign that allows the female to track the target at a later date. The sleeping victim is allowed a Will save (DC 40) to reject the dream. The save DC is (Charisma?)-based.

If the target fails its saving throw, the krakentua can spend up to one hour imprinting the target’s mind. For every 10 minutes spent imprinting a target, the krakentua gains a +2 circumstance bonus to its Survival check to track the target. It can track a target anywhere on the same plane of existence as if using a discern location spell. The krakentua can move at full speed while tracking a target in this manner. The tracking bonus disappears after 1 week as the imprint fades from the target’s aura.

Creating the dreams is extremely stressful for the krakentua. She cannot create dreams for more than an hour a month, and she can never create more than three dreams in immediate succession.

(we need a range at which she can do the imprinting, I think)

(both) Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a krakentua must hit with a 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.

(both) Constrict (Ex): A krakentua deals 1d8+X points of damage with a successful grapple check.

(both) Mist (Su): 50 foot cone of red mist, once per round, 1d4 points of Constitution damage; Fortitude save (DC 44) negates. The save DC is Constitution-based.

(both) Spit (Su): Line of cherry milk, once every 1d4 rounds, 100 feet, blindness for 2d6 rounds; Reflex save (DC 44) to avoid. The save DC is Constitution-based".

(both) Trample (Ex): Reflex half DC X. The save DC is Strength-based.
(this is how this line looks in 3.5. damage is listed in the SA line. We had 8d12+16 damage and DC 51 before.)

(female) Uncanny Insight (Su): Female krakentua continuously use clairvoyance/clairaudience, detect evil, detect good, and discern lies as the spells (caster level 12th).
(I’d like to keep them all together. and discern lies is a more accurate translation of detect lies than detect thoughts)

(both) Water Breathing (Ex): A krakentua can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its special abilities while submerged.

(both) Weapon Use (Ex): A krakentua can wield a melee weapon in each tentacle. It is proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons.

(should we note here that it has 7 tentacles? Do we want to keep the “proficient” remark?)

 

[Shade]

For dream imprint, how about a range of 10 miles (the same range as the nightmare beast's [from MM2] nightmares ability?

Good call on discern lies.

Keep the proficiency statement, as aberrations with humanoid shapes are normally only proficient with simple weapons. I'd list that it has 7 tentacles in the flavor text instead of in the weapon use ability, unless we state something like "it may use a weapon in each of its seven tentacles with no additional penalties", if we want to do that.

All of it looks good, otherwise.

 

[BOZ]

one thing now to consider would be how to make the males' and females' ability scores differ. females should definitely have higher Con, Str, and Cha. perhaps the males will have one higher score (Dex, Wis, or Int) and the remaining two scores should be the same. curently, they have: Str 43, Dex 11, Con 28, Int 17, Wis 20, Cha 18

Hit Dice, speed, and natural armor should not be different. skills and feats, however, may. space/reach should be 30/30 instead of 40/20?

 

[Shade]

How about something like this...

Female: Str 43, Dex 11, Con 30, Int 17, Wis 20, Cha 22
Male: Str 41, Dex 11, Con 28, Int 17, Wis 22, Cha 18

Yeah, 30/30 for space/reach.

 

[BOZ]

we might want a bigger divide for Str and Con:

"A male krakentua typically has 200-250 hit points, while a female averages about 350 hit points."

"The male krakentua attacks with its tentacles, using them like whips to inflict 1-4 hit points of damage each. A tentacle making a successful hit can also grab its victim, inflicting 1-10 hit points of crushing damage in subsequent rounds."
"A male krakentua can attack with his fists for 1-10 hit points of damage each, and can also trample any victims who fall under foot for 1-100 hit points of damage."

"Female krakentua are considerably more powerful than male krakentua. Their tentacles strike for 1-8 hit points of damage and inflict 2-12 hit points of constriction damage per round."

but we might actually be fine with what you posted - let me give it some thought after lunch.

 

[Shade]

Another thought...

Assuming that the male is the "base" krakentua, giving the female Improved Natural Attack (tentacle) twice would raise it from 1d4 to 1d8.

Actually, I think the damage needs to be raised for both. These guys are weak for a creature of their size and power. The male has tentacle damage that is normal for a Medium creature, and a slam attack appropriate for a creature in the Huge to Gargantuan range. The female's tentacles are equivalent to a Huge creature, and slam to a Gargantuan critter.

 

[BOZ]

well, of course the damage would be higher, i was just showing those ranges to illustrate that the female does more damage physically than the male. that, and the hit point difference is significant.

 

[Shade]

OK, cool.

Well, since they have 50 HD, the hit point differential is extremely easy to fix. Since the female has 50-100 hit points more than the male, her Con should be either 2 or 4 higher. Voila!

 

[BOZ]

yep. And I’m thinking 4 – would it be too much to make the male’s Con 26, or would it be wiser to buff the female’s even more up to 32?