Kraken-lich

[dave2008]

I suppose one issue is krakens are immortal, so wouldn't have much incentive to become liches.

They may not age, by they are not immortal. If you kill, it is dead (as far as I remember). However, a lich would still come back if you destroyed its body. So there is some reason to explore lichdom.

 

[Shadowcortax]

It may not have become a lich willingly.
In the world I made, as long as something has a strong enough soul and a suitable receptacle nearby to act as a phlactery, it can become a lich or just an undead if no phlactery is nearby.

 

[Quickleaf]

Looking to make a Monster that is kraken version of a lich or Dracolich, a krakenlich? Any idea where to start?

Start with a kraken, make it undead, remove amphibious (doesn't need to breathe), and make the following changes:

• Give it the lich's Rejuvenation and Turn Resistance traits.
• Lich condition immunities (charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned), add poison to its damage immunities, and give it resistance to cold & necrotic damage.
• I would not waste time on giving it the lich's Paralyzing Touch, and just let it be a freaking kraken slamming ships apart.
• I would give it the Frightening Gaze and Disrupt Life legendary actions of a lich.
• Give it Spellcasting, but I would select a different spell list than the MM lich. Here's one possible spell load-out:

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, shape water, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, detect magic, fog cloud, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): blur, detect thoughts, see invisibility, skywrite
3rd level (3 s lots): bestow curse, dispel magic, sleet storm, tidal wave (or wall of water)
4th level (3 slots): control water, hallucinatory terrain
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, scrying
6th level (1 slot): chain lightning, eyebite
7th level (1 slot): plane shift, whirlwind
8th level (1 slot): antipathy/sympathy, control weather
9th level (1 slot): weird

 

[Nebulous]

Start with a kraken, make it undead, remove amphibious (doesn't need to breathe), and make the following changes:

• Give it the lich's Rejuvenation and Turn Resistance traits.
• Lich condition immunities (charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned), add poison to its damage immunities, and give it resistance to cold & necrotic damage.
• I would not waste time on giving it the lich's Paralyzing Touch, and just let it be a freaking kraken slamming ships apart.
• I would give it the Frightening Gaze and Disrupt Life legendary actions of a lich.
• Give it Spellcasting, but I would select a different spell list than the MM lich. Here's one possible spell load-out:

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, shape water, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, detect magic, fog cloud, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): blur, detect thoughts, see invisibility, skywrite
3rd level (3 s lots): bestow curse, dispel magic, sleet storm, tidal wave (or wall of water)
4th level (3 slots): control water, hallucinatory terrain
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, scrying
6th level (1 slot): chain lightning, eyebite
7th level (1 slot): plane shift, whirlwind
8th level (1 slot): antipathy/sympathy, control weather
9th level (1 slot): weird

That's great. I think one or two unique spells in the higher slots would be even better though. Just to keep the PCs on their toes.

 

[dave2008]

Start with a kraken, make it undead, remove amphibious (doesn't need to breathe), and make the following changes:

• Give it the lich's Rejuvenation and Turn Resistance traits.
• Lich condition immunities (charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned), add poison to its damage immunities, and give it resistance to cold & necrotic damage.
• I would not waste time on giving it the lich's Paralyzing Touch, and just let it be a freaking kraken slamming ships apart.
• I would give it the Frightening Gaze and Disrupt Life legendary actions of a lich.
• Give it Spellcasting, but I would select a different spell list than the MM lich. Here's one possible spell load-out:

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, shape water, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, detect magic, fog cloud, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): blur, detect thoughts, see invisibility, skywrite
3rd level (3 s lots): bestow curse, dispel magic, sleet storm, tidal wave (or wall of water)
4th level (3 slots): control water, hallucinatory terrain
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, scrying
6th level (1 slot): chain lightning, eyebite
7th level (1 slot): plane shift, whirlwind
8th level (1 slot): antipathy/sympathy, control weather
9th level (1 slot): weird

I general I like it a lot; however, i would probably just pick a few,4-8 spells and put them in the innate casting trait instead of spellcasting.

 

[Shadowcortax]

Start with a kraken, make it undead, remove amphibious (doesn't need to breathe), and make the following changes:

• Give it the lich's Rejuvenation and Turn Resistance traits.
• Lich condition immunities (charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned), add poison to its damage immunities, and give it resistance to cold & necrotic damage.
• I would not waste time on giving it the lich's Paralyzing Touch, and just let it be a freaking kraken slamming ships apart.
• I would give it the Frightening Gaze and Disrupt Life legendary actions of a lich.
• Give it Spellcasting, but I would select a different spell list than the MM lich. Here's one possible spell load-out:

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, shape water, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, detect magic, fog cloud, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): blur, detect thoughts, see invisibility, skywrite
3rd level (3 s lots): bestow curse, dispel magic, sleet storm, tidal wave (or wall of water)
4th level (3 slots): control water, hallucinatory terrain
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, scrying
6th level (1 slot): chain lightning, eyebite
7th level (1 slot): plane shift, whirlwind
8th level (1 slot): antipathy/sympathy, control weather
9th level (1 slot): weird

Thanks I'll probably use that as my starting point and go from there.
Thanks a lot

 

[Quickleaf]

Thanks I'll probably use that as my starting point and go from there.
Thanks a lot

You're welcome. Probably nix see invisibility, as I forgot it has truesight already.

 

[Coroc]

In addition to the traits I listed above, I would maybe give it:

• innate spell casting trait
• maybe give it a version of the lich's paralyzing touch (but with tentacles) or...
• perhaps a necrotic inflicting tentacle attack and...
• a unique legendary action or two.

Yea I did not read 5e stat block I was not aware there is one.

Still paralyzing touch and also spellcasting is pretty unnecessary if you consider the melee attacks and grapple which is as effective but more dramatic than paralyzing touch.
To make a giant octopus a caster offers nothing I can see. I know that dragons are often excellent spellcasters, for them being involved in magic, since many of them able to change into a humanoid as well, this makes sense although their natural combat abilities make spellcasting in combat the less good option in most all the cases.

So if the Kraken lich is intelligent then this should be rather reflected in its tactics, maybe ability to communicate.

 

[dave2008]

Yea I did not read 5e stat block I was not aware there is one.

Still paralyzing touch and also spellcasting is pretty unnecessary if you consider the melee attacks and grapple which is as effective but more dramatic than paralyzing touch.
To make a giant octopus a caster offers nothing I can see. I know that dragons are often excellent spellcasters, for them being involved in magic, since many of them able to change into a humanoid as well, this makes sense although their natural combat abilities make spellcasting in combat the less good option in most all the cases.

So if the Kraken lich is intelligent then this should be rather reflected in its tactics, maybe ability to communicate.

The reason for spellcasting was because of the "lich" part. Traditionally liches, even dracoliches, have been spellcasters. It is not that the stat block needs it, but it fits the flavor of a lich. Same thing for the paralyzing touch, but I personally would prefer adding some necrotic damage like demogorgon or a vampire

 

[dave2008]

Yea I did not read 5e stat block I was not aware there is one.

FYI, the kraken in D&D has always been super intelligent, from the 1e MM2: