D&D 3E/3.5 Kraken Variants

[Cleon]

According to my Conversion To-Do List thread's note on Kraken Variants, we have to following to work on:

Secondly, I spent a large chunk of Sunday comparing the various Kraken and Giant Squid entries, and we are missing four variant Krakens:

1. In original OD&D, the Kraken is the monster in A Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage, not the sea monster.
2. In BECMI, Kraken are quite different from the AD&D/3E+ version, so I fancy statting it as a "Mystaran Kraken".
3. In AD&D's Birthright setting, The Kraken is an awnshegh in Blood Enemies (1995)
4. Birthright also has an Undead Kraken in Legacy of the Hero-Kings (1996)

In addition, there's the following.

Speaking of OA7, this discussion spurred me to leaf through my copy and I noticed it includes abbreviated stats for a Krakentua Spawn in the body of the adventure (see page 60). That isn't in the index or covered in our Creature Catalogue conversions.

Shall we do them in order?

EDIT: The Leviathan of Nehwon from Deities and Demigods (1980) to LNA2 Nehwon (1990) also deserves consideration since that "squid-like creature" is a Kraken in all but name.

 

[Cleon]

Okay, might as well get started with the first of them.

Here are the Original D&D stats, minimalist as they are:

KRAKEN
Armor Class –2 Move: 18" Hit Points: 100	Magic Ability: (See Below) Fighter Ability: 15th Level

The Kraken comes to us fully described in A. Meritt's Dwellers in the Mirage. It is a giant octopus which is able to live on the land. This creature must be called from another dimension where it is imprisoned, and is constantly trying to leave. It feeds on human souls/energy levels and if the victim doesn't make his or her magic saving throw all his levels are drained. He can be called on by any evil priest knowing the spell.

Originally appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976).


The monster is in the "ROBERT E. HOWARD'S HYBOREA" section of Supplement IV, but as the description points it was created by a different author, although it managed to mispell Abraham Merritt's name.

It also fails to mention the Kraken in question is named "Khalk'ru".


The original novel Dwellers in the Mirage is out of copyright, at least in some territories, so you can read it online on Ebooks or Gutenburg Australia.

There's quite a nice review of it on the Skulls in the Stars website, but unfortunately it lack details about what the monster actually does.

For RPG conversion purposes, this Castalia House Review is more useful.

 

[freyar]

Not a whole lot to go on there. Looks like a lot of melee ability, energy drain, and (from the Castalia review) some sort of teleportation or disintegration power.

I guess the first thing to do is set type and HD. Outsider and between 10-15 HD sound ok to you?

 

[Cleon]

Not a whole lot to go on there. Looks like a lot of melee ability, energy drain, and (from the Castalia review) some sort of teleportation or disintegration power.

It would help if you read the novel but I'll admit it's a bit long.

Anyhow, in the book Khalk'ru is an extradimensional being who is worshipped by two groups of Uighurs. Here's a quote regarding how a high priest described Khalk'ru to the protagonist:

I won't repeat it, except to give the gist of it. Khalk'ru was the Beginning-without-Beginning, as he would be the End-without-End. He was the Lightless Timeless Void. The Destroyer. The Eater-up of Life. The Annihilator. The Dissolver. He was not Death—Death was only a part of him. He was alive, very much so, but his quality of living was the antithesis of Life as we know it. Life was an invader, troubling Khalk'ru's ageless calm. Gods and man, animals and birds and all creatures, vegetation and water and air and fire, sun and stars and moon—all were his to dissolve into Himself, the Living Nothingness, if he so willed. But let them go on a little longer. Why should Khalk'ru care when in the end there would be only —Khalk'ru! Let him withdraw from the barren places so life could enter and cause them to blossom again; let him touch only those who were the enemies of his worshipers, so that his worshipers would be great and powerful, evidence that Khalk'ru was the All in All. It was only for a breath in the span of his eternity. Let Khalk'ru make himself manifest in the form of his symbol and take what was offered him as evidence he had listened and consented.

In the book, Khalk'ru only appeared in his temples. In the main chamber of each temple was a "mystic screen which was Khalk'ru's doorway from the Void" that appears to be an enormous disc or square of amber on the other side of which the ghastly black octopoid shape of Khalk'ru appears to be frozen in space.

The protagonist and at least some of the priests could summon Khalk'ru through the screen. To do this they struck the 'anvil of Tubalka' thrice with the 'hammer of Tubalka' before uttering an "evocation" and performing gestures with a ring (set with an amber stone containing an image of Khalk'ru).

If successful, the amber stone of the mystic screen would canish and Khalkru would start to move, "reach out" and dissolve who- or whatever the summoner directs him to. In one of the book's summonings the protagonist and a priest who each had a ring contested control of Khalk'ru using "sounds whose roots struck back and back into a time before ever man drew breath" in a bid to get the Kraken to dissolve their opponent.

In the first summoning in the story the mystic screen was broken down to a triangular shard that showed a single tentacle of Khalk'ru, resulting in only that tentacle being able to "reach through".

At the end of the story the protagonist uses the hammer of Tubalka shatters a huge disc-shaped mystic screen in a great temple of Khalk'ru, whereupon "For an instant the shape of the Kraken hovered where the screen had been. Then it shrank. It seemed to be sucked away into immeasurable distances. It vanished."

I guess the first thing to do is set type and HD. Outsider and between 10-15 HD sound ok to you?

I'd go for 15 HD and Outsider, or possibly Aberration.

I'm also toying with the idea of making the 15 HD version a "single tentacle avatar" and have a more powerful multi-tentacle version.

 

[freyar]

Hmmm, with that synopsis, I'd be happy to go with your 15HD Outsider "tentacle avatar." I don't know if we need a more powerful version for the full Khalk'ru, but I'd be game to do something on a demon lord kind of level. Let's start with the tentacle, though. And let's definitely call it a Khalk'ru! Sound good to you?

 

[Cleon]

Hmmm, with that synopsis, I'd be happy to go with your 15HD Outsider "tentacle avatar." I don't know if we need a more powerful version for the full Khalk'ru, but I'd be game to do something on a demon lord kind of level. Let's start with the tentacle, though. And let's definitely call it a Khalk'ru! Sound good to you?

Sounds like a plan! With luck I'll put a Working Draft up once I finish working today.

 

[Cleon]

Sounds like a plan! With luck I'll put a Working Draft up once I finish working today.

Oh well, I didn't get around to it yesterday but better late than never.

 

[Cleon]

Khalk'ru Working Draft

Khalk'ru
Colossal Outsider (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 30d8+420 (555 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: Fly 40 ft. (8 squares, perfect)
Armor Class: 42 (–8 size, +7 Dex, +8 deflection, +25 natural), touch 17, flat-footed 35
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+61
Attack: Tentacle +37 melee (3d8+15 plus touch of destruction)
Full Attack: Twelve tentacles +37 melee (3d8+15 plus touch of destruction)
Space/Reach: 30 ft./ 20 ft. (60 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks: Constrict 3d8+15 plus touch of destruction, expert grappler, improved grab, interdimensional suggestion, spell-like abilities, touch of destruction
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., deflection, maddening presence, immunity to mind-affecting effects, spell resistance 35, true seeing
Saves: Fort +31, Ref +24, Will +25
Abilities: Str 40, Dex 25, Con 39, Int 15, Wis 26, Cha 26
Skills: Concentration +47, Diplomacy +12, Escape Artist +40, Hide +24, Intimidate +41, Knowledge (arcana) +35, Knowledge (religion) +35, Knowledge (the planes) +35, Listen +41, Sense Motive +41, Spot +41, Survival +8 (+12 on other planes), Use Rope +7 (+11 to bind)
Feats: Blind-Fight, Cleave, Dire Charge, Combat Reflexes, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell-Like Ability ×4 (enervation, greater dispel magic, mass suggestion, nightmare)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

A titanic octopoidal horror with a dozen tentacles as long as ships and a globular body the size of a building. The creature floats in the air as if it were in water. Its skin is blacker than black, its only color is the red of its unfathomably malevolent eyes whose piercing gaze seems to see your every sin and weakness.

Khalk'ru is a terrifying extraplanar entity whose only interest in the Material Plane is its annihilation. It is known by many titles, including The Dissolver, The Eater-Up of Life, The End-Without-End, The Living Nothingness and The Lightless Timeless Void. The Dissolver is able to subtly influence mortals on the Prime Material Plane, creating insane cults who call upon Khalk'ru to destroy sacrifices or enemies and beg it to spare them. The worst of these cultists dream of summoning their lord to destroy all of creation, but fortunately most cults of The Dissolver are only able to summon an aspect of Khalk'ru (as detailed below). There are several magical items associated with The Living Nothingness, relics of a lost civilization of Khalk'ru worshippers whose nihilism destroyed them.

Khalk'ru is roughly 150 feet across, from tentacle-tip to tentacle-tip.

Combat
Khalk'ru typically opens combat by using Dire Charge and Great Cleave to try to strike as many opponents as possible with its tentacles while simultaneously barraging them with quickened spell-like abilities. If an enemy does not dissolve to Khalk'ru's touch of destruction the octopoid abomination switches to constriction attacks and its other spell-like abilities. When Khalk'ru is presented with opponents too feeble to pose a threat it occasionally holds off annihilating them and merely waits for its maddening presence special attack to transform those creatures into its insane worshipers.

Constrict (Ex): Khalk'ru deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Deflection (Ex): Khalk'ru has a profane bonus to its armor class equal to its Charisma bonus (if any).

Expert Grappler (Ex): If Khalk'ru chooses to grapple an opponent but remain ungrappled itself it only takes a –10 penalty on its grapple checks instead of the normal –20 penalty. It may then make tentacle attacks as normal.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, Khalk'ru 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.

Interdimensional Suggestion (Sp): Once per week, Khalk'ru may use suggestion as a spell-like ability on a creature located on a different plane of existence, provided that the target creature knows of Khalk'ru's existence. This exposes the suggestion's target to Khalk'ru's maddening presence ability (see below).

Maddening Presence (Su): Khalk'ru's presence is so horrific that any creature within 120 feet who observes it are subject to madness. Failure on a DC 33 Will save indicates that the victim takes 1d4 Wis drain. Rather than entering a withdrawn nightmare state, a creature drained to zero Wisdom regains its normal Wisdom score but becomes a fanatical worshiper of Khalk'ru who returns to their home plane and attempts to summon Khalk'ru there. A creature that makes a saving throw against Khalk'ru's maddening presence is immune to it for 24 hours. Blindness is no protection — Khalk'ru's presence is an affront to all five senses. This is a mind-affecting ability. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—astral projection, chaos hammer (DC 22), cloak of chaos (DC 26), desecrate, destruction (DC 25), detect good, detect law, enervation, greater dispel magic, greater scrying (DC 25), greater teleport (DC 25), mass suggestion (DC 24), nightmare (DC 23), unhallow, word of chaos (DC 25); 3/day—dream, quickened enervation, quickened greater dispel magic, quickened mass suggestion (DC 24), quickened nightmare (DC 23), symbol of insanity (DC 26), weird (DC 27); 1/day—implosion (DC 27), storm of vengeance (DC 27). Caster level 20th; save DC 18 + spell level.

Touch of Destruction (Su): Any creature hit by Khalk'ru's tentacle or constrict attacks must succeed at a DC 33 Will save or gain negative energy levels equal to their hit dice. A victim who fails the Will save must then succeed at a DC 33 Fortitude save or their corpse is utterly consumed as if affected by a destruction spell. Creatures immune to energy drain and/or death effects are still subject to the destruction effect it they fail both saving throws. The only way to restore to life a creature destroyed by Khalk'ru's touch is to use true resurrection, a carefully worded wish spell followed by resurrection, or miracle. Victims who have merely had all their energy levels drained by Khalk'ru may be restored to life by resurrection. In either case, restoration spells can be used to restore the lost levels. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

True Seeing (Su): This ability continuously duplicates the effect of the spell.

Aspect of Khalk'ru
Gargantuan Outsider (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 15d8+135 (202 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: Fly 40 ft. (8 squares, perfect)
Armor Class: 32 (–4 size, +5 Dex, +5 deflection, +16 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 27
Base Attack/Grapple: +15/+39
Attack: Tentacle +23 melee (2d8+18 plus touch of destruction)
Full Attack: Tentacle +23 melee (2d8+18 plus touch of destruction)
Space/Reach: 20 ft./ 15 ft. (60 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks: Constrict 2d8+18 plus touch of destruction, expert grappler, improved grab, touch of destruction
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., deflection, immunity to mind-affecting effects, spell resistance 25, true seeing
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +16, Will +14
Abilities: Str 34, Dex 21, Con 29, Int 11, Wis 20, Cha 20
Skills: Diplomacy +7, Hide +11, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (religion) +18, Knowledge (the planes) +18, Listen +18, Sense Motive +18, Spot +18, Survival +5 (+7 on other planes)
Feats: Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: —
Level Adjustment: —

A gigantic black tentacle coils in the air. It resembles the limb of a titanic octopus with sucking discs along its inner surface, but there is something ineffably hideous about it.

An aspect of Khalk'ru is a single tentacle from a terrifying extraplanar entity known as Khalk'ru the Dissolver whose only interest in the Material Plane is its annihilation. Crazed worshippers call upon Khalk'ru to destroy sacrifices or enemies and beg it to spare them. Most cults of Khalk'ru lack the means or power to conjure The Dissolver in its entirety so summon an aspect of Khalk'ru instead.

An aspect of Khalk'ru is a 50 foot long tentacle.

Combat
An aspect of Khalk'ru uses its Cleave and Combat Reflexes feats to try to hit as many opponents as possible and affect them with its touch of destruction ability. It reserves its improved grab and constrict special attacks for powerful or desirable targets.

Constrict (Ex): An aspect of Khalk'ru deals automatic tentacle damage with a successful grapple check.

Deflection (Ex): Khalk'ru has a profane bonus to its armor class equal to its Charisma bonus (if any).

Expert Grappler (Ex): An aspect of Khalk'ru that chooses to grapple an opponent but remain ungrappled itself only takes a –10 penalty on its grapple checks instead of the normal –20 penalty. It may then make tentacle attacks as normal.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the aspect of Khalk'ru 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.

Touch of Destruction (Su): Any creature hit by an aspect of Khalk'ru's tentacle or constrict attacks must succeed at a DC 22 Will save or gain 1d4+2 negative energy levels. A victim who gains negative energy levels equal to their hit dice must succeed at a DC 22 Fortitude save or their corpse is utterly consumed as if affected by a destruction spell. Creatures immune to energy drain and/or death effects are still subject to the destruction effect it they fail both saving throws. The only way to restore life to a creature destroyed by Khalk'ru's touch is to use true resurrection, a carefully worded wish spell followed by resurrection, or miracle. Victims who have merely had all their energy levels drained by Khalk'ru may be restored to life by resurrection. In either case, restoration spells can be used to restore the lost levels. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

True Seeing (Su): This ability continuously duplicates the effect of the spell.

Originally appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976)

 

[Cleon]

Okay, it's not much but it's a start.

I gave it the same size as a Kraken.

I'm wondering about maybe wrangling it so the aspect gains additional tentacles as it advances, becoming a "fully manifest" eight-tentacled Khalk'ru when it reaches sufficient HD.

The Armour Class placeholder of 22 seems a bit low for a 15 Hit Dice Outsider.

Maybe bump that up to AC 32?

We need to decide on its ability scores. I'd be OK using a standard Kraken's Str 34, Dex 10, Con 29, Int 21, Wis 20, Cha 20 as the basic although I'd fancy bumping the Dexterity up to 21 or so.

The original text doesn't indicate whether Khalk'ru is intelligent let alone a supergenius like a standard D&D Kraken so I'd be willing to consider lowering Khalkru's Intelligence to, say, a modest 11.

That'd make it:

Abilities: Str 34, Dex 21, Con 29, Int 11, Wis 20, Cha 20

 

[freyar]

Hmmm, I was kind of thinking that this "aspect" is really just a single tentacle sticking through a portal to another plane. So did you mean that a single tentacle is the size of a whole normal kraken? Or did you mean that it's like a normal kraken's single tentacle? My thought would be to make Khalk'ru itself super-intelligent (as a demon lord level critter should be), but we could reduce the Int for an aspect that's really just a tentacle. It also sounds from the book that the tentacle might be blind and deaf (but with tremorsense or something). What do you think about that idea?