A Kraken is possibly the largest known creature, with a body 150 feet long and 10 barbed tentacles that can reach an additional 500 feet. Its beak-like mouth is located where the tentacles meet the lower portion of its body. It usually stays in the deepest parts of the oceans, but will come to the surface for prey.

A kraken strikes its opponents with some of its barbed tentacles, then grab and crush its victims within its huge jaws. Once an opponent has been hit, the kraken wraps a tentacle around the victim and automatically inflicts 7d6 points of damage each round. When six of the tentacles are wrapped around a ship, the kraken may crush for 4d6 points of damage to the vessel each round. Victims caught in the kraken’s tentacles attack at -4. If a tentacle takes 60 points of damage it’s severed. Severed tentacles will regrow in 1d10+10 days.

A kraken can jet backward once per round at a speed of 280 feet in a straight line. When a kraken has lost 5 of its tentacles or 50% of its hit points, it will emit a cloud of jet-black ink in a 100-foot cubic area. This can be repeated once per hour. The cloud provides total concealment, which the kraken will use to escape. Creatures within the cloud are automatically blinded.

It is rumoured kraken once lived in shallower coastal waters and had armies of slaves who worshipped them. For some reason they were forced to retreat to the deepest depths of the oceans. In the darkness they grew larger and more powerful. They excavated huge labyrinths in the sea floor. Now they prey on ships for food and slaves which they drag down to their watery dungeons. A kraken will attack a ship in the same way a giant squid does, by anchoring itself with 2 arms and attacking with the other 8. If the kraken wraps 6 tentacles around a ship and squeezes for 3 consecutive rounds, it will cause enough damage to sink the ship.

A kraken’s body is protected by a tough shell (AC 0), but its tentacles and head are more vulnerable (AC 5). Two tentacles are covered with barbs and do 2d6 damage. The other 6 tentacles hit for 2d4 damage. With each successful hit the kraken grabs its victim and holds it. With each successive round the tentacle does an additional 3d4 crushing damage. The kraken’s sharp beak bites for 5d4 damage. Once held, the only way to get free is to sever the tentacle by causing 16 hp damage to it.

Those within the tentacle’s grasp are 25% likely to have both arms held, and as such they are helpless. Most of the time (50%) they will have one limb held and are able to attack with a -3 penalty. The other 25% of the time the victim will both arms free and can attack the squid with only a -1 penalty.

If the kraken looses more then 3 arms it will release the ship and flee. As it does the monster will release ink in the water leaving a cloud 80-ft deep by 80-ft wide by 120-ft long. A kraken’s ink is poisonous and will cause 1d4 points of damage per round until the ink dissipates. The ink lasts for about 5 rounds.