ANDREW BOSWELL

The

Slayers Guide
To

Kraken
Andrew Boswell

Contents Credits
Editor
2 Introduction
Daniel Bishop
3 Kraken Physiology
7 Habitat Cover Art
9 Kraken Society Nathan Webb
13 Methods of Warfare
Interior Illustrations
14 Roleplaying Kraken Gillian Pearce
18 Scenario Hooks and Ideas
20 Antangil Production Manager
28 Kraken Reference List Alexander Fennell
31 D20 & OGL License
Proof-Reading
Ian Barstow

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INTRODUCTION

The Slayers Guides

Introduction Each of the Slayers Guides deals with a specific
species that may have been neglected, or is in need

N
early all monsters are shrouded in some
mystery. Even the so-called common of attention to make them more real for the hard-
beasts that plague the intelligent races are in pressed Games Master. The Slayers Guide to
some ways unknown despite efforts to probe their Kraken presents, not a common foe that parties of all
secrets. Many become increasingly familiar to us as sizes might encounter and best, but a monster that
we constantly ask of our friends and allies, and from only the very powerful would ever dream of
this information we piece together what we can. tackling. In this manual you will learn about their
However, there are some creatures that will forever mysterious origins, meet their god the one true
resist our attempts. Those that live beyond the Kraken, discover how they were cast out onto this
material world are, by definition, inexplicable: plane in shame, learn about their astounding
anything we can learn is so otherworldly as to defy physiology and their perverse societies.
interpretation. However, even here on this plane
there are creatures that we cannot hope to gather Kraken False God
much information on. Of these creatures, the kraken
stands in the forefront as the most mysterious. of the Deep
The kraken is a solitary beast of enormous power
These behemoths, which dwarf all except the largest and age. Formed in the elemental plane of water but
ships, dwell in the depths of the ocean with near- then cast out, each one is a demented, often insane,
unimaginable pressure bearing down on them. They representative of their own religion. They are the
live for millennia, have the strength to drag whole unloved avatars of a god that rejected them. Now
ships beneath the waves, and possess powers and they seek to found religions in their own name, or to
intellect that make them formidable foes. While no return to their home and wreak revenge.
kraken ever encountered has been passive or
friendly, neither have they been mindlessly Encounters with a kraken, for no mortal would ever
destructive or stupidly evil, though to our eyes it wish to meet more than one, will seldom be to the
may seem so. Their brain capacity likely exceeds adventurers advantage. In the deep sea, the kraken
our own and they rule a domain so different from has all the advantages. On land, where a kraken may
ours that we cannot even begin to understand what have created slave or subject societies, that society
motivates them. Even the habitats of coastal marine at large will resist assaults on their god. In the
humanoids are so different from the ocean depths elemental plane of water, where more of their kind
that these creatures can only guess at the mind of the and indeed the patron deity of many non-humanoids
kraken. dwell, they assume even more awesome powers. A
kraken is not merely a monstrous foe it is the core
Yet even the darkest mystery may be solved by the around which an entire campaign may be based.
application of logic. This manual represents the
greatest gathering of information available
concerning these beasts of the deep. Great personal
expense, and no small investment by my patron, who
has an unfettered interest in preserving free trade on
the waves, has resulted in this: the first, most
authoritative guide to the kraken. Disregard it at
your peril, for herein lies everything that is currently
known about these beasts, and therefore it may well
contain the very instrument of your deliverance
when the titanic tentacles enclose your ship in the
dead of night

2
 KRAKEN PHYSIOLOGY

Their eyes are, quite simply, the largest of any living

Kraken creature, being over two feet in diameter, capable of
distinguishing colour and movement over long
distances even in the lightless environment of the
Physiology deep sea. Like the ordinary squid they are expert,
though comparatively slow, swimmers who, through

T
he kraken, distinct from ordinary giant squid, chemically controlled swim bladders, can descend to
which only reach some 50 feet, are not remarkable depths. It is speculated that they alone,
native to this plane. They share many of the of all the sea dwellers, can actually descend to the
characteristics of those creatures, and this has led oceans floor and return to the surface without
many to suppose that they are a product of natural imploding or exploding respectively. Movement
evolution; however, the differences are quite and respiration are controlled in the same fashion as
marked. First and foremost is their enormous size, ordinary squids; that is, by sucking water into spaces
with kraken growing to be up to 200 feet long. Well around its head cavity and then expelling it out
over half of this length is tentacles, of which they again. This fans water through the paired gills, each
have only eight, in comparison to the normal ten of of which is easily as large as a rowing boat. There
other squid. Nestled at the base of the tentacles is are no free air compartments in its body which allow
the beak. Any unfortunate victim brought to the it to withstand the compressive forces of the deep
beak has little chance of escaping intact as its size, sea without rupturing, though of course its size
and the musculature powering it, is quite capable of diminishes as it moves further down in the water
biting through the hull of a ship. column. Movement up through the sea from great
depths is undertaken slowly, not to avoid the bends
Critical Hits Against Kraken (they do not breathe air and thus have no nitrogen to
When attacking a kraken, a critical hit may have the bubble), but to prevent the explosive expansion of
additional effect of striking a specific location, such the tissue itself.
as an eye or tentacle. Whenever a critical threat is
scored against a kraken, roll on the following table. To control its movement, the kraken has a large
water jet that sits below the axis of the tentacles
projecting out from the hood of the head. This is a
Critical Hit Location (roll 1d20) very dexterous organ and can direct the flow of
1 Left Eye water in any direction, allowing the kraken to move
2 Right Eye freely. The fastest motion is attained when the jet is
3-10 Tentacle directed straight backwards (towards the creatures
11+ Body tentacles), which is what most people would expect.
In addition to causing normal damage, any hit to an Kraken eggs are laid in open waters. They are
eye that causes 10 or more points of damage blinds buoyancy-neutral and float at about the 2,000-foot
that eye and will cause the kraken to disengage and mark. Each egg is laid from a batch of roughly two-
flee. Kraken position themselves when attacking, so dozen, with at least a mile or two separating it from
that their eyes are either below the surface of the its nearest sibling. They are approximately four feet
water, or as far away as possible from the action. Any long and distinctly oval, with only the enormity of
blow dealing 25 or more points of damage to a the sea protecting them from predators, such as giant
tentacle will sever it. If three or more tentacles are squid. After only thirteen or fourteen days the eggs
severed the beast will similarly flee. hatch out into giant squid, differing from their
natural cousins only in that they have eight
If injured in this way, the kraken will recover from its tentacles, like their parents. However, from the
wounds at a rate of five hit points a month, with eyes moment of their birth they behave in exactly the
or tentacles growing back over the appropriate same way as their giant-sized relatives. Perhaps the
period. Even if the damage is magically healed, a only interesting thing about the offspring of the
new tentacle will still take five months to fully grow kraken is that they instinctively recognise genuine
back, unless specific regenerative magic, such as a kraken, becoming docile and submissive in their
regenerate spell, or a ring of regeneration is used. presence. It has been speculated that some form of
communication may be taking place and we suspect

3
KRAKEN PHYSIOLOGY

that the offspring treat their elders with a religious consider the ink from an octopus to be a spicy
awe but the truth is, we simply do not know. delicacy: doubly so for kraken ink, though it would
probably have to be the scarcest and most expensive
Kraken Offspring of all the spices. Scarcer still is the ink that comes
For all kraken offspring born in the material world from the bioluminescent kraken. These beasts can
use the giant squid presented in Core Rulebook III, squirt out a cloud of luminous ink in the same
with the exception that they have only eight quantities as the more common black ink. At
tentacle rake attacks. shallower depths this appears as a milky substance
and is less effective as a screen. At greater depths,
Bodily products useful to apothecaries such as the where black ink is similarly less effective, it creates a
pen, ink, chromatophore cells, nerve fibres and skin dazzling cloud that shocks darkness-acclimatised
are still valuable, but attract only half the value eyes and easily allows the escape of the producer. In
described later in this chapter, and are only half as both cases the ink is a valued component in magical
effective. scribing. Good money is paid the world over for
genuine kraken ink of high purity and
Internally they have a single rigid structure: the so- concentration.
called pen, which runs the length of the head and is
consequently up to 65 feet in length. It is primarily Kraken Ink
a shell-like material and is used to give some At depths of less than 400 feet, the luminous ink
rigidity as well as to anchor the musculature. cloud provides only one-half concealment, and
Though rarely acquired, shipwrights prize this creatures within the cloud suffer the effects of dense
structure for its length, strength and workability. It fog. At depths greater than 400 feet, the luminous
can be cut and sawn to any shape required, and is cloud is fully effective, providing the full benefits as
occasionally seen in magnificent elven ships in the detailed in Core Rulebook III. Conversely, at depths
form of spars and sometimes even full masts. greater than 400 feet, the black ink cloud of normal
kraken is only half as effective, as detailed above.
Externally, most are covered with what are known as
chromatophores. These are pigmented cells that can A kraken does not have eyelids and does not sleep
change colour on command and, while less in any way that we would understand. However,
expressive than those of the cuttlefish, are fully every few days it falls into a torpor, floating at a
capable of transmitting a wide range of emotional steady depth or wallowing on the surface. This
information and putting on a magnificent show. A torpor lasts only a few hours, and is a kind of
rare few are covered instead with cells that are meditative trance: once alerted to any threats nearby
bioluminescent, meaning that they glow from an the beast regains full mental faculties instantly.
internal source under the complete control of the
kraken. In the upper depths of the sea where light Torpor
can penetrate, these rare beasts have the typical During torpor the kraken loses its Alertness feat, and
uninteresting squid-like colouration. However, at its Spot and Listen checks are reduced to +7. There
the greater depths where there is no natural light, is a 20% chance that any encountered, stationery
they are every bit as spectacular and expressive as kraken will be in a state of torpor.
their coloured counterparts. This colour control can
be changed or cycled many times a second allowing
complex patterns to be created. Clearly it is part of a
language, presumably for communicating with
Kraken Alchemical
others of its kind as well as other squid. This Reagents
language has never been successfully translated.
The kraken is a mythical beast, and a great many of
Like the octopus, the kraken can expel a large its body parts are sought after by alchemists,
quantity of ink from glands within the hood of its apothecaries and other experimenters in the magical
head. This is to provide a cover screen to allow arts. The following is a list of these components,
escape if a combat is going poorly or to deter their uses and the values that they might command
predators. Chemically the ink has a number of to the right buyer.
elements that are specifically distasteful to fish, but
it is not poisonous. In fact, many sea-going cultures

4
 KRAKEN PHYSIOLOGY

Pen collection as the black variety. It is used in more

The pen is a long shell-like structure resembling obscure preparations, and is particularly effective
mother of pearl in colour. Its strength and rigidity when used to scribe spells from the school of
make it useful for a number of uses, such as strong- illusion. Due to its rarity each ounce commands 5
yet-light spars and masts for ships, as well as a gp for every percentage point of purity.
multitude of smaller objects about ship, such as pins,
hull ribbing, projecting walkways, and so on. It has As a final note: production of ink is a vital process
twice the strength of wood when used for these that the kraken does spontaneously. Only small
purposes. Additionally, it can be worked into amounts are stored in the body so killing the beast
elements of armour, such as banded or splint mail, by and extracting the gland will yield only 3d20
splitting and sanding it to shape. In addition to ounces of 100% pure ink.
being masterwork, kraken pen armour has a non-
magical +1 enhancement bonus to AC and a 10 Kraken Ink Scrolls
pound reduction in weight. Kraken pen is sold at a While kraken ink is not required for the penning of
cost of 500 gp per foot, with two feet being enough magical writings such as scrolls and spellbooks, it is
to make one suit of banded or splint armour. preferred by some spellcasters due to its potency.

Any scroll penned using kraken ink has the saving

Ink throw DC increased by one. Scrolls that contain
Wizards use black kraken ink as a preferred water-based spells gain +2 DC when standard kraken
ingredient for penning magical scrolls and recording ink is used and scrolls of illusion gain +2 DC from
spells in spellbooks. What is less well known, but the use of luminous kraken ink.
can be deduced, is that pure kraken ink is
exceedingly rare. By definition ink collected from a
location where a kraken has been combatted is Chromatophores/Hide
mixed with seawater, often diluting it so much that it Both coloured and bioluminescent chromatophore
looks more like smoky tea than ink. The real cost in cells are sought for their brilliant display effects.
the purchase of most kraken ink is in the purification These cells, scraped from the skin of a dead kraken,
of it: the removal of the salt water is a lengthy and are used in potions and ointments such as vision,
expensive process. An experienced wizard can taste blur, charisma, darkvision, remove blindness, etc.
how pure the kraken ink that he is being sold is. Each four square feet (a square, two feet per side) of
Pure kraken ink must be collected as close to the ink kraken hide will yield enough scrapings to make
gland as possible, as it is being expelled. The
further away, and the longer a collector waits, the
more expensive the purification process becomes,
and the lower the profit margin. To simulate this,
treat ink collected within 10 feet of the ink gland to
be 90% pure, and for every ten feet downstream
reduce the purity by 10%. Even though the cloud
will appear to extend beyond what this calculation
would allow, the reality is that, over 100 feet away
from the ink gland, the purification
processes required simply
doesnt make the effort worth
it. The price for one ounce
of black kraken ink is 2
gp for every
percentage point of
purity.

Luminous kraken ink

has the same uses and
follows the same general
principals for purity and

5
KRAKEN PHYSIOLOGY

one such potion (along with the other preparations would only happen after titanic storms at sea that
that must be added). have stirred up the currents at tremendous depths.
More likely, though the probability is still
Additionally, a section of kraken hide, before infinitessimal, is the discovery of an egg floating at
scraping, that is at least five feet square, can be its assigned depth, possibly after the characters have
tailored and enchanted to make a medium wondrous been tracking an adult kraken. Recovery of the egg
item called the cloak of the kraken. See boxed text poses no particular problem once the characters have
for details. managed to achieve that depth in the first place.
They are not overly heavy and there is nothing
New Magic Item: Cloak of the Kraken inherently dangerous or magical about them. The
This garment appears to be an ordinary leather only thing that might cause the characters concern is
cloak. However, on command the wearer can cause the short incubation period of the egg, resulting in
either a dazzling hypnotic pattern to play across its the hatching of an aggressive squid anything up to
surface, as per the spell hypnotic pattern, or can ten feet long.
cause a disruptive pattern to appear that confuses his
opponents during melee, as per the blur spell. Both Meat
effects occur as if cast by a 9th level Sorcerer, and the Lastly, the kraken is a squid and, as such, its flesh is
cloak can be utilised for a total of ten minutes per edible. If consumed within an hour of being killed
day. (it may be cooked) it affects the diner as if he had
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites Craft wondrous consumed a mild dose of a heroism potion. For the
item, blur, hypnotic pattern; next hour he gains a +1 competence bonus to attack
Market Price: 11,000 gp; Weight: 1 lb. rolls, saving throws and skill checks. However,
associated with this increased competence, they are
Raw kraken hide that has been freshly cut from a also inflated with their own self-importance, and
recently killed beast (within one hour) is worth 250 their confidence increases. If the effect is seen in a
gp per square foot. Once acquired, the hide can be Non-Player Character, they will be cocksure and
preserved for an additional eight hours by fully unwilling to back down if challenged. Games
immersing it in fine alcohol. After an hour, if it has Masters should remind players who have feasted on
not been preserved, the hide is useless for any kraken flesh, during the next game hour, that they
magical purposes. Even in this denatured form it feel very confident of their own abilities, possibly
can still be used in the fashion industry, where each even forcing a Will save (DC 20 -1 for each full 10
square foot of hide will fetch 100 gp. minutes that has passed since the character ate the
flesh) if they display excessive caution.
Eye nerve fibres
The resolving power of the krakens eyes is sought An hour after death, or if the flesh is in any way
for many magical preparations. They may be used in preserved, the magical side effects no longer occur.
potions, as an alternative to chromatophore cells, None-the-less, the meat is still edible, and sellable
though they may not be combined with them, in (as much as any seafood), and its novelty ensures a
hopes of increasing the efficacy of the draught. ready market. Fresh meat will sell for 100 gp per
Usually, they are added to preparations when pound, preserved or aged meat will sell for 10 gp
creating wondrous items, and are always consumed per pound. Note, however, that even if a whole
by the process. For the most part experimenters from kraken corpse could be brought to shore within an
the school of illusion seek them, and these people hour of its demise, no fishmonger would dream of
will pay anything up to 500 gp per inch of kraken buying the whole thing at premium prices (several
eye nerve fibre. Each kraken corpse will yield up to thousand pounds worth), because they would have
five feet of nerve fibre suitable for these purposes. no chance of selling it all in time to maximise the
investment. The best an entrepreneurial character
could hope for is to have a deal pre-arranged with
Eggs dockside middlemen who supply local highbrow
Close to the top of the list of incredibly rare restaurants. In this case they could move up to 200
delicacies are kraken eggs. Because of their pounds of meat at the premium price, but would
rareness, the four-foot long eggs command prices of have to negotiate the sale of the remainder.
anything up to 3,000 gp each. A lucky character
might find one washed up on the shore, but this

6
 HABITAT

and abyssal plains they search the landscape, rich

Habitat from the raining corpses, moving and sifting through
the silt to find the mythical gate that links to the

T
he open sea can be roughly divided into four elemental plane of water. No one knows what the
layers; the sublittoral zone near the surface gate might look like, however there is speculation
is where nearly all creatures that we would that it is no more than an enchanted patch of water
recognise live. Below this is the bathyal zone that (which would naturally make it exceedingly
effectively covers the continental shelf. Below this difficult to find), or alternately an enormous
is the abyssal zone which stretches from the edge of structure surrounded by solid material native to that
continental plates down into the dark and plane. This gate is operated by specific passwords
inaccessible depths. Even this is not the end spoken in aquan and it is through here that visitors
though. In places the sea floor dips away into make their way to the material world. Should a
incredibly deep trenches, which are anywhere up to kraken ever find and operate the gate, their central
35,000 feet deep. This is the hadal zone. At the goal would be to wage war on the divine beings
abyssal and hadal depths, the temperature is as low there and to pervert others to their cause.
as 3o Celsius and the salinity levels are close to
100% (in comparison to the surface of the sea that No air-breathing bard knows the tales concerning
averages 35%). It is here that the kraken is most this gate; for that information, one must ask the
comfortable, where nightmare creatures with jaws marine races. What we do know is that the kraken
that seem too big for their bodies hunt and eerie do not enter our world by this great gate. Instead,
bioluminescent displays give a hellish counterpoint they are thrust here through a temporary gate in the
to the otherwise unremitting blackness. open sea which is then promptly closed before the
dazed monster can recover. Sailors sometimes report
Where the sea reaches these extreme depths, an iron hearing great booms or seeing flashes of light from
ball would take roughly an hour to sink to the well below their hulls. This is probably such a gate
bottom. To gain a perspective on the kinds of in operation. The rareness of these reports can give
extreme pressures down there, an egg dropped into us comfort, because it indicates that the expulsion of
the sea would implode at far less than one these evil creatures into our world is also rare. Were
thousandth of that depth. Life exists everywhere there ever to be an increase in these events it would
and there are countless creatures of kinds that have indicate not only that our world was in for serious
never been seen by us that live in perfect comfort, trouble, but that major disruptions, possibly even
though they are constrained to live at their own civil war, had broken out on the elemental plane of
depth. The kraken, however, can traverse the water.
distances from top to bottom, making such a journey
in a little over three hours. They graze the sea
indiscriminately, eating anything and everything,
Typical Lair
unaffected by the poisons and spines of their The lair described here is one that a kraken might
victims. They prowl through this vast domain only typically inhabit, and is distinctly different from the
rarely meeting another of their kind, constantly more political lair described in the Antangil chapter.
plotting how to gain power and inflict discomfort on
others. The lair lies 3 miles offshore and 1,000 feet below
the surface. The original structure was formed by an
The hadal and abyssal plains are, contrary to popular overhanging piece of the continental shelf that has
opinion, far from being desolate and boring fields. been gradually filled with air by natural out-gassing
They are rich in life and structure, and are home to in the surrounding coral. The kraken populated it
many species and societies that we have no name for. with captives centuries ago by simply carrying them
The thousands of feet of water above them provide down and then curing their wounds. Occasionally
food in abundance as everything eventually finds its new captives are added to build up the stock but
way down. There the remains add to the immensely most of the 300 inhabitants are the descendants of
deep silt which is in turn eaten and used by plants the original captives. These people, predominantly
and animals that live in this lightless zone. When and originally human, but with many races
not trying to master the world around them, the introduced over the long and bitter years, are totally
kraken descend to these unimaginable depths to adapted to the atmospheric pressure of their
further their other driving goal. Down on the hadal environment. Even if they could be brought to the

7
HABITAT

We know, of course, that the kraken can never walk on land. He is a creature of the deep, and we would no more expect him to
enter into our towns than we would an octopus. But I tell you now of a legend that was related to me by my master, some forty
years ago. There was a kraken of immense age and power. He had lived in the sea, building his petty empires and molesting ships
for centuries. He grew in magical knowledge until, at last, he mastered the art of shape-changing. Can you imagine the intellect,
age and sheer brute power that it must have had to achieve such a thing?
This kraken, calling himself The Emperor of Life and Death, travelled as a human among the coastal towns. At first he did
not settle, but his power was obvious. The vain, the evil and the needy were all attracted to his following, and soon he had an
entourage whenever he appeared, even while yet damp from the ocean waves. He had the population around there worship him in his
aspect as the gigantic sea beast, and a great temple was erected in his name. Wealth flowed in and death flowed out. Terrible
tales of sacrifices and profane rites escaped the region. He surrounded himself with luxury and opulence. He fathered many cursed
offspring, and he cast his gaze on the cities inland, and dreamed of a continental empire.
In time, the king of that land felt the need to take action. Auditors were dispatched but never returned. Champions followed, but
fared little better. Mercenary bands caught wind of the festering boil on the coast and they tried their luck, few survived to tell the
tale. In desperation the king called on his barons to provide troops. Strong sorcerers from neighbouring lands were offered rich
rewards to join in the extermination effort. This war started in the spring, and ended two years later, resulting in vast stretches of
that once-fertile coast being laid bare, and with the loss of several thousand lives. The temple was pulled down stone by stone, the
surviving captured worshippers were sold into slavery on the galleys, as they were good for nothing else, and the victorious troops were
issued awards that even now adorn their regimental banners. Thus the kraken was defeated, destroyed, and his remains cremated.
But that is not the end of this cautionary tale. Of the offspring of that creature, most were born hideously deformed. They lived
out their squalid lives lying in foetid pools, lashing out with their tentacles and bellowing at passers by, fed on the remains of profane
sacrifices. The conquering forces dispatched them, skewering them where they lay. But a tiny few were not so obviously afflicted;
they could live on both land and in the sea, half man and half squid, they slapped into the waves to feed, but then returned to
continue their depredations on anyone they found. Many were captured and released from their curse at the point of a sword.
Others, however, and no one knows how many there were, escaped. A few may not have even known that they were such monstrosities
appearing normal at birth, spirited away by their mothers, perhaps only realising their curse later in life.
It is a brave party that camps on that stretch of shore even today. Especially when the tide is running high, and the nights are
dark.
Excerpt from a lecture given in the Academy of Sages, Bhngpht.

surface without suffering the bends they would these is the first overhanging cave, which is over 70
probably not survive the in the thin atmosphere. feet in diameter, with the others ranging in size down
to a mere 10 feet in diameter. Despite having very
These inhabitants live in a state of perpetual few hand tools and no dedicated weapons at all, the
barbarism; they are clothed in whatever rags have inhabitants are comparatively rich. It is here that the
survived the trip down, whatever the kraken delivers kraken stores its treasure even though it personally
to them, and bits and pieces they have fashioned has no use for it. In every chamber of the complex
from sea plants. King Jujumann, a fifth generation are chests of gold and jewels that have been taken
slave, rules the others with an iron fist. He achieved from ships. Such wealth is meaningless to the
his role by killing his predecessor and, with his slaves, as they have no way to spend it, and have
strong-arm supporters, keeps the others in line with only dim memories of what it is. The kraken, for its
brutality and vigilance. For food they have part, stores all this wealth for unknown reasons; it
whatever the kraken brings them and a species of too has no way to spend it.
fungi that grows profusely on the dung they
indiscriminately deposit. Light is provided by At least once a month the kraken surfaces in the
bioluminescent fungi, as is heat. Anyone showing main cavern and summons all of the slaves into its
any sign of magical ability is immediately killed by presence. As soon as they enter the cavern and see
the kraken. Their language is an argot that would their master they fall to their knees and start a
defy any interpretation without months of study or a mournful song of worship. This song is composed of
comprehend languages spell. Any visitors to the words from a hundred different languages and
complex will be attacked instantly: the kraken has means, essentially, you are the greatest, you are the
warned them of demons. only god, you are everything, we are nothing
without you, dont ever leave. This is the sole
The slaves have enlarged the original cave over the purpose of the society; the captives can live their
centuries using the few hand tools that the kraken pathetic little lives any way they like, as far as the
salvaged from shipwrecks. It now comprises 36 kraken is concerned for, as long as they recognise it
caverns connected by short passages. The largest of as a god, it is satisfied.

8
 KRAKEN SOCIETY

protection. Sacrifices, naturally, are living

Kraken humanoids cast into the deep. As the months and
years progress the kraken gradually shows more of
itself and delivers salutary punishments by sinking
Society ships for transgressions. The owners and operators
of the ships learn through bitter experience that the
kraken can strangle their civilisation by strangling
After the Fall their ships. They protect themselves by offering
When found on the material plane, kraken sacrifices and by further experimentation learn what
themselves have little in the way of society. They pleases it. In time it supplants whatever local
live solitary lives, only coming together every few religion was in force simply by being present and
decades to reproduce, although such meetings more active. This process may take many years, though at
often than not resulting in combat to the death. the end of it the beast is firmly entrenched in the
Occasionally however, after potentially months of populations mind as their patron god.
negotiation, the male and female will produce a few
eggs. There is little to differentiate between male Both of these created societies exist for only one
and female kraken, physically or behaviourally. purpose to flatter the god. If they ever grow tired
Kraken communicate with each other using mixtures of their flock, or feel that they are not being treated
of their chromatophore displays and aquan. It seems as befits their status, they have no hesitation in
likely that their conversations revolve around wiping them out. This they do by using their natural
deciding which is the true divine being, and abilities to control the weather or simply flooding
therefore which is the subservient one. For males the submarine caves of the slave civilisations.
and females who are willing to mate, an uneasy
conclusion is reached where neither admits the
dominance of the other, but concedes that the other Still Bathed in Divine
may be deluded in their beliefs. This truce lasts only
as long as the mating activity, which may be several
Light
days. After this, old antagonisms resurface and the The beast that we know as the kraken rarely appears
female typically withdraws to another part of the sea on the material plane, and this is a good thing.
to lay her precious eggs in peace. Though they can reproduce here, their offspring
achieve only a shadow of their parents power,
The real societies associated with kraken are those intelligence and size. For centuries the question of
that they create. These take one of two forms. The why these creatures should act unlike any other
least imaginative one entails capturing humanoids plagued scholars who studied the seas and the life in
and transporting them to submarine cave complexes, them. However, the recent interest in maritime
where they live out their horrid existences technology, and with it the resurgence of research
dependent on the beast to furnish theyre every need. into aquatic species, has shed new light on the
Dank and stuffy, these slave societies exist only to matter.
serve the ego of the kraken, labouring to enlarge the
cave complex and subsisting on the marine offal that The kraken is not native to this plane. Each and
it serves up. Such societies worship the kraken every genuine kraken, and no one knows how many
because they have no choice, rebellion means death of these beasts lurk in the deep, was formed as an
and escape is next to impossible. In a hostage avatar with a divine spark by a deity known as the
situation like this, many succumb to the madness of Kraken. The Kraken swims in the infinite seas of the
captivity and fall under the krakens perverse elemental plane of water, wallowing in the warmth of
charisma, believing it to be a genuine god. Children its own divinity and spawning countless young of
born into these dungeons know no better, and even all types of creature. Though it has the senses and
if they could be rescued would likely die of shock if intelligence of a god, it is often seen as blind and
released. insensate. It takes no interest in the affairs of the life
it creates, the politics of the material world, or the
The other form of society, and this counts as the effects of weather, war, or other destruction. Its only
krakens art, is where a sea-going people (usually an interest is the production of life in all its wondrous
island tribe) finds over time that if they sacrifice to forms.
the monster that lurks in their waters, they gain

9
KRAKEN SOCIETY

The Kraken is known and revered by many sea- swim in the waters, for no other reason than there is
dwelling species, though it is virtually unheard of little to be gained from the meeting. The other gods,
by air breathers. Most often perceived as being or even supplicants from other planes, have little to
female (because of the great abundance of life that it say to a gigantic mother whose only love is the
produces from its own body), male, neuter and wonder of continual birth. It, in this context,
hermaphrodite aspects are also known, representing radiates abundance and contentment.
the variety of sea life that lie within its domain.
Even its perceived form may be different from All of the life that the Kraken manufactures is cast
species to species. This is due no doubt to the biases out from the moment of birth. It has no interest in
of the viewing populations, but also because of the them and they, for the most part, have insufficient
variety of forms that sea life can take. intelligence to recognise it. This endless production
line of creation is not entirely pointless, however.
In its leisurely, eternal swim through the elemental Though the Kraken seldom, if ever, interferes in the
plane of water, the Kraken leaves behind it a wake of affairs of the mortals in the material world, it is
new life. These spill out from its limitless ovaries dimly aware of the goings on there. While the
then speed, wobble or float off to fulfil their own Kraken has not seen fit to take action against over-
(sometimes short) lives. Death follows the Kraken as fishing, mass extinctions due to poisoning or deep-
surely as life issues from it. Sharks and other sea volcanoes, or any other sort of death-dealing
predators, created along with all the rest, circle it and event, it does experience a sense of loss by the
gorge themselves on the smorgasbord of fledgling events. To compensate for this, and in an attempt to
life. Periodically the Kraken puts on a burst of speed correct the imbalance, the Kraken periodically, and
to make distance between itself and its progeny, and regularly, opens gates from its own plane to the
in an infinite space it is certain that the god never material world, through which it expels the latest
revisits a location. It avoids other gods that also batch of creatures. Thus, local stocks of fish and
other creatures are assisted in replenishing
themselves.

Also, like all of the other gods, the weight

of immortality and the loneliness of
divinity can weigh heavy on the mind
even one so clearly unbiased by temporal
matters. To cope with the lonely vigil of
filling the seas with ones own children the
Kraken
maintains a
large retinue of
avatars. These
creatures, each
representing a
small portion of
the gods own
divine force,
swim along with
it and sing
songs telling it
how boundless,
fertile and
wonderful it is.
Each avatar is a
duplicate in
miniature of the
god and
produces
offspring in

10
 KRAKEN SOCIETY

great quantities. Sometimes these avatars are sent as forms of action in response to external events.
ambassadors to other deities, at other times they are Some, particularly those physically close to the god,
sent away to different parts of the plane altogether remain true to the outlook of non-interference.
and advised to fill that area with life. These avatars Others find that they sway to different outlooks,
have powers much reduced from that of their god, finding solace in lawful, chaotic, good, or evil
and effectively have very little real personality. ethics.
They are, for all intense and purposes, clones.
It is this divergence from the path of neutrality that
One of the powers that these first-rank avatars carry is the downfall of what we call the kraken, those
over from the Kraken is the power to create avatars monsters of the deep in our own oceans. These
of their own. These second-rank avatars share many second-rank avatars are partisan and vital: they form
of the qualities of their relatives. They can produce groups to discuss weighty matters, they entertain
life in vast quantities, know all of the languages themselves by producing batches of certain types of
spoken by the dwellers of the sea and can use life to see how they grow and interact, they attempt
magical effects to enhance, change or destroy the to create new forms of life if they perceive that an
life around them. However these powers are vastly ecological niche is unfilled, and they may even
reduced from those of their betters. They have the attempt to influence affairs in other planes. The
divine spark, to be sure, but they are as distant from Kraken indulges these activities as long as the
the Kraken as a grandchild is from grandparent. This interference is slight, and the ethical viewpoints
is the light in which the Kraken views the second- espoused are not too widely different from its own.
rank avatars. It takes an indulgent interest in them, When these guidelines are breached, the offending
takes pride in their creations, and shares in their joy avatar is brought before the god to answer. In most
of life. This is doubly so in one way, because the cases, the avatars are sufficiently awed by the
second-rank avatars have something that the first- presence of the god that they mend their ways and
rank do not. Because they are twice removed from are sent off again, happy and content to have been
the deity, they have the rudiments of true, individual shown the true path. Some do not react in this way.
personalities. They experience the environment Some rebel so violently against what they see as
around them in ways that the first rank cannot. To indifference, stupidity, laziness, and a thousand
the first-rank avatars, the comprehension of their other abusive terms that they are considered
creations is limited, and therefore not really worthy irredeemable. Many are eaten there and then,
of much attention. To the Kraken, however, these reunited with their creator. A few others fight their
perceptions are as entertaining as the antics of way to freedom and attempt to make good their
cherished children. The Kraken takes great delight escape. Escape from a god in its own realm is
in watching them discussing and arguing with each impossible, of course. While a few may live for a
other over matters that, to it, are transparent and while as guerrillas, attacking other avatars of the first
obvious. and second rank and attempting to band together to
overthrow the despotic rule of the Kraken, all are
This gift, or perhaps curse, of individuality has many eventually located. Once located they are banished.
benefits. It tempers the disinterest that the mighty
god has for the goings on in the mortal world and in Banishment from the elemental plane of water
the politics of the immortal realms. Second-rank entails the opening of a gate between that plane and
avatars are often sent on spying missions, and their the material world. The second-rank avatar, and the
reports take on a special quality for the god because volume of water that surrounds it, is magically
they are coloured with emotion. However, since grasped and thrust out, creating enormous light and
every one of these creatures experiences life in its sound effects in the process. This fall from the
own way, the meaning of what is observed is often divine realm strips the avatar of its divinity, robbing
interpreted differently. The Kraken is a truly neutral it of the power to create new life and the ability to
deity; it sees balance in all things. It understands speak all of the languages it once knew. A kraken, as
that life and death, justice and injustice, society and we know it, is born into this world at that moment.
the individual, are all equally important. The first- They arrive disoriented, weak, angry and almost
rank avatars are unswerving in this view of certainly evilly-aligned. From that moment forth
observation and non-interference; the second rank they experience the horror of being parted from the
do not, and cannot, see the world in this light. They divine, yet knowing they were once more than they
form their own ethical opinions, and advocate all are now. Their corrupt and bitter minds conclude

11
KRAKEN SOCIETY

that previously they were indeed divine: a god that incapacitated, the seas would become barren and all
was warred upon and expelled unjustly. Krakens life would cease. The Kraken teaches its followers to
know only hatred for their past life and the traitors respect all life in the sea. Eat of it, certainly, but
that cast them out. They strive to recover their revere it in all its forms. Be resigned and calm if you
divinity and to exact revenge. are vanquished, and be humble if you are the
vanquisher.
KRAKEN Everything is connected to everything else in the
Mother of the Waves, The Great Provider, Queen of sea, from the smallest flora to the largest fauna. The
All That Swims, Boundless Source of All Life Whose Kraken loves all the life of the sea, and is
Eggs Sacs Are Never Empty, It That Is Eaten. particularly close to fertile females.

Intermediate God Clergy and Temples: The clergy of the Kraken are
Symbol: An egg. usually, but not exclusively, female. The emphasis
Home Plane: Elemental plane of water. is on birth, growth, balance and life. Clerics attend
Alignment: Neutral. to females who are in the agonies of birth, oversee
Portfolio: Abundance, fertility, contentment, life, coming-of-age ceremonies and bless hunting parties.
the sea. They tend to be non-judgemental of the activities of
Worshippers: Aquatic creatures. their people, because they believe that the sea
Cleric/Worshiper Alignment: Any. washes away all small variations. What does it
Domains: Animal, birth, death, luck, protection and matter if massacres occur in one spot, or famine
water. occurs somewhere else? As long as the sea endures,
Favoured Weapon: Tentacle (whip, net). and all of life remains fertile, everything turns out
for the best.
The Kraken appears as a colossal squid with only
eight tentacles. He, she, or it, is the deity of plenty, As a non-human deity it may be worshipped along
representing the boundless life and vitality of the with several others in a pantheon without fear of
sea. It is forever giving birth to new life that it conflict. The very nature of the religion makes it a
expels into the waters around it and sends to the passive, accepting one, usually only rising to action
material plane to restock the seas there. if major threats to life occur. Alternatively this
religion could be used in a monotheistic non-human
Dogma: The sea provides everything. Richness of society.
life is all around, from tiny plankton right up to
mighty whales, all are one in the beautiful
symphony of life. Worshippers believe that, were
the Kraken ever killed, overthrown, or otherwise

Birth Domain
Deities: The Kraken, any others whose portfolio includes birth or fertility.

Granted power: You gain a +5 divine bonus to all skill and ability checks dealing with birth and the after
effects thereof.

Birth Domain Spells:

1. Bless water. Makes holy water.
2. Calm Animals. Calms 2d4 +1/level HD of animals, beasts and magical beasts.
3. Calm Emotions. Calms 1d6 subjects/level, negating emotion effects.
4. Sleep. Put 2d4 HD of creatures into comatose slumber.
5. Goodberry. 2d4 berries each cure 1 hp (max 8 hp/24 hours).
6. Consecrate. Fills area with positive energy, making undead weaker.
7. Cure Serious Wounds. Cures 3d8 +1/level damage (max +15).
8. Endurance. Gain 1d4+1 Con for 1 hr./level.
9. Heal. Cures all damage, diseases and mental conditions.

12
 METHODS OF WARFARE

classical attacks only take place directly over or near

Methods of their preferred travelling and living zones. The
reason for this appears to be that should, by chance,
an attack be repelled it would generally mean that
Warfare significant harm has been inflicted on the beast. In
such circumstances it naturally wants to be in a

I
t must be emphasised at the outset that the position where it can descend to safety in the most
kraken never attack sea going vessels, or indeed direct manner. An alternative interpretation is that,
anything from the realm of air, out of hunger or out of these deep-sea zones, the kraken feels no
necessity. The sea provides more riches in terms of particular need to exert its dominance over the
nutrition than an army of such behemoths could eat. pathetic creatures of the atmosphere.
Instead their attacks seem to form a pattern
composed of either furtherance of some complex In this attack, the kraken seizes the ship and starts to
plot, or just for the sheer fun of it. No one has ever rotate, spinning the helpless vessel. This serves two
established what kind of sense of humour they have, functions. Firstly, it throws the crew off balance so
or indeed what form their plots for world domination that they are less effective at hacking at the
may take, but the evidence is clear that both of these smothering tentacles. Secondly, it creates a
higher mental characteristics lie within their minds. whirlpool effect, increasing in strength the longer
the kraken continues it, that eases the ship below the
They are known to lie still on the surface of the surface. The knock-on effect of this is that other
water, feigning death until something comes near to ships close by may be captured in this vortex and
investigate. They then spring into action, sending drawn down with the stricken vessel.
their strong tentacles to envelope the startled prey.
Naturally, the only things worthy of note near the New Feat: Whirlpool (kraken)
surface would be dolphins, sharks, whales and, of A kraken can use its size and power to spin a
course, ships. In this mode they often resemble captured surface ship to assist in dragging it below
small islands or sandbars. This particular style of the surface.
attack is strange in that the kraken certainly does not
need to do it. It could just as easily lurk in the Benefit: The kraken must spend one minute for
depths and then dart up to grasp the helpless victim. every structure point of the captive vessel, spinning
The only plausible reason is that they enjoy doing it around on its axis, to cause a whirlpool sufficient
it. It entertains them to bask in the sunlight until to suck it beneath the waves. Without this feat, the
something ignorantly comes to investigate, and then kraken must spend two minutes for every structure
they gain malicious glee in attacking. The point spinning the ship. The constricting tentacles
commonality of this attack is well attested in of a kraken will cause damage to a ship in standard
literature and the cautious sailor treats any floating fashion, with every ten hit points counting as one
object with the respect it deserves. None-the-less, structural point. Note: any damage done to the
ships are often lost to this attack and the low captured ship by the crushing tentacles, or the biting
survival rate of the crew of these unfortunate vessels beak, reduces the time needed to pull it under.
means that word of this devious and evil assault are Additionally, any ship within 300 feet of the
more often than not written off as apocryphal. doomed vessel is pulled toward the growing
whirlpool and will be sucked down along with it
The more common, and terrifying, attack mode of unless they have more structure points than the
the kraken is to ascend below the hull of a passing target.
ship, pass its gigantic tentacles around either side,
and slowly but inexorably draw the whole ship Characters fighting a kraken aboard a ship that is
beneath the surface. Usually the first anyone is being spun in a whirlpool suffer a -1 attack penalty
aware of this attack is when the mighty limbs burst for every full minute that the spinning occurs.
from the water and start to fold over the decks,
snapping rigging and downing masts in the process.
Such attacks occur only in deep water, usually where
the depth below the hull is at least 2,000 feet. Even
though the kraken can successfully operate in
depths as shallow as 100 feet, it seems that their

13
ROLEPLAYING KRAKEN

god of the deep sea. It lives an immortal, and

Roleplaying predominantly neutral, existence counting the tides
and maintaining the enormously long food chain.
There, helpers surround the Kraken and live
kraken fulfilling existences caring for all things great and
small, husbanding the complex politics of the realm.

T
he kraken view themselves, and are However, not all of the helpers are satisfied with this
sometimes viewed by others, as gods. They lot. Even though they have immortality, comfort
do not worship anything except themselves and power, they are brought to life harbouring
and they create disgusting slave societies so that resentment, and a craving for power and cruelty.
they might be worshipped. Individual kraken do not They are, in short, evil. The Kraken banishes these
recognise any other member of their species as being few from the elemental plane of water to the material
as powerful or exalted as themselves and morld. In the fall they are stripped of their
consequently, except for the rare moments when immortality and thrust into a world where they must
they come together to mate, they avoid each other. fend for themselves.
A kraken views any other kraken as a heretic, a false
god, a pretender. Driving each kraken is the desire for revenge, an
overwhelming repentance, or a terrible fear. All most
The reason for this lies in their origin. They are want is to return to their home, seeking to find the
native to the elemental plane of water, wherein legendary gate, hidden somewhere on the sea floor,
resides the Kraken, the ultimate that will transport them back. In their fall they are
less than they were. They know this, but they also
sense that they are more powerful than anything else
in the sea. In this knowledge each and every one
concludes that it is a god, albeit a wronged one that
will do anything to make others suffer and to find
a way to achieve power either here or back home.
Were any kraken ever to achieve this return
they would without doubt create mischief.
They would attempt to recruit creatures in
their home realm to overthrow the
Kraken and establish their own rule.
The inhabitants actively fear civil
wars of this nature and precautions
are taken to patrol, report on and
muster to defeat any such incursion.
The ongoing policy of expelling
kraken that have evil tendencies
perhaps indicates the mercurial
nature of the inhabitants of the
elemental plane of water and the
lengths that they will go to control
these tendencies.

Each and every kraken is a self-

proclaimed deity. As such they are
beyond such considerations of law
or chaos: neither the group, nor the
individual, is important. Only they
have value and they believe that
only the strong around them may lay
claim to life. Societies of their
creation, or under their protection,
will exist, prosper, or fail through

14
 ROLEPLAYING KRAKEN

The Shepherd of the Sea

Class Base Fort Ref Will
Level Attack Save Save Save Special Spells per Day/Spells Known
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Healing Circle (1d8+1) +1 level of existing class
2 +1 +3 +3 +0 Animal Growth 1/day
3 +2 +3 +3 +1 Healing Circle (2d8+2), +1 level of existing class
Alter Life (+1 HD)
4 +3 +4 +4 +1 Animal Growth 2/day
5 +3 +4 +4 +1 Healing Circle (3d8+3), +1 level of existing class
Companions (10 HD)
6 +4 +5 +5 +2 Animal Growth 3/day,
Alter Life (+1 HD)
7 +5 +5 +5 +2 Healing Circle (4d8+4) +1 level of existing class
8 +6 +6 +6 +2 Animal Growth 4/day
9 +6 +6 +6 +3 Healing Circle (5d8+5), +1 level of existing class
Alter Life (+1 HD)
10 +7 +7 +7 +3 Animal Growth 5/day,
Companions (20 HD)

whim alone as the kraken does not attach any Shepherd of the Sea
particular value to them. This realm is petty and The shepherd of the sea is somewhat of an oddity
insignificant in comparison to the one they came amongst the kraken, a regression of beliefs to
from. something resembling the neutrality and outlook of
the Kraken. While still undeniably evil, these
Contact with kraken is always guided by these kraken have allowed their nurturing side to develop,
beliefs. To them all other life is inferior and worthy albeit with selfish intent. They are perhaps the
only to serve it, worship it, or entertain it by dying. closest to neutrality that any fallen kraken can be.
Negotiations with a kraken can take place, but they
are always from a position of god to insignificant A shepherd of the sea cultivates a collection of
creature. A deal that has the kraken agree to not animal companions in a spirit of mutual protection.
molest ships that fly a certain flag will only be Even though the shepherd believes itself to be far
bought at the cost of that entire population more important than any of its followers, and most
regarding that kraken as their god. They must adorn likely would not hesitate to sacrifice one if it meant
their clothes, flags and other works of art with it. the krakens survival, it shows an almost maternal
They must regularly worship it. They must cast instinct towards them.
sacrifices to it. The kraken gains no spiritual or
power benefit from this attention: it is all for vanity. Over time the shepherds animal companions
Similarly, the worshippers will never gain divine become as twisted and evil as their master such is
powers from their deity. But if defied, that petty and the effect of associating with a creature of this
evil god will not hesitate to destroy them. nature.

Kraken Prestige Hit Die: d10.

Classes Requirements
Particularly powerful kraken are able to take levels To qualify to become a shepherd of the sea, a
in one of the core character classes or a prestige character must fulfil all the following criteria.
class. Presented below are two prestige classes, one
for the kraken itself and one for a devout follower of Race: Kraken.
the kraken. These are designed to add flavour to any Skills: Animal Empathy as a class skill.
encounter with either a kraken or one of its Spells: Able to cast 3rd level divine spells.
communities and, as such, should be used sparingly.

15
ROLEPLAYING KRAKEN

Class Skills A shepherd gains an additional use per day of this

The shepherds class skills (and the key ability for ability at each even level they attain (4th, 6th, 8th,
each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), 10th).
Concentration (Con), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal
(Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Swim (Str), and Alter Life (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, the
Wilderness Lore (Wis). See Core Rulebook I for skill shepherds influence and presence has a warping
descriptions. effect on its companions. This grants all of the
shepherds companions one bonus Hit Dice for every
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier. three full levels the shepherd has attained (+1 HD at
3rd level, +2 HD at 6th level, +3 HD at 9th level).
Class Features These bonus Hit Dice do not count against the
All of the following are class features of the shepherds maximum allowance and are not applied
shepherd of the sea prestige class. retroactively. (Thus, a companion who is with the
shepherd from 1st through 6th level will have two
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Shepherds gain extra Hit Dice, however if the shepherd picks up a
no proficiency with any weapons or armour. new companion at 4th level, that companion will
only receive the extra Hit Dice gained at 6th level.) A
Spells per Day/Spells Known: For every other level shepherds animal companions alignment will
gained in the shepherd class, the kraken gains new gradually shift towards neutral evil over time,
spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if represented by a change of one step for each bonus
it had also gained a level in a spellcasting class it Hit Dice gained.
belonged to before adding the prestige class. It does
not, however, gain any other benefit a character of True Disciple
that class would have gained (additional wild shape The true disciple is one who has given himself
options, metamagic or item creation feats, or the totally to the kraken. He actively worships the
like). If the kraken had more than one spellcasting kraken not out of fear, as most do, but out of genuine
class before becoming a shepherd of the sea, it must adoration. The disciple truly believes the kraken to
decide to which class to add each level for be a god. This devotion allows the kraken to grant
determining spells per day and spells known. him some small boon, although it is not even close
to that granted by true gods. The disciple, however,
Companions (Ex): A shepherds class levels stack is more than satisfied with his gods generosity.
with those of its spellcasting class for the purpose of
determining the maximum number of hit dice of True disciples are the krakens eyes and ears in its
animal companions it is allowed to attain with the slave communities, acting as judge, jury and
animal friendship spell. Beginning at 5th level, and executioner when dissidents are found. They are
every 5 levels thereafter, the shepherd gains a +10 feared by the general populace of these
bonus to this figure (thus a 6th level druid/5th level communities, or perhaps held in a small amount of
shepherd can have a total of 21 HD of animal awe by those who have started to believe the
companions, a 10th level druid/10th level shepherd krakens claims of godhood.
can have a total of 40 HD of animal companions,
etc.). Irredeemably evil and fiercely loyal, disciples are
the select few who are allowed to swim and converse
Healing Circle (Sp): Beginning at 1st level, a with their patron god.
shepherd of the sea can cast an improved version of
the healing circle spell. This ability functions in all Hit Die: d10.
ways as the spell detailed in Core Rulebook I, save
that it heals the damage listed below and affects Requirements
only animals, beasts and magical beasts. The To qualify to become a true disciple, a character
shepherd can use this ability once per day per class must fulfil all of the following criteria.
level they possess.
Alignment: Neutral evil.
Animal Growth (Sp): Beginning at 2nd level, a Skills: Swim 10 ranks.
shepherd of the sea can cast an animal growth spell
once per day, exactly as detailed in Core Rulebook I.

16
 ROLEPLAYING KRAKEN

The True Disciple

Class Base Fort Ref Will Natural
Level Attack Save Save Save Armour Special
1 +1 +2 +2 +0 +1 Natural Swimmer
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 +2 Empathic Link
3 +3 +3 +3 +1 +3
4 +4 +4 +4 +1 +4 Speak With Master
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 +5 Tentacle Arms

Feats: Endurance, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus not understand the language without magical help,
(swim). since it is more in-depth than a simple conversation
Special: Must live in a kraken-created slave society. in aquan.

Class Skills Tentacle Arms (Ex): At 5th level, the true disciples
The true disciples class skills (and the key ability arms become incredibly flexible, moving more like
for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Intimidate tentacles than normal human limbs. The tentacle
(Cha), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge arms can be stretched up to five additional feet,
(nature) (Int), and Swim (Str). effectively giving the disciple five more feet of
reach.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the true
disciple prestige class.

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: True disciples

gain no proficiency with any weapons or armour.

Natural Swimmer (Ex): At 1st level, the disciple

develops gills on the sides of his neck, allowing him
to breathe water as well as air. The character also
gains the ability to swim at his normal,
unencumbered, land speed. Note that this ability
allows the character to move at this rate without
making Swim checks, and grants him a +8
competence bonus to checks made to avoid hazards
and perform special manoeuvres. The character can
always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if
rushed or threatened, and can use the run action
while swimming provided he moves in a straight
line.

Empathic Link (Su): This link is similar to that

shared by a sorcerer and his familiar. The kraken has
an empathic link with the disciple out to a range of
500 miles, allowing it to see through the disciples
eyes and allowing both to communicate with each
other telepathically.

Speak With Master (Su): The disciple can

communicate verbally with the kraken as if they
were using a common language. Other creatures do

17
SCENARIO HOOKS AND IDEAS

claimed that it was a kraken, killed (by the look of

Scenario the wounds) by one of its own kind. There is but
one possible reason for all this civil war has
broken out on the Elemental Plane of Water.
Hooks and Banishments are coming thick and fast, and those
second-rank avatars that have been expelled are
mad, demented, and seeking revenge. Players
Ideas introduced into this plot may quest for the
submarine gate to join the fray, or perhaps negotiate
a settlement. Alternatively, they may discover some

K
raken are best used as a driving force behind way of communicating with exiled kraken here, and
an adventure, most often as the main then assist them in their return home. This may be
antagonist. With their high challenge further complicated by one or more kraken using
rating, they should only be faced directly in combat spells on themselves and coming ashore to seek
by parties of at least 12th level, higher in the case of magical assistance. Entire magical academies may
most naval combats where the kraken has a distinct be turned over to finding the answers that these
advantage. The krakens innate ability to control beasts want. Nations, values and economic systems
the weather allows it to harass the characters without might be turned on their heads, as these beasts
them even realising what is going on. In fact, unless attempt to further the war.
the party includes a druid, ranger, or otherwise
nature-savvy character, the players may not realise
what is happening until it is much too late and the
Glorious Commerce
kraken already has them in its tentacles. The characters are hired to capture or kill a notorious
pirate and/or slave trader who has been pillaging
The Games Master can use the following scenario villages up and down the coast. However, this
hooks and ideas to bring kraken into his game. Note villain has an arrangement with a kraken: abducting
that not all of these ideas are suitable for mid-level people for the krakens colony. In return the kraken
parties. provides him with information on the location of
wrecked treasure ships. The kraken will give the
pirate a certain amount of protection and assistance.
Religious War However, if the characters do kill or capture the
Two sea-going nations are at war. Both worship the pirate, the kraken offers the players the same deal it
kraken and seek its protection. Both call on the offered the pirate, thus creating a moral dilemma.
beast to attack the shipping of the other, but Greater than the moral dilemma is the battle for
unknown to the humanoid populations of both survival that the characters will face if they turn
nations, rival kraken have taken residence in their down such a generous offer from the beast.
waters. The people have unwittingly become
involved in a personal religious war between the two
beasts, each one using their human populations to
Royal Sacrifice
destroy the other. Characters introduced into this The characters are approached by a disguised agent
plot will discover the remarkable similarities of the crown who employs their services to defeat a
between the two societies and how they are great menace to the kingdom and rescue the princess
manipulated. Their goal is to ultimately rescue both who is set to be its latest sacrifice. All the agent is
nations from their gods, before both are devastated. able to tell the characters about the menace is that it
is a great beast of the sea, as the kraken has been
careful to ensure that no one sees it, even going so
Divine Civil War far as to use its weather control abilities to conceal
In an introduction to a truly epic scenario, its acceptance of the sacrifices. Alternately, the
mysterious flashes and explosions are heard out to princess may have been kidnapped by a cult of
sea, with steadily growing regularity. Ships have kraken worshipers who are intent on appeasing their
been going down with no adequate explanation, gods cry for the blood of royals.
though the few survivors scream about tentacles in
the night. Once, the corpse of what appeared to be a
gigantic squid washed up on the shore. Sages later

18
 SCENARIO HOOKS AND IDEAS

A Profitable
Arrangement
A noted local alchemist or wizard hires
the characters to bring him the
components he needs to complete his
research. When the characters agree to
fetch these items, he reveals that he needs
the ink, blood and hide of a freshly-slain
kraken. He offers to pay the characters
150% of the standard market price for
such items (as detailed on pages five and
six of this guide), as well as covering the
cost of any healing and/or raising the
party may require. As a twist, the
alchemist could actually be the kraken in
question, using its established cover
identity to lure in a fresh meal.

Unsuitable
Liaison
A nobleman approaches the party to
retrieve his daughter from the clutches of
a kidnapper. All he knows is that she was
last seen heading out of town towards the
coast a couple of days past, and has not been
seen or heard from since. He assumes it has
something to do with a youth his daughter was
involved with, as he also has not been seen since
he was thrown out of the town a week prior. When
the party investigates, they find that she is in the
clutches of a kraken; however, not is all as they
might first assume. The kraken did not, in fact,
Guard Duty kidnap the girl. Instead she came willingly, having
The characters are hired as guards on a merchant fallen in love with the kraken when it was in human
vessel which is to set out with a valuable cargo. form, who surprisingly found that it had genuine
Before they board, a haggard old man approaches feelings for her as well. This scenario presents the
them and attempts to bribe them into looking the players with a true challenge, since the kraken
other way when his associates accost the vessel on appears to have forsaken its evil nature and fallen in
the high seas. Ideally the characters will turn down love with a human girl. If the players do choose to
the bribes and warn the merchant captain about the attack the kraken, the noble girl will do her best to
planned attack. Regardless of the characters try and stop the fighting, however the players will
actions, the merchant refuses to be intimidated into find that the kraken is a powerful druid, or perhaps
changing his plans he has too much riding on this sorcerer, as well as possessing its standard array of
cargo run. When the attack inevitably comes, it abilities. Similarly, the only way to convince the
becomes immediately apparent that the old mans girl to return to her family is through force, which
associates were actually a kraken and its followers. will result in the kraken attacking. Perhaps the best
Alternately, the old man could be portrayed as a mad solution to this is to find a way of allowing the
old hermit who attempts to warn the characters about lovers to remain together, while convincing the
the kraken with babblings about arms in the dark. nobleman that his daughter is beyond anyones
reach. This scenario allows for some interesting and
challenging roleplaying on the part of the players.

19
ANTANGIL

however; they are viewed with distrust and envy,

Antangil though no one dares to try and sail to their island to
sort them out.

T
he island state of Antangil had, for centuries,
been a respectable link in a chain of trading For the people the shift from the traditional gods to
nations that carried exotic goods around the this new protector was not always easy. Clerics, who
world. Their fine ships were well built and crewed, pursued the perceived wishes of the old gods, where
and their banner was recognised and welcomed. these wishes involved challenging the kraken, were
They had long ago deposed their hereditary rulers, attacked and banished for bringing disaster when the
and in their place installed a republic, administered kraken retaliated. Now there is only one official
by the powerful trading guild. With a good religion on the island. Others may exist but they are
education system and a liberal attitude to religion, practiced only in secret. This state religion of the
they were a travelled and worldly people who could kraken has a ministry and hierarchy like any other,
often be found in almost any trading capital or port. and these are the people who push the unfortunate
victims of trumped-up charges down the plank.
However, over eighty years ago, a kraken took Naturally these clerics do not have any clerical
residence in a vast submarine cave beneath the powers, as the kraken can grant none. Instead they
island and gradually began to seize control. It are usually lawful neutral, or lawful evil, fighters.
started with the sinking of ships, apparently at
random. Local and foreign vessels went down with The government, the clergy, the sailing community
all hands while in Antangils waters. Rumours went and most of the population (because they are related
out that a sea monster was stalking the area. In time to the aforementioned) will resist any action that
the kraken allowed itself to be seen by local ships, upsets their god. Other trading princedoms are
but it refrained from attacking them, turning instead very likely to finance expeditions to kill the beast,
on foreign ships. Soon the merchant navies of the but they will be cautious to fund only high-level
world began to shun the waters where the kraken was parties that have a very good chance of success.
known to lurk. Fearing an economic collapse the Bitter experience has taught them that the god of
administration of Antangil hired adventurers to kill Antangil is vengeful, and they will not want to lose
the kraken. They were unsuccessful, terminally so, any more ships and men.
and in revenge the kraken sank a few local ships and
buffeted the island with magical storms. In
desperation the administration cast treasure, food,
Natural features
books, anything it could think of, into the sea, in an Antangil is an island occupying about 50 square
attempt to placate the beast. Nothing worked until, miles, surrounded by open sea. At is widest point is
egged on by a local prophet, a band of vigilantes it only slightly over eight miles long. The highest
threw a living sacrifice into the waving tentacles of peak is Anelgauhat, reaching to a lofty 850 feet.
the lurking monster. Immediately the storms ceased. Numerous caves dot the hillsides, and are home to
Seizing on this, the trading guild ordered that the wandering goats, foxes and other small animals
convicted criminals be taken from the harbour and that inhabit the island. Only a couple of mildly
cast into the briny deep. poisonous spiders and a small viper are dangerous:
there are no monstrous creatures to speak of.
Little by little a routine developed. Monthly at least Generally the country is green and fertile, giving rise
one live person was cast into the sea. If this sacrifice to a perfectly adequate agricultural economy based
was not made, a ship was sunk; with this sacrifice, on goats meat, wool and milk products.
the ships of Antangil passed freely in and out. With
this protection they alone, of all the trading nations, Below Antangil lies a vast submarine cave that can
have grown enormously in wealth and power. In only be accessed from one deep-sea entrance and a
recognition of this, the official emblem of the long, descending passage from the hillside. The
republic of Antangil has been changed to a kraken, former of these was discovered quite by accident by
and very large banners with this motif are flown the kraken, which now resides in the cave when not
prominently on all its ships. The government is out roaming the seas searching for the mythical gate
fiercely protective of this arrangement, as it has, after or sinking foreign ships for malicious pleasure. The
all, made them extremely rich. Antangillians are passage from the hillside was revealed at the same
now not a welcomed people along the coast, time as the appearance of the kraken. Now the High

20
 ANTANGIL

Approaching the island of Antangil by sea, the visitor is immediately impressed by the large and well-
protected natural harbour. Prevailing winds carry shipping past the island at most times of the year and it
is only a short diversion to make this gentle port. Clearing the heads at Punta Baja moves the ship into the
calm bay, where fifty ships could easily ride at anchor, and at least five will be doing so at any given time.
Rising behind the docks is the city of Avarua, which straddles the relatively gentle slopes up Mount
Anelgauhat. From the perspective of the sea however, the modest tree-covered peak seems mighty and
imposing. Half way up the slope, directly above the city, the visitor cannot miss seeing the mighty temple
of the kraken. This structure stands several storeys high and appears to grow out of the hillside itself.
Eight broad, winding staircases lead down from its single main portcullis, and each of these staircases
reminds the viewer of the tentacles of a mighty squid. In fact, the entire structure looks very reminiscent
of a gigantic sculpture of a squid, half sticking out of the rock, the main gate resembling a toothed mouth,
the upper works taking the shape of an extended, bulbous head. Each tentacle-staircase leads into a
different section of town.

The architecture of the city can be clearly divided into three styles. The first are the simple wooden
cottages, which still reach to the foreshores of the bay and are ubiquitous in this part of the world. The
second are the more impressive, two-storey wooden mansions of the trading families, which again can be
seen gracing the overlooking hillsides of any maritime nation. The third type is clearly recognisable, and
is reflective of a society that has recently gained much in the way of material wealth, but little in the way
of taste. These nouveau riche monstrosities are composed of imported stone and exotic wood, and occupy
large tracts of land. Each is designed to be more ostentatious than its neighbour, consuming an entire
acre with little regard to garden or harmony with nature. Inside, one supposes, they are the very models
of refinement, comfort and modern convenience. But to this humble travel chronicler, they are
monuments to gauche excess.

On reaching dock, the traveller is accosted by the numerous guards who seem to swarm about the place,
all heavily armed. They pry into ones business and demand to see papers, if you have any, even though
you could only have arrived on an Antangillian ship. To say that security is tight is not too much of an
overstatement, though as long as you carry yourself as a person of some importance, and have some clear
task on the island, you are generally allowed to move on without more than a 15 minute delay. The
visitor at this point onwards is well advised to make himself meticulously familiar with the labyrinthine
laws that apply nowadays in the republic. The slightest infraction of these complex, and sometimes
bizarre, statutes will land you in jail, and there is no shortage of good citizens who will happily inform
the authorities of your offence. No fear need attend incarceration concerning being maltreated, as
apparently the spacious cells are comfortable and prisoners are well treated. Of much greater concern is
that many who are thus imprisoned are simply never seen again.

One cannot help but be impressed by the apparent richness of the city and of its inhabitants. All appear
well dressed and fed, and the streets are wide and well maintained. Buildings are clean and in superb
repair, and the discerning shopper can find virtually anything they might want from sources across the
world, though the prices are considerably higher than on the mainland. Lodgings can be found, every bit
the equal of the best inns and hostels of the mainland, and the service is second to none, as long as one is
prepared to tip generously. Only one note of discord can be detected in this otherwise cosmopolitan city,
nearly everyone appears sombre, distracted and nervous. They are wary of striking up animated
conversations with visitors, and constantly look over their shoulders (metaphorically speaking), as if they
fear that they are being eaves-dropped upon. Despite this uneasiness, the seasoned traveller can still find
the kinds of establishments that enthusiastically provide the type of entertainments that the lonely and
adventuresome seek. Outside of the city, the country folk still maintain that kind of easy friendliness
which the island used to be noted for.

Extract from The Observers Guide to the Sea Nations.

21
ANTANGIL

Priest and his cronies guard the entrance to this called to the session when directives are made. For
passage and have built a temple to their god over it. example, the chief constable may be called and
Descending through the hillside into a natural advised to provide guards for certain shipments, or
amphitheatre, the inward part of the cavern is to give an account of the state of the military.
enormous. Termed the cathedral, it is known only Leading members of the various guilds may be
as a rumour to the rest of the population. Here, it is called in to pass on instructions on the optimum
believed, the kraken surfaces to slumber, though no- level of output that they should target for the
one save the High Priest has ever descended to see. coming quarter, and so on. In most ways the
The temple is under guard night and day by foreign government of Antangil is perfectly representative of
mercenaries and local toughs. any commercially-focussed ruling body. One thing
sets it apart though, and that is the overhanging
shadow of the kraken. Nearly every decision is
Government considered in light of what their god might feel
Following the revolution that overthrew the about the action. In this the High Priest of the Cult
hereditary monarchy, the country became a republic, of the Kraken is its official spokesman, and he is not
ruled by a council of 11 members. First and shy about expressing what he believes to be the
foremost of these are the five patriarchs and correct action in any matter of concern.
matriarchs of the trading families, hereditary roles
filled by the eldest member of the leading families. Corruption is not perhaps as rife as might be
In past times these people fulfilled the posts of close expected of an elite oligarchy that has a monopoly
advisers to the king. Consequently, little has on trade. In the intervening years nearly everyone
changed for them. Second is the seat of Royal High has become immensely rich, so day-to-day hardships
Judge. This learned member of the council is chosen of life are no longer of primary concern. Certainly,
by a vote of the other members once every seven the wise members of the council have many millions
years, and is concerned with civil law. Next is the of gold coins stashed away, but this is only natural.
President of the Banking Guild, selected from the Where there is corruption it is of a moral form. Since
commercial and financial elite, to represent the fiscal they have become more or less isolated from the rest
and other economic interests of the republic. Next of the world, and their method of dominance is
come the roles of Chief Stewards of the Shipbuilders essentially evil, they have become a petty and
and Stevedores Unions, who represent the interests paranoid government. Spies are sent amongst the
of the practical maritime constituency. Then comes people to root out dissenters, who rapidly become
the Secretary to the Administration. In times past sacrifices to the kraken when found. Members and
this was the premier role in the council, having the families plot against each other and feuds that
casting vote in all matters, and was the default leader should have been forgotten long ago continue to
of the council; he still officially chairs all council simmer. A kind of organic evil has overcome the
sessions, but his actual power has waned with the body politic of the republic, starting from these
coming of the kraken. Now responsibility is public figures downwards; revenge and pettiness
primarily limited to infrastructure matters, such as have become national pastimes.
the construction of roads and maintenance of public
works. Finally, and this is a relatively new post, is
the High Priest of the Cult of the Kraken. The same Demographics
man has held this post for the entire eighty years At the last census, 10,912 people could claim to be
since the coming of the kraken, and it is believed Antangillian citizens. Of these, most are associated
that divine favour is what keeps his looks untouched with the maritime trade, being ship builders,
by time. The High Priest now wields enormous stevedores, deck hands, or simple fishermen. Many
power in the council, intimidating all of the other of the remainder continue to live the simple pastoral
members with threats if they do not comply with lives they always have: tending their goats,
their gods commands. More details on this last producing distinctive-patterned woolly jumpers, and
Non-Player Character can be found later in this making remarkably pungent cheese. The rest are all
chapter. part of the growing commercial enterprises that
make the economy hum. Ninety percent of the
The council meets every few days to discuss matters population is human, with some elf and gnome
of policy, and to set in motion any decisions that representatives present. Their language is an
need to be made; citizens of the republic are only

22
 ANTANGIL

accented version of common recognisable anywhere that close association with the sea monster, in some
along the coast. way, maintains Antangils stranglehold on this
portion of the sea. Those who wish to challenge the
Additionally, some 500 foreigners are on the island republics growing supremacy know that they must
at any given time, excluding any mercenaries. kill the kraken to do so. Despairing of the loss of
These people are traders, financiers and other life and treasure that this would entail, most are
workers who have come across on an Antangillian content to find ways to profit economically, and
ship to earn good money, act as business go- seek ways to outmanoeuvre them in the marketplace.
betweens, or sew up lucrative deals.
There are three banks on the island: Anelgauhat
Rock, the Farmers Credit Union and the Royal
Economy United Bank of the Kraken. Each has cash reserves
Trade drives the economy of Antangil. Its position on hand of at least 150 million gold pieces. All are
along a trade route, and monopoly of its section of powerful establishments and see themselves as the
the coast, due to the intervention of the kraken, saviours and administrators of the republics well-
means that it has become a crossroads for shipping. being. This wealth is liberally injected into the
Ships of foreign powers deliver cagro to nearby local economy and Antangil can boast good roads,
ports, where they are loaded onto Antangillian excellent buildings and plumbing and a well-paid
vessels for shipping to the other side of the island. and trained professional navy and military. What
This taxi service has generated vast profits and the the flood of money cannot do is buy intellectual
have been used to import luxury goods into the freedom or peace of mind for the citizens, but this
republic, along with holds full of raw cash. The has always been a secondary concern when
export of cheese, wool and fish, once the islands accounting focuses on numbers. In all, the financial
chief source of imcome, creates an insignificant masters of the island are completely satisfied in their
injection into this system. Additionally, many alliance with the kraken and would be actively
foreign powers have recognised the security of the opposed to even a hint of changing anything.
isolated island, and have started to use it as a
banking facility. Fear of being unable to retrieve the The only financial group to suffer from the presence
money seems, thus far, to have been offset by the of the kraken is the formerly-powerful Seafarers
apparent honesty and security of the banking firms Cooperative Society, an insurance vendor that
involved. This is a slowly growing business, but one underwrote all shipping and cargoes through the
that the Guild of Bankers is actively pursuing. island. Since the protection of the god began,
fewer and fewer ship owners and transportation
The only export of note from the republic now is management firms have bothered to insure their
kraken ink. This is collected in secret from the goods. Even great institutions like the Coffee House
cathedral, and brought to the surface for bottling. on Queen Street, where the old families used to
Having upwards of 85% purity, this ink is highly gather and wager on departing ships, effectively
sought after in the neighbouring cities of the putting up the stake underwriting money, have
mainland and premium prices have been paid in the fallen into disuse. Now that noble building, once a
past. Over time the price is being eroded as the good hotbed of financial and political power, is little more
quality, and fairly regular supply, over-fulfil than a smoke-and-coffee-begrimed seafront tavern.
demand. None-the-less, sale of this product has had From the elite of the population it is here, if
two vital effects. The first is that it has put the name anywhere, that grumbling about the current situation
of Antangil on the map once more, for apothecaries can be heard.
and wizards frequent it as a major source for one of
magics most prized components. Antangil ink is
now synonymous with high quality, and the product Army and
is spreading far and wide, though naturally
becoming more diluted the further it travels, to
Constabulary
maximise middle-man profits. The second is that it Traditionally the army of Antangil was a citizen
has cemented in the mainland countries minds the militia that was raised from every able-bodied
fact that an active alliance is in place with the person in times of need. Now it has become semi-
kraken. Where once it was considered only as a professional with a uniform, training regime and pay.
horrible possibility, there now remains little doubt The army undertakes policing, guarding and, in

23
ANTANGIL

theory, defensive actions against invasion. That this their tastes in good clean fun are often far more
last duty is maintained, despite an invasion being robust than many would be comfortable with.
highly unlikely to reach the shores of the island, due
to the krakens presence, is evidence of the paranoia Mercenary Company
that the administration feels. This indigenous army The mercenary army is a more diverse entity than the
is a company strong, divided into four quintets of army of Antangil. Each tent group of eight
roughly fifty swords each, and one quintet of combatants may be composed of almost any kind of
somewhere between forty and fifty staff officers, class and typically represents an adventuring band.
armourers, administrators, commissary agents and so In general, it is reasonable to say that, of a tent
on. All are on foot and each quintet is recognisable group, four will be 1st or 2nd level, three will be 3rd or
by its own distinctive badges and colours. Each 4th level and the last person will be 5th or greater
quintet is rotated through the roles of constabulary level, and in the leadership role. Commanding each
(patrolling the city and country roads, and century is an 8th level character who is supported by
apprehending law-breakers), shipboard guards a separate tent group of similarly high-level Non-
(where they are parcelled out to protect not Player Characters. The overall commander of the
necessarily the ships at sea, but the ship, cargo and mercenary company is a 9th level fighter. Use the
crew when they reach foreign ports), training (where tables presented in Core Rulebook II for generating
they are run through exercises generally given by these Non-Player Characters.
foreign mercenaries) and, finally, leave, when they
are theoretically able to be with their families. Each Both mercenary and local companies wear the
of these duties entails a posting of three months. kraken as a symbol on their uniform; bearing in
Part of the role of the staff quintet is to know exactly mind that, for the mercenary unit, the sign of the
where everyone in the company is at any given kraken may be the only token of uniformity that
moment, so that they can be mustered if any they show at all. Resisting the activities of the
emergency should arise. soldiers, speaking ill of the soldiers, fomenting civil
disobedience, conspiring with foreign agents to
The Army of Antangil undermine the security and well being of the
The army of Antangil is composed entirely of Non- republic of Antangil, as well as many other
Player Characters with the warrior class. Each activities, are all capital crimes for which there is
quintet is comprised of forty 1st level warriors, with only one obvious penalty
eight 2nd level warriors providing close leadership to
groups of five each, and is led by a 3rd level warrior.
In command of the whole army is a 6th level warrior,
Navy
the chief constable. Six 5th level and nine 4th level The original navy of the republic consisted of a few
staff officers support him. coastal traders, many small fishing vessels and a
frigate to protect them all. Now its fleet is quite
Supplementing the local company is a mercenary extensive, built with the wealth of its evilly-
company recruited by the paranoid government. protected trade and crewed predominantly by paid
This follows continental patterning, and is foreign deckhands. The following is an Observers
composed of two centuries of roughly eighty list of the vessels currently registered in Antangil.
swords and twenty administrative staff each. Each
century is further divided into ten tent groups of 15 coastal traders. These have a variety of
eight swords, led by a more experienced character. It names dependant on the whims of the captains,
is the tent group that is the functional unit of the unlike the larger ships that have been given
mercenary army, and these bunk together (often names consistent with a theme when they were
imposing themselves on local houses), do duty bought or commissioned.
together and fight together. Tent groups are sent to
bolster local quintets in whatever duty they are 10 trading ships. Ogden, Chagall, Poussin,
performing and provide the majority of the training Phidias, Himachal, Heyerdahl, Dinesen,
they receive. These mercenaries are not popular Blanqui, Mitford, and Rothko.
with the local civilian population, even though they
are outrageously well paid, and know how to spend.
They are, however, hardened soldiers of fortune and 3 mercantile ships. Bishkek, Lenekal, and
Ronkiti.

24
 ANTANGIL

Protecting these are the following: laboured to rebuild his power and locate the kraken -
the holder of his priceless phylactery. When he had
4 frigates. Might of the Waves, Glorious done so he again set out: this time to find and
Commerce, Horned Tentacle, and Black Night. slaughter the monster. Again his ship was crewed by
zombies, but it was a stouter vessel, and he was
confident of victory. Yet again, the ship was
1 heavy frigate. Architeutis. destroyed, and Xardan reformed without the prize he
sought. Many more decades passed and several
Detailing the Navy more attempts failed.
If you are using the Seas of Blood accessory by
Mongoose Publishing, the ships listed above are of Finally, out of frustration with this never-ending
the Fleur, Orca, High Seas, Voyager and Typhoon duel, the kraken surfaced in its lair (the submarine
classes, respectively. cave beneath Antangil), disgorged the remains of
Xardan on the beach and waited in the darkness.
To accommodate the increased traffic the docks have When the lich reformed the kraken spoke to him.
been enlarged several times, ten ships can now be The patience of both was immense and they talked
serviced simultaneously. Slipways similarly have
sprung up and the skeletons of new ships are slowly
but surely taking form.

The terrible twist

revealed
300 years ago, Xardan Darkfyre was an adventurer, a
sorcerer and a necromancer. He studied his dark arts
well and grew in power, succumbing to the madness
of that particular discipline. Eventually he took the
ultimate step as his natural life drew to a close: he
secluded himself in his forest keep, crafted a
phylactery, concocted the lethal potion and became
a lich. For many years he continued to study,
preying upon the local kingdom until they
eventually rose up and conspired to drive him out.
In secret he abandoned his home of more than a
century and set out to find a new territory where he
could carry out his master plan, creating a perfect
kingdom of his own. Thinking that the realms
across the sea might offer greater opportunities, he
bought and crewed a stout ship and ventured across
uncharted waters. Soon all of that fated crew were
zombies and troubled him no more with their
hateful singing and banter.

But all of his plans were undone when the kraken

seized the vessel, crushed it, spun it, and dragged
it beneath the surface. Even though the battle
was fierce, Xardan was ripped apart and
consumed, his precious phylactery, a stone
bound into a necklace, was parted from him
and lodged in the beasts gut. He later
reformed on the sea bottom, and it
took him the next six months to walk
to shore. For roughly twenty years he

25
ANTANGIL

for many years of what was to be done. Eventually, a Xardan Darkfyre, High Priest of the Cult
pact was formed. Xardan thirsted for the power to of the Kraken
make a kingdom and the kraken thirsted to be Male lich Sor12; CR 14; Medium-size undead; HD
recognised in its true divinity. Together they would 12d12; hp 84; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 15
further both these goals, entwined into one exquisite (touch 10, flat-footed 15); Atk +7/+2 melee touch
plan. To ensure that Xardan would never double- (1d8+5 and paralysis, touch) or +8/+3 melee (1d6+1,
cross him, the kraken kept the phylactery, but in masterwork scimitar), or +8/+3 ranged (1d4+1,
compensation he provided the lich with corpses to dagger); SA Damaging touch, fear aura, paralysing
animate and ink to sell. touch, spells; SQ +4 turn resistance, damage
reduction 15/+1, immunities, undead; AL LE; SV
With a newly-risen army of skeleton workers the lich Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +10; Str 12, Dex 15, Con , Int
tunnelled out of the cave, now renamed the 17, Wis 14, Cha 17.
cathedral, into the sunlight air of the unsuspecting
island republic. Meanwhile, the kraken had been Skills and Feats: Alchemy +16, Concentration +16,
sinking ships that bore the Antangillian banner on Craft (engraving) +13, Knowledge (arcane) +5,
the high seas and buffeting the island with storms. Knowledge (necromancy) +9, Scry +13, Spellcraft
Disguised by enchantments and the clothes from +18; Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Martial
uncounted victims, Xardan entered the city as an Weapon Proficiency (scimitar), Silent Spell, Spell
eccentric hermit, the prophet of a new god. Every Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration.
sinking he foretold, and for every one he proposed
the same solution: Placate the beast by making it a Spells Known: (6/7/7/7/5/4/3): 0 arcane mark,
god, worship it, cast into its tentacles live sacrifices. dancing lights, daze, detect magic, disrupt undead,
For a long time his council was studiously ignored, ghost sound, open/close, ray of frost, read magic; 1st
but eventually an outraged community took matters cause fear, chill touch, mage armour, ray of
into their own hands and cast a bound criminal into enfeeblement, spider climb; 2nd darkness, ghoul
the sea, resulting in an immediate cessation of the touch, hideous laughter, scare, spectral hand; 3rd
evils that had beset the island. The rest, as they say, dispel magic, halt undead, hold person, vampiric
is history. touch; 4th contagion, enervation, fear; 5th
animate dead, cone of cold; 6th circle of death.
Now the lich sits, as High Priest of the Cult of the
Kraken, on the council of the republic as its most Possessions: Masterwork scimitar, ceremonial robes,
dominant member. He guides their every decision 3 daggers, 2 potions (randomly determined), 2 minor
and, since he can conspire with the kraken to have magic items (randomly determined) and 1 medium
rapid proof of his threats of divine retribution, he is magic item (randomly determined).
gradually becoming the only voice. In time, of
course, he plans to do away with them all and their For details of Xardans abilities refer to the
endless petty questions and concerns. When appropriate sections of Core Rulebooks I and III.
Antangil is the greatest sea empire in the world,
when its banners are flown in every port, when male. To cover the smell of his hideous true form, he
stately death hulks ply the waves unmolested, when has produced a number of masking potions in his
the pathetic contagion of mortal life is removed from cathedral laboratory. Each of these potions lasts 8
his borders, then will Xardan Darkfyre have the hours after he ingests it, and totally masks his
perfect kingdom, and then he will cut his phylactery undead aroma.
from that rubbery false god.
His phylactery is a flattened stone of black obsidian,
Xardan knew he had to cover the obvious roughly three inches in diameter, on which are
appearance of his undeath. Over the years before he meticulously engraved incantations that preserve his
and the kraken unleashed their master plan, he had existence, and bound with a leather thong so it can
the beast wreck ships and bring him all the books, be worn as a necklace. Purely by accident it lodged
items and scrolls that it found. Eventually he found within the krakens gut during their first encounter,
what he was looking for: a scroll that allowed him to where it has remained, perfectly safe, but
alter his appearance and another that made the irretrievable by the lich.
enchantment permanent. Reading these scrolls he
took the appearance of a non-descript, aged human

26
 ANTANGIL

ships. Here Xardan continues his alchemical

The cult and the research, ostensibly to create powerful potions that
cathedral will poison the water supply of every local port and
create a zombie army under his control but, in
The central goal of the Cult of the Kraken is collect reality, mostly concerned with producing the scent-
victims for sacrifice to the god. To that end, an masking potion that he so desperately needs.
ever-increasing range of complex laws has been
enacted, in the interests of public safety and order. Strewn about on the beach are the bones and corpses
Those who break these laws are incarcerated in the of the countless victims of the krakens attacks,
temple on the hillside, released only if the citizen is brought here for Xarden to animate, which he does
of sufficient public stature that their presence would whenever he needs someone to do some manual
be missed, or if substantial bribes are paid to the work. If anyone descends into the cathedral from the
guards. Otherwise they are publicly cast into the staircase without Xarden with them, 1d10 skeletons
harbour, or simply spirited away, down the winding and 1d6 zombies will animate per round to attack
steps to the cavern below, by the high priest. In both the intruders. This will continue for 1d20+10
cases the sentence is terminal. rounds, after which no more skeletons or zombies
will animate, unless specifically commanded to by
Priests of the cult have no clerical powers; they are, Xarden. At his disposal there are 1d10x100
in actuality, predominantly lawful evil fighters and skeletons, and 1d10x50 corpses suitable for
rogues of varying levels. They see their task as one zombification. The undead guardians will not
of creating an ordered society and are happy automatically attack anyone entering the cathedral
performing their assigned ministrations. These from the sea tunnel.
members of the clergy regularly hold public services
to give glory to the god, though these are just
mumbo-jumbo made up on the spot to terrify and The Antangil Kraken
impress the locals. In all there are 20 priests in these Male advanced kraken; CR 19; Colossal magical
roles, the highest being a 6th level human fighter. beast (aquatic); HD 33d10+363; hp 478; Init +4
(Improved Initiative); Spd swim 20 ft.; AC 21 (touch
Secreted behind the main alter in the temple is the 2, flat-footed 21); Atk +41/+36/+36 (4d6+16 19-20/
secret door that leads to the steps down to the x2, 2 tentacle rake; 1d8+8 19-20/x2, 6 arm; 4d8+8
cathedral. No-one apart from Xardan, High Priest of 19-20/x2, bite); Face/Reach 40 ft. by 80 ft./15 ft.
the Cult of the Kraken, knows of its existence, and (150 ft. with tentacle); SA Improved grab, constrict
he uses every means at his disposal to keep it this 4d6+16 or 1d8+8; SQ Ink cloud, jet, spell-like
way. abilities; AL NE; SV Fort +29, Ref +18, Will +18; Str
42, Dex 10, Con 33, Int 21, Wis 20, Cha 10.
The cathedral of the kraken is at least 500 feet in
diameter. A large lake occupies most of this area, Skills & Feats: Concentration +24, Knowledge
with the rest being a sandy shore that circles most of (geography) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10,
the perimeter. The lake itself is very deep and leads Knowledge (politics) +10, Listen +15, Search +15,
out, though a 100 foot-diameter, 1,500 foot-long Spot +15; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Expertise,
tunnel, into the open sea at a depth of 600 feet. Improved Critical (arm, bite, tentacle), Improved
Xardan has had his zombies and skeletons stack Initiative, Improved Trip, Iron Will, Whirlpool.
goods from destroyed ships that the kraken has
brought to him against the walls of the cathedral. For details of the krakens special abilities refer to
There are priceless goods of all descriptions, Xardan Core Rulebook III. The Whirlpool feat is detailed on
having carefully placed them, more out of a sense of page 13 of this guide.
orderliness than care for their value. To one side of
the cavern, a quarter of the distance around the lake,
away from the single staircase that ascends to the
temple entrance, Xardan has set up his laboratory.
Here the section of beach is 45 feet wide and a large
number of benches and other furniture have been set
up, along with many racks and shelves. All of this
has been salvaged over the years from wrecked

27
KRAKEN REFERENCE LIST

Special Attacks/Qualities: Details of the kraken

Kraken offsprings special attacks/qualities can be found in
Core Rulebook III.

Reference Shepherd of the Sea

Kraken Drd6/Shp3; CR 21; Gargantuan magical
List beast (aquatic); HD 23d10+6d8+261; hp 400; Init
+4 (Improved Initiative); Spd swim 20 ft.; AC 20
(touch 6, flat-footed 14); Atk +34/+29/+29 (2d8+12/

T
he following statistics are presented here to
give the Games Master an instant reference 19-20/x2, 2 tentacle rake; 1d6+6, 6 arm; 4d6+6,
for the various types of kraken and their bite); Face/Reach 20 ft. by 40 ft./10 ft. (100 ft. with
special followers that are presented in this guide. tentacle); SA Improved grab, constrict 2d8+12 or
They can be immediately dropped into a scenario, 1d6+6; SQ Ink cloud, jet, spell-like abilities, nature
simply rename them as required. Possessions listed sense, animal companion, woodland stride, trackless
are only a suggestion, but their effects have been step, resist natures lore, wild shape 2/day, healing
factored into the rest of the statistics. You are free to circle (2d8+2) 3/day, animal growth 1/day, alter life;
replace or add possessions, so they might better fit AL NE; SV Fort +29, Ref +17, Will +19; Str 34, Dex
your situation, however it is recommended that you 10, Con 29, Int 21, Wis 20, Cha 12.
do not remove an item without replacing it with one
of similar or greater value. Skills & Feats: Animal Empathy +13, Concentration
+19, Handle Animal +13, Heal +17, Knowledge
(geography) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10 Listen
Kraken +15, Search +15, Spot +15, Wilderness Lore +17;
CR 12; Gargantuan magical beast (aquatic); HD Alertness, Blind-Fight, Expertise, Improved Critical
20d10+180; hp 290; Init +4 (Improved Initiative); (tentacle), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Iron
Spd swim 20 ft.; AC 20 (touch 6, flat-footed 14); Atk Will.
+28/+23/+23 (2d8+12/19-20/x2, 2 tentacle rake;
1d6+6, 6 arm; 4d6+6, bite); Face/Reach 20 ft. by 40 Special Attacks/Qualities: Details of the shepherds
ft./10 ft. (100 ft. with tentacle); SA Improved grab, special attacks and qualities can be found in Core
constrict 2d8+12 or 1d6+6; SQ Ink cloud, jet, spell- Rulebook I, Core Rulebook III and this guide.
like abilities; AL NE; SV Fort +21, Ref +12, Will
+13; Str 34, Dex 10, Con 29, Int 21, Wis 20, Cha 10. Spells Prepared (6/5/4/4/3): 0 Cure minor wounds
x6; 1st Animal friendship, calm animals, cure light
Skills & Feats: Concentration +19, Knowledge wounds, entangle, obscuring mist x2; 2nd Hold
(geography) +10, Knowledge (nature) +10 Listen animal x2, speak with animals, summon natures
+15, Search +15, Spot +15; Alertness, Blind-Fight, ally II x2; 3rd Cure moderate wounds, remove
Expertise, Improved Critical (tentacle), Improved disease, summon natures ally III x2; 4th Freedom
Initiative, Improved Trip, Iron Will. of movement, sleet storm, summon natures ally IV.

Special Attacks/Qualities: Details of the krakens Animal Companions: Randomly determined up to a

special attacks/qualities can be found in Core maximum of 18 HD. All of these creatures will have
Rulebook III. +1 bonus HD which does not count against this total
and their alignment will be one step shifted towards
neutral evil.
Kraken Offspring
CR 9; Huge animal (aquatic); HD 12d8+12; hp 66;
Init +3 (Dex); Spd swim 80 ft.; AC 17 (touch 11, flat- True Disciple
footed 14); Atk +15/+10 (1d6+8, 8 tentacle rake; Gurter; Human Ftr7/Dcp2; CR 9; Medium-size
2d8+4, bite); Face/Reach 10 ft. by 20ft./10 ft. (40 ft. humanoid; HD 9d10+18; hp 72; Init +5; Spd 20 ft.,
with tentacle); SA Improved grab, constrict; SQ Ink swim 30 ft.; AC 22; Atk +14/+9 melee (1d10+6, +1
cloud, jet; AL NE; SV Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +5; Str bastard sword), +11/+6 ranged (1d8+3, mighty
26, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2. masterwork composite longbow); Face/Reach 5 ft.
by 5 ft./5 ft.; SQ Bonus feats, weapon specialization,
Skills & Feats: Listen +8, Spot +8. natural swimmer, empathic link; AL NE; SV Fort
28
 KRAKEN REFERENCE LIST

+11, Ref +7, Will +4; Str 17, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, AC: Natural armour improves by +7.
Wis 12, Cha 8.
Damage: A half-krakens arms are malleable and
Skills & Feats: Climb +12, Jump +12, Swim +22; incredibly flexible, granting them two slam attacks
Cleave, Endurance, Exotic Weapon (bastard sword), with a reach of up to fie feet farther than the base
Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, creature. If the base creature does not already have
Skill Focus (swim), Weapon Focus (bastard sword), this attack form, use the damage values in the table
Weapon Specialization (bastard sword). below. Otherwise, use the values below or the base
creatures damage, whichever is greater.
Special Qualities: Details of Gurturs special
qualities can be found in Core Rulebook I and this Size Slam Damage
guide. Fine 1
Diminutive 1d2
Possessions: Large metal shield, +1 full plate, +1 Tiny 1d3
bastard sword, mighty (Str 16) masterwork Small 1d4
composite longbow, 20 arrows, potion of cure Medium-size 1d6
moderate wounds, potion of endurance, cloak of Large 1d8
resistance +1. Huge 2d6
Gargantuan 2d8
Colossal 4d6
HALF-KRAKEN
Kraken are highly magical creatures that are Special Attacks: A half-kraken retains all the special
constantly plotting bigger and better ways to attacks of the base creature and also gains the
achieve their goals. Sometimes, in the case of Improved Grab and Constrict abilities with its arms.
particularly powerful kraken, this can involve a These abilities function exactly as described in Core
dalliance with a surface creature while under the Rulebook III, allowing the half-kraken to deal
effects of shape-changing magic. This union rarely automatic slam damage each round to a grappled
results in offspring, however, when it does bear fruit, foe.
the young are evil, twisted versions of their non-
kraken parents, although there is a hint of the kraken Special Qualities: A half-kraken retains all of the
in their features. Their eyes appear abnormally special qualities of the base creature and can breathe
large, their skin has a slightly rubbery texture to it both air and water freely.
and, upon careful examination, a set of gills can be
found on the sides of their neck. Saves: Same as the base creature.

All half-kraken revere their parent as the god they Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows:
believe themselves to be, and act as spies and Str +6, Dex +0, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +0.
ambassadors to costal civilizations on behalf of the
kraken. Skills: A half-kraken has four skill points, plus its
Intelligence modifier, per Hit Die. Treat skills from
Creating a Half-kraken the base creatures list as class skills and other skills
Half-kraken is a template that can be added to any as cross-class. If the creature has a class, it gains
humanoid, giant or monstrous humanoid (referred to skills for class levels normally.
hereafter as the base creature). The creatures type
changes based on its original type: humanoid Feats: Same as the base creature.
creatures become monstrous humanoid (aquatic),
while all other types simply gain the aquatic sub- Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature or any
type. It uses all the base creatures statistics and aquatic.
special abilities except as noted below. Organization: Same as the base creature.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Speed: In addition to the base creatures normal Treasure: Same as the base creature.
movement rate, the half-kraken can swim at the full, Alignment: Usually neutral evil.
unencumbered, land speed of the base creature. Advancement: Same as the base creature.

29
KRAKEN REFERENCE LIST

Half-Kraken Characters Attacks: Huge greatclub +11 melee, or 2 slam +10

Half-kraken often have a character class, favouring melee; or Huge longspear +1 ranged
barbarian, druid, fighter and ranger. Half-kraken Damage: Huge greatclub 2d6+12, or slam 1d8+8; or
clerics and paladins are extremely rare. Huge longspear 2d6+8
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./15 ft. (20-25 ft. with
longspear)
Sample Half-Kraken Special Attacks: Improved grab, constrict 1d8+8
Half-Kraken/Half-Ogre Saves: Fort +8, Ref +0, Will +2
Large Giant (Aquatic) Abilities: Str 27, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 7
Hit Dice: 4d8+16 (34 hp) Skills: Climb +8, Listen +5, Spot +5
Initiative: -1 (Dex) Feats: Weapon Focus (greatclub)
Speed: 30 ft., swim 30 ft. Climate/Terrain: Any land, aquatic, and
AC: 23 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +12 natural, +3 hide) underground
Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (2 4),
or band (5 8)
Chalenge Rating: 4
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral evil
Advancement: By character class

Combat
Half-kraken/half-ogres attack for no reason, taking
delight in inflicting pain on others. In combat they
either use the favoured weapons of their race, or slam
unwitting opponents with their thick arms.

Improved Grab (Ex):

To use this ability, the
half-kraken/half-ogre
must hit an opponent
of up to Medium-size
with a slam attack. If it
gets a hold, it can
constrict.

Constrict (Ex): A half-kraken/half-

ogre deals automatic slam damage
with a successful grapple check
against Medium-size or smaller
creatures.

30
LICENCES
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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31