This tremendous leviathan resembles a vast squid, yet the markings on its body are strangely unsettling to look upon.

Beneath the waves, the kraken sleeps for untold ages, awaiting some fell sign or calling. Land-born mortals who sail the open sea forget the reasons their ancestors dreaded the ocean, even as the races of the deep ignore strange gaps in their histories when their civilizations nearly vanished after the appearance of the tentacled horror.

Leviathans of Legend

At the beginning of time, krakens served as fierce warriors of the gods. When the gods' wars ended, the krakens shrugged free of their servitude, never again to be bound by other beings. Whole nations quake in fear when the kraken emerges from its dark demesne, and even in the middle of the deepest oceans, storms rise or abate according to its will. The kraken is a primeval force that obliterates the greatest achievements of civilization as if they were castles in the sand. Its devastating attacks can destroy ocean trade and halt communication between coastal cities.

An ominous darkness presages a kraken's attack, and a cloud of inky poison colors the water around it. Galleons and warships vanish when its tentacles uncoil from the deep, the kraken breaking their masts like kindling before drawing down ships and crew. Not even landlocked surface dwellers are safe from a kraken's wrath. Krakens can breathe air as easily as water, and some crawl up rivers to nest in freshwater lakes, destroying cities and towns along the way. Adventurers tell of these monsters lairing in the ruins of lakeside citadels, their tentacles twined around leaning towers of disintegrating stone.

Mortal Foes

Some krakens are virtual gods, with cults and minions spread across sea and land. Others are allied with Olhydra, the evil Princess of Elemental Water, and use her cultists to enforce their will on land and sea. A kraken pleased with its worshipers can becalm rough seas and bring a bounteous harvest of fish to the faithful. However, the devious mind of a kraken is ancient beyond reckoning, and is ultimately bent to the ruination of all things.

A kraken dreams of casting its tentacles into the heavens and strangling that which birthed it, and when its dream exceeds its reach, it settles for the occasional passing ship.

A Kraken's Lair

A kraken lives in dark depths, usually a sunken rift or a cavern filled with detritus, treasure, and wrecked ships.

Lurking in the deepest reaches of Zendikar's seas, krakens are mysterious monsters of unpredictable wrath and terrible destruction. Though they take the form of rampaging brutes when they appear on the surface, the truth of their existence is more complex. Krakens embody force of will and the drive for self-determination shared by all thinking beings. When their will is turned to destruction, they are capable of wreaking terrible havoc upon ships at sea or coastal settlements. But they live most of their adult lives in utter isolation in the deeps, focused on their own probing of the seas' mysteries.

A kraken has a roughly humanoid shape, with two strong arms and a broad chest. Its head is encased in a rough shell that sprouts two large horns, and one of its hands is a bony claw. It has dozens of tentacles—a writhing mass below its toothy mouth, another mass at the end of one arm, and several long tentacles in place of legs. On its back is a huge conch-like shell.

Though the Monster Manual has its own version of the kraken, Zendikar's krakens are actually more similar to storm giants.

Kraken

Leviathan of Legend

Ancient weapons of the gods, krakens slumber in the deepest oceanic abysses, awaiting their time to rise and dominate the world. These massive, many-tentacled horrors combine overwhelming physical might with formidable cunning. Their powerful limbs shatter ships and topple spires, and they use their control over storms to rain down lightning on their foes.

Krakens usually have little interest in mortal affairs. These terrors were created by the gods to wage war in ages long forgotten. Since that era, most krakens have vanished beneath the waves to slumber until the gods call on them again. Some krakens serve divine masters still, protecting deep sea treasures or entire oceans. Others have forsaken their divine creators and pursue their own agendas, manipulating forces beneath the sea and beyond.

Krakens rarely appear on the surface, but when they do, they herald times of change and doom. When roused to action, these titans directly attack coastal cities or whole armadas. Kraken onslaughts persist until their wrath is sated, their divine patrons are appeased, or their egos are placated by valuable offerings. Roll on or choose a result from the Kraken Attacks table to inspire what ruin a kraken might unleash.

Kraken Lairs

Kraken lairs tend to be sunken temples, eldritch ritual sites, or primeval places of divine power. They might lie deep beneath bodies of fresh or salt water, and they often connect to labyrinths of flooded subterranean tunnels or networks of magical portals.

A kraken dreams of casting its tentacles into the heavens and strangling that which birthed it, and when its dream exceeds its reach, it settles for the occasional passing ship.

Possibly the largest known creature, with a body 150 feet long and 10 barbed tentacles that can reach an additional 500 feet

A Kraken is possibly the largest known creature, with a body 150 feet long and 10 barbed tentacles that can reach an additional 500 feet. Its beak-like mouth is located where the tentacles meet the lower portion of its body. It usually stays in the deepest parts of the oceans, but will come to the surface for prey. A kraken strikes its opponents with some of its barbed tentacles, then grab and crush its victims within its huge jaws. Once an opponent has been hit, the kraken wraps a tentacle around the victim and automatically inflicts 7d6 points of damage each round. When six of the tentacles are wrapped around a ship, the kraken may crush for 4d6 points of damage to the vessel each round. Victims caught in the kraken's tentacles attack at -4. If a tentacle takes 60 points of damage it's severed. Severed tentacles will regrow in 1d10+10 days. A kraken can jet backward once per round at a speed of 280 feet in a straight line. When a kraken has lost 5 of its tentacles or 50% of its hit points, it will emit a cloud of jet-black ink in a 100-foot cubic area. This can be repeated once per hour. The cloud provides total concealment, which the kraken will use to escape. Creatures within

Possibly the largest known creature, with a body 150 feet long and 10 barbed tentacles that can reach an additional 500 feet

It is rumoured kraken once lived in shallower coastal waters and had armies of slaves who worshipped them. For some reason they were forced to retreat to the deepest depths of the oceans. In the darkness they grew larger and more powerful. They excavated huge labyrinths in the sea floor. Now they prey on ships for food and slaves which they drag down to their watery dungeons. A kraken will attack a ship in the same way a giant squid does, by anchoring itself with 2 arms and attacking with the other 8. If the kraken wraps 6 tentacles around a ship and squeezes for 3 consecutive rounds, it will cause enough damage to sink the ship. A kraken's body is protected by a tough shell (AC 0), but its tentacles and head are more vulnerable (AC 5). Two tentacles are covered with barbs and do 2d6 damage. The other 6 tentacles hit for 2d4 damage. With each successful hit the kraken grabs its victim and holds it. With each successive round the tentacle does an additional 3d4 crushing damage. The kraken's sharp beak bites for 5d4 damage. Once held, the only way to get free is to sever the tentacle by causing 16 hp damage to it. Those within the tentacle's grasp are 25% likely to have both arms h