Kraken

Krakens are gargantuan monstrosities who once served primordial titans.

Description
The kraken who inhabits the rift between the Elemental Plane of Water and Vesrah, has at least seven tentacles, and one gleaming yellow eye.

Abilities
Krakens are immune to lightning damage; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons; and the frightened and paralyzed conditions.


 * Amphibious: The kraken can breathe air and water.
 * Freedom of Movement: The kraken ignores difficult terrain, and magical effects can't reduce its speed or cause it to be restrained. It can spend 5 feet of movement to escape from nonmagical restraints or being grappled.
 * Siege Monster: The kraken deals double damage to objects and structures.
 * Tentacle: Deals 3d6 + 10 bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. The kraken has ten tentacles, each of which can grapple one target.
 * Bite: Deals 3d8 + 10 piercing damage and if the target is a Large or smaller creature grappled by the kraken, that creature is swallowed, and the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against attacks and other effects outside the kraken, and it takes 12d6 acid damage at the start of each of the kraken's turns. If the kraken takes 50 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the kraken must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the kraken. If the kraken dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 15 feet of movement, exiting prone.
 * Fling: One Large or smaller object held or creature grappled by the kraken is thrown up to 60 feet in a random direction and knocked prone. If a thrown target strikes a solid surface, the target takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the target is thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone.
 * Lightning Storm: The kraken magically creates three bolts of lightning, each of which can strike a target the kraken can see within 120 feet of it. A target must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Legendary actions (3/per round)
 * Tentacle Attack or Fling
 * Lightning Storm (costs 2 actions)
 * Ink Cloud (costs 3 actions): While underwater, the kraken expels an ink cloud in a 60-foot radius. The cloud spreads around corners, and that area is heavily obscured to creatures other than the kraken. Each creature other than the kraken that ends its turn there must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d10 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A strong current disperses the cloud, which otherwise disappears at the end of the kraken's next turn.

Lair actions (On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the kraken takes a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects):
 * A strong current moves through the kraken’s lair. Each creature within 60 feet of the kraken must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 60 feet away from the kraken. On a success, the creature is pushed 10 feet away from the kraken.
 * Creatures in the water within 60 feet of the kraken have vulnerability to lightning damage until initiative count 20 on the next round.
 * The water in the kraken’s lair becomes electrically charged. All creatures within 120 feet of the kraken must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw, taking 3d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

History
Krakens are ancient beasts who were once guided by titans, until Exandria was claimed by the gods and gave life to known races. By 811 PD they were considered "long free of their servitude".

Prior to 811 PD, the last generation of waveriders in Vesrah found that krakens are the true source of lodestones, which the Water Ashari need to contain the rift to Elemental Plane of Water and to keep the city afloat. Around this time, one kraken settled near the opening of the rift, making it far more dangerous and at times fatal for the Water Ashari to enter the Plane of Water through this portal. Many waveriders or Ashari completing their Aramenté were tasked to collect the lodestones, but few returned.

According to Uvenda, Vilya reached the Water Ashari tribe in 806 or 807 PD for the final part of her Aramenté.. With the help of her traveling companions, she set out to retrieve several lodestones from within the Water Elemental Plane. However, the kraken killed all of her companions in the process, and only Vilya's leg was retrieved.

Much later, it was revealed that Vilya managed to escape through another rift leading to Rumblecusp.

Campaign One: Vox Machina
Vox Machina faced the same kraken near the rift in Vesrah as the final stage of Keyleth's Aramenté. It was an immensely difficult battle, and Vax'ildan was killed, but they did retrieve the lodestones.

Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting
The epic-level adventure hook Scion of Oblivion involves a piece of Tharizdun's power that was cast into the Shearing Channel in its epic battle with Pelor during the Calamity. That gradually growing power has mutated a kraken into an abomination that horrifically transforms everything around it—creatures, ships, the weather—as it rises and seems to build an army for some larger attack.