- Armor Class
- 18 (natural armor)
- Hit Points
- 472 (27d20+189)
- Speed
- 20 ft., swim 60 ft.
- Challenge
- 23 (50,000 XP)
- Proficiency bonus
- +7
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|
| 30 (+10) | 11 (+0) | 25 (+7) | 22 (+6) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) |
- Saving throws
- Str +17, Dex +7, Con +14, Int +13, Wis +11
- Damage immunities
- lightning, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Senses
- truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 14
- Languages
- understands Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, and Primordial but can't speak, telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
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.
Actions
Multiattack. The kraken makes three tentacle attacks, each of which it can replace with one use of Fling.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 10) piercing damage. 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 42 (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.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 30 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (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.
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 3 (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 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Legendary actions
Tentacle Attack or Fling. The kraken makes one tentacle attack or uses its Fling.
Lightning Storm (Costs 2 Actions). The kraken uses Lightning Storm.
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 16 (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.
How krakens fight
A kraken is a CR 23 titan of the deep: Gargantuan, 472 hit points, AC 18, and a swim speed of 60 feet. It has ten tentacles, each with 30-foot reach, and each tentacle that hits deals 3d6 + 10 bludgeoning damage and grapples and restrains its target (escape DC 18). Its Multiattack is three tentacle attacks, any of which it can swap for Fling: throwing a grappled creature 60 feet in a random direction, possibly into one of its friends.
It’s also a spellcaster’s nightmare. Lightning Storm hits three targets within 120 feet for 4d10 lightning each (DC 23 Dexterity for half), it’s immune to lightning and to nonmagical weapons, it sees with 120-foot truesight, and magic can’t slow or restrain it. It can bite a grappled creature and swallow it whole, and under water it can spend legendary actions on a poisonous ink cloud with a 60-foot radius.
A kraken is worth 50,000 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many krakens fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
Kraken 2024 stat block
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the kraken, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
- Hit points: 472 → 481.
- Speed: 20 ft., swim 60 ft. → 30 ft., swim 120 ft..
- Ability scores: CON 25 → 26.
- New in its stat block: Legendary Resistance, Lightning Strike, Swallow, Storm Bolt and Toxic Ink.
- Gone from it: Freedom of Movement, Bite, Lightning Storm, Tentacle Attack or Fling and Ink Cloud.
- Armor Class
- 18
- Hit Points
- 481 (26d20 + 208)
- Speed
- 30 ft., swim 120 ft.
- Challenge
- 23 (50,000 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|
| 30 (+10) | 11 (+0) | 26 (+8) | 22 (+6) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) |
- Damage immunities
- cold, lightning
- Senses
- truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 21
- Languages
- Understands Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, and Primordial but can’t speak; telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Amphibious. The kraken can breathe air and water.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day, or 5/Day in Lair). If the kraken fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Siege Monster. The kraken deals double damage to objects and structures.
Actions
Multiattack. The kraken makes two Tentacle attacks and uses Fling, Lightning Strike, or Swallow.
Tentacle. Melee Attack Roll: +17, reach 30 ft. Hit: 24 (4d6 + 10) Bludgeoning damage. The target has the Grappled condition (escape DC 20) from one of ten tentacles, and it has the Restrained condition until the grapple ends.
Fling. The kraken throws a Large or smaller creature Grappled by it to a space it can see within 60 feet of itself that isn’t in the air. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 25, the creature thrown and each creature in the destination space. Failure: 18 (4d8) Bludgeoning damage, and the target has the Prone condition. Success: Half damage only.
Lightning Strike. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 23, one creature the kraken can see within 120 feet. Failure: 33 (6d10) Lightning damage. Success: Half damage.
Swallow. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 25, one creature Grappled by the kraken (it can have up to four creatures swallowed at a time). Failure: 23 (3d8 + 10) Piercing damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it is swallowed and no longer Grappled. A swallowed creature has the Restrained condition, has Total Cover against attacks and other effects outside the kraken, and takes 24 (7d6) Acid damage at the start of each of its 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, each of which falls in a space within 10 feet of the kraken with the Prone condition. If the kraken dies, any swallowed creature no longer has the Restrained condition and can escape from the corpse using 15 feet of movement, exiting Prone.
Legendary actions
Storm Bolt. The kraken uses Lightning Strike.
Toxic Ink. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 23, each creature in a 15-foot Emanation originating from the kraken while it is underwater. Failure: The target has the Blinded and Poisoned conditions until the end of the kraken’s next turn. The kraken then moves up to its Speed. Failure or Success: The kraken can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.
