Orcs of the High Mountains – 036

Suddenly an enormous tentacle rises out of the water, followed by a hideous, beaked head. An enormous cave kraken attacks anyone on the platform.

You are on or adjacent to the A spaces. Only the lightly shaded hexes extending from the A spaces are solid; all others are water hexes (including B, C and D). The kraken is a monster with a 5 hex reach; its head is in the water at W. The Kraken has initiative. If you survive, you can search the platform (004).

When a character falls in the water, he immediate drops everything not attached to his body. Characters with SWIMMING skill can swim one space per turn (or climb one space to shore). Any character wearing armor or clothes must pass 3/ST + SWIMMING, but minus the restriction of the armor he is wearing. For example, a character with ST12, SWIMMING+1 wearing chainmail must roll nine (12+1-3=10) or less to successfully swim one space. Each time a character fails, he takes D6 fatigue. A character can spend a turn taking off armor (it sinks and is lost forever), but assuring he will not have to take further swim checks. Any character reaching ST0 falls unconscious and drowns, sinking slowly to the bottom of the lake before he is torn apart and eaten by the Kraken.

• Cave Kraken: ST22 DX11 IQ5; beak 3D6; skin 1/0. The kraken can attack up to 3 targets per turn both on land and in the water. Each tentacle grapples one target, only rather than attacking, the tentacle must win ST against the character to drag him one space towards his head. Each tentacle has a ST9. Ultimately, the Kraken hopes to drag a victim into its head space where the Kraken will attack with its beak and try to eat the victim. If the Kraken gets a meal, he immediately submerges, leaving the party to go on its merry way. The kraken will not be killed until its head is slain. Tentacles can be attacked individually. Each tentacle is protected by rubbery skin 1-0 and is severed after 9 hits. The kraken will retreat if it loses one tentacle—there is easier food to find (004).