Astral Kraken

When an astral kraken sights prey, it attempts to ensnare a victim in its tentacles. As soon as it succeeds on a grapple attempt, it moves away from any remaining opponents (if possible) and consolidates its hold on the grappled opponent by grappling with at least one more tentacle (depending on whether it is still in combat or not). An opponent can make sunder attempts against an astral kraken’s tentacles as if they were weapons; the tentacles have AC 30 and 18 hit points. If an astral kraken is currently grappling a target, it usually uses any free tentacles to make its attacks of opportunity against the sunder attempt. Severing an astral kraken’s tentacle deals damage to the astral kraken equal to half the limb’s full normal hit points. An astral kraken withdraws from combat if it loses three or more tentacles.

An opponent grappled by an astral kraken faces one of two fates. If the opponent is native to the Astral Plane (not an astral traveler), the astral kraken attempts to deal bite damage to the target each round. If the opponent is connected by a silver cord to a physical body elsewhere, the astral kraken attempts to cocoon the opponent for a later meal.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an astral kraken must hit a creature of up to Huge size with a tentacle attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold. On its next action, the astral kraken can either deal bite damage to the held opponent or begin enclosing the opponent in an astral cocoon.

Astral Cocoon (Su): An astral kraken can save a meal for later by encasing it in a translucent magical resin, trapping the victim on the Astral Plane. During each round that an astral kraken holds an opponent it has pinned, it secretes a fast-hardening astral adhesive as a free action. After the first round of cocooning, the opponent can no longer attack, cast spells, or move on the Astral Plane. An astral traveler’s soul cannot return to its material body while it is trapped in a cocoon.

A creature can escape the cocoon with a Strength check. The initial break DC for the cocoon is 10, and it increases by 10 for each additional round spent cocooning, to a maximum break DC of 30 after three rounds. At this point, the astral kraken tucks the opponent away in the folds of its body and seeks a new target.

Energy Drain (Su): An astral traveler trapped in an astral kraken’s cocoon gains one negative level per day as the astral kraken begins feeding on the victim’s life energy. This energy drain begins 24 hours after the victim is first cocooned, and the victim does not receive a Fortitude save to remove negative levels until he is freed from the astral cocoon. (The Fortitude save DC to remove a negative level is 21.) For each such negative level bestowed, the astral kraken gains 5 temporary hit points. If an opponent is slain by an astral kraken in this fashion, his physical body dies as well, and can only be resurrected by a wish, limited wish, or miracle spell.