Adjusting Iconic Monsters

[Nagog]

Salutations friends!

I am doing some long term planning for a campaign, and in a later chapter I'd like to throw a Kraken at them as a boss. Unfortunately, Krakens come in only 2 varieties; CR 10 Malformed Kraken and CR 23 Kraken. I had planned to throw a Malformed Kraken at them around level 7 or 8, however we've had new additions to the party (now there's 5 players) so a CR 10 Malformed Kraken isn't really a boss level encounter. Unfortunately, a CR 23 is too powerful until they get to ~17th level. SO

How would you go about beefing/nerfing iconic enemies and monsters to scale them to the party's level?

[Unoriginal]

Salutations friends!

I am doing some long term planning for a campaign, and in a later chapter I'd like to throw a Kraken at them as a boss. Unfortunately, Krakens come in only 2 varieties; CR 10 Malformed Kraken and CR 23 Kraken. I had planned to throw a Malformed Kraken at them around level 7 or 8, however we've had new additions to the party (now there's 5 players) so a CR 10 Malformed Kraken isn't really a boss level encounter. Unfortunately, a CR 23 is too powerful until they get to ~17th level. SO

How would you go about beefing/nerfing iconic enemies and monsters to scale them to the party's level?

I would give the Malformed Kraken two or three Giant Octopuses mooks flavored as parts of its body it can separate from its main one, like disgusting masses of tentacles and dubious organs.

[Seclora]

I suggest giving it 1/day Legendary Resistance and 2 Legendary Actions[Tentacle/Fling(1), and Lightning Storm(2)] Which will definitely increase its CR, but should also balance the Action Economy a bit. I'd up the HP slightly as well for a boss.


Alternately, Ghosts of Saltmarsh has a Juvenile Kraken(CR 14).

[DarknessEternal]

One of the books has rules for making less powerful versions of monsters. I can't remember which one.

[Qendal]

Just send like 4 malformed krakens

[Yakk]

Add a crew.

Party of 5 level 8s has a level sum of 40. 2/5 of that is CR 16, which is a deadly threshold.

Kracken is CR 23, which is "really" 26 (CR past 20 is "twice as big")

Crew of 20-30 CR 1/8 guards (crew).

Captain is based off the CR 3 Veteran officer. Swap Str and Dex, give them a magical rapier +1 and hand crossbow (+1, repeating, xbe for no disadvantage at melee range) and a parrot familiar (owl stats)). Also has Leadership; the crew adds +1d4 to attack rolls on a creature she has hit since their last turn.

Guards have cannons they can fire. 3 guards actions can load (2), and fire (1) a cannon at +3 to hit for 4d10 fire damage; a 4th guard can help aim to grant advantage (wise).

Cannons are Huge, have 50 HP and an AC of 20 (solid metal, armored ports).

Worth about 12ish CR.

The crew gets destroyed, dealing damage and buying time for the PCs to do something.

The cannon damage output is about 10 DPR oer cannon; maybe 4 are firing each turn on the Kracken. The Captain another 5.

More importantly they eat up a bunch of attacks as they die.

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Alternative is to take the malformed kracken and mythic it. At 0 HP it breaks into 3 parts, 2 octopi and a full HP malformed kracken.

But I like the idea of PCs on a ship of war fighting a full kracken.

I might run player and kracken DPR to see if the PCs are toast first.

[Unoriginal]

Juvenile Kraken from Ghosts of Saltmarsh is probably a good solo boss for 5 characters of that level, yeah.

Maybe add some Legendary or Lair Actions.