Octopus Encounter

R
emember the limb fights in video games like Crushing Tentacles
the SNES Final Fantasy games? Or the
Deathwing fight in World of Warcraft:
Cataclysm? This scenario is intended to be as STR DEX CON WIS INT CHA
frantic, fun, and rewarding as those fights. This +4 -2 +3 -- -- --
scenario can be run with the free 5e PDFs
provided by Wizards of the Coast. AC: 12
Health: 36
Initiative: Octopus Head -3
Overview Size: 1 square wide, 2 squares long (6' wide, 15' long)
This is meant to be a hard or deadly encounter for a party of A crushing tentacle is a stubby, orc-thick, barnackled,
between 3 and 5 level 2 to 4 characters. lumbering, hulking thing that may take action in the same
Your party of adventurers are on a boat (for example, this third of the boat as the head.
one uploaded byBurrowowl ) either at sea or traveling down a A Crushing Tentacle may make a smash attack against
deep river -- where ever it fits your game. The boat is attacked everyone touching it. This attack inflicts d8+1 bludgeoning
by a gigantic, hungry and angry octopus. damage or half as much on a successful DC11 dexterity
In this scenario the octopus cannot be convinced not to eat save.
the boat, it must be fought off, either by attacking the head Or
(70 points of damage), or killing enough tentacles (any 5) that It may inflict a flat 4 points of damage to whatever part of
it flees before it crushes the boat. the boat it is on, crushing the boat into its hungry maw.
Scenario One, Tier 1: A Hungry
Octopod Articulated Tentacles
This is for a party of between 3 and 5 level 2 to 4 characters, STR DEX CON WIS INT CHA
who are on a boat. Every boat is divided into front, middle,
and back. Each third of the boat has its own health. +2 0 +1 -- -- --

Boat Health
Front(Fore): 60
Middle(Center): 80
Back(Aft): 60
If any of the parts reach zero health, the boat
breaks accordingly and sinks. If the boat takes 130
total points of damage, it also sinks. If the boat
takes 100 to 120 total points of damage, it is
considered damaged and moves at half speed until
repaired.
AC: 12
Health: 26
Initiative: Octopus Head
Size: 1/2 a square wide, 2 squares long (3' thick, 10' long)
Are segmented, long, dwarf-thick, slimy, suctioning,
pulsating tentacles. They may take action within the same
or adjacent thirds as the head.
A Articulated Tentacle may make a whip attack against
one creature it is touching. These are snap, whip, or
choking type attacks. These are +3 to hit and do d6
bludgeoning damage.
Or
It may inflict d4 damage to its current third of the boat.

The Octopus Stinger Tentacles

Attacking the boat is a gigantic octopus. There are nine
separate parts to the octopus. The octopus head and three STR DEX CON WIS INT CHA
types of tentacles: two crushing tentacles, four articulated 0 +2 -1 -- -- --
tentacles, and two stinger tentacles.
The tentacles may attack anyone adjacent. The octopus’s AC: 16
head is only ever submerged and on the bottom of the boat, Health: 13
also it will only ever be on one third of the boat, so you may Initiative: Octopus Head +1
have so scale its size, depending on your boat. This matters Size: 1/4 square wide, 4 squares long (1.5' wide, 20' long)
for tentacle reach (see below). The tentacles splash up out of
the water and smash about on the top of the boat.

1
 Sinewy, thin, white, translucent, veiny, like a gigantic
tapeworm with pincers. They may take action on any third
of the boat.
They are under the water to begin.
They hold their action to move to and attack anything that
makes a melee attack against another tentacle.
A Stinger Tentacle may make a stinging attack against one
creature it is touching. These are stinging, burrowing,
acidic attacks. These are +4 to hit and do d6+1 piercing
damage.
Octopus Head
STR DEX CON WIS INT CHA
0 +2 +3 +3 0 +1
AC: 12
Health: 80 (flees permanently when it has 10 or less left)
Initiative: +2
Size: 3 squares wide by 2 squares long (approxiatemly the
size of two firbolgs, plus tentacles.)
The Octopus Head is a gigantic, bulbous, rippling sack of
dry-scab red skin, with gigantic emerald eyes. On the
bottom --the side attached to the hull of the boat-- is a
gigantic beak.
The gigantic beak does d4+2 piercing damage to the third
of the boat it is on, or d8+2 damage if it has not moved
this round. The octopus is considered to have moved
during the first round of the encounter.
Forcing the Octopus to Move
To make the octopus move, players must deal 12 or more
damage to the head in a turn.
When the 12th point of damage is dealt, the octopus moves
to the third of the boat directly away from the source of the
damage.
If this would move the octopus off the boat it swims away
and returns one full combat round later, landing on a
randomly determined third of the boat. Feel free to run this
as a false victory narrative the first time it happens!
Forcing the Tentacles to Move
Crusher tentacles will not move.
Articulated tentacles will run away and stay underwater
and close to the head when they are down to 8 health or
less. While close to the head, they continue to do 1
damage per round to the third of the boat they are on. Half
of all articulated tentacles (rounded up) that are close to
the head will hold their action to attack any creature that
swims into the third of the boat where they are.
Stinger tentacles will run away if they reach 2 health, they
will stay underwater and close to the head, which they will
protect.
Starting the Scenario
Read this aloud to your players: Make a dex save, DC12 to
stay standing. Anyone who doesn't is prone. Now, with a
deafening, thunderous thunk something huge has struck the
underside of the boat. Let's roll initiative.
Give your players a round to look around -- investigation,
insight, perception checks:
12 or higher: There's definitely something that hit the
bottom of the boat in [a random section]
15 or higher: You're under attack by a gigantic, aquatic
creature
17 or higher: It's a gigantic octopus! You most to highest
initiative and are unsurprised when. . .
Place the tentacles as tactically as you like, and start the
combat encounter!
Ending the Scenario
If the party kills the head: sinks into the depths. . .
If the party deals enough damage for it to flee, or if they
killed enough tentacles: It whips its remaining tentacles
under the boat, which rocks crazily for a moment before. . .
Silence! The octopus is gone.
If the boat takes fatal damage: An ominous creak followed
by the sound of splintering wood rolls over you as the boat
breaks apart . . .
Dungeon Master
Roleplaying Tips
Give your players as much mechanical information as they
need to have fun.
Tentacle length is from the edges of the boat into the boat.
There are an equal number of Crushing and Articulated
tentacles on each side, to start. The stinger tentacles
appear "where needed" to protect the octopus.
Play up how gross and otherworldly the octopus head and
its tentacles are.
Make sure that failed player rolls highlight how powerful
the tentacles and octopus are. For example, if they fail an
attack roll, the character doesn't miss, their blade gets
stuck in barnacles, or batted away by a twitch at the last
moment, or bludgeoning weapons thud with a ripple that
gets absorbed.
Remember to narrate all the damage the Octopus is doing
to the boat; This will feel like a lot to the players at first,
but as with most 5e encounters, the players start at a
deficit and claw their way to victory. Narrating the damage
accurately also gives the players clues as to the different
ways they can deal with the octopus.
Credits
Encounter Design: Phill Cameron
Editing: Paul Sheridan
Layout design done in http://hoebrewry.naturalcrit.com
Boat design is assumed to be public domain, and if you
are the artist please contact me!