Giant squid

A giant squid was a rare, gargantuan, and powerful squid.

Description
These squids were similar to the standard mollusks that posed no threat to society. Giant squids, however, were dangerous hunters, and would attack anything they encountered, even ships. They were absolutely huge, measuring over long, and had ten powerful tentacles. Giant squids were protected by a hard shell, but were vulnerable in other areas.

Krakens were a type of gargantuan squid. Despite their similarities, krakens were highly evolved, intelligent, and one of the most deadly types of creatures in existence.

Behavior
Giant squids were excellent and fast swimmers, and able to jet away at extremely quick speeds.

Combat
Such creatures mainly attacked by constricting their foes with their strong tentacles and biting them. It was possible for these squids to have their tentacles severed, and if so, they grew back within a few days. If they were losing a fight, they were able to emit huge inky clouds and swim away.

Even vessels had little chance to survive a giant squid attack, as the mollusks could drag the whole ship to the bottom of the ocean.

Ecology
Giant squids, though deadly predators, sometimes fell victim to hungry cachalot whales. They had no need to hunt in groups, and only ventured alone.

Sub-Species
A giant river squid was known in Kara-Tur.

Habitats
These squids appeared in natural waters, such as in the Staunt Pools of Luruar and Mlossae, but also in other places. They were known to inhabit the Fated Depths, a water-based fiendish plane of limitless depth.

Relationships
These giant animals were kept and revered by the Kraken Society.

Some nereids were known to keep giant squids as pets.

The marid Kalbari al-Durrat al-Amwaj ibn Jari had some giant squids as servants in her Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls.

Usages
Occasionally giant deepwater squids could be found for sale in the fish markets of Waterdeep.

Stuffed giant squid was a specialty dish as big as a short human, served at the Tulmene's Tower inn of Tethyr in the late 14 century DR.

Giant squid sepia was a very common material component in spells, particularly those that involved language, detection, and reading. It was used in erase, message, detect magic, read magic, and comprehend languages. The mage Casimur reported that a form of darkness, 15' radius developed by Asmiak in the Book of the Silver Talon could be cast using giant squid sepia, but it had a reduced duration compared to using giant octopus ink. Giant river squid ink was used to paint the magical cards of the Edu'sascar at S'tung Monastery in T'u Lung.

A piece of a giant squid tentacle was one of the material components of the battle tentacles spell.

Such giant squids could be summoned by the summon monster IX spell.

Trivia

 * The shape of squid ships, particularly the hull of Morkoth, resembled giant squids.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Ruins of Adventure
 * Video Games
 * Gateway to the Savage Frontier &bull; Icewind Dale &bull;
 * Hillsfar
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards
 * AD&D Trading Cards