Leviathan Pike

Beware The Deep

"The first pass brings curiosity. The second brings fear. If it circles a third time, start writing letters to people you love."

— From The Salt King's Daughter, Act II, Scene II

Few creatures inspire more dread among experienced sailors than the leviathan pike. Unlike dragons, krakens, or other legendary terrors of the deep, a leviathan pike possesses neither malice nor ambition. It does not attack ships to establish territory, demand tribute, or satisfy some ancient grudge. It hunts because hunting is what it was built to do.
Ancient beyond reliable record keeping, leviathan pikes have prowled the oceans for thousands of years. Natural philosophers studying preserved remains have noted remarkable similarities between modern specimens and descriptions found in some of the oldest surviving maritime records. While entire civilizations have risen and fallen along the world's coastlines, the leviathan pike has endured with little apparent need to evolve. It was already one of the ocean's most efficient predators when many cultures were still learning to build seaworthy vessels.
The creature's relationship with ships is frequently misunderstood. Sailors often describe leviathan pikes as ship killers, but this characterization mistakes the means for the end. A leviathan pike does not regard a vessel as prey. Timber, canvas, and iron possess no value to a carnivore. What interests the creature are the dozens or hundreds of living beings contained within the hull. A ship is simply a floating concentration of food.
This distinction explains much of the creature's behavior. Leviathan pikes are patient hunters. Rather than attacking immediately, they often shadow vessels for extended periods, observing from below while remaining almost impossible to detect. Survivors frequently report seeing a massive shape pass beneath their ship multiple times over the course of several hours or even several days. Many captains consider this behavior more unsettling than an outright attack. A predator that strikes immediately can be fought or fled. A predator that waits forces its prey to imagine when the attack might come.
Experience appears to have taught the species that wounded prey is easier to harvest than healthy prey. Leviathan pikes are frequently encountered following storms, naval battles, shipwrecks, and other maritime disasters. Whether through instinct or learned behavior, they have developed an extraordinary ability to locate injured creatures in the water. Entire rescue operations have reportedly fallen victim to pikes drawn by survivors struggling to remain afloat after larger catastrophes.
The attack itself is usually swift and devastating. A leviathan pike relies on overwhelming force rather than prolonged combat. It smashes through hulls, scatters crews, and isolates individual targets before retreating beneath the surface. Once panic spreads and sailors enter the water, the creature gains a significant advantage. Unlike surface predators, it is perfectly adapted to hunting in three dimensions while its prey struggles merely to stay alive.
This behavior has earned the leviathan pike an infamous reputation throughout maritime culture. Countless superstitions surround the species. Sailors refuse to discuss sightings openly, captains omit encounters from official logs, and some crews consider it unlucky to count the number of times a large shadow passes beneath the vessel. The most widespread belief claims that a leviathan pike circles a ship three times before deciding whether those aboard will ever see land again. No evidence supports the superstition, yet it persists across ports separated by vast distances and entirely different cultures.
Whether viewed as a natural wonder or a nautical nightmare, the leviathan pike remains one of the defining predators of the open ocean. It serves as a reminder that despite humanity's mastery of navigation and shipbuilding, the sea remains an environment shaped by forces far older, larger, and less concerned with human survival than sailors would prefer.

"The sea has many predators. Most hunt what they can catch. The leviathan pike hunts what misfortune delivers."

— Angus McTangh, Captain Orlan Vey, survivor of the Storm Widow

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Beast

Scientific Name

Leviathanichthys vorax

Lifespan

120-180 years

Average Weight

26,000-55,000 lbs

Average Length

33-46 ft

Geographic Distribution

• The Illusion Sea

Unknown Shores

Leviathan Pike CR: 11

Huge monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class: 16

Hit Points: 184 (16d12 + 80) 16d12+80

Speed: 0 ft , swim: 60 ft

STR

24 +7

DEX

14 +2

CON

20 +5

INT

3 -4

WIS

15 +2

CHA

8 -1

Saving Throws: Str +11, Con +9

Skills: Perception +6, Stealth +6

Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 16

Challenge Rating: 11 ( 7,200 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +4

Blood in the Water

The leviathan pike always knows the location of any creature within 1 mile that is submerged in water and missing hit points.

Siege Predator

The leviathan pike deals double damage to objects and structures.

Actions

Multiattack

The leviathan pike makes one Bite attack and one Tail Slam attack.

Bite

Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 29 (4d10 + 7) piercing damage.
If the target is Large or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 18).
Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the pike cannot bite another target.

Swallow

The leviathan pike makes one Bite attack against a Medium or smaller creature it is grappling.
If the attack hits, the creature is swallowed.
A swallowed creature is blinded and restrained, has total cover against attacks and effects outside the pike, and takes 21 (6d6) acid damage at the start of each of the pike's turns.
If the pike takes 30 damage or more on a single turn from one or more swallowed creatures, the pike must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or regurgitate all swallowed creatures into spaces within 10 feet of it.
If the pike dies, swallowed creatures are no longer restrained and can escape from the corpse by spending 10 feet of movement.

Tail Slam

Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target.
Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
If the target is Huge or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
If the target is in water and fails the save by 5 or more, it is pushed up to 30 feet.

Hull Breach (Recharge 5–6)

The leviathan pike moves up to its swim speed in a straight line.
During this movement, it can move through nonmagical structures, ship hulls, docks, coral formations, and similar obstacles.
Each creature in its path must make a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw.
On a failed save, a creature takes 36 (8d8) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone.
On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not knocked prone.
Nonmagical objects and structures in the path automatically take 72 (16d8) bludgeoning damage.

Bonus Actions

Feeding Frenzy

The leviathan pike moves up to half its swim speed toward a creature it can sense with Blood in the Water.

Legendary Actions

The leviathan pike can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn.

Detect

The pike makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.

Tail Sweep

The pike makes one Tail Slam attack.

Surge (Costs 2 Actions)

The pike moves up to half its swim speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Usual Tactics

The leviathan pike rarely attacks immediately.
It shadows vessels from below, observing them for hours or even days. It prefers to strike after a storm, a battle, or any event likely to leave wounded prey in the water.
Once combat begins, it attempts to isolate a single target with its Bite, swallow that target as quickly as possible, and then use Hull Breach to create chaos among the remaining prey.
The pike does not fight to the death unless cornered. If seriously injured, it retreats into deeper water and continues tracking its prey from afar, waiting for exhaustion, panic, or blood loss to create a better opportunity.