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Cetacean, Common Whale : A Majestic Ocean Titan

Common Whale
Create

The common whale is an immense, streamlined aquatic mammal with a sleek, torpedo-shaped body designed for efficient swimming. Its dark gray to blue-black skin often shimmers in sunlight, marked with pale scars from barnacles or predators. Its massive tail flukes, capable of generating immense force, span dozens of feet, while its dorsal fin, smaller but prominent, cuts through the water like a blade. Its head is broad and rounded, with tiny eyes that belie its extraordinary perception, and a blowhole atop its head releases a towering mist of exhaled air.

Behavior:
Despite their size, common whales are gentle giants of the sea, exuding a serene presence as they glide through the ocean depths. Social by nature, they often travel in pods of up to 16, where they communicate using deep, resonant songs that can travel for miles underwater. These songs serve as both navigation aids and a social bond. Whales are curious creatures, often breaching the water’s surface in dramatic leaps or swimming alongside boats, seemingly observing human activity with a mix of caution and intrigue.

Habitat:
Common whales inhabit all of the world’s oceans, preferring open waters far from the shore. They are often found near nutrient-rich currents or areas teeming with krill and small fish, which form the basis of their diet. While they can dive to astounding depths, they frequently surface to breathe and rest, favoring calm seas but navigating stormy waters with ease.

Modus Operandi:
These baleen whales feed by employing a unique filter-feeding technique: they open their vast mouths and engulf water teeming with plankton or small fish, then push the water out through their baleen plates, leaving only food behind. In defensive scenarios, their immense size and strength are their greatest assets, with their tails capable of delivering crushing blows to predators or threats.

Motivation:
At their core, whales are driven by survival and instinct. Their primary motivations include finding abundant feeding grounds, reproducing, and protecting their young from harm. Their gentle interactions and immense strength make them a paradoxical symbol of both peace and power in the aquatic world.


  • Common Whale 5e
  • Common Whale Pathfinder
Common Whale
Create

Gargantuan beast, unaligned


Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 310 (20d20 + 100)
Speed 0 ft., swim 80 ft.


STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
40 (+15)12 (+1)25 (+7)2 (−4)16 (+3)10 (+0)

Saving Throws Strength +20, Constitution +12, Wisdom +8
Skills Perception +8, Athletics +20
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing (from nonmagical attacks)
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages
Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)


Traits

Hold Breath.
The whale can hold its breath for up to 1 hour.

Massive Bulk.
The whale cannot be grappled, restrained, or knocked prone by creatures smaller than Gargantuan.

Capsize.
When the whale moves at least 30 feet in a straight line toward a ship or structure and hits it with a melee weapon attack, the target must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be capsized (if a ship) or take 45 (10d8) bludgeoning damage (if a structure).

Ocean Sovereign.
The whale ignores difficult terrain caused by underwater currents and gains advantage on saving throws against effects that would move it or impose conditions like frightened or charmed.


Actions

Multiattack.
The whale makes two attacks: one with its Tail Slap and one with its Bite.

Tail Slap. Melee Weapon Attack: +20 to hit, reach 25 ft., one target.
Hit: 36 (6d8 + 15) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed 20 feet away and knocked prone.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +20 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 40 (8d6 + 15) piercing damage.

Breach (Recharge 5–6).
The whale leaps out of the water and crashes back down with immense force. Each creature within a 30-foot radius of the landing point must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, creatures take 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. On a success, they take half damage and remain standing. Boats and ships in the area take 60 (12d10) damage.

Echoing Song (Recharge 6).
The whale emits a haunting, resonant call audible up to 2 miles away. Each creature within 120 feet of the whale must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, creatures are incapacitated as they are mesmerized by the sound.


Legendary Actions

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

  • Tail Swipe. The whale makes one Tail Slap attack.
  • Dive. The whale moves up to its swim speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
  • Wave Surge (Costs 2 Actions). The whale creates a powerful surge of water. Each creature within a 40-foot cone must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed 30 feet away and take 18 (4d8) bludgeoning damage.

Tactics

Combat Behavior:
The Common Whale avoids combat unless provoked, but when forced to fight, it uses its immense size and strength to dominate the battlefield.

  • Opening Tactic: The whale uses Breach to scatter foes and disrupt ships, then follows up with a Tail Slap to keep enemies at bay.
  • Control the Field: It uses Wave Surge to push attackers away, forcing them to expend movement while it repositions.
  • Defensive Retreat: If injured, the whale dives deep into the ocean, leveraging its Ocean Sovereign trait and Dive legendary action to avoid pursuit.

Environmental Advantage:
The whale thrives in open waters, using the vast ocean to its advantage. It draws enemies into deeper water to restrict non-aquatic combatants and targets ships with Capsize to isolate opponents.

Common Whale
Create

This immense whale moves slowly through the water with a grace that seems incongruous, given its immense size.

Whale CR 10

XP 9,600
N Gargantuan animal
Init +2; Senses blindsight 120 ft., low-light vision; Perception +23

DEFENSE

AC 22, touch 4, flat-footed 22 (–2 Dex, +18 natural, –4 size)
hp 157 (15d8+90)
Fort +17, Ref +7, Will +7

OFFENSE

Speed swim 40 ft.
Melee tail slap +21 (4d6+21) or bite +21 (4d6+21)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks capsize

STATISTICS

Str 38, Dex 6, Con 23, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 5
Base Atk +11; CMB +29; CMD 37 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Diehard, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +23, Swim +30; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +8 Swim
SQ hold breath

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Capsize (Ex)

A whale can attempt to capsize a boat or ship by ramming it as a charge attack and making a CMB check. The DC of this check is 25, or the result of the captain’s Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher. For each size category the ship is larger than the whale’s size, the whale takes a cumulative –10 penalty on this CMB check.

ECOLOGY

Environment any oceans
Organization solitary, pair, or pod (3–16)
Treasure none

Whales are frequently hunted for their meat and the valuable oil in their blubber. Baleen whales have no teeth and attack with a tail slap; toothed whales like sperm whales instead attack with a bite.

Whale Companions

Whale companions are smaller species—rules for such companions are the same as those for orcas.

Starting StatisticsSize Medium; Speed swim 80 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6); Ability Scores Str 11, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6; Special Qualities low-light vision, hold breath.

7th-Level AdvancementSize Large; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4; Special Qualities blindsight 120 ft.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors WolfgangBaur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, TimHitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, RobMcCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider,Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on materialby Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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