Kanaloa — Hawaiian Akua of the Deep Ocean and Voyaging

Hawaiian tradition · Deep ocean · Voyaging · Fishing · Fishponds · Kahoʻolawe
Kanaloa is one of the foundational Hawaiian akua. This page keeps the traditional Hawaiian roles distinct while adapting them into campaign-ready divine mechanics.
Kanaloa at a Glance
| Tradition | Hawaiian |
|---|---|
| Divine standing | Major akua |
| Campaign alignment | Neutral |
| Portfolio | Deep ocean, long-distance voyaging, fishing, fishponds, marine life, mystery and oceanic passage |
| Sacred signs | Octopus at unusual depths, dolphins pacing a canoe, currents changing without wind, deep water becoming suddenly calm and fishpond gates moving on their own |
| Pantheon nexus | Hawaiki — The Ancestral Isles, within Ossa — The Living and Remembering Sea in Arborea |
| Campaign present | Active in deep-ocean crossings, fishing grounds, fishponds, canoe voyages and places where ocean depth becomes a spiritual threshold |
Divine Mechanics
Encounter role: Aquatic controller / navigator. These statistics are original campaign-scale manifestations. Each edition tab is standalone.
Kanaloa
Large Celestial (Deity), Neutral
Epic CR 34 (campaign-scale; PB +10)
AC 26 · HP 690 · Speed 40 ft., swim 180 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 (+10) | 26 (+8) | 32 (+11) | 30 (+10) | 32 (+11) | 30 (+10) |
Saving Throws Str +20, Dex +18, Con +21, Int +20, Wis +21, Cha +20
Skills Athletics +20, Nature +20, Perception +21, Survival +21
Damage Resistances acid, cold, force, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Stunned
Senses Truesight 240 ft., Passive Perception 31 · Languages all; telepathy 1 mile
Traits
Divine Rank 14. Kanaloa is an intermediate deity on the campaign deity scale. His divine effects count as artifact-level magic.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If Kanaloa fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Kanaloa has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Deep Ocean Sovereignty. Kanaloa knows the location of creatures touching the same body of salt water within 1 mile.
Voyager’s Current. Allies within 120 feet gain a Swim Speed equal to their Speed and cannot become lost at sea except through divine interference.
Body of the Deep. Kanaloa ignores pressure, darkness and environmental harm caused by natural ocean depths, and he can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. Kanaloa makes three Deep Current attacks.
Deep Current. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +20 to hit, reach 20 ft. or range 180 ft., one target. Hit: 32 (4d10 + 10) Bludgeoning damage plus 22 (4d10) Cold damage.
Drag Below (Recharge 5–6). Creatures of Kanaloa’s choice in a 90-foot-radius area make a DC 29 Strength saving throw, taking 55 (10d10) Bludgeoning damage and being pulled 60 feet toward the centre on a failed save, or half damage without being pulled on a success.
Open the Ocean Road (1/Day). Kanaloa opens a navigable water-road between two natural bodies of salt water he knows on the same plane. The passage remains open for 1 minute and can carry a vessel as well as creatures.
Legendary Actions
Kanaloa can take 3 Legendary Actions, one at a time at the end of another creature’s turn.
- Current Step. Kanaloa moves up to half his Swim Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
- Deep Current. Kanaloa makes one Deep Current attack.
- Deep Sight. Kanaloa reveals one hidden or invisible creature within 120 feet until the end of his next turn.
- Octopus Grasp (Costs 2). One creature within 30 feet is Grappled (escape DC 29) and Restrained until the grapple ends.
Mythic Trait
The Deep Rises. The first time Kanaloa reaches 0 hit points, he instead regains 345 hit points. Supernatural seawater fills the battlefield to a depth of 20 feet, Kanaloa chooses which fixed structures remain dry, and hostile creatures treat the water as difficult terrain.
5.5e check: Deep Current averages 54 damage. Three attacks average 162 damage before Legendary Actions. Attack +20 equals Strength +10 plus PB +10; divine save DC 29 uses Wisdom +11 and PB +10.
Kanaloa — Pathfinder 1e
CR 33/MR 10; N Large outsider (divine, extraplanar, mythic, water)
Divine Rank overlay 14
DEFENSE
AC 58, touch 37, flat-footed 50 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +21 natural, +10 deflection, +10 divine)
hp 759 (46d10+506)
Fort +40, Ref +37, Will +40
Defensive Abilities divine resilience +4, freedom of movement, mythic saving throws; DR 25/epic; SR 46
Immune acid, cold, electricity, disease, fear, paralysis, petrification, poison, sleep, stunning; Resist fire 19
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft., swim 180 ft.
Melee +5 deep current +60/+55/+50/+45 (1d8+15 plus 6d6 cold/19–20)
Ranged crushing current +53 touch (10d6 bludgeoning)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks mythic power (10/day, surge +1d12), drag below, open the ocean road, crushing current
Spell-Like Abilities
CL 33rd; concentration +43
At will—control water, freedom of movement, water breathing, water walk
3/day—control weather, greater dispel magic, plane shift, whirlpool
1/day—miracle, storm of vengeance
STATISTICS
Str 30, Dex 26, Con 32, Int 30, Wis 32, Cha 30
Base Atk +46; CMB +55; CMD 73
Feats Ability Focus (drag below), Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (deep current), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (control water), Skill Focus (Knowledge [geography]), Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Survival), Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (deep current), Weapon Specialization (deep current)
Skills Acrobatics +57, Diplomacy +59, Knowledge (geography) +62, Knowledge (nature) +59, Knowledge (planes) +59, Knowledge (religion) +59, Perception +63, Sense Motive +60, Spellcraft +59, Survival +63, Swim +59
Languages all; telepathy 1 mile
SQ immortality, portfolio sense, remote communication, deep navigator
Divine and Mythic Abilities
Deep Navigator (Su). Kanaloa and allies within 1 mile cannot become lost at sea and always know the direction of the nearest safe landing they have previously visited.
Deep Ocean Sovereignty (Su). Kanaloa knows the location of creatures touching the same body of salt water within 1 mile and can communicate telepathically with aquatic creatures in that range.
Drag Below (Su). Every 1d4 rounds Kanaloa creates a crushing current in a 90-foot-radius area within 180 feet. Creatures take 10d10 bludgeoning damage and are pulled 60 feet toward the centre; Fortitude DC 43 halves the damage and negates the pull.
Open the Ocean Road (Su) 1/day. Kanaloa links two natural bodies of salt water on the same plane for 10 rounds. Creatures and vessels entering one may emerge from the other as though using greater teleport.
Mythic Saving Throws. A successful saving throw negates an effect that would normally have a reduced effect on a success.
The Deep Rises (Ex) 1/day. When reduced to 0 hit points, Kanaloa may expend 3 uses of mythic power to remain at 1 hit point, remove one condition affecting him and fill a 120-foot-radius area with supernatural seawater.
Divine Domains
Domains Water, Travel, Animal, Knowledge. Subdomains Oceans, Exploration, Memory.
Kanaloa — D&D 3.5e
Intermediate Deity; Divine Rank 14; N Large Outsider (Extraplanar, Water)
CR 34 · Divine Rank 14 · HD 46d8+506 (874 hp)
Initiative +12 · Speed 80 ft., swim 160 ft.
AC 68, touch 41, flat-footed 60 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +27 natural, +14 divine, +10 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple +46/+60
Attack +5 Deep Current +74 melee or ranged touch
Full Attack +5 Deep Current +74/+69/+64/+59
Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks
Divine aura, domain powers, salient divine abilities, deep-ocean portfolio powers and spell-like abilities.
Special Qualities
Divine Rank 14, immortality, remote sensing, remote communication, portfolio sense, godly realm, travel, automatic actions, divine immunities, DR 25/epic, SR 46, acid/cold/electricity immunity, fire resistance 19 and divine fast healing 34.
Saves Fort +50, Ref +47, Will +50
Abilities Str 30, Dex 26, Con 32, Int 30, Wis 32, Cha 30
Skills Concentration +74, Diplomacy +73, Knowledge (geography) +73, Knowledge (nature) +73, Knowledge (planes) +73, Knowledge (religion) +73, Listen +74, Sense Motive +74, Spellcraft +73, Spot +74, Survival +74, Swim +73
Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (Deep Current), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (control water), Skill Focus (Knowledge [geography]), Skill Focus (Survival), Weapon Focus (Deep Current), Greater Weapon Focus (Deep Current)
Salient Divine Abilities
Kanaloa has 17 salient divine abilities: 14 from Divine Rank and 3 additional abilities for intermediate-deity status.
Alter Reality, Area Divine Shield, Avatar, Call Creatures, Control Creatures, Divine Blast, Divine Fast Healing, Divine Shield, Divine Water Mastery, Extra Sense Enhancement, Know Secrets, Power of Nature, Rejuvenation, See Magic, Speak with Creatures, Divine Skill Focus (Knowledge [geography]) and Divine Skill Focus (Survival).
Divine Rank 14
Divine Aura. Up to 1,400 feet; Will DC 34. Kanaloa may daze, frighten or strengthen resolve as permitted by the divine-rank rules.
Senses. Kanaloa’s ordinary senses extend 14 miles. He can remotely sense up to ten sacred, worshipper-centred or portfolio-related locations at once.
Portfolio Sense. Kanaloa senses events involving the deep ocean, marine life, fishing and voyaging as they occur and can look back through the previous fourteen weeks. He does not receive future portfolio sense at Divine Rank 14.
Godly Realm. Kanaloa can exercise divine environmental control across a radius of up to 10 miles in an Outer-Plane realm or 1,400 feet around a Material-Plane realm.
Automatic Actions. Within his portfolio Kanaloa may perform qualifying actions of DC 25 or lower as free actions, up to ten such free actions each round.
Domain Spell-Like Abilities
Domains Animal, Knowledge, Travel, Water. Kanaloa can use every spell from these domains as a spell-like ability at will. Caster level 24th; save DC 34 + spell level.
Portfolio Powers
Divine Water Mastery. Kanaloa exercises deity-scale control over water. While he and an opponent are both touching water, he gains the combat benefits granted by this salient divine ability and can perceive creatures sharing the same body of water within its range.
Deep Navigator. Kanaloa cannot become lost at sea. Creatures travelling under his direct guidance always know the direction of a chosen known destination unless a deity of equal or higher rank interferes.
Open the Ocean Road. Kanaloa can join two bodies of salt water within his divine reach, allowing travellers or vessels to cross between them as a portfolio expression of Alter Reality and Divine Water Mastery.
Speak with Creatures. Kanaloa can communicate with marine animals and other creatures of the sea regardless of language.
Environment open ocean, fishing grounds, voyaging routes and his divine realm · Organization unique · Treasure divine relics · Alignment Neutral · Advancement —
Worship in the Living World
Kanaloa is strongly associated with the deep ocean, canoe voyaging, fishing and fishponds. University of Hawaiʻi material also records his repeated travels with Kāne across the islands in stories that often involve searching for water and drinking ʻawa together.
For players and GMs, Kanaloa is the deity to invoke when the sea stops being coastline and becomes distance: open-ocean navigation, uncertain landfall, deep fishing and the intelligence required to survive water that has no obvious boundary.
Mythic Identity
Kanaloa is one of the great Hawaiian akua. His bodily forms include octopus, squid, banana and porpoise, and Kahoʻolawe itself carries Kanaloa as another name. The National Park Service also describes him as associated with creation, the ocean and long-distance voyaging.
Kāne and Kanaloa form one of the strongest divine pairings in the Hawaiian material, especially around water and travel.
Pantheon Plane: Hawaiki and Ossa
Hawaiki — The Ancestral Isles lies within Ossa — The Living and Remembering Sea in Arborea. For the Hawaiian gods, this is a wider pantheon nexus of ancestry, voyaging and remembered homelands rather than a claim that every akua permanently resides there.
Each deity keeps its own Hawaiian places, forms and relationships. Hawaiki provides the shared planar road; it does not flatten those traditions into one court.
What Is Kanaloa Doing Now?
Deep-sea canoes report a current running beneath the ordinary current, moving in the opposite direction. Dolphins follow it. Octopus brought up from deep water carry pale markings resembling island chains.
The route points toward Ossa, but no navigator can hold it for more than one night unless fresh water from a Kāne spring is aboard.
Domain Spells and Divine Gifts
Suggested 5.5e domains: Tempest, Nature, Knowledge. PF1e / 3.5e domains: Water, Travel, Animal, Knowledge.
1st: fog cloud · 2nd: gust of wind · 3rd: water breathing · 4th: control water · 5th: commune with nature · 6th: wind walk · 7th: plane shift · 8th: control weather · 9th: foresight.
Campaign Relic — Heʻe o Kanaloa
An original game relic: an eight-armed carved token that adheres to a canoe hull. Once per day it lets a vessel ignore rough-sea penalties for 1 hour. Once per week it can reveal a hidden current leading toward a named island or harbour.
Regional Effects
- Deep Water Speaks. Experienced navigators can sense major current changes before they become visible.
- Fishponds Hold. Properly maintained fishpond walls resist ordinary storm damage.
- The Ocean Remembers Routes. A vessel repeating an ancestral route gains advantage on its first navigation check each day.
Relationships
Kāne: frequent companion in stories of water and travel.
Kamohoaliʻi: another great Hawaiian ocean and navigation power, but a distinct shark-associated deity.
Tangaroa: a related Polynesian sea-name and tradition; the Hawaiian Kanaloa and Māori Tangaroa should not be treated as one interchangeable god.
Use Kanaloa Tonight
The Current Below
A second current runs under the sea and leads toward a lost island.
The Empty Fishpond
A fishpond remains full of seawater but every fish vanishes overnight.
Kahoʻolawe Calls
Voyagers dream of the island speaking in Kanaloa’s voice.
The Octopus Map
An enormous octopus carries living markings that rearrange into navigational routes.
Deep Link Dive
Hawaiki and Ossa
Take Kanaloa from the Hawaiian sea into the wider ancestral ocean.
Kāne
Follow the paired journeys of fresh water and deep ocean.
Tangaroa
Compare a distinct Māori sea tradition.
Control Water
Use ocean control directly at the table.
Water Breathing
Open deep-ocean exploration.
Salient Divine Abilities
Continue into deity-scale ocean powers.
Sources and Licensing
University of Hawaiʻi Kahoʻiwai — Kanaloa · National Park Service — Kāne and Kanaloa
Traditional Hawaiian material is kept distinct from original campaign additions. Encounter statistics, relic mechanics, planar implementation, regional effects and adventure hooks are original fantasy-RPG adaptations. Edition names identify rules compatibility; they do not claim the traditional narratives originate in those game systems.
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