Background:
The rules for the Kraken, and attendant tentacles are unclear to many people and have significant issues that need addressing.

First, the nature of the Tentacles themselves is sometimes confusing. Are tentacles part of the Kraken? Do they get the special abilities of the Kraken?
Does each Tentacle have tentacle5 ability? Does it have Swim? While the answers to these questions might be fairly obvious to most people, they are likely to be inherently inconsistent (I assume the answers to the last 2 are no, and yes respectively!) And these answers being obvious do not helps us with Ironskin and Regen5, which are not entirely obvious.
Questions have also been asked about whether the tentacles also might have the Pierce10/Poison/Bleed attack (!).
A clear definition of the Kraken’s Tentacles is probably the easiest way to clarify these Questions.
There is an answer in the FAQ already, stating that Tentacles do not get the owners' abilities, but with the lack of Swim for Tentacles making them even slower, that answer is simply unworkable, and obviously not thought through in the slightest!

Second, the Kraken and Tentacles move separately, and often at considerably different speeds (the Kraken, being a Lt, may Run), yet they are ‘naturally joined’ (one assumes!) and come with a rule stating the tentacles may not move further away from the Kraken than 3 spaces. However what happens if the Kraken moves further from the tentacles than 3 spaces? Is it prohibited? Are the tentacles restricted in their movement afterward? If so, how?
These issues can be cleared up either with a comprehensive set of options but they could also be resolved with a ‘new’ set of rules for the Kraken – it isn’t as if the existing set of rules tell us very much!

Third, are tentacles figures? Do they contribute to Swarm, or Brawler? Do they block LOS or block movement? Can another figure end in the same space as a tentacle? Can another tentacle end in the same space as a tentacle?

Fourth, there are problems with heroes being able to effectively 'hide' on the revenge, almost unable to be reached by the Kraken/Void as the main monster is on one side of the vessel and the tentacles cannot reach to the other side (especially if cannons block tentacle movement) while still staying within 3 spaces. The Kraken/Void needs to be able to reach heroes with tentacles or they cannot win encounters ever . Ideally, they could move 'under' the Revenge, so be able to move from one side to the other in a single turn, giving the tentacles the necessary flexibility to reach the heroes.

Questions:
Q1. What abilities do tentacles have?
A1. Tentacles have the listed abilities of their owner (eg Swim etc). The Kraken's Tentacles have the abilities Swim, Ironskin and Regen 5. In addition they have all the usual functions of Tentacles. The Kraken's tentacles do not have the bite ability (Pierce10, Poison, Bleed) as that is a separate attack, not a normal listed ability.
A2. Tentacles have only the listed abilities of tentacles. They do not have abilities of the owner. This does mean that tentacles are very, very slow through the water, so use them with care!
A3. Tentacles do not have the listed abilities of their owner (eg Regen 5, Ironskin for Kraken), but they do have Swim (this is an errata).

Q2 and Q3. The Kraken and it’s tentacles move at different speeds and at different times. Yet the tentacles are restricted in their movement. How do these interact?
A1. The Tentacles may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Kraken. The Kraken may move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Tentacles. This may mean that the tentacles get left a long way behind the Kraken when it moves and take several turns of movement before they can catch up.
A2. The Tentacles may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Kraken. The Kraken may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Tentacles.
Aa. Tentacles which are not within 3 spaces of the kraken may only move to any space that is not further away from the kraken
Ab. Tentacles which are not within 3 spaces of the kraken may only move to any space that is closer to the kraken
Combine one numbered and one lettered answer

POSSIBLE OPTIONAL NEW RULES
A3. This is a new additional rule for the Kraken/Void. All previous rules are still followed. At the end of each Kraken/Void Movement the Kraken/Void may choose to remove any or all tentacles from their current positions and reposition them in water spaces so that at least one of their spaces is adjacent to the Kraken/Void. Tentacles repositioned in this way do not affect figures they had previously ‘grappled’. After this repositioning the tentacles may be activated as normal. This represents the Kraken/Void withdrawing it’s tentacles temporarily.
A4. This is a new additional rule for the Kraken/Void. All previous rules are still followed. The Kraken/Void may sacrifice it’s entire activation, and the activation of each of it’s tentacles, to do the following move. The Kraken/Void may move to any water (deep) space within 8 spaces (without entering any intervening space) and reposition each of it’s remaining tentacles so that at least one of their spaces is adjacent to it. The tentacles will not then activate as their activation is also sacrificed to do this move. This represents the Kraken/Void temporarily diving deeper underwater.
A5. Some variant of either of the above. For example, maybe the tentacles choose this individually *as* their own activation instead of collectively, after the Kraken's activation in A4. Maybe the tentacles still get to activate after the Kraken/Void moves and repositions them in A4?

Q4. Are tentacles figures? How do they interact with other figures and LOS?
A1. Tentacles are figures, so they affect Brawler, Swarm and similar abilities. Unlike normal figures, other figures may move through tentacles and tentacles may move through other figures. Tentacles do/do not (delete one) affect Line of Sight.
A2. Tentacles are not figures. Tentacles may/may not (delete one) move through or be moved through by other figures. Tentacles do/do not (delete one) affect Line of Sight.

Comments for forum (not FFG):
I don’t really approve of ‘suggesting’ new rules entirely, but the Kraken rules are just such as mess that something needs be done! I am happy to drop the ‘new rules’ suggestions if most other people feel the same way.

I actually like the idea of the new rules you suggested. Like you said, both the Void and Kraken are a mess to play with. Hopefully we will get this one resolved ASAP!

As a general rule though, I would prefer to keep new rules for the game to a minimum.

Oops! Forgot one part...

Additional Background:
A hero with Unstoppable (Ox tattoo) is effectively immune to both Kraken and Void since they rely virtually entirely on grappling heroes and dragging them to the bite attack or centre of whirlpool.

Question
Q5. How does Unstoppable interact with tentacles?
A1. A hero with unstoppable is immune to grapple, so tentacles cannot 'grapple' this hero and therefore are unable to affect him. Yes, this means that the Kraken and Void cannot defeat this hero party.
A2. Tentacles don't actually have the Grapple ability, they are just able to affect heroes as though they did have grapple. Since they don't have grapple, there is nothing to be immune to. So a tentacle may still constrict or move a figure with Unstoppable even though he is immune to grapple.
A3. Oops! Heroes with Unstoppable (Ox tattoo) are still able to be grappled by Tentacles.

I also note, rereading tentacle rules, that quite a bit of tidying is necessary to Q4.

I really like optional rule A3 (in response to Q2 and Q3) for dealing with the tentacles. In fact, for myself at least, unless FFG comes up with something VERY different and clever, that is what I have been using and will continue to use (in the unlikely event I ever play SoB again, that is ; >).

It seems to me none of these questions and answers REALLY address the 4th point from the background (heroes hiding on the opposite side of the ship). A3 helps a *little* bit, but I'm not sure it's enough, particularly if the Revenge is at maximum size. I haven't counted it out, but I suspect setting up an 'invincible pattern' is still easy for the heroes.

I wouldn't worry about heroes setting up an invincibility situation against the Kraken. It is not like they'd suddenly win the campaign anyway. The Kraken would still be able to siege, to kill heroes who are not immune to grapple, and to flee when only the Ox-Tattoed hero remains. At least it would make Ox Tattoo a little more worthwile. Why not leave heroes the possibility to train for an upgrade that gives them a break against 1 Lieutenant? There are enough of them anyway!

Even heroes hiding on the other side of the ship are not a problem: if the heroes don't flee, with the accumulation of threat, the Kraken should at one point be able to run to the other side of the ship and reach the heroes.

There might be the possibility that heroes place the ship against the edge of the map in a way that makes them unreachable, but for that someone has to be at the wheel to steer the Revenge , and thus be reachable while he does so (the wheel spaces are within reach of tentacles). If the heroes succeed anyway, the Kraken can still flee - no big deal.

Maybe it would be worthwhile to explore the "realistic" route for the Kraken's Tentacle movement.

In the real world, an octopus' tentacles cannot be further away from its head than their length. If we find a way to make it work in SoB like it works in the real world, it would solve a lot of rules problems.

So the rules should get us to: the Kraken's Tentacles can never be further away from its head than 3 spaces.

How do we get there?

1. The Kraken's head cannot move more than 3 spaces away from any of its tentacles.

This is very restrictive. In order to compensate that, either :

1.1. When the head moves, all of the Kraken's Tentacles move in the same direction.

This makes the Kraken very powerful, as one Tentacle can grapple a hero, and the next turn, if the Tentacle wasn't killed, the Kraken can run away from the ship and have the hero for lunch in high seas. This is, however, "realistic": that's how it happens in stories like Jules Verne's 20'000 Leagues Under the Sea . In order to compensate, the Kraken's Tentacles shouldn't have any of the head's abilities. They wouldn't even need Swim, as they could be adjacent to the ship after the Kraken has moved close to it.

An additional clarification for Knockback would be needed: a Tentacle cannot be knockbacked further than 3 spaces away from its head.

1.2. The Tentacles move with the head only when they are adjacent to the head.

This would make the Kraken able to run to/around the ship and move freely as long as he has all his Tentacles near him. When he tries to reach out for heroes to grapple them, he becomes hampered in his movements. A good middle ground.

1.3. The Tentacles do not move with the head.

This makes the Kraken weak, as his movement is severely hampered (he would never be able to run, for instance). In that case, the Tentacles probably should have the head's abilities (except for the attack, which is extremely strong).

2. If a forced movement (ship sailing, current) doesn't affect the head, it doesn't affect the tentacles; if a forced movement does affect the head, it does affect the tentacles.

If the ship moves, any Tentacles on it would "slide" on the ship so as to keep their position on the same water space that is below. Any figures grappled would slide with them. There would be the funny possibility that a grappled hero slides off the ship because it sails on. It is realistic in the sense that when a Kraken's Tentacle grapples someone, it holds its prey in the air, so ship movement shouldn't influence its position.

Other possibility:

2a. If a forced movement does affect any of the Tentacles, it does affect the head and all other Tentacles.

This would allow the Kraken to "clutch" the ship, in the sense that if the ship moves with a tentacle on it, the head and all other Tentacles would follow. This is also realistic, but is in conflict with the "sliding" realism that solution 2 allows.

On gut feeling, I would go with 1, 1.2 and 2, but it should of course be playtested.

Ispher said:

I do think having Grapple Immune heroes immune is a real problem, not due to Ox Tattoo, but due to the armors that grant immunity to Grapple. If a hero party had one of those they could simply chain pass it to each hero who is held by a tentacle and walk out of it, thus rendering the Kraken and Void totally useless against the entire party.

Kartigan said:

Within the context of the campaign, it is no problem at all. First, it is not necessarily a permanent problem, as there is always Crushing Blow. Second, such an immunity from 1 Lieutenant would make the campaign neither unplayable nor less fun. On the contrary: I would even go as far as saying that the possibility of such an immunity is a good thing for the campaign. In fact, every Lieutenant should have one such "Achille's heel", a way for the heroes maybe not to defeat it, but to withstand it easily. It would make heroes think, "Now we should try to get this skill, or that rumor, or that equipment!", and would give them a purpose within the game while making the campaign a tiny bit easier.

Revision: Added optional A6 to get around the 'hiding on ship' problem. Added Q5 and Ox tattoo background.

Background:

The rules for the Kraken, and attendant tentacles are unclear to many people and have significant issues that need addressing.

First, the nature of the Tentacles themselves is sometimes confusing. Are tentacles part of the Kraken? Do they get the special abilities of the Kraken?
Does each Tentacle have tentacle5 ability? Does it have Swim? While the answers to these questions might be fairly obvious to most people, they are likely to be inherently inconsistent (I assume the answers to the last 2 are no, and yes respectively!) And these answers being obvious do not helps us with Ironskin and Regen5, which are not entirely obvious.
Questions have also been asked about whether the tentacles also might have the Pierce10/Poison/Bleed attack (!).
A clear definition of the Kraken’s Tentacles is probably the easiest way to clarify these Questions.
There is an answer in the FAQ already, stating that Tentacles do not get the owners' abilities, but with the lack of Swim for Tentacles making them even slower, that answer is simply unworkable, and obviously not thought through in the slightest!

Second, the Kraken and Tentacles move separately, and often at considerably different speeds (the Kraken, being a Lt, may Run), yet they are ‘naturally joined’ (one assumes!) and come with a rule stating the tentacles may not move further away from the Kraken than 3 spaces. However what happens if the Kraken moves further from the tentacles than 3 spaces? Is it prohibited? Are the tentacles restricted in their movement afterward? If so, how?
These issues can be cleared up either with a comprehensive set of options but they could also be resolved with a ‘new’ set of rules for the Kraken – it isn’t as if the existing set of rules tell us very much!

Third, are tentacles figures? Do they contribute to Swarm, or Brawler? Do they block LOS or block movement? Can another figure end in the same space as a tentacle? Can another tentacle end in the same space as a tentacle?

Fourth, there are problems with heroes being able to effectively 'hide' on the revenge, almost unable to be reached by the Kraken/Void as the main monster is on one side of the vessel and the tentacles cannot reach to the other side (especially if cannons block tentacle movement) while still staying within 3 spaces. The Kraken/Void needs to be able to reach heroes with tentacles or they cannot win encounters ever . Ideally, they could move 'under' the Revenge, so be able to move from one side to the other in a single turn, giving the tentacles the necessary flexibility to reach the heroes. Note that heroes could maneouver the Revenge so that once side edge is against the map edge which prevents the Kraken/Void from getting to the other side of the vessel when the heroes are 'hiding'.

A hero with Unstoppable (Ox tattoo) is effectively immune to both Kraken and Void since they rely virtually entirely on grappling heroes and dragging them to the bite attack or centre of whirlpool.

Questions:
Q1. What abilities do tentacles have?
A1. Tentacles have the listed abilities of their owner (eg Swim etc). The Kraken's Tentacles have the abilities Swim, Ironskin and Regen 5. In addition they have all the usual functions of Tentacles. The Kraken's tentacles do not have the bite ability (Pierce10, Poison, Bleed) as that is a separate attack, not a normal listed ability.
A2. Tentacles have only the listed abilities of tentacles. They do not have abilities of the owner. This does mean that tentacles are very, very slow through the water, so use them with care!
A3. Tentacles do not have the listed abilities of their owner (eg Regen 5, Ironskin for Kraken), but they do have Swim (this is an errata).

Q2 and Q3. The Kraken and it’s tentacles move at different speeds and at different times. Yet the tentacles are restricted in their movement. How do these interact?
A1. The Tentacles may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Kraken. The Kraken may move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Tentacles. This may mean that the tentacles get left a long way behind the Kraken when it moves and may take several turns of movement before they can catch up.
A2. The Tentacles may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Kraken. The Kraken may not move (more than 3 spaces) away from the Tentacles.
Aa. Tentacles which are not within 3 spaces of the kraken may only move to any space that is not further away from the kraken
Ab. Tentacles which are not within 3 spaces of the kraken may only move to any space that is closer to the kraken
Combine one numbered and one lettered answer

POSSIBLE OPTIONAL NEW RULES
A3. This is a new additional rule for the Kraken/Void. All previous rules are still followed. At the end of each Kraken/Void Movement the Kraken/Void may choose to remove any or all tentacles from their current positions and reposition them in water spaces so that at least one of their spaces is adjacent to the Kraken/Void. Tentacles repositioned in this way do not affect figures they had previously ‘grappled’. After this repositioning the tentacles may be activated as normal. This represents the Kraken/Void withdrawing it’s tentacles temporarily.
A4. This is a new additional rule for the Kraken/Void. All previous rules are still followed. The Kraken/Void may sacrifice it’s entire activation, and the activation of each of it’s tentacles, to do the following move. The Kraken/Void may move to any water (deep) space within 8 spaces (without entering any intervening space) and reposition each of it’s remaining tentacles so that at least one of their spaces is adjacent to it. The tentacles will not then activate as their activation is also sacrificed to do this move. This represents the Kraken/Void temporarily diving deeper underwater.
A5. Some variant of either of the above. For example, maybe the tentacles choose this individually *as* their own activation instead of collectively, after the Kraken's activation in A4. Maybe the tentacles still get to activate after the Kraken/Void moves and repositions them in A4?
A6. This is an additional new rule for the Kraken/Void. All previous rules are still followed. For the purposes of counting distance between tentacles and the Kraken/Void, all spaces on the Revenge count as one space distance from any water space adjacent to the Revenge. Effectively the Kraken/Void counts the entire Revenge as one giant space, but only for the purposes of checking distance between Kraken/Void and tentacles.

Q4. Are tentacles figures? How do they interact with other figures and LOS?
A1. Tentacles are figures, so they affect Brawler, Swarm and similar abilities. Unlike normal figures, other figures may move through tentacles and tentacles may move through other figures. Tentacles do/do not (one) affect Line of Sight.
A2. Tentacles are not figures. Tentacles may/may not (one) move through or be moved through by other figures. Tentacles do/do not (one) affect Line of Sight. Tentacles may still be attacked, even though they are not figures.

Q5. How does Unstoppable interact with tentacles?
A1. A hero with unstoppable is immune to grapple, so tentacles cannot 'grapple' this hero and therefore are unable to affect him. Yes, this means that the Kraken and Void cannot defeat this hero party.
A2. Tentacles don't actually have the Grapple ability, they are just able to affect heroes as though they did have grapple. Since they don't have grapple, there is nothing to be immune to. So a tentacle may still constrict or move a figure with Unstoppable even though he is immune to grapple.
A3. Oops! Heroes with Unstoppable (Ox tattoo) are still able to be grappled by Tentacles.

Comments for forum (not FFG):
Anything more to add/change before this gets added to the FAQ proposal document?

Q4 - A2. If tentacles are not figures, we need a clarification for heros with Fly - can they ignore the tentacle when moving through? If tentacles are not figures, but do block LoS, we need a clarification for spawning behind them.

In general, if tentacles are not figures, we need another classification for them to avoid numerous follow-up questions.

Parathion said:

Good points. Fly and spawn can be addressed by adding a few words. Problem is, I don't think we can just demand that tentacles must be figures, so we need to address as many of the "if not figures' problems as possible in the answer.

So, if they are not going to be considered figures...then what happens to people who have bought the Kraken LT model? You have this figure-looking model, but its just a token? Hmmmm

Jonny WS said:

If that is the answer we get, deal with it.
I don't think it will be though. I think tentacles will be figures.

Someone in the homebrew section posted a houserule that lets the tentacles damage the Revenge if they are not currently grappling a hero. KW obviously thought that the Kraken actually should be able to do that (he was asked on the fly at the RoT 2011).

Probably add that to the new/suggested rules? It partly eliminates the fact that the heros can hide from the tentacles on the opposite side of the ship - the tentacles would slowly tear the Revenge apart (though it wouldn´t help against ranged attacks from cowardly heros).