Deep Dive - The Kappa
Repelling Kappa With A Fart, 1881 Yoshitoshi
The Kappa is a fascinating creature from Japanese folklore. They appear as green, humanoid creatures with webbed hands and feet, along with a turtle-like shell on their back. Oddly, they have a bowl-shaped indent on the top of their head, which they use to carry water from their lairs. While you might think that it is simply there in case they get thirsty, this is the source of some or all of their power, and if it happens to spill, they are left motionless and defenseless. While these spirits often like to think of themselves as powerful as gods, we don’t know many gods that can be driven away by farting at them. Though you should be careful exposing your butt to these spirits, as they are known for removing a mythical organ through it called the shirikodama.
With no lifeguard on duty, let’s jump into the lake and check out these strange turtle warriors. Who knows, maybe they have pizza and a rat sensei down there.
OD&D - Kappa
Armor Class: 3
Move: 10”
Hit Points: 100
Magic Ability: Wizard - 14th
Fighter Ability: Lord - 10th
Psionic Ability: Class 6
The first encounter with a Kappa is found in The Dragon #13 (April 1978) with a short description in the article, The Japanese Mythos by Jerome Arkenberg. They are described as monkeys without fur, but sometimes they have fish scales or tortoise shells instead of skin. In addition, they are about the size of a 10-year-old, which is kind of comical to think about, but also is rather horrifying to imagine a 10-year-old with a turtle on their back trying to eat us.
They have an indentation on the top of their head that is filled with water, and if that water is ever spilled, they lose all their powers. This is probably why you can mostly find them residing in rivers, lakes, and other places where there is ample water. If you do have to face one of these creatures, since everyone needs water to live so you’ll probably end up at a lake sooner or later, get ready to never turn your back on them. They apparently feed through a creature’s butt, though they also love cucumbers… one of those we get.
The next piece of information requires a trigger warning for sexual abuse, skip to the next edition if you want to avoid anything about it. Kappa are known for frequently attacking women and sexually assaulting them. We won’t dwell on this aspect that the writer decided to waste their word count on as this is just lazy monster writing that serves nothing. This content is something that only a table should decide to include, not for a game system to push onto others.
AD&D (1e) - Kappa
Frequency: Rare
No. Appearing: 1-6
Armor Class: 3/-2
Move: 6”//18”
Hit Dice: 4
% in Lair: 70%
Treasure Type: D
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 5-10/5-10
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Regeneration
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Low to Average
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Size: S
Psionic Ability: Nil
Level/XP Value: III/135 + 4/hp
Dungeon #5, Jan. 1988 TSR Inc.
The Kappa is found in Oriental Adventures (1985), along with a cousin of it, the Vampiric Kappa. They aren't the tallest of creatures, only standing two feet tall. The chaotic evil Kappa is described as an amphibious creature living in water and has a similar body type as a young boy, which is more than just a little creepy. Of course, the main thing that Kappa’s are known for, besides being angry turtle monsters, is that the top of their head is concave like a bowl and is used to hold water.
If you are hoping to avoid these creatures for as long as you live, you should avoid bridges and sources of water. They typically live under bridges or piles of rocks, hiding along a path where they ambush their prey and drag them under. We imagine this leads to territorial conflicts between Kappas and Trolls, which probably goes on for a long time due to their regenerative traits. If you are a bit worried that a bridge may not be a toll bridge, in the traditional sense, you can always send your horse over first. Kappas love the taste of horseflesh and will happily drag them under and devour them. Then again, you might have made the fatal adventurer mistake and have named your horse. At this point, you are going to have to throw some cucumbers or melon slices into the water as they like those maybe just as much as horseflesh.
If you do happen to get dragged down underwater, you aren’t going to be treated to a nice turtle soup. Kappas are quite hungry and are incredibly strong, basically at the top of the charts when it comes to Strength in this edition. That’s not too bad for a two-foot-tall turtle-humanoid that looks like a small child. If you do get a few good hits in as you are dragged under, all your hard work will be for not. Kappas can regenerate one hit point per round, and while that isn’t a lot, it's probably a lot faster than you can regenerate hit points.
Dragon #151, Nov. 1989 TSR Inc.
At this point, you are looking for any weakness you can exploit. The biggest weakness a Kappa has is the water in that bowl-indentation on the top of their head. If they ever spill that water, they lose their regeneration and their powerful strength and become just mean turtle-guys that still don’t go down that easy. Of course, you can’t really force them to spill that bowl of water on their head if they are underwater, since, you know, they’re underwater. This tactic only works if the Kappa pursues you outside their watery lair, where you can then try and force them to spill their head-bowls, but it’s going to be a hard check for all but the strongest of adventurers.
The Vampiric Kappa is slightly different. Beyond the red glowing eyes, the Vampire Kappa adds a bite to their attacks. Once this vampire-turtle sinks its teeth onto you, it latches on, draining you of your Strength at a rate of one point per round. You've got three options to break its toothy grip; kill it, spill the water from its bowl head, or make a successful strength-based check. Do your best to succeed on one of the three, or you'll be sucked dry and die. If you think you're out of the woods when you break the bite, know that it also has a chance to leave you with a nasty disease flowing through your veins. This turtle affliction drains you of 1-3 points of Strength daily until you're cured. The good news is that if cured, you can regain your lost Strength by resting over several days. The bad news is if you don't, upon being drained to 0 Strength, you die.
Dragon #151, Nov. 1989 TSR Inc.
The Kappa get their very own Ecology of article in Dragon #151 (Nov. 1989) by David Knowles, but that’s not all! The Kappa grace the front cover in what we can only call horribly terrifying artwork. We're not going to go into too much detail about this article. Otherwise, we'd have nothing to talk about in the next edition. You see, much of what the Kappa becomes in the article is carried over into the 2nd edition, so it's chock full of spoilers, which makes sense since this article was released during the transition from 1st to 2nd edition.
A few items of note you may not see in the next edition are available to discuss, so we'll do that. If you want to make friends with a Kappa, bring a bottle of sake as a gift, and you may have a chance since it's their favorite alcoholic beverage. Their native tongue is the dreadfully named Kappanese, which all Kappa learn from an early age. A measly five percent of Kappa have a chameleon power, giving them a 75% chance to hide in natural terrain. Saltwater is the bane of their existence, and they lose 1-4 hit points for every turn they are submerged in it. We're going to stop there, as we have a lot to unpack for the next edition.
2e - Kappa (Common)
Climate/Terrain: Tropical, subtropical and temperate lakes and rivers
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Family
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Low to Average (5-10)
Treasure: D
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
No. Appearing: 1-6
Armor Class: 3/-2
Movement: 6, Sw 18
Hit Dice: 4
THAC0: 17
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 5-10/5-10
Special Attacks: Nil
Special Defenses: Regeneration
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: S (2 feet tall)
Morale: Steady (11)
XP Value: 270
MC6 - Kara-Tur Appendix, 1990 TSR Inc.
The Kappa appears in Monstrous Compendium 6 Kara-Tur Appendix (1990) and they brought two friends along with them, the Kappa-Ti and the Vampiric Kappa. They reside in freshwater places, with lairs under rocks and bridges. You can find a Kappa's home by locating a large stump or flat rock near the water's surface, which the Kappa likes to use as its tanning bed. Or maybe it’s just a large rock that doesn’t hide a vicious horse-eating monster.
Kappas are more family-oriented than we might’ve given them credit for. A typical Kappa brood consists of up to six males and six females. Female Kappas are sexually aggressive, pursuing males until they give up out of exhaustion, and lay up to six eggs a year. The expectant mother-to-be keeps the eggs close but knows that if she's lucky, only half of them will hatch. They have a little pudge in the waist area and have a kangaroo-like pouch near their abdomen. The females keep their eggs in this pouch along with their very young, but who knows what the males keep hidden there? Kappas age quickly, reaching adulthood in their 5th year, which is impressive when you realize they live to be 100 years old on average.
Being family has its limits, as the ninja turtles are so self-centered they won't rush to aid other Kappas, including those in their immediate family. They can be convinced to help out if there's something in it for them, most likely treasure or food. Hopefully, the Kappa needing assistance has some shiny baubles, melons, or horseflesh lying around, or they'll be out of luck. Such bribes can even be extended to humans who live nearby if they offer enough of the Kappa's favorites in tribute. If you do have a Kappa near you, we recommend giving it lots of gifts and food as it may decide to teach you some of its fighting techniques - and not even kill you while it does so!
Everyone’s favorite teenage ninja turtles are still tiny, usually hunched over and crouching. If your eyesight could be better, you might mistake them for a hairless monkey from a distance… somehow. Once you get close, the hard shell gives it away. If that doesn't, their webbed claws should. They are covered in dark green scales, sometimes with dull blue and yellowish splotches. The Kappa's red or yellow eyes are covered by a transparent lid, allowing them to see just fine underwater. Speaking of underwater, the Kappa can breathe as easily on the ground as it can underwater.
If you want more fun facts about Kappas, here’s another. The Kappa is a leading cause of drowning, as they ambush poor souls and drag them down to a watery death. They do this surprisingly easily, as they maintained their incredible Strength from the previous edition. Though, if you have a horse walking with you, they’ll probably go for the horse because it is delicious, unless you also have a goat or a cow, as all that is also a delicacy compared to their normal diet of fish.
Their heads still have a bowl on the top filled with water from their lair. The top of a kappa's head is concave, forming a small bowl. A ring of wispy hair circles the bowl, making them look like tiny turtle monks. The bowl is still the key to success, granting them their powerful strength and regenerative abilities, so they work hard to keep the water from spilling out. It isn’t quite as terrible as before if the water spills, as they just become weaker, but able to move about. If they must, they can refill their head with regular water, but it isn’t as effective as their lair water and only do this if they are too far from their lair.
If you get in a fight with them, watch out as they are masters of martial arts. They typically fight without any weapons, relying on their sharp claws to rend your flesh, and then devour it. Speaking of fighting, the Kappa may seem polite and mild-mannered, but their overall behavior can be pretty arbitrary. They will attack if you piss them off or if they just happen to be hungry. The best way to fight them is on solid ground, but that’s only so you don’t have to worry about holding your breath while you fight for your life. The Kappa move gracefully on the land as well as the water. One could say they move like water in the water.
Being the proud and arrogant creatures they are, Kappa takes great pride in their fighting prowess and will challenge their foe to a little one-on-one wrestling match. Win, and you get a free pass. Lose, and they drag you down into the water. They probably like water so much because they are immune to water spells and spell effects.
If you do kill a Kappa, a few of them have a unique death curse that targets up to four creatures that killed the creature, so it’s enough for your whole party to share! Fail your death magic save, and you don't die but have a -4 penalty to their attack and saving throw rolls forever. You'll also emit a 30-foot aura of bad luck, resulting in everyone taking a -2 penalty to their attack and saving throw rolls for as long as they remain close to you. We suppose if we could unleash a death curse to hamper anyone that killed us, we’d definitely do it - but we are also spiteful when it comes to getting murdered.
The Vampiric Kappa remain, and they are just as kind and cuddly as we remember. They are taller and heavier than their Kappa cousins, but you can also look into their glowing, fiery red eyes and know that they aren’t the typical Kappa, since common Kappa are such lovable creatures to begin with. They are faster on land than in the water, with harder scales equating to a better AC. The Vampiric Kappa's main difference is their bite attack, which continues to drain Strength from its unfortunate victim in all the same ways as the previous edition. They'll suck dry just about anything, including other Kappa. That’s probably why they are loners and no one wants to hang out with them.
We are also introduced to the Kappa-Ti. Think of them as the super Kappa, a bigger, faster, and stronger version of their normal cousins. They can grow to a ridiculous 5 feet, which much be terrifying to the everyday little Kappa. Normal Kappa could care less about Kappi-Ti, seeing them as disgusting and repulsive abominations, probably because they don’t have a shell. What they lack in a better armor class they make up with a natural camouflage that gives them a 75% chance of avoiding detection in the wild. This means that when they attack, you won’t even see them coming until after they snap your neck.
3e/3.5e - Kappa
Small Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 4d8+3 (21 hp)
Initiative: +3 (Dex)
Speed: 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +6 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws +8 melee
Damage: Claw 1d3+3
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved grab
Special Qualities: Water immunity, fast healing 3, head bowl
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Escape Artist +7, Hide +10, Intuit Direction +6, Listen +9
Feats: Toughness
Climate/Terrain: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary or brood (2–5)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class
Oriental Adventures, 2001 Wizards of the Coast
The last time we see the Kappa is in Oriental Adventures (2001), and not much changes. They are still mean and ugly little turtles that stand two feet tall and weigh twenty pounds. They have a mouth full of multiple rows of teeth with a beak-like shaped mouth and nose, though some apparently are more humanoid-like than others. Since the Kappa doesn't have a bite attack, they just use their teeth to smile malevolently at you.
Not all Kappas are the masters of the martial arts we've previously seen since they are now considered too chaotic to have the discipline to learn these skills. There are three primary carry-over abilities. First, they still have the power to grab onto you tight and not let go. Next, they are immune to all water-based spells, including the wu-jen-specific spells of the water element found in Oriental Adventures. Last, but certainly not least, they have their odd bowl-indented heads filled with water. It gives them their higher Strength and now Constitution score, along with their fast healing ability when full. Emptying the bowl should still be your focus when battling the now-not-ninja turtles, as they lose their powers when the water is drained.
If fighting a CR 2 turtle-oid isn’t the challenge you want for your table, you can create a more powerful Kappa. Their favored class is monk, but you can also give them a few levels in sorcerer, probably with water-themed spells that allow them to knock creatures into their watery lairs and drown them.
5e - Kappa Homebrew
Since the Kappa hasn’t gotten the chance to return in twenty years, we have decided to go ahead and bring them over. You can find their lore and updated stat block below to be used with the 5th edition ruleset. If you’d like a PDF of this monster, plus fifty-six others, check out Creature Compendium - Vol.3 on the Dump Stat store.
Kappa
Many first mistake the kappa for a turtle as they like to hide among river beds and reeds as they are mischievous by nature. They adore in tricking people, which may end up quite deadly for their victims, though they claim it is all in good fun. They are often feared by villages since if you see one, there are plenty more hiding nearby. They appear like turtle humanoids with thick tufts of black hair around an indentation at the top of their head that is filled with water. They are rather squat, often walking hunched over, with a heavy turtle shell, and have thick, long black claws that are designed for cutting through thick hide.
Their preferred meal is fish and weeds, though they won't pass up the opportunity to feast on any type of flesh they happen to stumble across. They often wait for creatures to come up to their river and begin drinking, where they will then grab them around the head or neck, and pull them into the water where they drown them. Once drowned, they'll rip the creature apart, turning the flowing river water to a dark red as they search for their favorite choice flesh, typically the innards of the creature. Anything they don't immediately eat is discarded.
Cucumber Bribes. If a kappa, or a nest of kappa, take up residence a nearby community is quick to begin offering them cucumbers as a type of offering. A kappa's favorite food is a cucumber, and if a kappa knows that a community has access to them, it is surprisingly helpful and useful. They'll befriend small children, ensuring that they don't drown in the river, and even help divert the water to help water crops. Their love of cucumbers is stronger than even the love that parents have for their children, and some have been known to fight monsters that far outmatch them just for the vegetable.
Pathfinder 2e Bestiary 3, 2021 Paizo Publishing
Of course, a kappa expects a lot of cucumbers depending on the task. While saving a drowning child might just be a single cucumber, killing river lizards may require a dozen cucumbers, and anything that requires weeks of work is going to require bushels of their favorite vegetable. If their reward isn't quickly at hand for any deed that they do, they are prone to acts of violence and anger, destroying anyone who they think owes them a cucumber.
Hydro-Head. The bowl-like indentation on the top of their head is always filled with water, and if it is ever empty, the kappa is in a dangerous position. For whatever reason, the water makes the kappa powerful and fast, a dangerous proposition for anyone who has to fight them. Luckily, there are ways to knock the water out of a kappa's head basin, like throwing them to the ground or holding on to them while you twist their head upside down. Once the water is out, they begin to slow down. They are slower to react, move as if they are carrying a great weight and their strikes aren't as effective as they once were. This is the best time to bring down a kappa before it can make its way back to the river or some other source of water to replenish its head basin.
We hope the Kappa returns someday. Egotistical and evil, the Kappa would present a unique challenge for any party of adventurers. Are they friends or foes? Why are they staring at your horse like that? How come they are always challenging our monk to a wrestling match? If the Teenage Mutant Turtles can get a reboot, so should the Kappa.
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