=== Major Planetary Zones | (Twin) Sections of the Habitual Belt | Regions | Wildlife ===

====== SHARDBACK ======

{{ :shardback_gg_scenic_2d.png?200|}}

===== Overview =====

The Shardback, known to the [[the_senti|Senti Tribe]] as "Duramak" (“Stone-Shelled Guardian”), is a shoreline reptile native to the rocky shallows and reed margins of [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]] in the [[asari|Asari Region]] of the [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]] on [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]].  
Recognizable by its mineral-rough shell and curved, bird-like beak, the Shardback is a calm, deliberate grazer that prunes aquatic plants and keeps deltaic channels open. The Senti regard it as a waterway keeper; first baskers of the season are taken as signs of balanced floods.

===== Physique and Appearance =====

  * **Size:** Shell length up to 60 cm  
  * **Weight:** 15–20 kg  
  * **Shell:** Broad, low dome with irregular, stone-textured spurs; edges chipped like river rock  
  * **Beak:** Sharp, keratin beak (parrot-like curve) for shearing reeds and scraping algae  
  * **Skin:** Dark green to muddy brown; algae often colonize limbs and scutes  
  * **Limbs:** Wide, webbed feet; powerful for swimming and steady footing on slick rock  
  * **Posture:** Low center of mass; slow on land, agile in water

==== Special Features ====

  * **Mineral Camouflage:** Shell spurs break up outline among stones and roots  
  * **Reed Shear Beak:** Efficiently clips fibrous stems; can deliver warning nips to intruders  
  * **Algal Mantle:** Natural algal film improves concealment and houses beneficial microbes

===== Game Mechanics =====

  * **Armor Class (AC):** 15 (mineralized shell)  
  * **Hit Points (HP):** 28  
  * **Speed:** 20 ft. (land), 30 ft. (swimming)

**Actions**  
  * **Beak Shear:** +4 to hit, 1d6+2 slashing (plants or creatures); against plant matter, deals double damage  
  * **Shell Bash:** 1d6 bludgeoning; DC 13 Strength save or pushed 5 ft.  
  * **Defensive Withdraw:** Retract and brace; gains +2 AC and resistance to bludgeoning until start of next turn

**Special Abilities**  
  * **Vegetation Sense:** Detects motion through plant contact within 15 ft.  
  * **Shell Stability:** Cannot be knocked prone while in water or on soft substrate  
  * **Stone Stillness:** Advantage on Stealth checks when motionless among rocks

===== Behavior =====

  * **Diet:** Aquatic vegetation, shoots, tubers, filamentous algae; opportunistic biofilm grazer  
  * **Social Structure:** Mostly solitary; loose basking clusters in calm weather  
  * **Activity Pattern:** Midday basking, crepuscular foraging in shallow margins

==== Survival Strategies ====

  * **Freeze and Blend:** Holds still among cobbles; predators overlook the “stone”  
  * **Channel Keeper:** Regular grazing prevents reed choke points, benefiting small fish and invertebrates  
  * **Cautious Nipper:** Short, warning beak strikes deter harassment without escalation

===== Reproduction and Lifecycle =====

  * **Nesting Sites:** Shallow scrapes above the splash line on warmed gravel  
  * **Egg Count:** 3–6 per clutch; tough, mineral-rich shells  
  * **Hatching Time:** 8–10 weeks  
  * **Juveniles:** Miniature adults; remain near reed cover and rock pockets  
  * **Lifespan:** Estimated 40–50 years

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

  * **Natural Obstacle:** Basking clusters block narrow landings or canoe pull-outs  
  * **Resource Hook:** Harvested (non-lethal) beak scrapings or shed shell chips as alchemical abrasives or camouflage dust  
  * **Ecology Clue:** Areas with trimmed reed corridors hint at Shardback presence — and safer, clearer water

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]]  
  * [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]]  
  * [[asari|Asari Region]]  
  * [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]]  
  * [[the_senti|Senti Tribe]]  
  * [[wildlife_of_asari|Known Wildlife of Asari]]

**Known Predators:**  
  * [[bluestrike_heron|Bluestrike Heron]] (juveniles)  
  * [[skyweaver_eels|Skyweaver Eels]] (hatchlings)