Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- quorra_crabs [2025/04/08 05:14] – [Physique and Appearance] admin
+++ quorra_crabs [2025/09/29 06:06] (current) – [QUORRA] admin
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 === Major Planetary Zones | (Twin) Sections of the Habitual Belt | Regions | Wildlife ===
-====== QUORRA CRAB ======
+====== QUORRA ======
+{{ :quorra_crab_gg_scenic_2d.png?200|}}
 ===== Overview =====
-The Quorra Crab is a semi-aquatic crustacean native to the freshwater ecosystems of [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]] and [[lake_arla|Lake Arla]] in the [[asari|Asari Region]] of the [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]] on [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]]. Known for their stunning iridescent shells and rhythmic burrowing behavior, Quorra Crabs are vital ecological engineers. By constantly shifting lakebed sediment, they oxygenate the soil, improve water quality, and create habitats for microorganisms and aquatic vegetation.
+The Quorra, called Nar’kuma (“Soil Dancer”) by the [[the_senti|Senti]] and [[the_trando|Trando]] Tribes, is a compact, semi-aquatic benthic forager native to the shallows and reed margins of [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]] and [[lake_arla|Lake Arla]] in the [[asari|Asari Region]] of the [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]] on [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]].
-To the [[the_senti|Senti Tribe]] as well as to the [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]], the Quorra Crab is called "Nar'kuma", or "Soil Dancer," and is often featured in artistic motifs symbolizing harmony through quiet labor.
+Unlike clawed crabs, Quorra use four paddle-ended legs to churn mud and sift for food. A tough, keratinous, bird-like beak lets them chip roots, crack snails, and scrape algae from stone. Their steady “dig–pause–dig” rhythm aerates lakebed soils and shapes micro-habitats used by plants, invertebrates, and fry—earning them a reputation as quiet engineers of the littoral zone.
 ===== Physique and Appearance =====
+  * **Size:** 15–18 cm body span
+  * **Weight:** 1.2–1.6 kg
+  * **Carapace:** Rounded, asymmetrical dome; rough, stone-like texture streaked with algae, silt staining, and small encrustations (no geometric plating)
+  * **Limbs:** Four stout legs ending in broad, blunt paddles for shoveling and short bursts of swimming
+  * **Head/Beak:** Forward-set, downward-curved keratin beak (no pincers) for scraping and cracking food
+  * **Eyes:** Small, lateral, low-glare eyes adapted to turbid shallows
+  * **Ventral Plume Organ:** Mucus–bubble siphon that vents fine silt and bubbles during digging, briefly clouding the water
-  * **Size:** 15–18 cm across
+==== Special Features ====
-  * **Shoulder Height:** 6–7 cm
+  * **Paddle Digging:** Efficient mud-churning gait improves oxygenation and exposes edible biofilm
-  * **Weight:** 1.2–1.5 kg
+  * **Root Scraper Beak:** Chips rhizomes, crushes snails and bivalves, and rasps periphyton from rock
-  * **Shell:** Dome-shaped with layered iridescent plating, ranging in hue from green-gold to deep blue
+  * **Silt Veil:** Plume organ releases a short-lived cloud that conceals the animal from predators while foraging
-  * **Legs:** Six walking legs and two clawed forelimbs with curved digging tips
-  * **Eyes:** Stalked, with wide peripheral vision
-==== Special Features: ====
-  * **Iridescent Shell:** Provides natural camouflage by reflecting ambient hues
-  * **Soil-Sensing Claws:** Specialized for detecting chemical composition in sediment
-  * **Lung-Gill Exchange System:** Allows the crab to remain active both in water and on moist shores
 ===== Game Mechanics =====
+  * **Armor Class (AC):** 14 (rugged dome carapace)
+  * **Hit Points (HP):** 10
+  * **Speed:** 20 ft. (land), 30 ft. (swimming)
-  * **Armor Class (AC):** 14 (hardened carapace)
+**Actions:**
-  * **Hit Points (HP):** 10
+  * **Beak Nip:** +3 to hit, 1d6 piercing (vs. restraints/line/tool or for self-defense)
-  * **Speed:** 25 ft. (land), 30 ft. (swimming)
+  * **Sediment Veil (Recharge 5–6):** Creates a 5-ft radius lightly obscuring cloud for 1 round; creatures inside have disadvantage on Perception checks relying on sight
-==== Actions ====
+**Special Abilities:**
+  * **Benthic Engineer:** After 10 minutes of undisturbed foraging, improves water clarity and plant rooting in a 10-ft area (advantage on relevant Survival/Nature checks there for 24h)
-  * **Claw Snap:** 1d6 slashing damage
+  * **Low Profile:** Advantage on Stealth when stationary against reeds/rock in shallow water
-  * **Sediment Burst:** Kicks up a cloud of silt to obscure vision (5 ft. radius, grants disadvantage to attack rolls until end of next round)
-==== Special Abilities ====
-  * **Soil Aerator:** Improves local water quality and supports aquatic plant life in a 10 ft. radius
-  * **Burrow Instinct:** Gains +2 to Stealth when near muddy or sediment-rich terrain
-  * **Reflective Dazzle:** Once per encounter, flashes its shell to startle enemies (DC 12 Wisdom save or attacker is stunned for one round)
 ===== Behavior =====
+  * **Diet:** Detritus, algae, soft roots, snails, small bivalves, carrion flakes
+  * **Social Structure:** Mostly solitary; loose aggregations form where sediment is soft and rich
+  * **Activity Pattern:** Most active during rain pulses, fog, and low-angle light
-  * **Diet:** Omnivorous filter-feeder (detritus, algae, microorganisms)
+==== Survival Strategies ====
-  * **Social Structure:** Solitary but congregates in loose colonies during mating season
+  * **Freeze & Silt:** If startled, freezes under its silt cloud or wedges beneath roots
-  * **Activity Pattern:** Most active during high humidity
+  * **Armor Hunker:** Tucks limbs, presenting the dome toward threats
+  * **Edge Foraging:** Works the boundary between vegetation and open shallows to balance safety and food density
-==== Survival Strategies: ====
+===== Reproduction and Lifecycle =====
+  * **Mating Trigger:** Rising water level after heavy rain
+  * **Egg Deposition:** Small clutches packed into shallow, silt-lined scrapes under roots or stones
+  * **Hatching Time:** 10–12 days
+  * **Juveniles:** Miniature forms with softer beaks; graze mainly on biofilm for first month
+  * **Lifespan:** 8–12 years
-  * **Burrowing Defense:** Digs backward tunnels to evade predators
+===== Look and Feel =====
-  * **Camouflage Clustering:** Groups hide near reflective vegetation to confuse threats
+Seen from above, a Quorra could be mistaken for a silt-streaked stone until it shifts, paddles bite the mud, and a faint cloud puffs from beneath. The beak rasps at a root; a snail shell clicks and splits. In a few minutes the patch is looser, brighter, and ringed by tiny bubbles—evidence of oxygen creeping back into the muck.
-===== Reproduction and Lifecycle =====
+===== Exohuman Usage =====
+In the [[beta_age|Beta Age]] around [[arla_town|Arla Town]], fishers occasionally harvested Quorra inadvertently. Only the muscular leg pads were eaten (boiled or fried); the dome and plume organ were difficult to prepare and often discarded. Cultural objections from the [[the_senti|Senti]] and [[the_trando|Trando]]—who consider Quorra vital to marsh health—kept take low. Under the [[peace_treaty|Peace Treaty]] in the [[the_gamma_age|Gamma Age]], targeted harvest was banned and the species gained protected status.
-  * **Mating Season:** Triggered by high water levels after rainfall
-  * **Egg Deposition:** Females bury eggs in moist sand, near nutrient-rich moss beds
-  * **Hatching Time:** 10–12 days
-  * **Juvenile Phase:** Young crabs molt every 5–7 days in their first month
-  * **Lifespan:** Up to 12 years
 ===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====
+  * **Ambient Signal:** Clusters of fresh silt veils and spiral dig marks hint at clean water and good foraging spots
-Quorra Crabs make excellent ambient fauna, useful for building atmosphere or complicating otherwise simple environments:
+  * **Soft-Ground Hazard:** Recently churned patches can count as difficult terrain for a round
+  * **Ecology Clue:** Absent Quorra may foreshadow pollution, algal blooms, or predator pressure
-  * **Terrain Shifter:** Their burrows can collapse unstable shoreline ground or expose hidden objects
+  * **Gentle Objective:** Tasks to relocate Quorra from a dredge site, or to survey dig density for a tribal rite
-  * **Alchemical Component:** Shell fragments are used in potions of camouflage or resistance to psychic damage
-  * **Cultural Trial:** Players may be asked by Senti elders to locate a rare golden-shelled Quorra Crab as a rite of passage
 ===== Related Pages and Further Information =====
+  * [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]]
+  * [[lake_arla|Lake Arla]]
+  * [[the_senti|Senti Tribe]]
+  * [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]]
+  * [[wildlife_of_asari|Wildlife of Asari]]
-  * [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]]
+**Known Predators:**
-  * [[habitual_belt|Habitual Belt]]
+  * [[skyweaver_eels|Skyweaver Eel]]
-  * [[lake_tijonara|Lake Tijonara]]
-  * [[lake_arla|Lake Arla]]
-  * [[the_senti|Senti Tribe]]
-  * [[the_trando|Trando Tribe]]
-  * [[wildlife_of_asari|Known Wildlife of Asari]]
-**Known Predators:**
-  * [[skyweaver_eels|Skyweaver Eels]]
   * [[bluestrike_heron|Bluestrike Heron]]