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

BOGFANG (ZARU-DAK)

Overview

Called “Zaru-Dak” by the Orlanda Tribe, the Bogfang is an obligate-aquatic benthic disk predator of the Orlanda Marshes on VOI 700 D. It lies flat in root mazes and undercut banks, then surge-pounces to pin prey or braces at the shoreline to drag land animals into the water. The Orlanda regard a resident Bogfang as the quiet sentinel of sacred pools.

Physique and Appearance

  • Length (disk + tail): 1.2–1.4 m
  • Mass: 40–50 kg
  • Body: Dorso-ventrally flattened disk with broad fin-lobes for swimming; no hind walking limbs
  • Forelimbs: Two anterior grasping arms only, each with five short keratin-tipped digits (claws) for anchoring to roots/stone and seizing shoreline prey; incapable of supporting body on land
  • Skin: Velvety, matte peat-green to mud-brown with gritty dermal plaques that trap silt/algae (living-rock camouflage)
  • Head & Mouth: Subterminal mouth facing downward; pharyngeal shearing plates (rasping hold rather than fangs)
  • Senses: High-set eyes for peeking above silt; dorsal spiracular vents for breathing while the mouth is silt-sealed; lateral pressure pores detect wakes and footfalls
  • Tail: Long, muscular tail with thin fin edge for steering and burst starts
  • Locomotion: Undulates fin-lobes and tail to swim; cannot locomote on land (obligate aquatic)

Special Features:

  • Shoreline Brace: Uses its two forelimbs to hook roots/rocks and hold position in current; enables sudden arm-snatch on land prey at the water’s edge
  • Wing-Lobe Pin: Broad fin-lobes press prey to substrate while the plates shear
  • Living-Rock Camouflage: Gritty plaques hold silt and algae, breaking the outline among stones and roots
  • Spiracular Breathing: Dorsal vents ventilate while buried; eyes watch from cover

Game Mechanics

  • Armor Class (AC): 14 (low profile + gritty plaques)
  • Hit Points (HP): 45
  • Speed: 40 ft. (swim); 0 ft. (land)

Actions

  • Surge Pounce (Recharge 5–6). The Bogfang launches up to 20 ft. in a straight line underwater. If it ends adjacent to a creature, it makes Wing-Lobe Pin* with advantage.
  • Wing-Lobe Pin. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: d6+3 bludgeoning, and the target is grappled (escape DC 14). While the Bogfang remains prone on the bottom, a grappled target is restrained.
  • Shearing Plates. Melee Weapon Attack (vs. a grappled target): +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., Hit: 2d8+3 slashing.
  • Shoreline Yank. Melee Weapon Attack (arms): +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. onto land from a water square. Hit: 1d8+3 bludgeoning and the target must succeed on a DC 14 STR save or be pulled up to 10 ft. into the water and knocked prone (submerged).
  • Silt Bloom (Recharge 4–6). Kicks up a 10-ft-radius silt cloud. Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 Con save or be blinded until the start of their next turn. The area is lightly obscured for 1 minute unless dispersed.

Special Abilities

  • Benthic Camouflage. Advantage on Stealth checks when motionless on silt, stones, or among roots.
  • Pressure Sense. While submerged, the Bogfang has blindsight 20 ft. against moving creatures.
  • Bank Brace. While adjacent to a solid bank/root, the Bogfang has advantage on checks to resist being moved and may target creatures on land within 5 ft. with Shoreline Yank.
  • Obligate Aquatic. Land speed 0; if forced fully onto land, the Bogfang is knocked prone and has disadvantage on all attacks until it re-enters water.

Behavior

  • Diet: Small fish, amphibians, large invertebrates, shoreline mammals/birds when available
  • Social: Solitary except brief spawning aggregations
  • Activity: Crepuscular/nocturnal peaks; day spent buried or wedged under shelves

Survival Strategies:

  • Stone-Still Ambush: Lies flat, gathers silt, watches with high-set eyes
  • Brace-and-Snatch: Hooks forelimbs under roots, then lashes out to yank shoreline prey into the water
  • Wrap-and-Shear: Uses fin-lobes to pin while shearing plates do the killing work
  • Silt Screen: Deploys Silt Bloom to break line-of-sight for escape or reposition

Reproduction and Lifecycle

  • Mating Season: Wettest marsh cycles; brief nocturnal aggregations on shallow shelves
  • Egg Deposition: Adhesive clutches tucked beneath root lips and ledges
  • Incubation: ~2 weeks; hatchlings disperse into micro-channels and leaf packs
  • Lifespan: 15–20 years (est.)

Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters

  • Edge Ambush: Any creature looting the bank, watering mounts, or following root paths within 5 ft. of water risks a Shoreline Yank.
  • Sacred Pool Clause: Orlanda rites may forbid harming a resident Bogfang; parties must solve the pool non-violently (lures, distractions, offerings).
  • Environmental Tells: A clean oval in settled silt or a sudden silt boil under an overhang foreshadows Zaru-Dak.

Known Predators:

bogfang_eels.txt · Last modified: 2025/11/28 03:43 by admin

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