Greetings, kind traveler! Allow me to regale you with a tale of my own adventures in the land of yore. Once, as a young squire, I learned of a rare creature known as a shardshell. Tis said that its shell was made of sparkling crystals, and many sought after its riches. So, I gathered a band of brave adventurers, and together we set out to find the beast.
Ah, but the shardshell was not easily captured. We were warned, its crystals were as sharp as the finest sword, and its acid could strip flesh from bone. However, driven by our desire for riches, we pressed on. But alas, most of my companions fell to the monster, and I barely escaped with my life. Now I tell my tale as a warning of the dangers of greed. Tis a lesson I have learned well, and one I hope others may heed in their own journeys.
Sir Gildas the Green
Alchemical Acid. As part of a long rest, if you have proficiency with alchemist’s supplies or cook’s utensils, you can use your tools and shardshell remains to create a vial of acid.
Harvesting Crystals. The valuable crystals that grow on a shardshell’s back can be removed without harming the shardshell. On a successful DC 9 Intelligence(Jeweler’s Tools) check or DC 14 Dexterity check you harvest 2 (1d4) crystals. On a failure you take 3 (1d6) piercing damage. The crystals are worth 10 gp each and a shardshell has at most 6 harvestable crystals that regrow at a rate of one per month.
Mesmerizing Glow. Creatures affected by a shardshell’s attract trait will perceive a shimmering glow around the shardshell, drawing them to it.
Shardshell
Small Monstrosity, Unaligned
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d6 + 6)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 6 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) |
Skills Perception +3
Damage Immunities acid
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Acid Trail. The shardshell leaves a 5-foot-radius pool of acid in each space it moves through. When a creature enters a pool for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it takes 4 (1d8) acid damage. The pools dissipate at the start of the shardshell’s next turn.
Attract. A creature aware of the shardshell that starts its turn more than 10 feet away from it must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma save or take the Dash action and move towards the shardshell while avoiding obvious hazards.
Jagged Carapace. A creature that touches the shardshell or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
Ventral Foot. The shardshell ignores difficult terrain and can move through hostile creatures’ spaces.
