Nikt'oo

This huge turtle-like amphibian has no real shell, just thick leathery hide over bony plates, olive with brown and yellow spots, and big pitch-black eyes. Longer and stronger than a horse but half as tall, a grown female often exceeds 2,500 pounds. Slow on land, it swims faster than many fish, runs for days, and swims at half speed forever, eating and dozing en route. It carries 600 pounds unhindered, 900 at half speed, 1,200 at one-third.

Placid by nature, it bites only when badly provoked or trained to, a trick evil snappers teach. An unmodified 20 severs a hand or foot of a man-sized or smaller foe. It cannot withdraw head or legs; head and back are AC 5, legs AC 6, and foes near its limbs strike the legs.

Most live tame among turtle-folk or snappers, and trained females haul cargo on land and sea. Wild ones flee humanoids, though all turn aggressive in mating season. Far out at sea they seem relaxed and may pace a ship, and sailors say killing one brings a dreadful curse.

Wild adults live about 90 years, tame ones up to 150. Each year a female buries 5d6 eggs above the tideline on a warm beach while she and her mate bellow reassurance, the only sound they ever make. Under 5% of wild hatchlings survive disease, pollution and predators. Massive males stay in the sea except to defend a laying female, fighting at -2 and taking 2 damage per round from drying out on land. They eat jellyfish, shellfish and seaweed and are inedible to most humanoids, though snappers eat them.