[A note from the Author: I made up this beast for Realms Of Ages to be published in 2002. But I have used them in Arduin, as well as D&D.]

• BF: 76
• Hps: 35-65
• MRS: 25%
• AV: 10 (AC 4)
• Speed:  480
• CF:  1d6+16
• Number: 5d6

Description:  The Land Sharks are not related to true sharks but because of the fact that they never sleep, feed endlessly and are attracted to the scent of blood, they have been dubbed with the name.  the travel in schools or packs of 10 to 50 members, with 20% being young.

For the most part they are brainless and do little more than seek out their next meal.  The thing that makes them so deadly is a combination of their huge toothy mouth, their ability to smell blood up to a mile away and their ground speed.  Within as little as ten yards they can burst into full speed of 60 miles per hour and from a stand still they can lunge in any direction (including straight up) 30 feet.

Their sense of smell is not just good for finding their next meal, but is also their only sensory input.  They have no eyes, feelings of pain, or hearing.  Their scent intake is similar to a snakes in the fact that it is in their mouths, which many believe to be the reason why they go into an almost joyous frenzy state when eating.  The only thing that deters a Land Shark is extremely foul odors that are acidic in nature.

During their breeding season is the only time that Land Sharks don't eat.  In fact, they fast for weeks just before the breeding season begins.  All the male Land Sharks go into a gorging period where they eat twice their body weight in meat daily and females eat three times their weight.  Once breeding stares, all the malls start to circle the females running at near full speeds and after a few weeks, the weaker males either leave the circle or drop within it and die.  This continues till there are only half as many males as females then breeding commences.  The total length of time this takes is up tp two months, but is usually less depending on how many females there are.  The gestation period takes just about a month at which time each female gives birth to a litter of 4 - 24 whelps that are fully functional within 24 hours.   After that pint in a strange social manner none have ever fully understood, they regroup in new packs and determine hunting grounds and the borders of them, then head out to hunt anew.

A circle of Land Sharks consists of as many of them that live in a circular 100 mile area given the food supply, often larger.

Looks:  In appearance, Land Sharks are extremely ugly, hairless creatures about the size of a large wolf.  Other than their head, which is nothig but a huge mouth with multiple rows of over-sized pointy teeth, they have a dirty gray skin similar to that of an elephants.  The Body of the Land Shark is much like that of a greyhound with larger hind legs and feet, but they have no tails.

Habitat: In general they migrate were the food supply is but tend to enjoy the heat and moister over other climates, they can be found in most jungles and have been seen around the outskirts of the Green Hell. However when the food supply runs short they have even entered dungeons and caverns being that they are equally comfortable in the dark they can be a terrifying encounter.

Attacks: Due to the great speed of this monster and the size of its maw it can devour creature its own size with ease and often does. The bite does d10+20.

Special Abilities and Defenses: Land Sharks can leap up to 30 feet with each attack and often do. If someone is hit with a leaping attack they must make a CF check on a d20 or be knocked down for that round! With their heightened sense of smell they can only be surprised while eating which doesn’t last long (they can eat their own body weight in meat and bones within one minute), but if someone can render themselves without a sent they would be treated as if they are invisible to the Land Shark. Also anyone who covers themselves with fowl smelling odors of a acidic nature are treated as if they have a area of protection around themselves with a radius depending on how strong the smell.