Shark (4e Monster)

Battle Shark
Bred specifically for combat by various aquatic races, battle sharks make ferocious guardians and will readily accept riders; though their intelligence is somewhat limited, battle sharks are surprisingly easy to train. Their eyesight is slightly better than that of regular sharks, though they still rely primarily on their sense of smell to detect prey.

Battle Shark Tactics
Battle sharks use hit-and-run tactics, taking a "test bite" at anything that appears edible and then swimming away. If the shark thinks that the target would make a good meal based on the initial taste (and there are few things it doesn't think of as such), it will charge the target and continue biting until it dies.

Battle Shark Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful Nature check.

DC 15: Battle sharks are vicious creatures, trained to defend their riders to the death. Its raw power is well known amongst many aquatic races, and its keen scent can detect the smell of blood from great distances away.

DC 20: Typically, a rider will use the battle shark to charge into melee, then retreat and perform the maneuver again. A battle shark without a rider simply bites at anything it perceives as prey.

Bloodfin Shark


Bloodfin sharks are bred by sahugain specifically to serve as mounts for their four-armed barons. Trained for combat, these bloodthirsty fish will attack virtually anything that moves and have been known to injure or kill their riders when no other food is available. Although their name might imply a reddish color, bloodfin sharks are usually black or dark grey with lighter stripes along their backs.

Bloodfin Shark Tactics
Although certainly voracious, a bloodfin shark is attracted more to the scent of blood than it is to the taste of flesh, so it wounds as many opponents as possible. It uses devour blood every round, if possible. Once a target is bloodied, the shark will typically attack it to the exclusion of all others.

Bloodfin Shark Lore
A character knows the following information with a successful Nature check.

DC 15: Bloodfin sharks are among the most dangerous of their kind and have a taste for blood. They are bred by sahuagin, but can sometimes be found among other races.

DC 20: A bloodfin shark does not normally focus on one target until it is heavily wounded, at which point it will repeatedly attack the victim until it dies. These creatures sometimes turn on their riders, especially if the rider is injured or is unfamiliar with handling the shark.

Encounter Groups
Sharks are usually found in schools containing half a dozen or more members, but they can also be found in the company of intelligent aquatic races, whom they serve as mounts. Most encounters with battle sharks and bloodfin sharks take place alongside sahuagin.

Level 3 Encounter (XP 750) — Battle Shark School


 * 5 battle sharks (level 3 skirmisher)

Level 6 Encounter (XP 1,265) — Sahuagin Raiding Party


 * 3 battle sharks (level 3 skirmisher)
 * 5 sahuagin guards (level 6 minion, Monster Manual pg. 224)
 * 2 sahuagin raiders (level 6 soldier, Monster Manual pg. 224)

Level 10 Encounter (XP 2,350) — Tide of Blood


 * 1 bloodfin shark (level 7 skirmisher)
 * 1 sahuagin baron (level 10 elite brute, Monster Manual pg. 224)
 * 3 sahuagin priests (level 8 artillery, Monster Manual pg. 224)