D&D General From now on in my games, Black Dragons and Dragon Turtles are the same species.

[Lakesidefantasy]

The advice pages from environmental conservation sites suggest poking with an expendable stick from behind is best when you're trying to get them to move to safety (as you should, roads aren't safe for the poor things). You really don't want to be in front of one of those things. Alligator snappers are no-joke dangerous if you're not careful.

Can we add some templates while we're at it?

I like 'expendable stick'.

I picked up a good sized one once to help it across the road. I am still amazed by how far they can reach over the top of the shell in a fury of hiss-filled snapping. Yikes!

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I like 'expendable stick'.

Well, as noted above some of them can bite right through a broomstick when riled. Best to use something you don't mind losing if worse comes to worse.

And yeah, those necks are long and flexible and faster than you'd expect if you've never seen one in action.

They'll also eat just about anything they can kill, as well as carrion. I'm reasonably certain the big common snapper that moved into our beaver-flooded stream a couple of years back killed one of the yearlings, going by what was left of the carcass. A coyote would've dragged it off instead of leaving it in the shallows.

 

[el-remmen]

When I worked at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for a summer long ago one of my jobs was fishing out snapping turtles that made their way into the pond in the Japanese garden and kill the ducklings and bringing them across the way to the pond in Prospect Park where no one cared what they killed.

It was not a fun job.

 

[Mecheon]

See I thought dragon turtles are more associated with the sea and ocean rather than swamps.

Frankly stat wise, based on your average snapper, I'd be wanting to look more at red dragon stats without flying rather than black dragon. Because they're absolute tanks, and black dragons aren't.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There was one found in a UK lake a month or so ago, made the news.

Fluffy the 'dangerous' turtle found in Cumbria lake can 'bite through bone'

 

[Bitbrain]

See I thought dragon turtles are more associated with the sea and ocean rather than swamps.

Frankly stat wise, based on your average snapper, I'd be wanting to look more at red dragon stats without flying rather than black dragon. Because they're absolute tanks, and black dragons aren't.

Fair point, but since I create my own monster stat blocks and make it a point never use the official ones, this particular issue is not going to be a problem for me.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Frankly stat wise, based on your average snapper, I'd be wanting to look more at red dragon stats without flying rather than black dragon.

Gamera would like a word about that.

The flame breath does support the red dragon thing, though.

 

[Mecheon]

Gamera would like a word about that.

Gamera isn't a dragon turtle! There is, however, a Spelljammer critter that is just Gamera

 

[dave2008]

I picked up a good sized one once to help it across the road. I am still amazed by how far they can reach over the top of the shell in a fury of hiss-filled snapping. Yikes!

I did the same thing (for the same reason) about 35 years ago. I was even careful to hold it by the very back of its shell by the hind legs. It was remarkable how far it reach back over/around its shell and snap at me. I quickly escorted it across the road and then let it be!

 

[James Gasik]

Gamera isn't a dragon turtle! There is, however, a Spelljammer critter that is just Gamera

The Gammaroid!