Basic Information
The Puddle Shark is an aggressive predatory fish with a supernatural ability to dwell in bodies of water which should logically be far too small to contain such a large creature. Puddle sharks are particularly fond of horseflesh and are quite capable of swallowing a fully grown horse and its rider in a single bite (thus ensuring that no-one has ever met a survivor of such an attack) and so horses have an instinctive fear of them and many will come to a sudden halt at the edge of an otherwise unremarkable puddle for fear that it may contain a shark.
Due to their supernatural powers, it is impossible to predict in advance whether a given puddle contains a shark or not, but given their voracious nature any shark present will always attack anything that disturbs the surface of the water - if someone else has already walked through a given puddle and not been attacked, then you too will be safe.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- Some cynics suggest that puddle sharks are simply a myth created to mock the quite rational reluctance of many horses to set foot in a body of water of unknown depth.
- On the other hand, the idea of a creature capable of using any body of water as a gateway through which it can lunge out and attack people (and horses!) is somewhat scarier…
- The trapdoor alligator is said to have similar dimension bridging ambush powers…