Tortle
Tortles are reptilian-looking humanoids with large shells on their backs capable of containing their entire bodies. They have leathery skins varying between olive-green to blue-green hues. The dorsal portion of their shells is usually darker than their skins, while the ventral portion is lighter, usually with yellowish tones. Tortles rarely wear any clothing, favoring instead belts and harnesses to carry their belongings. They have little tolerance for cold, and usually migrate away from temperate areas when winter approaches. Although generally poor swimmers, tortles are capable of floating on water and can hold their breath for over an hour. Their high buoyancy grants them the ability to cross swamps, mud, and quicksand with little difficulty.
LIFE OF A TORTLE
A tortle hatches from a thick-shelled egg and spends the first few weeks of its life craling on all fours. Its parents, old and near death, spend what little time they have left telling stories to their offspring. Within a year, the young tortle becomes an orphan, though not before it learns to speak and to survive on its own.
A young tortle and its siblings inherit whatever tools, weapons, and gifts their parents left behind. Each young tortle is expect to fend for itself. It leaves the place of its birth and finds its own corner of the wilderness in which to hunt, catch fish, and get by. With each passing year, a tortle hones its survival skills. It forms friendships with its neighbors while also respecting their privacy. At some point, a tortle feels an almost overwhelming urge to venture far away from home and see more of the world. It gathers up its possessions and heads into the wilderness, returning months or years later with stories of its exploits and new skills.
When a tortle nears the end of its natural lifespan, it seeks out a mate and procreates. Tortles lay their eggs (numbering as few as one or as many as a dozen) in a fortified compound enclosed by stone walls that are easily defensible. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding the compound, defending their offspring, and sharing a lifetime of knowledge before they die. When the children are old enough to leave the compound, they pick up whatever weapons and tools their parents left behind and set out on their own.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Tortles resemble oversized bipedal turtles. They stand between 5 and 6 feet tall and weigh in excess of 450 pounds, a third of which is their shell alone. Their scaly skin ranges in mottled shades of green and brown.
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age: Young tortles crawl for a few weeks after birth before learning to walk on two legs. They reach adulthood by the age of 15 and live an average of 50 years.
Alignment: Tortles tend to lead orderly, ritualistic lives. They develop customs and routines, becoming more set in their ways as they age. Most are lawful good. A few can be selfish and greedy, tending more toward evil, but it’s unusual for a tortle to shuck off order in favor of chaos.
Size: Tortle adults stand 5 to 6 feet tall and average 450 pounds. Their shells account for roughly one-third of their weight. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Claws: Your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Hold Breath: You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour at a time. Tortles aren’t natural swimmers, but they can remain underwater for some time before needing to come up for air.
Natural Armor: Due to your shell and the shape of your body, you are ill-suited to wearing armor. Your shell provides ample protection, however; it gives you a base AC of 17 (your Dexterity modifier doesn’t affect this number). You gain no benefit from wearing armor, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield’s bonus as normal.
Shell Defense: You can withdraw into your shell as an action. Until you emerge, you gain a +4 bonus to AC, and you have advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws. While in your shell, you are prone, your speed is 0 and can’t increase, you have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws, you can’t take reactions, and the only action you can take is a bonus action to emerge from your shell.
Survival Instinct: You gain proficiency in the Survival skill. Tortles have finely honed survival instincts.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Aquan and Common.
