Tortle
What many tortles consider a simple life, others might call a life of adventure. For a race that moves slowly, life comes fast. Tortles don't typically live in normal family dynamics, instead seeking out adventure as soon as they're old enough to walk. Tortles have a saying: “We wear our homes on our backs.” These turtle folk live on many worlds, most often journeying up and down coasts, along waterways, and across the sea. Tortles don’t have a unified story of how they were created, but they all have a sense of being mystically connected to the natural world. Carrying their shelter on their backs gives tortles a special feeling of security wherever they go, for even if they visit a far, unknown country, they have a place to lay their heads.
Tortles exhibit the same range of coloration and patterns found among turtles, and many tortles enjoy adorning their shells in distinctive ways.
- Ability Score Increase. When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. You can't raise any of your scores above 20.
- Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.
- Size. You are Medium.
- Speed. Your walking speed is 25 feet.
- Claws. You have claws that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
- Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour.
- Natural Armor. Your shell provides you a base AC of 17 (your Dexterity modifier doesn’t affect this number). You can’t wear light, medium, or heavy armor, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield’s bonus as normal.
- Nature's Intuition. Thanks to your mystical connection to nature, you gain proficiency with one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, or Survival.
- Shell Defense. You can withdraw into your shell as an action. Until you emerge, you gain a +4 bonus to your 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.
- Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Tortles stand 5 to 6 feet tall and average between 350 to 500lbs. Their shells account for roughly one-third of their weight. They can come in any coloration or body type that can be found in turtles or tortoises. They cannot grow hair or facial hair, but some will fashion moss, seaweed, or other vegetation to resemble hair. Their eyes can be any natural color.
Genetics and Reproduction
Tortles are compatible with other Tortles, viashino, lizardfolk, kuo-toa, locatha, tritons, and merfolk. The offspring will favor the mother. Tortles only lay multiple eggs when two Tortles reproduce. Otherwise they only lay one per cycle.
Growth Rate & Stages
Tortles lay eggs that are about a foot tall. They usually spend about 7 months in incubation, and upon hatching they are mostly grown at about 4ft tall and can walk. Often tortle parents will abandon their eggs in the sand, laying 1 to 3 at a time. Once hatched, a tortle will usually stay at or near their home beach until they reach age 10, at which point they begin to wander, seeking to see as much of the world as they can. They can live to be 50 years old.
Ecology and Habitats
Tortles usually stay around coastlines and bodies of water. They don't own homes or settle in one place. They do occasionally venture out into areas uncommon for them, but it's rare for a tortle to be found in a desert or high mountains.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Most tortles choose to live a pescatarian lifestyle. Whether it is ease of access or an ingrained sense of morality varies from person to person.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Tortles can feel when someone or something is touching their shell as easily as they could with their skin.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Tortles don't usually take names until they reach ten years old, at which point they will either give themselves a name or allow their friends to bestow one upon them, usually waiting to get a name until truly needing to be referred to. Some Tortles will take names like Bud, Sir, Miss, or Dude. This happens because it is usually the first thing someone refers to them as. Tortles usually don't take last names.
Beauty Ideals
Tortles often find beauty in how others have decorated their shells, as well as lived experiences.
Courtship Ideals
The idea of courtship with a tortle is a very casual one. They will often hook up with travel companions, with the hookups usually resulting in an egg left in the sand.
Relationship Ideals
To a tortle, the idea of a permanent relationship feels wrong. They will band together temporarily as traveling partners with another, and often experience true senses of love and passion, but marriage is not something that interests most of them. They live for the adventure first and foremost.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
All tortles know common, and most pick up a second language with either Aquan or Anikin being the most commonly chosen.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Tortle parents often paint their names on their eggs, giving their child the chance to seek them out if they so choose. Somehow Tortle children will always know that these names are their parents. Tortles don't wear clothes. Instead they choose to decorate their shells with banners, paints, elaborate tapestries, and embedded gemstones.
Common Taboos
Tortles see all ways of life as valid, and as such do not find anything to be taboo.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Most other races see tortles as a very flighty folk, due to their propensity to change their minds on a whim. Tortles on the other hand do not see this as a flaw, viewing it as more of a lifestyle.
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