Tortle

Lore

What many tortles consider a simple life, others might call a life of adventure. Tortles are born near sandy coastlines of Farshore, but as soon as they're able to walk on two legs, they become nomad survivalists eager to explore the wilderness, experience its many wonders, put their skills to the test, and make new acquaintances. Tortles are adeptly in tune with nature and need little more than the pristine views of beautiful landscapes to be happy.
Tortles are reptilian-looking with large shells on their backs that are capable of containing their entire bodies. They have leathery skins that vary between olive-green to blue-green hues. The dorsal portion of their shells are usually darker than their skins, while the ventral portion are 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 approached.
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.
Tortles only reproduce near the end of their natural lifespans. When their young hatch from their eggs, they spend the remainder of their lives sharing all their life experiences and teaching survival skills. Young tortles will become orphans after about one year, by which time they are expected to be able to fend for themselves.
Usually keeping to themselves, Tortles tend to live alone, but keep in close contact with their community. Tortle villages are typically welcoming of most races.

Traits

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 500 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 7 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 Common and Aquan.