What many tortles consider a simple, easy going life, others might call a life of adventure. Tortles are born near sandy coastlines, but as soon as they're able to walk on two legs, they become nomad hunter-gatherers eager to explore the wilderness, experience its many wonders, put their skills to the test, and make new acquaintances.
Life of a Tortle
A tortle hatches from a thick-shelled egg and spends the first few weeks of its life crawling on all fours. Its parents, old and near the end of their lives, spend the time they have left telling stories to their offspring. Within a few years, the young tortle becomes an orphan, though not before it learns to speak and survive on its own. A young torle will leave the place of its birth and finds its own corner of the wilderness in which to hunt, catch fish, and forage. With each passing year, a tortle hones these skills. It forms friendships with its neighbors while also respecting their privacy. At some point, a tortle will feel an overwhelming urge to venture far away from home and experience the world. It gathers up its possessions and heads into the wilderness, returning decades later with stories and new skills.
Under the Eye of the Sky
Tortles believe that the night and day watch over them and other creatures. The moon is the eye of the night that watches over them in darkness, and the sun is the equally vigilant eye of the day. Tortles feel most at peace when one or both of these "eyes" are looking down on them. They become more nervous and uneasy when neither orb is visible in the sky. Tortles tend to be most uncomfortable underground, where neither the sun nor moon is visible to them.
Tortles often choose the day of a full moon to leave their current home and begin a new expedition. This way, they known the sun will guard them during the day, and the full moon at night.
Slow and Steady
Tortles have a saying: "We wear our homes." The shells they carry provide all the shelter they require. Consequently, tortles don't feel the need to root themselves in one place for too long. A tortle settlement is primarily used as a kind of moot, where tortles can socialize with one another, share stories, or trade in the safety of numbers. Most tortles like to see how other creatures live and discover new customs or ways of life. It's a simple view of the world: a place of wonder, beauty, and discovery. Tortle live for the chance to hear the wind blow through the leaves, to see a bird flutter through the sky, or stand in a crowded marketplace. Tortle can spend hours watching a craftsman at work or butterflies in a meadow.
What other species see as a life of adventure and excitement is considered a simple, average life to tortles. They don't see it as dangerous or exciting to never stay in one place for very long, constantly meet strangers, or trek through the wilderness to find lunch. A day foraging and fishing alone in a foreign land filled with beasts might sound rough to strangers, but to a tortle, it was a calm morning where they watched clouds. Although much of their life is spent solitary, tortles like to meet new people and form meaningful friendships. They often seek out members of other species to learn new customs and skills.
You can use the tortle story table to inspire a backstory detail for your character.
| d6 |
Story |
| 1 |
I got lost one day and wound up in a different region. |
| 2 |
I apprenticed with a particular kind of craftsman for a time. |
| 3 |
I've lived entirely off the land for years. |
| 4 |
I did battle with a fearsome giant beast. |
| 5 |
I once trekked between two regions. |
| 6 |
I have a dear friend who lives far away. |
Tortle Names
Tortles prefer simple, non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. If a tortle doesn't like its name for whatever reason, it can change it. A tortle might change its name a dozen times in its life. Tortles don't have surnames or family names.
Female and Male Names: Baka, Damu, Gura, Jappa, Lop, Nortle, Ploqwat, Sunny, Ubo, Yog.
Tortle Traits
Your tortle character has the following species traits:
Ability Score Increase
Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Age
Young tortles reach adulthood by 15 years, and live well into their 400s.
Alignment
Tortles lean towards lawful alignments.
Size
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 the shape of your shell, you are ill-suited to wearing 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.
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 with one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, or Survival.
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