Tortle

Tortles are an ancient and long-lived people who dwell along the beaches of The Melodic Isles. Most tortles who journey far from the isles begin to feel pangs of homesickness, which can develop into a depression.

Tortles are almost unheard of beyond the sunny shores of The Melodic Isles.

**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 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 expected 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 urge to see more of the world. It gathers up its gear and travels, returning months or years later with stories of its exploits.

When a tortle nears the end of its lifespan, it seeks out a mate. Tortles lay their eggs (numbering as few as one or as many as a dozen) in a fortified compound. If no such compound exists, they build one. The parents spend the remainder of their lives guarding it, defending their offspring, and sharing their knowledge. When the children grow up, they pick up whatever weapons and tools their parents left behind and set out on their own.

## Tortle Names

Tortles prefer non-gender-specific names that are usually no more than two syllables. Tortles don’t have surnames or family names.

**Male and Female Names:** Baka, Damu, Gar, Gura, Ini, Jappa, Kinlek, Krull, Lim, Lop, Nortle, Nulka, Olo, Ploqwat, Quee, Queg, Quott, Sunny, Tibor, Ubo, Uhok, Wabu, Xelbuk, Xopa, Yog

## Tortle Traits

A tortle character has the following racial 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 120 years.

***Alignment.*** Tortles tend to lead orderly, ritualistic lives. They develop 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 about 450 pounds. Their shells account for roughly one-third of their weight. Your size is Medium. Here’s how to determine your height and weight randomly, starting with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d8

Height = 4 feet + 10 inches + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 400 + (2d4 × your size modifier)

***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.