Slow and steady wins the race: How could a Tortle enhance your DnD adventuring party?
Tortles are the turtle-folk of the D&D universe. They stand upright with sturdy shells on their back and have a ponderous attitude towards life. Innately independent and amicable, Tortles wander the land seeking stories and knowledge to share with the next generation finding a home in nature rather than in great cities or even small settlements.
Tortles were introduced to D&D 5e in the Tortle Package and have since been updated in Monsters of the Multiverse. Our guide is here to tell you everything you need to know to create a Tortle character for yourself.
Is a Tortle right for you?
Dungeons and Dragons lets you take a flexible approach to building a character, but if you are going adhere to typical culture and the best-optimised build for a Tortle, you might want to consider the following:
Choose a Tortle if you like…
- A race that comes with natural armor
- A race that is exotic and visually distinct
- A character hailing from a far-off land and unique culture
A Tortle might not be for you if…
- You are looking for a character that visually blends into most settings
- You can get a better AC without natural armor
If you think a Tortle isn’t for you, not to worry, there are dozens of playable races for you to pick from, just check out our races guide to find out about all of them. For an alternative naturally armored race, you could consider a Warforged or an Autognome.
Racial traits
| Ability Scores | +2 to one ability score and +1 to another or +1 to 3 different ability scores |
| Creature Type | Humanoid |
| Size | Medium or Small |
| Speed | 30ft |
| Languages | Common and 1 other language |
| Traits | Claws, Hold Breath, Natural Armour, Nature’s Intuition, Shell Defense |
| Proficiencies | Survival |
| Reeistances | None |
| Darkvision | No |
| Innate Spellcasting | None |
| Book found in | Monsters of the Multiverse, The Tortle Package |
Tactics
Make the most of a Tortle’s natural abilities with the following tactics
Strategic Retreat with Shell Defense: If you’re in a tough spot or need to protect yourself, use Shell Defense as an action. This greatly boosts your AC and provides advantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws, making you extremely resilient. However, be cautious about when to emerge from your shell, as it limits your actions and mobility. It’s best to shell up when you have no other way to avoid death. Less intelligent enemies like beasts may even become bored and leave you alone!
Hold Breath for Underwater Combat: If your battle takes place underwater or involves water-based challenges, take advantage of your ability to hold your breath for up to 1 hour. Lure or drag enemies into the waves where they may have a limited time to come up for air, forcing mistakes or even drowning them if need be. While a bit circumstantial, this can make a grappling Tortle hugely effective around bodies of water.
Natural armor: A Tortle’s natural armor is an unusual one. It’s fairly solid, equalling the best you can get with light or medium armor and only worse than full plate for AC. It gives you access to high AC at low levels which is great. Naturally, it feels like a good fit for tanky warriors, but in reality, those with heavy armor can easily access the same AC at early levels anyway with splint mail, making it pointless for classes like fighters and paladins.
This means that the ability is less for tanks and more for classes that don’t naturally get decent armor like wizards and sorcerers, or those that get light armor but want to be less reliant on pumping a lot into dexterity, like a bard.
Barbarians do fare a little better as a Tortle’s armor will outperform unarmored defense until later levels. While the same applies to monks, they’re more reliant on dexterity anyway, so you have less as you still need to invest in dexterity. Essentially, consider your class careful with a Tortle as the best options are not as obvious.
Optimize Ability Scores: Since your AC is not affected by Dexterity, you can focus more on Strength and Constitution for melee combat effectiveness and durability. Consider feats or abilities that enhance your melee capabilities or resilience in battle. Of course, if you do need to go ranged, dexterity remains important, but also lessens the value of a Tortle.
What classes are good for Tortles
Tortle’s have quite distinct areas of strength outside of visibility scores, as such some classes will be more optimal than others. Below I’ve put together a score for how well each class works with a Tortle based on how well the racial traits work with each class. Primarily, we’re looking at classes that benefit from the flat AC stat (17), allowing you to pump up stats outside of dexterity.
Artificer⭐⭐
Barbarian ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bard ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cleric ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Druid ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fighter ⭐
Monk ⭐⭐
Paladin ⭐
Ranger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rogue ⭐⭐⭐
Sorcerer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Warlock ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wizard ⭐⭐⭐⭐
*Star ratings scored out of 5
Best classes for Tortles
Barbarian: With high hit points, the ability to rage for increased damage resistance, and the option to make reckless attacks for advantage on melee attacks Tortle’s can make formidable barbarians. The option to use the Tortle’s natural armor to shore up the barbarian’s AC, and concentrate on abilities like strength and constitution instead could be very useful.
Ranger: Go for a strength based ranger and your natural armor will protect you at least as well as any other armor could have done. Freeing yourself up from investing in dexterity can also give you the option to either go heavier on strength or wisdom, or allow you to invest in some feats.
Bard: Bard’s can suffer from needing to concentrate on too many stats to really excel. They need decent score in wisdom, charisma and constitution to function best. But they also need a good dexterity score for the AC needed to keep them alive. This is where the Tortle’s natural armour can step in, eliminating the need for high dexterity and freeing up points for other stats. Tortle’s also come with an extra skill proficiency to add to the bevy the bard already has,
Worst classes for Tortles
The main benefit of a Tortle is that natural armor, but when some classes can so easily replicate its effects with 200gp on some splint mail, it becomes of less value. As such, I’d avoid Tortles for Fighters and Paladins in particular.
About Tortle’s
Personality
Tortles typically embody a calm and contemplative demeanour, reflecting their deep connection to the natural world. Known for their patience and wisdom, Tortles often approach life’s challenges with a steady resolve and a thoughtful perspective. They value simplicity and harmony, finding solace in the rhythms of nature and the tranquillity of quiet moments.
While they may seem reserved at first, Tortles are fiercely loyal to their friends and allies, willing to go to great lengths to protect those they hold dear. With their innate sense of balance and their affinity for the natural order, Tortles serve often steadfast companions and wise guides for their party.
Appearance
Tortles typically exhibit a distinctive appearance, characterised by their large, dome-shaped shells and reptilian features. Their shells vary in colour, ranging from earthy tones of brown, green, or grey to more vibrant hues of red or blue. Their faces feature a prominent snout, sharp eyes, and a set of powerful jaws lined with sharp teeth, hinting at their carnivorous nature. In our terms, they could have features in line with any kind of shelled reptile from the massive Galapagos tortoise to a spiked snapping turtle.
Roleplaying a Tortle
Tortle’s are distinct culturally and visually, allow that to come through in your roleplaying.
Embrace Stoicism: Tortle’s are known for their calm and composed demeanor. Channel their stoic nature by remaining level-headed and unflappable in the face of adversity. Practice patience and restraint, and approach situations with a steady and measured attitude. Philosophy and musings on life might be quoted in moments of calm.
Tap into Wisdom: Tortle’s possess a wealth of wisdom accumulated over their long lives. Draw upon this wisdom to offer sage advice and insights to your companions. Speak in a thoughtful and measured manner, and use your experiences to inform your decisions and actions. Tell stories from your long life that may inform decisions.
Modesty and Humility: Tortles are not ones to boast or seek attention for their accomplishments. Practice humility by downplaying your achievements and focusing on the greater good. Take pride in your abilities, but do not feel the need to flaunt them or seek validation from others. Allow others to brag, your actions will speak for themselves.
