Homebrew De-shelled Tortle Species Details

De-Shelled Tortles have a saying: “We carry the scars of survival.” These turtle folk, having lost the natural protection of their shells, live on many worlds, often wandering in search of a place where they might find safety and acceptance. De-Shelled Tortles don’t have a unified story of how they came to be—some were born without shells, others lost theirs through trauma, or were subjected to dark experiments—but they all share a sense of being driven by survival and self-discovery. Without the security of a shell, De-Shelled Tortles rely on their agility and wits, finding ways to adapt and thrive despite their vulnerabilities.

De-Shelled Tortles exhibit a slimmer, more fragile form compared to their shelled kin, often appearing pale and scarred. Their appearance reflects their struggle and resilience in a world where they must constantly be on guard. De-Shelled Tortles often live on the fringes of society, wandering alone or in small groups. Their survival skills are honed through necessity, leading them to adapt in ways that other Tortles might not.

Ability Score Increases

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. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. De-Shelled Tortles, however, have shorter lifespans, often living only up to 50 years due to the dangers they face. Their lives are marked by a constant struggle for survival, making old age a rare achievement.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. De-Shelled Tortles are slimmer and lighter than their shelled kin, standing between 5 and 6 feet tall and weighing around 200 to 300 pounds. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

De-shelled Tortle Traits

As a tortle, you have the following racial traits.

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.

Speed

Your walking speed is 35 feet.

Natural Stealth

Without a shell, you've become adept at moving quietly to avoid detection. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill.

Inferior Swimming Ability

De-Shelled Tortles, without the buoyancy and protection of their shells, find it harder to swim. They suffer a -10 penalty to their swimming speed and have disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) checks related to swimming.

Natural Armor

Without a shell, your instincts has been naturally developed in order to survive. Your nimbleness, attentiveness and vigilance provide you with necessary foresight in combat and you are therefore naturally more difficult to hit. Your Armor Class is 12 + your Dexterity modifier. You can wear light armor, but you cannot use a shield unless your class or feat gives you this specific option.

Paranoid Senses

Lacking the natural protection of a shell, your senses have sharpened to compensate. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, sound, or smell.

Evasion Reflex

Your heightened awareness and agility allow you to dodge incoming threats. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you can use your reaction to take no damage on a successful save, and half damage on a failed save. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.