Homebrew Dragon Turtleborn Species Details
Legends say the first Dragon Turtleborn arose when a dragon turtle, moved by curiosity or purpose, blessed a member of another race. This blessing could come through dreams, a sacred pact, or even the touch of a fossilized scale. The result is a child marked by both draconic might and the ancient tranquility of the deep. Most are born in coastal lands or island realms where the influence of dragon turtles is strong. Some are raised by their clans, while others are discovered and taken in by monastic orders, druidic circles, or sages who recognize their unique heritage.
Dragon Turtleborn resemble dragon in stature and presence, but their features reflect their turtle heritage. Their scales often have a rugged, plated quality, and many bear natural ridges or shell-like patterns along their arms, backs, or shoulders. A prominent carapace, either small or subtle or large and imposing, marks their lineage. Their faces may be broad and beaked, with frilled jawlines or horn-like growths shaped like coral or ancient rock. Their eyes are deep and knowing, often resembling the calm of deep ocean waters. Colors commonly reflect sea and stone: greens, deep blues, slates, browns, and stormy grays.
Creating Your Character
At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.
Ability Score Increases
When determining your character’s ability scores, increase constitution score by 2 and increase charisma score 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. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.
Height and Weight
Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. 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.
Dragon Turtleborn Traits
As a dragon turtleborn, you have the following racial traits.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.
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 30 feet.
Darkvision
Accustomed to life in dim environments, you can see in dim light within 60 feet of yourself as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in darkness only as shades of gray.
Amphibious
You can breathe air and water.
Natural 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.
Nature’s Intuition
Thanks to your mystical connection to nature, you gain proficiency with one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, or Survival.
Shell Defense
You can withdraw into your shell as an action. Until you emerge, you gain a +4 bonus to your 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.