# Ancestry: Tortle <img src='https://www.gmbinder.com/images/afW1jR1.png' class='cover image' style= 'position: absolute; bottom:975px; right: 370px; height:30px'> ___ Tortle are turtle folk from an age long past. What many tortles consider a simple 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 survivalists eager to explore the wilderness, experience its many wonders, put their skills to the test, and make new acquaintances. Tortles don’t have a unified story of how they were created, but they all have a sense of being mystically connected to the natural world. Carrying their shelter on their backs gives tortles a special feeling of security wherever they go, for even if they visit a far, unknown country, they have a place to lay their heads. ___ Tortles exhibit the same range of coloration and patterns found among turtles, and many tortles enjoy adorning their shells in distinctive ways. ### Tortle Traits **Ability Score Increase.** One ability score of your choice increases by 2, and another by 1, to a maximum of 20. ___ **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 50 years. ___ **Alignment.** Tortles tend to lead orderly, ritualistic lives. They develop customs and 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. ___ **Creature Type.** You are a Humanoid. ___ **Size.** Tortle adults stand 5 to 6 feet tall and average 450 pounds. Their shells account for roughly one-third of their weight. Your size is Medium. ___ **Speed.** Your base walking speed is 25 feet. ___ **Claws.** Your claws are natural melee weapons, which count as simple melee weapons with which you are proficient. 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 Common and Primordial.