Tortle

Tortles have a saying: “We wear our homes on our backs.” These turtle folk live on many worlds, most often journeying up and down coasts, along waterways, and across the sea. 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.

Ability Score Increase. You may increase one ability score by 2, and a different ability score by 1. This bonus cannot allow one of your scores to exceed 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 25 feet.

Claws. You have claws that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hold Breath. You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour.

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 +5 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. Enemies cannot score critical strikes on you., and you also have resistance to all damage except thunder and psychic damage.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language.