Tortle
by Prince Phantom
Let me know when you’ve got the TMNT theme song out of your head, because we need to talk about how awesome it is to be a hero in a half-shell. This race is a very good pick for a ton of different classes as it single-handedly solves a big problem that every character needs to address; defense.
Tortle Features
Claws: Those of you wishing to emulate the famous ninja turtles by playing a Tortle Monk will appreciate the slight damage bump this provides at low levels. Everyone else can ignore this.
Hold Breath: One hour isn’t enough for most underwater ventures, but it will help a lot for quick scoutings and emergency scenarios.
Nature’s Intuition: We get two skills from a selection that includes Perception and Stealth, so you’re probably taking those, but there are some other nice options as well. Very happy to have this.
Natural Armor: This is why we select this race. We set our AC to 17, 19 if we have a shield. This lets us have a great AC even while completely neglecting our strength and dexterity. Armorless casters like Wizards and Sorcerers love this, same for Barbarians and Monks who typically have to focus on many scores to have a good AC.
Shell Defense: The uses of this are a bit hard to come by, as dropping prone gives advantage on melee attacks meaning the additional AC is pretty much negated. The best use is when you know a lot of long range attacks are coming this round. Note that you can’t hold a shield while in your shell, so if you typically hold one this will only equate to +2 AC compared to your usual.
The Tortle represents an amazing defensive package for a number of classes, and for some of those like the Wizard and Sorcerer, this is one of the best non-flying race options for them period. Classes with typical armor proficiencies won’t see as much need in the Tortle, but I like the niche that this race has found itself in.
Final Rating: 4/5
Tortle (Legacy)
The old Tortle gets less skill proficiencies and their claw attacks deal less damage, making them strictly worse than the revised Tortle. You have no reason to ever select this.
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