Tortle Guide 5e

Dan Scott - Wizards of the Coast - Archelos, Lagoon Mystic
What is this guide?
This guide is meant to give you an idea of whether or not the tortle will be right for your 5e character build.
The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good that option will be for your tortle. This color coding isn’t a hard and fast rule; there are plenty of sub-optimized options out there that will be viable to your party and will be fun to play.
- Red: Weak, unlikely to contribute to your build
- Orange: Situationally good, but below average
- Green: A solid choice
- Blue: A great option worth considering
- Sky Blue: One of the best choices for optimization
What are Tortles in 5e?
Source: The Tortle Package
Tortles are a simple and friendly race of turtle-like humanoids. Beginning life crawling like regular turtles, they soon are able to walk upright and keenly begin their adventures, living nomadically and exploring the remote regions of the world. Tortles are adeptly in tune with nature and need little more than the pristine views of beautiful landscapes to be happy.
Tortles are a playable character race found in The Tortle Package (a Tomb of Annihilation supplement).
Tortle 5e Traits
Ability Score Increase: +2 STR and +1 WIS works nicely for several classes, but the tortle’s Natural Armor may be detrimental to some of those builds or allow some characters to choose a tortle even if they have little interest in STR. More on this below.
Size: Medium is the typical size of most races, and is neither good nor bad.
Speed: Tortles have a standard walking speed of 30 feet.
Claws: Improved unarmed strikes aren’t particularly useful unless you find yourself without a weapon in a dire situation.
Hold Breath: Not nearly as long-lasting as a water breathing spell, but Hold Breath can still come in handy. One hour isn’t very long if you are doing a whole underwater adventure, but this trait can also be used in other situations.
Natural Armor: On the right build, Natural Armor is incredible. Getting a base AC of 17 without DEX or armor affecting this value beefs up many characters that struggle with AC and survivability. Conversely, builds that can get more than 17 AC with armor or a high DEX score will be negatively impacted by this racial trait. It is important to note that shields do work with Natural Armor, so Tortles can have a base AC of 19 if they so choose.
Shell Defense: Shell Defense is like an alternative to the Dodge action with different use cases. Dodge gives advantage on DEX saving throws, while Shell Defense gives +4 to your AC and advantage on STR and CON saving throws. If playing a caster, it is far easier to maintain concentration using Shell Defense because of the CON saving throw advantage. Additionally, Shell Defense remains active until you emerge from the shell (as a bonus action), freeing your action up for your next turn. The biggest issue with this trait is that it makes you go prone, giving all melee attacks against you advantage, thereby drastically increasing the odds of a critical hit.
Survival Instinct: Free skill proficiencies are always nice to have, and Survival pairs well with the WIS boost that tortles get.
Sources Used in This Guide
- : 2014 Player's Handbook
- 2024 PHB: 2024 Player's Handbook
- BR: Basic Rules
- GotG: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
- SotDQ: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
- ERLW: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
- EEPC: Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
- EGtW: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
- FToD: Fizban's Treasury of Dragon
- GGtR: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
- MotM: Monsters of the Multiverse
- MToF: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
- MOoT: Mythic Odyessys of Theros
- PAitM: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
- PHB: Player's Handbook
- SAiS: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
- SCoC: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
- SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
- TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
- TTP: The Tortle Package
- WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
- : Unearthed Arcana
- VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
- VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters
- XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Hold breath! The dungeon masters guide states that inhaled poisonous gas still effects creatures who are holding their breath, because it effects the nasal cavity and other areas. DMG Page 257
Just so some players don’t think if a trap goes off and a room fills with poisonous gas they can hold their breath and not take damage. when the Dm may have them still take damage.
You learn something new each day! Thanks, amended in the guide.