Tortle

Overview

• Tortle Visual Guide
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Physical Description

Tortles resemble anthropomorphic turtles/tortoises with large shells on their backs that were capable of containing their entire body. They have leathery skins that varied between olive-green to blue-green hues. The dorsal portion of their shells was usually darker than their skins, while the ventral portion was lighter, usually with yellowish tones. Tropical Tortles rarely wore any clothing, favoring instead belts and harnesses to carry their belongings. As they're generally decent swimmers, Tortles are capable of floating on water and could hold their breath for over an hour. Their high buoyancy granted them the ability to cross swamps, mud, and quicksand with little difficulty.

Culture & Social

Most Tortles have the notion of having their houses on their backs, which meant that they rarely feel homesick or have the need to lay roots in any single place. They are eager to learn new customs and find beauty in the most ordinary things. Despite spending much of their lives isolated, Tortles like to form strong friendships.

Race Meta

• Height/Size: 10-18ft / 14ft (Large, Size: 2)
• Genus: Creature
• Rarity: Common in Saffron, Rare in Cerulean and Viridian.
• Faction(s): Saffron Alliance, Cerulean Kingdom

Tortles are the big turtle race of the setting, high on defence but not so much on speed. Their moderate size gives them a distinct advantage in both combat and navigation scenarios and have less of an issue with interior locations than most giants, their inflexible shell withstanding.

Tortles are mid-sized giants who have a play style involves utilizing their shell for amazing self-defence while excelling in combat skills.

Gameplay

Tortles have a bit of extra strength and a large amount of baseline Endurance, when combined with their seemingly impenetrable shell and tough hide; you have yourself one tanky race. Considering Tortles also all start off with Defence skills by default as well as many archetypes including [Combat] skills, Tortles end up being more ready for combat than most other races. Their shell prevents them from being flanked from five angles behind them but anywhere else they will have to rely on armour and defence skills.
  
Tortle adventurers don't normally have problems utilizing weaponry however outfits tend to be difficult to come by because of their shell. Modding outfits for Tortles is unaffected however construction new or different outfits and armour for Tortles can incur an extra cost. It can be a pain considering their size already makes armour and outfits expensive however the increase is only moderate in comparison. The Tortle's shell can also be a problem for tight spaces as their shell prevents them from squeeze into places narrower than they are, some force can be used on doorways that are permitted to relent to forced widening, otherwise a Tortle player might have to get creative with their navigating.

Roleplaying Suggestions

Tortles, while still social creatures, are also mastered of self-reliance, and it is not uncommon for lone Tortles to become hermits, enjoying nature or travelling around for personal fulfilment. Tortle settlements tend to consist of parents, children and a handful of protectors; of whom the strongest and most capable warrior becomes the village's leader. The leader's duties would be to train younger Tortles against threats and the necessary skills to go out into the world fully prepared. Because of this, most able Tortles tend to know some kind of combat technique even if their main goals may be unrelated, it's very rare to encounter a Tortle that doesn't know how to use a weapon or use themselves as weapons.

While young-adult Tortles tend to leave the village to gain their experience, older Tortles who had found mates and walked many tours will eventually settle down in their old village or the village of their spouse. Older Tortles tend to travel to and from these villages when able or the distance isn't too far. Teaching their young their skills and morals is how the Tortles create their legacies.

As Adventurers

Tortle adventurers are quite common in this world, as it's pretty natural for lone Tortles to set out from their villages to find nice places to visit for many tours to come. More advanced motivations for a Tortle will come through experiencing the outside world and the necessary resources required to succeed there, treasure-hunting Tortles come from a result of seeing material objects as useful trades for goods and services, something that isn't taken to such great scale and formality in rural environments. Tortle adventurers taking up more dangerous tasks like monster killing or mercenary work is not necessarily outside a Tortle's interests as they can exercise the training they were given by their village chief.

As Large-sized creatures, Tortle adventurers are stronger than most races in the Cerulean Kingdom but not quite as big and tough as some others in the Saffron alliance. They can hold their own against bigger foes and provide great support and cover for smaller party members with their wall-sized shells. When it comes to swimming, there's even enough room on their backs for a handful of medium-sized individuals to ride across bodies of water without getting wet. Because of the size of their large, inflexible shells, Tortles find it much more difficult to squeeze into spaces smaller than they are; this could prove a problem for Tortle adventurers who lack wide enough entry points into dungeons and interiors that cannot smash apart.

Racial Adjustments & Archetypes

Tortle

Tortles are a tough and burly race but a tad slow in their mobility, except for in the water where they’re adept swimmers. All Tortles know how to withdraw with their shells and are skilled at defending themselves.

♦ Tortles gain a +1 attribute bonus to Strength and a +3 bonus to Endurance, but they suffer a -1 penalty to Agility.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in the Athletics: Aerobics skill and all Defence skills.
♦ Tortles are considered Large-sized, their size-rating is 2.

Archetype: Shell-Trooper

Because of their durable shell and hide, Tortles make for excellent guards and soldiers. People don't expect such a normally peaceful and relaxed people to be regimented and organized.

♦ This Tortle gains a +1 attribute bonus to Strength and Perception.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in one [Combat]-oriented skill group.

Archetype: Kamehamehan

Tortles situated on islands near the mainland developed a potent fighting-style suited for their stature, harnessing the light of the sun to create brilliant beams of light.

♦ This Tortle gains a +2 attribute bonus to Perception.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in one [Combat]-oriented skill group and one [Metaforce]-related skill group.

Archetype: Ninja

Like the Kamehamehans, some Tortles take up a subtler approach to martial combat, sneaking in from the shadows and felling foes in one strike.

♦ This Tortle gains a +1 attribute bonus to Perception and Agility.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in one [Combat]-oriented skill group, all Athletics skills and all Larceny skills.

Archetype: Experienced

Since Tortles age surprisingly slowly, this gives them time to learn a variety of subjects and skills.

♦ This Tortle gains a +2 attribute bonus to Intelligence.

Archetype: Appealing

In a strange way, the gentle and smooth appearance of some Tortles can make them appealing to other races.

♦ This Tortle gains a +2 attribute bonus to Charisma.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in all Social skills.

Archetype: Island Giant

Some lone Tortles that don't have to share resources end up growing up into massive adults, the biggest Tortles of all can be found in the Viridian Republic.

♦ These Tortles gain the Big perk, increasing their size to Large+ (3) and average 24ft tall.
♦ When this Tortle gains access to Tier 2 perks, they gain the Huge perk immediately (or gain a free perk), their size category becomes Huge (4) and average 30ft tall.
♦ When this Tortle gains access to Tier 3 perks, the gain the Gigantic perk immediately (or gain a free perk), their size category becomes Gargantuan (8) and average 65ft tall.
♦ They also gain a Skill-Focus in one [Combat] skill group.

Traits

Passive: Terrapin Shell

Tortles possess extremely thick and durable shells on their back, protecting them from harm. Due to the large size and inflexibility of their shell, this evolutionary advantage comes at a cost to practicality.

♦ If a Tortle is struck with a Physical: Blunt, Cut or Piercing attack from behind: That attack does 0 damage and negates critical hits.
> Exception: If a Tortle is struck with a single attack dealing more than half their maximum HP: the Tortle’s shell will break, reducing their maximum HP by half until the injury is healed.
♦ On a grid, a Large-sized Tortle will block 5 out of 12 angles, a clear 180 degrees from behind the Tortle. Should a Tortle be Medium sized or smaller, they will block 3 out of 8 angles 100% of the time and 2 angles 50% of the time.

♦ A Tortle cannot squeeze into a space that is narrower than they are. As a large-sized creature, they cannot squeeze into a space less than 2 steps apart.
♦ A Tortle's shell can make finding and financing outfits they can wear more difficult: New outfits and mods related to the torso will cost 1.5x more than a creature their size.

Passive: Tough Hide

A Tortle’s skin is tough and leathery to protect them from harm when their shell doesn’t.

♦ Tortles RESIST Physical: Blunt, Cut and Pierce attacks by 20%.
♦ Tortles also gain 0.5 + 0.5 natural armour-rating for each Endurance point above 0. (This AR scales with size, which means they have an effective AR of 4 at Large-size).

Ability: Avid Swimmer

Tortles are adept swimmers, whether they are in fresh or ocean waters.

♦ A Tortle may hold their breath in water for up to one hour.
♦ When moving through water, Tortles have a base swim speed of 10 steps.
♦ Tortles can become buoyant enough to keep themselves and one creature equal to their size afloat without exerting too much energy.
> Tortles can carry medium-sized or smaller passengers on their back across bodies of water without them touching the water. Large-sized creatures can use them as a mount in bodies of water.