Giving Tortle Cultures a Backbone

Get it? Because their spinal cord and ribcage are fused into a shell, making it seem like they don't have a spine but in fact they do and– I think I made my point.

Tortles were released into the D&D world with two (arguably three if you want to start an AC debate) issues. Firstly, their lifespans are not reasonable for a chelonian race. Whilst real world chelonians do have lifespans within the 50 year range (e.g. C. mydas lives around 80 years, D. coriacea estimates range between 30-80 years), turtles are commonly depicted as long lived (predominantly due to the lifespan of species such as C. nigra and M. temminckii), and an opportunity for a race with longevity rivalling elves was poorly missed here.

The second issue is one that is not unique to the tortle but will inevitably be one that shapes their role in D&D games: they lack cultural variation and identity that makes them unique and interesting options for players. I can almost guarantee that the first time most people meet tortle NPCs, they will be on one island, all have one way of life, and be present so that DMs can tick off another race on their checklists and players have somewhere they can call home and never go to so that they can play their totally original idea for an adolescent tortle monk.

Let's try and remedy that.

Consider the Flumph

The flumph is one of many larval stages of an Old One. Understanding the flumph becomes a lot easier when you equate them to a larval echinoderm or fish fry.

Like this, but with more madness.

The flumph is small, hard to detect, and weak. They are produced with the knowledge that many of them will die before entering their next stage of development. This knowledge is known to the flumph, for they are wise in their youth.

Consider the Sibriex

Sibriex art by Christopher Burdett.

Note: this is about characterising and roleplaying the sibriex, not running it in combat. For the latter, I would recommend reading themonstersknow's post.

The sibriex is one of the many offspring of an Abyss, spawned painfully and in pain. Its appearance shows this clearly: a warping, bulbous mass of flesh, scutes, and boils, with “a massive cluster of bulbous sacs that coat the creature’s entire head, each of which is filled with what appear to be eggs for some other unknown Abyssal monster” (3.5e). Rusted chains tether it to the ground, anchoring its bulbous body of gases and juices to the land. The demon smells of roadkill: exhaust fumes, decomposing flesh, and fecal matter. Their creases fester with fats and sweat.