Buy me a coffeeDragon turtle
This long-tailed aquatic beast resembles a massive snapping turtle with draconic features.
Dragon turtles make their homes in both salt and fresh water, where they rank among the biggest threats to sailors and those who travel by ship through the waterways of the world. Skilled mariners know the territory dragon turtles claim and frequently make offerings of gold and magic for safe passage or avoid the area entirely. For its part, a dragon turtle quickly grows to appreciate and even expect such tithes and gifts, and a dragon turtle that expects gifts but is ignored is a dangerous foe indeed.
A dragon turtle’s shell varies in color between individuals. Some have dull shells of brown and rust red, while others have carapaces of a deep green-blue color with silver highlights across the rocky ridges. The coloration of the head, tail, and legs is slightly paler than the shell and contains golden streaks along the crest and spines.
Dragon turtles claim vast territories in the open seas, encompassing regions often in excess of 50 square miles. Here, these dangerous beasts capsize ships that fail to respect their territories, adding the sunken wrecks and their valuable cargoes to their lairs. Dragon turtles generally make their homes in deep caves only accessible through the water, and often decorate their lairs not only with the wealth seized from ships they’ve sunk, but the wrecks of these unfortunate ships themselves. Their territorial natures and fondness for these types of lairs put them in direct conflict with other undersea races such as merfolk and sahuagin.
Large fish, such as tuna, sturgeons, and even sharks, rank among dragon turtles’ favorite foods, but being omnivores, they also sometimes feed on large undersea fields of seaweed. They certainly aren’t above supplementing their diets with the passengers of ships they sink, although such feeding is not borne of any intrinsic evil or cruelty. Dragon turtles possess shells 15 feet in diameter, with their appendages stretching a few feet further, and measure over 25 feet long from the tip of their noses to the ends of their powerful tails.
Dragon Turtle
This long-tailed aquatic beast resembles a massive snapping turtle with draconic features.
Gargantuan dragon, neutral
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 341 (22d20 + 110)
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 (+7) | 10 (+0) | 20 (+5) | 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +11, Wis +7
Damage Resistances fire
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Aquan, Draconic
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)
Special Traits
- Amphibious: The dragon turtle can breathe air and water.
Actions
- Multiattack: The dragon turtle makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. It can make one tail attack in place of its two claw attacks.
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 7) piercing damage.
- Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) slashing damage.
- Tail: Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (3d12 + 7) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away from the dragon turtle and knocked prone.
- Steam Breath (Recharge 5-6): The dragon turtle exhales scalding steam in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Being underwater doesn’t grant resistance against this damage.
| Dragon turtle | |
| Huge Dragon (Aquatic) | |
| Hit Dice | 12d12+60 (138 hp) |
| Initiative | +0 |
| Speed | 20 ft. (4 squares), Swim 30 ft. |
| Armor Class | 25 (–2 size, +17 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 25 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +12/+28 |
| Attack | Bite +18 melee (4d6+8) |
| Full Attack | Bite +18 melee (4d6+8) and 2 claws +13 melee (2d8+4) |
| Space/Reach | 15 ft./10 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Breath weapon, Snatch, capsize |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, sleep, and Paralysis, Low-Light Vision, Scent |
| Saves | Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +9 |
| Abilities | Strength 27, Dexterity 10, Constitution 21, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 13, Charisma 12 |
| Skills | Diplomacy +3, Hide +7*, Intimidate +16, Listen +16, Search +16, Sense Motive +16, Spot +16, Survival +16 (+18 following tracks), Swim +21 |
| Feats | Blind-Fight, Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Snatch |
| Environment | Temperate aquatic |
| Organization | Solitary |
| Challenge Rating | 9 |
| Treasure | Triple standard |
| Alignment | Usually neutral |
| Advancement | 13–24 HD (Huge); 25–36 HD (Gargantuan) |
| Level Adjustment | — |
COMBAT
Dragon turtles are fierce fighters and generally attack any creature that threatens their territory or looks like a potential meal.
Breath Weapon (Su): Cloud of superheated steam 20 feet high, 25 feet wide, and 50 feet long, once every 1d4 rounds, damage 12d6 fire, Reflex DC 21 half; effective both on the surface and underwater. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Capsize (Ex): A submerged dragon turtle that surfaces under a boat or ship less than 20 feet long capsizes the vessel 95% of the time. It has a 50% chance to capsize a vessel from 20 to 60 feet long and a 20% chance to capsize one over 60 feet long.
Skills: A dragon turtle has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered.
It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
*Dragon turtles have a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks when submerged.