Tortoise (3.5e Monster)

Tortoise
A small brown-yellow reptile, bearing a hefty, patterned shell and a toothless beak, looks warily at you from a nearby bush

Most tortoises are small, harmless reptiles, almost all of which are strict herbivores. Sometimes tortoises are kept as pets, and can reach ages well over a century or more. Tortoises are also considered good eating by many creatures, although the effort involved in cracking the poor creature's shell is usually far more bother than the subsequent meal is worth. Tortoiseshell from certain species is also valued for items.

Strategies and Tactics
Tortoises prefer to flee or hide from attackers; given their slow movement, hiding tends to be more effective. They will burrow for protection, but only through soil and sand, not stone. If given no option, a tortoise will bite or retract into its shell for protection.

Sample Encounters
ELC 1/2: One of the party has been captured by a goblin tribe and is sentenced to be torn to pieces by 4 wild tortoises.

ELC 1/4: One of the party is badly concussed by a falling tortoise, itself rather dazed. The eagle which dropped the tortoise subsequently tries to recover its meal.

Ecology
Environment: Arid environments, deserts, rainforests, warm plains.

Typical Physical Characteristics: Tortoise shells range from 8-12 inches in length, and 6-8 inches in breadth. They weigh between 3-4 pounds as adults. They are usually a sandy or khaki color, although their shells can often be patterned with black, green, yellow, and red-brown. They have a beak with no teeth and stubby legs with stubby claws.

Alignment: As animals, tortoises are incapable of ethical or moral decisions and are always neutral.

Lore
Tortoises are seen as symbols of endurance and patience in many cultures.

Society
Eating plants, making eggs, avoiding eagles.

Sample Lair
Some tortoises will burrow into soil, making burrows in which to shelter. Others make do with natural rock caves or shelter under thick foliage.

Typical Treasure
They don't own property, but sometimes the intact carapace is used for helmets, shields, or containers; species with more fancy shells are prized for specialty tortoiseshell items. Tortoise eggs are also valued for food and for certain traditional medicines, and of course, one can hatch out an adorable baby tortoise pet from one.

For Player Characters
Tortoises can be taken as familiars. They give a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves. If you are using the Tome of Prowess rules, tortoises instead give a +3 competence bonus on Endurance checks.