D&D Monster Spotlight: Dragon Turtle – Your Party is Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
Dragons are one of the most famous dangers of D&D. And Dragon Turtles are perhaps D&D’s ultimate terror of the water.
When the map points at the ocean and says, “Here There Be Monsters,” it’s not kidding. Especially if a Dragon Turtle has carved out its territory in that area. These water giants have fearsome bites, claws, and steaming breath. And sometimes they’ll capsize a ship just to sift through the wreckage for treasure.
First Edition
While dragons are one of the most feared land and sky creatures, Dragon Turtles are one of the most feared water creatures. And unlike many of the other aquatic terrors, both real and fantastic, they can also be found in large rivers and lakes as well as the open sea. Aside from their powerful jaws and claws, they can belch a “cloud of scalding steam” that can cause damage equal to the number of HP that the Dragon Turtle has remaining. While they vary in size, even a small one has a chance of capsizing a ship.
Second Edition
These creatures may be giant and terrifying, but 2E lets us know that they are also strangely beautiful. Sometimes they are even mistaken for the reflection of the moon on the water since their shell is sea colored with silver highlights. That is until they cause your ship to go upside down.
Whoops! This illusion is never maintained for long as the dragon will most likely attack with their claws and teeth fairly quickly. And with their giant shells, standard ship attacks and weapons aren’t usually terribly helpful. They still have the scalding steam belch breath weapon, but now it is ten times bigger than in First Edition. Luckily, the Dragon Turtle is usually solitary with a well-defined territory, so if you manage to defeat one, you’ll likely not meet another. Until you wander through the invisible territory lines.
Good luck!
Third Edition
Dragon Turtles speak Aquan, Draconic, and Common now, whereas previously they spoke their own, complex language. So your party could try speaking to a surfacing Dragon Turtle. And with a “usually neutral” alignment, there’s an okay chance they’ll be reasonable. I wouldn’t bank on it, but if you’re already on the boat and have a very charismatic party member, you may as well give diplomacy a go.
Fifth Edition
Like land dragons, Dragon Turtles also collect treasure. Usually the treasure of the ships they’ve sunk after sifting through the wreckage. They will swallow the treasure they want, and spit it back up when they return to their lair which is usually hidden on the sea floor among coral reefs. They’re also smarter now and can be bribed or hired by sailors or pirates to help provide protection and safe passage across otherwise unsafe seas. When angered, an Ancient Dragon Turtle’s shell gets not enough for them to boil the sea around them.
Have you ever encountered a Dragon Turtle? Did they sink your ship and steal your treasure or provide protection for a price? Or did you manage to defeat the beast and get away? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
