This long-tailed aquatic beast resembles a massive snapping turtle with draconic features.

Dragon turtles are among the most fearsome creatures of the oceans. As large and voracious as the oldest of its land-based dragon kin, a dragon turtle strikes with its deadly jaws, steaming breath, and crushing tail.

A dragon turtle's rough shell is the same dark green color as the deep water where this monster dwells. Silver highlights lining the shell resemble light dancing on open water, and a surfacing dragon turtle is sometimes mistaken for the reflection of the sun or moon on the waves.

Dragons of the Deep

Like true dragons, dragon turtles collect treasure, first by sinking ships and then by sifting through the wreckage for coins and other precious items. A dragon turtle swallows treasure for transport, then regurgitates it when it reaches its lair.

Dragon turtles dwell in caves hidden in coral reefs or beneath the seafloor, or along rugged stretches of coastline. If a choice cave is already inhabited, a dragon turtle attacks its current residents in an attempt to take over.

Mercenary Monsters

A dragon turtle is smart enough to be bribed, and pirates sailing seas patrolled by these creatures quickly learn to offer them treasure in exchange for safe passage. Clever sahuagin sometimes ally with dragon turtles, enticing them with treasure to use their blistering breath weapons in sahuagin raids against ships and coastal settlements.

Elemental Might

Dragon turtles sometimes find their way through sunken planar rifts to the Elemental Plane of Water. Those monstrous specimens can often be found in the service of marids, which strap magnificent coral thrones to the backs of dragon turtles and ride them as mounts.

Dragon Turtle

Ancient Ruler of Undersea Realms

Dragon turtles are mighty creatures with shells large enough to be mistaken for islands and jaws capable of snapping ships like twigs. While some of these aquatic dragons contentedly slumber in the depths, others jealously guard vast territories with their scalding breath and lay claim to anything that sinks into the depths or sails on the waves. Occasionally these dragons agree to aid pirates, aquatic peoples, or oceanic religions in return for contributions to their sunken treasure hoards.

Many dragon turtles live in secluded lairs or ruins deep underwater, and they might not be spotted by surface dwellers for generations. Like both their namesakes, dragon turtles can have exceptionally long lives. Some recall the wonders of ages past or remarkable individuals that passed through their realms long ago. Such dragon turtles might be convinced to share their tales or provide guidance through their territories in exchange for treasures they've never glimpsed on the ocean floor.

Massive aquatic creatures up to 200 feet long, occasionally mistaken for rocky outcroppings or small islands

Dragon turtles are so large, up to 200 feet long, that they are occasionally mistaken for rocky outcroppings or even small islands. Though they are not true dragons, they do advance through the same sort of age categories as the true dragons do; however, each age category changes the dragon turtle's Hit Dice by 5. Due to their massive size, dragon turtles are immune to virtually all poisons.

Gargantuan sea monsters with the body and hard shell of a turtle and the head, tail, and legs of a dragon. Lurk in huge caves in the depths of the ocean, only rarely coming to the surface.

Massive aquatic creatures up to 200 feet long, occasionally mistaken for rocky outcroppings or small islands

Dragon turtles are not true dragons, but seem to be a blend of the same kind that produced the owlbear. They do resemble true dragons in that they have a breath weapon: a cloud of steam 60 ft long, 40 ft wide and 40 ft high. The steam does damage equal to the dragon turtle's remaining hp (save for half damage) to all within the cloud.