D&D General From now on in my games, Black Dragons and Dragon Turtles are the same species.

[Bitbrain]

Title says it all but for context, I live in the eastern United States. We have snapping turtles, which were the inspiration for 5e’s dragon turtle art.

Anyway, this morning, while taking my dog for a walk, I saw this handsome fellow hanging out by my mailbox:

First thing I noticed is how black his shell and skin were. Most snapping turtles in my area are somewhat browner in color.

Oh, and In case you’re wondering, the “short” grass he’s laying down is above ankle height. Dude himself is pushing two feet (two-thirds of a meter) in length from the back end of his shell to the front end.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

You in the US? Between the size and the smoothness of the shell that's probably a pretty big specimen of a well-matured common snapper. Their colors vary a fair bit based on a bunch of factors but black isn't uncommon, albeit rarer than duns and drab greens are. Younger ones like this one have rougher shells but they tend to smooth out as they age.

Going by the hybrid theory, did it spray you with a jet of acid or exhale a cone of scalding steam?

 

[J-H]

We ran across an Alligator Snapping Turtle a few months ago. I wish I'd taken pictures. It was about a foot long, had a very spiky shell, and aggressively lunged and tried to bite the stick my wife was waving in front of it (we were trying to get it off the road).

 

[GreyLord]

Snappers will bite your finger off if you let them...or even if you don't let them but are careless.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Snappers will bite your finger off if you let them...or even if you don't let them but are careless.

I've seen them snap a broom handle in half.

Giving giant snapping turtles steam breath is extremely unnecessary. They're plenty scary as-is.

 

[James Gasik]

That's the D&D way though- this perfectly real creature isn't terrifying enough, why not let it spit acid, burrow, or leap into the air?

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

A quote from Moonrise Kingdom that always made me giggle, "They'll bite you if you put your finger in their mouth."

Yep, indeed they probably will. Then again, I'd probably bite you if you stuck your finger in my mouth.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

We ran across an Alligator Snapping Turtle a few months ago. I wish I'd taken pictures. It was about a foot long, had a very spiky shell, and aggressively lunged and tried to bite the stick my wife was waving in front of it (we were trying to get it off the road).

The advice pages from environmental conservation sites suggest poking with an expendable stick from behind is best when you're trying to get them to move to safety (as you should, roads aren't safe for the poor things). You really don't want to be in front of one of those things. Alligator snappers are no-joke dangerous if you're not careful.

That's the D&D way though- this perfectly real creature isn't terrifying enough, why not let it spit acid, burrow, or leap into the air?

Can we add some templates while we're at it?

 

[Voadam]

Alligator snapping turtles are some of the most dinosaur looking living things there are.

 

[Bitbrain]

Going by the hybrid theory, did it spray you with a jet of acid or exhale a cone of scalding steam?

Hmm… hadn’t thought about hybridizing.
You know what? I’m thinking a cone of acidic vapor.

Cone of gas similar to canonical dragon turtle, but acid like canonical black dragon.

Snappers will bite your finger off if you let them...or even if you don't let them but are careless.

Agreed. For those unfamiliar, this isn’t a exaggeration.

There’s a lady who lives a couple miles south of me. She lost her right index finger to one several years ago when she was just a kid.