Created by Gráinne!
Snails are patient wonders of the natural world. What they lack in speed they make up for in climbing ability, style, and a voracious appetite. The snails of Dungeons and Dragons know the importance of patience, and they aren't afraid to take things slow. They also value safety, but will courageously charge out into battle, knowing that they always have a strong protective shell on their back. Snails don't have a strong predisposition to any alignment. Although their wisdom pushes them towards lawful and good, their tendency to devour every tasty meal they come across also makes them effective agents of chaos.
The soft part of a snail's body consists of a large mucus-coated foot muscle, the visceral mass hidden inside the shell, a torso rising out of the foot, and a head. The shell covers the visceral mass and typically rests on the back of the foot. The trapdoor-like operculum is attached to the top of the shell aperture. The snail can retract itself fully inside the shell and seal the opening with the operculum for safety. The humanoid torso is positioned upright with its back against the shell, and it has two arms that the snail uses to wield tools and aid in climbing. The head sits on top of the torso and includes two eyestalks, two tentacles used for touch and smell, two ear slits (unlike the snail's wild relatives), and a mouth.
Please note that the sapient race of snail presented here does not encompass all the diversity of snails or slugs.
Snail shells exhibit a wide variety of shapes, colors, and patterns, and a snail's shell is often a large part of their visual identity. For your snail, roll on the Shell Design table or choose an option from it. You're also free to come up with your own design if none of the suggestions below fit your character.
| d12 | Design |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your shell is smooth with alternating brown and cream stripes, like that of the milk snail. |
| 2 | Your shell is short and wide with wavy protrusions, like that of the scorpion conch. |
| 3 | Your shell is a spiral with bands of many colors, like that of the candy cane snail. |
| 4 | Your shell is long and thin with convoluted twists and turns, like that of Opisthostoma vermiculum. |
| 5 | Your shell is colored in a vibrant green gradient from dark at the base to light at the tip, like that of the emerald green snail. |
| 6 | Your shell is a sandstone-like orange or yellow with light or dark outlines, like that of the painted snail. |
| 7 | Your shell is fully transparent, like those of glass snails. |
| 8 | Your shell has pink stripes alternating with black and white chevron patterns, like that of the red racer snail. |
| 9 | Your shell is wide, round, and pearly, with brown dots and circles, like that of the eyed cowrie. |
| 10 | Your shell is curly and soft yellow, purple, or blue, like that of the mystery snail. |
| 11 | Your shell is long with alternating bands of black and gold, like that of the bumblebee snail. |
| 12 | Your shell widens until close to the tip and is a pale pink with fractal-like brown designs, like that of the geography cone. |
Due to snails being hermaphroditic, their culture did not develop a gender binary, so typical snail names are not gendered. However, some snails adopt a gender that they feel fits them when interacting with other species that have stronger gender roles. Snails typically choose their first name once they reach maturity, often basing it on their preferred food source. Examples of snail first names include Daffodil, Azalea, Junegrass, Chanterelle, Fern, Blackberry, and Redwood. Snail last names typically describe the area in which their family lives. Examples include Littlepond, Greatoak, Sunnyfield, Quietbrook, and Softearth.
As a snail, you have the following traits.
Your Wisdom score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Snails reach maturity at around 6 months of age and typically live for 5–7 years.
You weigh between 0.1 and 2 pounds.
Your base walking speed is 20 inches.
You can speak, read, and write Common.
You have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. You can climb on smooth surfaces, including ceilings, without issue, but are deterred by copper and very scratchy materials.
As a bonus action, you can pull most of your body into your shell, granting you half cover but reducing your movement speed to 0. You can emerge from your shell as a bonus action. As an action, you can fully retract into your shell and cover the aperture with your operculum. This grants three-quarters cover, but reduces your movement speed to 0 and prevents you from taking any actions other than speaking (which is muffled) or emerging from your shell.
You leave behind a faint trail of slime wherever you walk, which lasts for one day unless it is washed away. If you do not wash away your slime trail, you have disadvantage on stealth checks against any creature that could find and follow your trail, and any such creature can follow your trail like they would footprints.