Aarakocra

A winged people who originated on the Elemental Plane of Air, aarakocra soar through the sky wherever they wander. The first aarakocra served the Wind Dukes of Aaqa — mighty beings of air — and were imbued with a measure of their masters’ power over winds. Their descendants still command echoes of that power.

Feathered Biped

From below, aarakocra look much like large birds. Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walk across the ground does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, aarakocra might reach 5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons.

Feathers cover their bodies. Their plumage typically denotes membership in a tribe. Males are brightly colored, with feathers of red, orange, or yellow. Females have more subdued colors, usually brown or gray. Their heads complete the avian appearance, being something like a parrot or eagle with distinct tribal variations.

Aarakocran physiology allows them to use their wings and arms at the same time, as if they had 3 sets of limbs. When flying for long stretches, aarakocra brace their arms against their wings to not tire as easily.

How they live

Aarakocra are not born of this world. They hail from a world beyond — from the boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air. Over time some have flown through rifts and ended up in a world alien to them. These newcomers built their nests on the tops of the world where they felt the closest to the air.

There are sizable populations of the avian folk on every continent but each have offered a different set of challenges. More than half of Autumnia is covered in tall mountains and deep vallies that the Aarakocra love, still the gloom of the region scares the Aarakocra and limits their habitat. Eldar-Bar's jungles and tall peaks offer plenty of nesting grounds for Aarakocra but the skies are not their friends here. While flying in the wide open they might stumble into the feywild or they are easy pickings for the oppresive dragon and other flying monstrosities. Storms blot out the Aarakocra's access to the sky in Nazcaän and Yule. Nazcaän Aarakocra became trapped on the continent but can fly with the currents to quickly traverse their cage. On Yule, Aarakocra have traded the air for water to swim and dive for fish. The Summerlands are all in all great for Aarakocra... except for the pirates with access to the skies and the active volcano.

Nowhere are the aarakocra more comfortable than in the sky. They can spend hours in the air, and some go as long as days, locking their wings in place and letting the thermals hold them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying away.

Once airborne, an aarakocra leaves the sky with reluctance. On their native plane, they can fly for days or months, landing only to lay their eggs and feed their young before launching themselves back into the air. Those that make it to a world in the Material Plane find it a strange place. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing but pity for those earthbound people forced to live and toil on the ground.

Aarakocra found kinship with the mountain loving goliaths and the far flying moonkin. Their nesting grounds are most commonly shared with these two species and air genasi but Aarakocra aren't picky about their neighbours. (Only the brackern are actively animous with the Aarakocra but) sometimes these sky loving people can't see eye to eye with other subterranean species such as dwarves and drow.

Adventure

Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes an exceptional circumstance for an aarakocra to leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’s life. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure them from their tribes; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path.

Aarakocra have historical ties to the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. Exceptional individuals honor that connection and might seek out the missing pieces of the Rod of Seven Parts, the remains of an artifact fashioned by the Wind Dukes long ago to defeat the monstrous, Arasta of the endless web.

When plunged into Arasta’s body, the corruption in her blood sundered the rod and scattered its pieces across the multiverse. Recovering the pieces means gaining honor and esteem in the eyes of the vaati who forged it and could possibly restore a powerful weapon for defense against the agents of elemental evil.

Difference from other races

Being from the elemental plane of air makes Aarakocra very different from other species. Nobody is sure how the Aarakocra first came to be, but one thing is for sure, they share no common ancestor with any other specie.

Their closest counterpart are considered to be the Fey Moonkin. These two avian looking species have completely different body plans and minds. Moonkin are much wiser and stouter than the average Aarakocra. Aarakocra have the upper hand on Moonkin in the air though. Their separate wings and arms allow more agility in the air while still being able to use their hands.

The idea of ownership baffles most aarakocra. After all, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, aarakocra who have little interaction with other people might be a nuisance as they drop from the sky to snatch livestock or plunder harvests for fruits and grains. Shiny, glittering objects catch their eyes. They find it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring it back to their settlement to beautify it. An aarakocra who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra can withstand. Even when perched on a high branch or at rest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.

Aarakocra Names.

As with much of their speech, aarakocra names include clicks, trills, and whistles to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, a name has two to four syllables with the sounds acting as connectors. When interacting with other races, aarakocra may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.

An aarakocra of either gender may have one of these short names: Aera, Aial, Aur, Deekek, Errk, Heehk, Ikki, Kleeck, Oorr, Ouss, Quaf, Quierk, Salleek, Urreek, or Zeed.

Aarakocra Traits.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Strength score increases by 1.

Creature Type. You are a Humanoid.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Age. Aarakocra reach adulthood in their late teens and live less than a century.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Flight. Because of your wings, you have a flying speed equal to 50ft or your walking speed, whichever is higher. You can’t use this flying speed if you’re wearing medium or heavy armor.

Talons. You have talons that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Wind Caller. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Gust of Wind spell with this trait, without requiring a material component. Once you cast the spell with this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have of 2nd level or higher. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it when you cast Gust of Wind with this trait (choose when you select this race).

High Flier. You have resistance to cold damage. You also naturally acclimate to high altitudes, even if you’ve never been to one. This includes elevations above 20,000 feet.

Languages. Your character can speak, read, and write Common and Auran.