Aarakocra

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the aarakocra, sometimes called birdfolk, evoke fear and wonder. Many aarakocra aren’t even native to the Material Plane. They hail from a world beyond — from the boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air.   They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as footholds in a world both strange and alien.  

Beak and Feather

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.  

Sky Wardens

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.  

Avian Mannerisms

The resemblance of aarakocra to birds isn’t limited to physical features. Aarakocra display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary birds. They are fastidious about their plumage, frequently tending their feathers, cleaning and scratching away any tiny passengers they might have picked up. When they deign to descend from the sky, they often do so near pools where they can catch fish and bathe themselves.   Many aarakocra punctuate their speech with chirps, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. An aarakocra might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; an aarakocra’s threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.   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.  

Homelands

Most aarakocra live on the Elemental Plane of Air. Aarakocra can be drawn into the Material Plane, sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’ designs there. Accident might also send a nest of aarakocra tumbling into a world on that plane. A few find their way to such a world through portals on their own plane and establish nests in high mountains or in the canopies of old forests.   Once tribes of aarakocra settle in an area, they share a hunting territory that extends across an area up to 100 miles on a side, with each tribe hunting in the lands nearest to their colony, ranging farther should game become scarce.   A typical colony consists of one large, open-roofed nest made of woven vines. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman.  

Great Purpose

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.   Two other circumstances might call an aarakocra to adventure. First, 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 Queen of Chaos’s monstrous champion, Miska the Wolf-Spider.   When plunged into Miska’s body, the chaos in his 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.   Second, aarakocra are sworn foes of elemental earth, in particular the gargoyles that serve Ogrémoch, the Prince of Earth. The Aarakocra word for gargoyle is loosely translated as “flying rock,” and battles between aarakocra and gargoyles have raged across the Elemental Planes of Earth and Air, occasionally spilling into a world on the Material Plane. Aarakocra on that plane might leave their colonies to lend aid to other humanoids committed to fighting earth cults and thwarting their efforts.  

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.  

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Aarakocra Traits

As an aarakocra, you have certain traits in common with your people. Being able to fly at high speed starting at 1st level is exceptionally effective in certain circumstances and exceedingly dangerous in others. As a result, playing an aarakocra requires special consideration by your DM.  

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.  

Age

Aarakocra reach maturity by age 3. Compared to humans, aarakocra don’t usually live longer than 30 years.  

Alignment

Most aarakocra are good and rarely choose sides when it comes to law and chaos. Tribal leaders and warriors might be lawful, while explorers and adventurers might tend toward chaotic.  

Size

Aarakocra are about 5 feet tall. They have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. Your size is Medium.  

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.  

Flight

You have a flying speed of 40 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.  

Talons

Your talons are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.  

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Aarakocra, and Auran.  

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Sub-Races

Just as there are many types and forms of avian creatures, there are many forms of Aarakocra. Below are the major categories of Aarakocra.  

Falkrie

The most common form of Aarakocra, the Falkrie span looks along the lines of Falcons, Eagles, and other such birds of prey. These Aarakocra are skilled arial warriors and consider themselves the epitome of Aarakocra.  

Ability Score Increase

Your Stength Score increases by 1.  

Eagle Eyed

You gain proficiency in the Perception (Wisdom) skill.  

Arial Striker

You gain 2 unique arial abilities.

Wind Rush. If you move at least 20ft in a straight line towards a target and make a successful melee attack, the target takes 1d4 additional force damage. This amount increases to 2d4 at 6th level, 3d4 at 12th level, and 4d4 at 18th level. This damage can only be applied to one attack per turn.

Sweeping Dive. If you take the Dash Action and dive more than 20ft towards the ground, you can sweep your wings at the last minute, landing forcefully causing a blast of wind slam into nearby creatures. All creatures within 10ft of you when you land must make a Dexterity saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier. Affected creatues take 2d8 bludgeoning damage and are pushed 10ft away on a failure or half as much damage and are not moved on a success.

This damage increases to 3d8 at 6th level, 4d8 at 11th level, and 5d8 at 16th level.

Corvidae

A rare breed of Aarakocra, the Corvidae Aarakocra are similar to Ravens or Crows. Their plummage is nearly always of deep black or pruple which often leads to people mistaking them for Kenku. Their is an ancient myth that the Corvidea and the Kenku actually were the same race long ago and the Raven Queen rewarded particularly clever and loyal Kenku by restoring their minds and wings. Corvidea are typically very intelligent and research all manner of topics, though others use their skills in mimcry and cunning to bewilder and ensnare their victims.  

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence Score increases by 2.  

Harbinger of Woe

You know either the Chill Touch or Toll the Dead Cantrips, Intelligence is your spellcasting modifier for this spell.  

Ravenkin

Chose one of the following traits:  

Mimicry

You have proficiency in your choice of either the Deception or Performance skill. You can mimic voices and sounds you have heard. A creature can tell the sounds are not real by succeeding on a contest between their Insight skill and your Deception or Performance skill.  

Investigator

You have proficiency in the Investigation (Intelligence) and Insight (Wisdom) skills.  

Collector

You have proficiency with Tinker's Tools and the Slieght of Hand (Dexterity) skill.  

Striggidae

Graceful and silent in the air, the Striggidae Aarakocra appear like owls and often are found in the Feywild instead of the Plane of Air. They are considered the wisest of the aarakocra and most knowledgable of the natural environments around them. A small subgroup of Striggidae prefer to classify themselves as Tythonidae and are visually very similar to Barn owls though no other major differences are known.  

Ability Score Increase

Your wisdom score increases by 1.  

Night Wings

You have proficiency in the Stealth (Dexterity) skill. Additionally, you have darkvision up to 80ft.  

Expert Venator

While in dim light or darkness, you may cast Hunters Mark at first level innately once without needing any components or the spellcasting ability. Using this ability does not count against using your concentration for the purpose of abilities and spell casting, however it cannot be stacked with another casting of Hunter's Mark.   You do perform checks, which you have advantage on, as if you were concentrating on the spell per concentration rules. The spells ends early if you enter an area of bright light. You regain use of this ability after completing a short or long rest.  

Pittaro

The most rare and definitely the most extravagant, the Pittaro Aarakocra are very exotic with various colors of plumage like those of Parrots or Peafowl. It has long been believed these too come from the Feywild, much deeper and wilder than any others.  

Size

Your size is small or medium, decided by you when making your character.  

Ability Score Increase

Your charisma score inscreases by 1.  

Wonderous Appearance

You have proficiency in the Performance (Charisma) skill.  

Dissonant Chant

A number of times equal to your charisma modifier, as a bonus action, you can craft a brief musical trill to bring luck or woe. As an action, you can target a creature within 20ft of you to force them to make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma mod. The target either suffers 1d4 psychic damage or is healed by the same amount, your choice.   You regain spent uses after completing a short or long rest. The amount of damage / healing increases to 2d4 at 8th level. 3d4 at 14th level, and 4d4 at 18th level.