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.
Basic Information
Anatomy
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.
Flight
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.
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.Genetics and Reproduction
Aarakocra mating seasons occur once a year, during which male plumage is especially striking.
Growth Rate & Stages
Aarakocra lay eggs, which take eight months to hatch. They are incubated by females. In the Elemental Plane of Air, laying eggs or feeding their young are the only two things that motivate aarakocra to land.
Aarakocra are considered mature by three years of age. They typically do not live beyond 30 years.
Ecology and Habitats
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.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Aarakocra are omnivorous, and are known to eat fish, livestock, fruits, and grains.
Behaviour
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.Love of the air
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. Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. 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 have a strong fear of confinement, and fear being grounded or trapped beneath the earth. Most will not willingly enter caves, buildings, or other enclosed spaces unless there is no other choice. Being within an enclosed area can even erode an aarakocra's combat prowess. Certain aarakocra may claim to have no fear of enclosed spaces, but once they enter them they become abnormally quiet; when faced with combat they may experience a breakdown, sinking into reckless violence, paralyzing terror, or blind panic. 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. Aarakocra are generally peaceful creatures who cherish their solitude. Male aarakocra tend to have very short tempers and had been known to fly into fits of rage when a perceived wrong occurred. Males are also notorious romantic flirts, regardless of whether or not they are married. 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.Fighting Styles
Aarakocra are dexterous, especially in the air, where they are skilled fliers. However, aarakocra are unable to fly while wearing medium or heavy armor. They are also unable to fly when wielding a shield of any size larger than a small buckler. The aarakocra's walking speed is also slightly slower than that of humans. Aarakocra have keen vision and are exceptionally perceptive. Aarakocra talons may unlock to become as functional as hands. They may wield weapons in their talons while in flight, but only those that are handheld or thrown, not weapons such as slings or bows. Until Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, aarakocra could not use the hands on their wings while flying, and depended on their talons to grasp weapons during aerial combat. Aarakocra avoid fighting on the ground, and are reluctant to engage in grappling combat, due to their fragile bones. In aerial combat, aarakocra favor attacks that involve diving at their foes, striking, and then flying away. These dive attacks impart greater force to their melee strikes. As aarakocra strike at the end of their dive, they emit a frightening shriek. Most aarakocra favor javelins as their weapons, used both for stabbing and for throwing. Flying aarakocra warriors may wield one javelin in each of their talons during battle. Aarakocra typically hold their last javelin in reserve for stabbing attacks. Some aarakocra tribes use flight lances. Aarakocra may also use their talons in combat. They can bite with their beaks, but only rarely do so, except when cornered.Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
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.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Aarakocra speak their own language, as well as Auran and Common.[5] However, their voices are not well-suited for Common.[17] Some aarakocra only speak Auran,[1] or only Auran and Common.[4] Other aarakocra are known to speak their own language, as well the language of giant eagles.[8]
Aarakocra speech is punctuated with chirps, which they use to add meaning to their words much as humans use facial expressions. However, this can lead to miscommunication when non-aarakocra fail to pick up on these cues.[5]
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Most aarakocra live on the Plane of Air, where they serve the Wind Dukes of Aaqa.[1] Aarakocra on the Material Plane may travel there to confront enemies, or choose to establish nests there after traveling through natural portals, or simply find themselves and their entire nests transported there via planar accidents.[5]
Aarakocra colonies are usually built around a single large, open-roofed nest made of vines; the eldest aarakocra leads, with support from a shaman (cleric),[5][9] who is typically the second-oldest member of the community.[8] Aarakocra leaders tend to be fighters.[4] Tribal groups may have up to 30 individuals.[4]
Aarakocra tribes are divided among gender lines: males hunt, while females craft weapons and tools,[4] such as javelins, from stone and wood.[8] Their settlements have a hunting territory of up to 100 miles on a side,[5] and their prey may include the livestock on nearby farms.[4] A tribe marks its hunting territory with colorful banners and pennants,[8] with each tribe having a unique design.[6]
Aarakocra females engaged in incubating eggs may use both hands and both talons to weave vines and feathers into boundary pennants, sheaths for javelins, and other useful objects.[8]
When encountered away from tribes, aarakocra are usually solitary, or found in flights of three to six individuals.[4]
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Many aarakocra worship the deity Syranita.[14] Some instead worship the deities Krocaa or Chikurra.[7][15]
Aarakocra clerics favor deities with domains focused on air, healing, and the sun.[4] Clerics lead simple ceremonies at sunset on the first day of a new month, involving the whistling of melodic hymns.[8]
Worshipers of Chikurra may use trance-inducing charrak seeds, which can grant them visions.[16]
History
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.
Backgrounds that are most appropriate for aarakocra include the outlander, the hermit, and the sage.
The small colonies of aarakocra are insular and remote, and few aarakocra live away from their roosts. In the Star Mounts of the High Forest in the Forgotten Realms, no more than a few dozen aarakocra live away from the nests of their families. Those that do are usually rangers or fighters, constantly patrolling for outside threats.
Aarakocra are immigrants here, even their settlements here are more akin to outposts and refugee camps, consisting of small tribes, than solid homes and settlements. The material plane is a strange and alien place to aarakocra, and they pity the land bound creatures that live here. Aarakocra are natives of the elemental plane of air, where they can go for months without touching solid ground. To the aarakocra, descending to the ground is only done as a necessary evil.
Traditionally, aarakocra seek only peace and solitude, soaring high over aarakocra territory. Aarakocra tribes tend to keep well away from conflict within their hunting territory, which frequently include high mountains and plentiful plains. They have little interest in the people they see scurrying down below and it takes exceptional circumstances to involve them in the lives of the ground dwellers. If their nest and tribe is threatened, they might resolve to defend themselves, though their self-imposed isolation makes this a rarity. Rarely, their ties to ancient deities and forces from the plane of air can send them out from their nests. An air elemental or other creature from the planes could definitely drive them from their communal nest on a quest. Either to fight against elemental enemies or to recover lost relics of air planar entities.
Generally, though, aarakocra species are a peaceful and wise lot, gently keeping to themselves and only delving into adventure to avert catastrophes or to uphold powerful pacts and ancestral promises. If you plan on rolling up a bird, remember to really nail down their reason for leaving the safety of their nest and the glory of the skies.
How should you play an female aarakocra vs male aarakocra? Well, that largely depends on you; do the males use a feather from their plumage to decorate their communal nest? Do the females conduct use a dive attack with their sharp talons, spears, or dropping rocks to protect their aarakocran tribe? Either way, if the party finds them in a dungeon or town, you'll want to have a reason why this avian humanoid isn't at home protecting their tribe in the stange land that is the prime material pla
Historical Figures
Alekra Donakkis, leader of the largest family of aarakocra on Coliar.[8]
Asharra, a druid who led the community of Kir Sabal in the late 15th century DR.[28][note 2]
Chancellor Jarnathan, a member of the Absolution Council of Revel's End in the late 1490s DR.[29][30]
Kazra, an aarakocra taken prisoner by the Feathergale Knights in the late 15th century DR.[31]
Wuorlah, an old shaman and leader of Khle'cayre in the mid-to-late 14th century DR.[25]
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Many aarakocra serve the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, patrolling the Howling Gyre against incursions from the Elemental Plane of Earth. These aarakocra also search for threats to the Plane of Air, as well as signs of elemental evil on other planes. They are uncharacteristically willing to stay and guard a region against elemental evil for years if needed. Assuming they do not fight those elemental forces themselves, aarakocra will report the threat to the Wind Dukes.[1]
Aarakocra may perform a ritual to summon friendly air elementals to their aid. Five aarakocra are required for the ritual, which involves an aerial dance. The air elemental remains for up to an hour, but may depart earlier if dismissed, or if it or its summoners die.[1] Aarakocra also get along well with giant eagles.[6]
Bird maidens learn their duties, rituals, and abilities from the aarakocra at the Crown of All Feathers.[18]
Enemies
Aarakocra consider creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth to be a major threat,[1] with Ogrémoch and his gargoyles being their sworn enemies. The aarakocra word for gargoyle loosely translates as "flying rock".[5]
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