I'm about to set out with a fresh group of adventurers into the Forgotten Realms. We're all new to D&D. One of my friends rolled an Aarakocra, which I think is really cool but I'm also a little intimidated, since I'm not sure how the common world will respond to that? I read that this race lives primarily in the plane of Air, but that there are a few tribes in the material plane. It's supposed to be rare for them to leave their clan, let alone be much on the ground.
So how incorporate a character like this? How does the common folk react? Would they be distrustful, hateful? Irritated? Findin armor for them is probably going to be hard without making modifications for the wings, I assume. Well, I appreciate any sort of tips or points towards literature.
That is really all up to you, its your world. In my world, for example, there is a very large nation of Arakocra that inhabit the cliffs to the south of the continent. So they aren't overly weird to other people but they do tend to keep to themselves. If you want your bird peeps to be ostracized, then do that, if you want their armor to be hard to find or more expensive because you have to account for the wings, then do it. The great thing about DnD is there is no one way to run your world, you're given guidelines and jumping off points but you aren't married to the lore, you can do as you wish.
Some examples of how I've dealt with races and making them work, or not work in various games I've DM'd:
Tiefling: They are only known by rumor, their race has been seen, but because it's so rare they're barely more than a myth or a legend on the continent the players are travelling. However, on the continent where the Tiefling hail from, they're slaves, trapped in servitude because of the failures of their ancestors (the cause of their transmogrification). If a player chose to play as a Tiefling they'd be seen in fear and wonder, people would avoid them, try to collect them, or even dissect them and experiment on them.
Dwarves: They are a secluded race, never venturing far from their hills and mountains. The Thanes rule by blood, the family line holding the throne for each generation. Outsiders are rarely permitted into their realms, as the Dwarves fear that they'll try to steal the metals and gems they value so much. They're almost agoraphobic and extremely distrustful of any race other than Dwarf, and they are powerful enemies when it comes to war.
Humans: They are a young race, having only recently found their way into civilized societies. These barbaric creatures are barely more than nomadic hunters, having just learned how to craft permanent structures of wood and just recently learned of agriculture. The elder races view them much the way we view toddlers, smile at them and watch them as they play in the mud. If you chose to play as a human, you will not be treated as an equal unless you do something which the elder races would view as extraordinary.
That is really all up to you, its your world. In my world, for example, there is a very large nation of Arakocra that inhabit the cliffs to the south of the continent. So they aren't overly weird to other people but they do tend to keep to themselves. If you want your bird peeps to be ostracized, then do that, if you want their armor to be hard to find or more expensive because you have to account for the wings, then do it. The great thing about DnD is there is no one way to run your world, you're given guidelines and jumping off points but you aren't married to the lore, you can do as you wish.
Thank you, that helps. I forget that I can change the world. I'm currently getting into everything and then I tend to "stick with the rules / lore" until I feel confident enough to change it. But I think I will do that for this race.
Something you can do is say that although it is uncommon for Aarakocra to leave their mountain top villages it is not unheard of. As for armor the build for them is not to much different than a skinny human. However their build doesnt allow them to wear heavy armor sets because of their slender nature. Something i have done for NPC interaction with a rare character race is to have some people like wizards, scholars, or apothecaries to show interest and curiosity while normal villagers are in awe or slightly worried depending on the situation and the town. In the end it is up to you on how you decide to build your world, i hope this helps and wish you luck.
I think I remember a Lore You Should Know segment from Dragontalk where Perkins said that there is a large aarakocra settlement in the High Forest of northern Faerun, if you want an FR-appropriate place for them!
That is really all up to you, its your world. In my world, for example, there is a very large nation of Arakocra that inhabit the cliffs to the south of the continent. So they aren't overly weird to other people but they do tend to keep to themselves. If you want your bird peeps to be ostracized, then do that, if you want their armor to be hard to find or more expensive because you have to account for the wings, then do it. The great thing about DnD is there is no one way to run your world, you're given guidelines and jumping off points but you aren't married to the lore, you can do as you wish.
Thank you, that helps. I forget that I can change the world. I'm currently getting into everything and then I tend to "stick with the rules / lore" until I feel confident enough to change it. But I think I will do that for this race.
It'd help better ground the PC in the world as well, if they are also new to D&D, but it depends. Do they want to feel more like they are a part of this world, or do you want their PCs to be like the players themselves, like tourists?
I'm a new DM myself, and one of my players picked an aarokocra. I'm basing the campaign's origins on a forested region nestled at the southern base of a great mountain range that isolates the area. There are communities, but even the largest have a frontier feel to them. Most of the characters ended up being from those mountains however, besides the elf that came from the larger cities in the more metropolitan center of the continent. The earth druid is a hermit of the mountains, the barbarian comes from the many mountainous tribes.
For the aarakocra, I plopped four mountaintop city-states in their own segment of the mountain range. Individually ruled but loosely incorporated, the basis for their society in this section of the world is an open portal to the Elemental Plane of Air that they tend to and protect out of reverence. This makes them an unusual sight, but far from unheard of. Trade and other interactions would keep the various populations connected at least in part.
If anything, dwarves would be a rarer sight in this area, as the ancient dwarven mining kingdom that once ruled the mountains had been gone for centuries.
Thanks, everyone! I'll talk with the aarokocra player and we'll cook up some origin story for her. I think I'll be going with them still being rare in society but people know about them. The are seen once in a while. I also like the idea of scholars and biologists having special interest in them.
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Hello, fellow masters!
I'm about to set out with a fresh group of adventurers into the Forgotten Realms. We're all new to D&D. One of my friends rolled an Aarakocra, which I think is really cool but I'm also a little intimidated, since I'm not sure how the common world will respond to that? I read that this race lives primarily in the plane of Air, but that there are a few tribes in the material plane. It's supposed to be rare for them to leave their clan, let alone be much on the ground.
So how incorporate a character like this? How does the common folk react? Would they be distrustful, hateful? Irritated? Findin armor for them is probably going to be hard without making modifications for the wings, I assume. Well, I appreciate any sort of tips or points towards literature.
That is really all up to you, its your world. In my world, for example, there is a very large nation of Arakocra that inhabit the cliffs to the south of the continent. So they aren't overly weird to other people but they do tend to keep to themselves. If you want your bird peeps to be ostracized, then do that, if you want their armor to be hard to find or more expensive because you have to account for the wings, then do it. The great thing about DnD is there is no one way to run your world, you're given guidelines and jumping off points but you aren't married to the lore, you can do as you wish.
Some examples of how I've dealt with races and making them work, or not work in various games I've DM'd:
Tiefling: They are only known by rumor, their race has been seen, but because it's so rare they're barely more than a myth or a legend on the continent the players are travelling. However, on the continent where the Tiefling hail from, they're slaves, trapped in servitude because of the failures of their ancestors (the cause of their transmogrification). If a player chose to play as a Tiefling they'd be seen in fear and wonder, people would avoid them, try to collect them, or even dissect them and experiment on them.
Dwarves: They are a secluded race, never venturing far from their hills and mountains. The Thanes rule by blood, the family line holding the throne for each generation. Outsiders are rarely permitted into their realms, as the Dwarves fear that they'll try to steal the metals and gems they value so much. They're almost agoraphobic and extremely distrustful of any race other than Dwarf, and they are powerful enemies when it comes to war.
Humans: They are a young race, having only recently found their way into civilized societies. These barbaric creatures are barely more than nomadic hunters, having just learned how to craft permanent structures of wood and just recently learned of agriculture. The elder races view them much the way we view toddlers, smile at them and watch them as they play in the mud. If you chose to play as a human, you will not be treated as an equal unless you do something which the elder races would view as extraordinary.
Thank you, that helps. I forget that I can change the world. I'm currently getting into everything and then I tend to "stick with the rules / lore" until I feel confident enough to change it. But I think I will do that for this race.
Thank you. Appreciate the examples!
Something you can do is say that although it is uncommon for Aarakocra to leave their mountain top villages it is not unheard of. As for armor the build for them is not to much different than a skinny human. However their build doesnt allow them to wear heavy armor sets because of their slender nature. Something i have done for NPC interaction with a rare character race is to have some people like wizards, scholars, or apothecaries to show interest and curiosity while normal villagers are in awe or slightly worried depending on the situation and the town. In the end it is up to you on how you decide to build your world, i hope this helps and wish you luck.
I think I remember a Lore You Should Know segment from Dragontalk where Perkins said that there is a large aarakocra settlement in the High Forest of northern Faerun, if you want an FR-appropriate place for them!
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ModeratorIt'd help better ground the PC in the world as well, if they are also new to D&D, but it depends. Do they want to feel more like they are a part of this world, or do you want their PCs to be like the players themselves, like tourists?
I'm a new DM myself, and one of my players picked an aarokocra. I'm basing the campaign's origins on a forested region nestled at the southern base of a great mountain range that isolates the area. There are communities, but even the largest have a frontier feel to them. Most of the characters ended up being from those mountains however, besides the elf that came from the larger cities in the more metropolitan center of the continent. The earth druid is a hermit of the mountains, the barbarian comes from the many mountainous tribes.
For the aarakocra, I plopped four mountaintop city-states in their own segment of the mountain range. Individually ruled but loosely incorporated, the basis for their society in this section of the world is an open portal to the Elemental Plane of Air that they tend to and protect out of reverence. This makes them an unusual sight, but far from unheard of. Trade and other interactions would keep the various populations connected at least in part.
If anything, dwarves would be a rarer sight in this area, as the ancient dwarven mining kingdom that once ruled the mountains had been gone for centuries.
Thanks, everyone!
I'll talk with the aarokocra player and we'll cook up some origin story for her. I think I'll be going with them still being rare in society but people know about them. The are seen once in a while. I also like the idea of scholars and biologists having special interest in them.