Homebrew Aarakocra (Penguin Variant) Race Details

Sequestered in frozen desserts among icy winds, 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 Water.

They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers, their outposts functioning as footholds in a world both strange and alien.

Beak and Feather

From afar, aarakocra look much like large birds. Only when they approach does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, aarakocra might reach 5 feet tall, and they have short, stumpy legs that they wadde with.

Feathers cover their bodies. Their plumage typically denotes membership in a tribe. Males and females both are colored with feathers of black and white, sometimes with some yellow below the neck. Their heads complete the avian appearance, being something like a penguin with distinct tribal variations.

Sea Wardens

Nowhere are these aarakocra more comfortable than in the sea. They can spend hours in the water, and some go as long as days, locking their wings in place and letting the currents carry them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic swimmers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or beaks before turning and swimming away.

Once waterborne, an aarakocra leaves the sea with reluctance. On their native plane, they can swim for days or months, coming up on land only to lay their eggs and feed their young before launching themselves back into the water. 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 surface.

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 ascend from the sea, they often stay near bodies of water 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 sea? 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 come from the shore 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 unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra can withstand. Even when perched near a shore or at rest in their icy homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to dive.

Homelands

Most of these aarakocra live on the Elemental Plane of Water. 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 icy desserts or in the nooks of a rocky shore.

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 pebbles or small sticks. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman.

 

Aarakocra (Penguin Variant) Traits

As an aarakocra, you have certain traits in common with your people. Being able to swim 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.

Icy Resilience

Due to these Aarakocra's origins of barren, icy landscapes and frigid waters, they exhibit a strong resilience towards cold environments. There is very little save the breath of a white dragon that can freeze these weather-hardened birdfolk. This character is resistant to cold damage.

Swift and Wise

Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

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.

Waddles

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Aquatic

You have a swimming speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Languages

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

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