Homebrew Arugakaua Species Details

Folk of Beaks and Feathers

From afar, arugakaua look much like giant birds, or, at the very least, malformed humanoids depending on whether their wings are stretched. Only when they approach do their features fully reveal themselves. Standing upright, arugakaua usually reach between 5 to 7 ft. tall, bearing average, if not longer legs and arms, both covered in feathers for about 2-thirds of the appendage, before their skin gives way to their hands, each with three talons at the ready and another very small one just behind their wrist.

Their plumage typically denotes their entire tribe or culture, and these can come in a multitude of shapes, sizes, and colors. Males and females don't have any real color difference between them, so gender dimorphism is usually the result of different physical characteristics, such as feather length or other biological accessories dependent on the species.  Their heads always bear a sturdy and sharp beak, depending on appearance from species to species.

Air Wardens

Nowhere are arugakaua more comfortable than at the great heights of the world. They can spend hours in the air, some going as long as days, spreading their wings and letting the wind currents carry them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamic and agile warriors, diving in and out with remarkable speed and grace, lasing opponents with weapons or beaks before turning and flying away, only to set up another deadly plunge.

Once airborne, most arugakaua leave the skies with reluctance, preferring to feel the natural energy all around them. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and tend to think of themselves as superior to other races due to their ability to see the world from up above. 

Avian Mannerisms

The resemblance of arugakaua to their primal ancestor isn’t limited to physical features. They often display many of the same mannerisms as ordinary birds as they tend to take great care of their plumage, frequently tending their feathers, cleaning and scratching away any tiny passengers they might have picked up since these often resemble the power and grace of the individual. When they decide to descend onto the ground they always hold their wings stretched out if the altitude is too low for their preference.

Many arugakaua imbibe their speech with chirps or screeches, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. Depending on their culture and species, arugakaua can get easily frustrated, especially by other species, as they begin to see it as a lack of respect.

The idea of ownership is common to most arugakaua since each tribe worships a different aspect or depiction of the sky god, who owns the vast skies of the world. They tend to be intolerant of other religions and beliefs if they happen to contradict their fates and practices. As a result, arugakaua usually have little interaction with other races, preferring to keep to themselves and not have to adapt their actions to other individuals.

Each different species has a certain group of objects that are seen as offerings. These objects are always brought back to their homes or temples, and if another person has said object, the arugakaua will attempt to barter for it.

Confinement terrifies the arugakaua. To be grounded, trapped, or imprisoned by the unyielding earth or another creature for that matter is a torment few arugakaua can withstand. Even when perched on their native cliffs, treetops, or temples, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to dive.

Homelands

Usual places inhabited by arugakaua consist of exceedingly high mountain tops, tree crowns, cliff edges, or flattened plateaus. Very few cultures make their homes in forests or even underground. The other most important thing for them is to make certain that they can find a sizeable and hopefully consistent source of water near their homes.

Once tribes of arugakaua settle in an area, they share a territory that extends across an area up to 100 miles on a side, with a clear border for other tribes to respect. They are supposedly limited to hunting and foraging only in said territory, but have no vertical limitations.

A typical tribe always has a dedicated temple, no matter how big or small, as well as lots of perches, ropes, and multiple airways inside their homesteads for quick access. In most arugakaua tribes the inhabitants spend the majority of their time outside their homes, if at all, since their chores and day-to-day lives include their natural outside environment so much.

Soaring Purpose

Arugakaua tend to enjoy solitude from the other realms or cultures, mostly anyways. Most tribes have little interest in dealing with other people and less interest in spending time on the ground. For this reason, it takes a serious circumstance for an arugakaua to leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’s life. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure most from their tribes, aside from the bufnis tribe; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the arugakaua adventurer’s chosen path.

 

Arugakaua from the shonkhor tribe might go on quests or ventures to scout neighboring lands or to collect information for the Azure Mekh Kingdom, while those from the bufnis tribe can wander off any day in search of treasures and entertainment. The tototl tribe has certain ceremonies in which shamans need to venture far inside jungles to achieve a certain awakening from the great temples, while the samaladhle tribe only sends warriors and hunters away to bring back raid trophies and other sustenance or resources.

Arugakaua Names

As with much of their speech, arugakaua names include clicks, trills, screeches, and whistles to the point that other cultures have a difficult time pronouncing them. The names differ from tribe to tribe. When interacting with other races, arugakaua may use colors as nicknames, but will mainly prefer the use of their own name, or even force it upon others.

ARUGAKAUA BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds that are most appropriate for aarakocra usually include natural or martial affinities.

The numerous tribes of aarakocra are mostly settled cultures, and have the natural world and the freedom of air all around them. In the high peaks of Zanbera, tribes of arugakaua are made of dozens if not a hundred individuals at most, and even less if they live among other races.

Arugakaua Traits

Arugakaua have certain traits in common that they all share, no matter the species.

Winged Movement

When hit by a critical attack they can also choose to take the damage fully, or divert it to one of their wings, rendering it broken, limiting its flight speed to 10 feet, and taking the damage of a normal attack. If both wings are broken the arugakaua's flight speed becomes 0 and they can no longer divert any critical hits until their wings are healed once again. To heal their broken wings, arugakaua can do so in the midst of a long rest.

Resilient Mind

The arugakaua's Constitution and Wisdom scores are both increased by 1.

Age

Arugakaua reach maturity at around 12 years old, having an average lifetime of about 75 years. Their infancy lasts until the age of 2, and their teenage years until 11. Any arugakaua that lives after the age of 65 is called an elder.

Alignment

Most tribes of the arugakaua race are either chaotic or lawful neutral, not wanting to have to choose one side over another or meddle in affairs that do not concern them. Depending on the tribe, alignments can sometimes shift, such as with the shonkhor who have slipped into a lawful alignment because of the multitude of their setting and changed traditions. Regularly, priests and leaders will be lawful while adventurers, warriors, and shamans tend to the chaotic.

Size

Arugakaua are about 6-7 feet tall, except for a certain species that averages 4-5 feet. Depending on their tribe their wingspan can be from 15 feet up to 35 or even 40 feet long, and they usually weigh between 150-200 pounds. Their size is medium.

Bird Feet

The base walking speed of most arugakaua is 20 feet.

Aerial

Each arugakaua tribe has a specific flying speed, ranging from 30 feet to 70. In order for them to wear leather or metallic armor, they have to attempt to fit said armor onto their body during a long rest, so as to not hinder their flight. Both the leather and metallic armors can be custom-fitted during a long rest, however, the metallic armor requires a DC15 tinker's tools check.

Sharpened Talons

Arugakaua have taloned hands and feet, being able to slash and gash their opponents. This in turn allows their unarmed attacks to deal slashing damage equal to 1d4+ their Strength modifier.

Languages

They can speak, read and write in common and arugakaua.