Homebrew Chiropteran Species Details

Masters of the night sky, the Chiropteran, sometimes called bat folk, evoke fear and wonder. Many Chiropterans aren’t even native to the Material Plane. They hail from a world beyond — from the dark maws of the huge caves of the Shadowfell.

Chiropterans who travel beyond their home caves often find employment as raiders, scouts, and rogues. 

Very light grey or brown fur covers their bodies, most often the growth ends at their face and hands. When on the ground their most noticeable trait is their unusually long ears. 

Night Hunters

Usually hunting as a colony or individually, Chiropterans enjoy harvesting birds and other flyers starting at dusk.  They supplement their diet with fruit that they grow in hidden grooves of fruit outside their cave and a variety of cultivated mushrooms and other fungi, who they can sell as delicacies to traders.  Hyperactive hunters, Bat folk sleep longer than other humanoids, liking to sleep 14 hours a day. Colonies are organized into relational and intertwined family groups, with the elders forming a committee to make decisions for the betterment of the group.

Chiropteran Personality and Society

Chiropterans enjoy the contrast between a secure home and the wild open darkness of the night.  Unlike wolves, bats do not coordinate their attacks but each individual contributes to a swarm. Dangers to a Chiropteran colony will face chaotic attacks from a variety of druids, rangers, and rogues.  Younger Chiropterans want to fly in distant skies and seek adventure, selling their unique abilities to those confined to the ground. These outliers tend more towards chaos then those they left behind in the colony. Unlike Aarokocra, Chiropterans feel well at home in small spaces and underground areas. Sleeping long hours in the safety of a cave or a densely leaved tree is a luxury for any bat folk.  Bat folk will fight valiantly to protect their cave or copse of tall trees but will retreat and relocate to fight another day if overwhelmed. 

Chiropterans habituated to the dark and the sky, tend to be inscrutable when first encountering alien humanoids.  But ultimately, even a chaotic bat person is looking for a colony.  Chiropteran's humor tends to be dark and sardonic, but being in a colony, self-deprecating humor was always appreciated.  Most of the knowledge in Chiropteran society is transferred orally but in a high sophisticated regime of memorization and the nuanced ultrasonic chirps of the bat folk language. Chiropterans keep strangers out of their colonies, but they greet sentient beings with friendly curiosity when outside, just like they risk chaos when they hunt.  Like bards, bat folk collect knowledge for their night journeys and add them to the colony's collective oral wisdom.

 

 

 

 

 

Chiropteran 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.

Bat's Ears

 Blindsight at 30 ft only but the ability to make out find details. If the bat folk cannot hear, the blindsight is non-existent. Hearing Perception checks (Wisdom) are at an advantage.

Because of this sensitivity, Chiropterans are disadvantaged on saving throws and vulnerable to thunder damage.

Bat blindness

Both short-sighted and sunlight sensitive, Chiropterans see normally within 30 feet under normal conditions.  Beyond 30 feet and in sunlight at any distance, they suffer disadvantage on Perception rolls (Wisdom).  They can only barely make out colors: determining hues requires a Perception roll at disadvantage.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

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

Alignment

Chiropterans who stay with their colony tend to be Lawful.  Bats folk who leave their colony tend towards chaos. 

Size

Chiropterans 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 25 feet.

Flight

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

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Chiprotera, and Undercommon.