Homebrew Crow Species Details

“An admirable effort.” The crow easily jumped over the pressure plates of the trap and sauntered towards Taper, who was trying to hide her laughter. The bird regarded the rat with both eyes, tilting her head to the right then the left before turning the movement into a mockingly sorrowful shake of her head. “It’s a pity you’ll die in a scant few years, you have so much potential.”

At this, Taper’s laughter burst and she cackled, slapping the crow across her wing. “You are a monster, what a terrible thing to say! I’m barely twenty, I’ve all sorts of life yet.” She wiped her eyes, still giggling.

The crow tilted her head again to look at her friend, and if there was any sadness in her eyes only another bird could have spotted it.

—Camille Geneviève King, A Ladies’ Book Of Mortal Spells

Happily quarrelling communities, blackening the sky at dusk and filling the air with playful shouts as they return home, an eye on treasure and trade, a love of food and a distrust of outsiders—these common threads unite all crows.

Dark Feathers, Bright Hearts

Sturdy and athletic, crows have minds to match their mettle and are surprisingly skilled with tools for animals who have wings instead of hands. Though they are smaller than pigeons, something about crows gives them the appearance of larger creatures, their rakish forms and bold natures radiating an inner sense of greatness.

Crows are covered in deep, iridescent, black feathers with equally dark beak and legs. As babies, their eyes are a soft blue but that colour, along with their pink mouths, darkens with age until they resemble cocky winged shadows. During moulting season, soft feathers may show as ignoble tufts of brown and white, but it’s considered rude to remark on the interruption to their normal sleekness.

Long Memory, Longer Grudges

Crows can live to be more than 300 years old, so their memories of animal society span further back than even those of cats, doves and raccoons. In addition, crows have a great oral tradition with memories and social connections passed down to each generation with the same solemnity as their laws. That is not to say that crow society is a stagnant one, as their laws are readily challenged and adapted to a world that changes around them; but a creature who wrongs a crow will find they may have cursed multiple generations of their descendants to high prices, bad deals, or worse, even if the crow originally dealt with is long dead.

Their long lives do not always grant them a more distanced perspective on the problems of shorter-lived races as they often focus their observations on events that will impact crow society directly. Crows are often considered snobbish by other animals, though their attitude isn’t caused by a lower consideration of other creatures so much as it is a result of putting family first.

Individual crows are stubborn and loyal, with a fierce sense of justice, and though they are adept deceivers they rarely outright lie. As easily as a crow can remember and share when they’ve been wronged, they also spread the word of true friends and companions. A creature who has helped a crow, or forged a bond through adventure, will find help when needed from nearly any crow at hand.

A Far-Reaching Flock

Crow family flocks can be overwhelming in number, with enough individual members to fill the branches of even the largest tree. As with any community, there is infighting and squabbling due to crowding, though the integration of crows into larger animal society has given them more outlets to temper their irritation. Avid tinkerers, natural linguists and keen adventurers, crows fill their long lives with activity.

The social standing of a crow is a key part of their identity and as they age; they rise through the ranks, training younger crows, who in turn advise the next generation of fledgelings, and so on. In part thanks to their long lives, crow society encourages an extended period of youthful exploration, allowing individuals to take their time before settling on a career or family.

Away from their flocks, crows are typically artisans, scribes and mechanics, though others have found their natural ability for aerial combat has made them sought after as mercenaries and spies.

SLOW TO TRUST

Crows get along passably well with most others in animal society. Their long lives and large families seem to satisfy any need of close friendship, but their curious nature does leave them open to relationships that can be surprising in their depth. Knowing they’ll live longer than most any other animal, a crow often protects their heart with their sharp tongues.

Doves. “Though they may be birds, a dove can’t be trusted as far as a crow. The fancy ones are flighty and silly, though the others are a bit more dependable and often know where to find useful things. It’s quite nice though, to have fellows who can fly with you and remember much of the same events. And they’re fast, which is always a surprise, though a crow can out-wing a dove in battle but we can’t all be so naturally agile.”

Mice. “They’re charming enough, but a bit small, aren’t they? Still, they’ve got a sense of what is right and wrong, better than the rats. You watch mice a while and they’ll often surprise you, with those hands of theirs and a sense of bravery that could almost compare to a crow’s—or a fledge’s, anyway.”

Rats. “Stubborn fellows and they’ll break your heart if you get attached, their lives are so short. But they seem to know it and watching them work to achieve their heart’s desires is an inspiring thing. They’ve done a lot of good for animal society, with that drive of theirs, but it isn’t wise to always let them know it, or you’ll never hear the end of their pride.”

Crow Names

Part of a crow’s name is granted by a flock elder, in accordance with tradition. Another part is chosen by their immediate family and each individual will eventually append their own personal name when they leave the nest. The names given by elders are tightly connected to a flock’s tradition and are reused both within and across generations. Their family-given names are object or event-based names of personal importance and their chosen names can vary from a word a crow particularly likes to the name of a favourite fictitious character. In greater animal society a crow uses only their personal name.

Flock Names: Cray, Grem, Khurr, Poto, Wark
Family Names: Big Water, Ink Pot, Lightning Elm, Open Gate, Sharp Stone, Useful Lock
Personal Names: Bert, Bicho, Cone, Dune, Lee, Moro, Phantom, Puya, Stripes, Yo-Yo

Crow Traits

Your crow character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of their corvid nature.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 40 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor. Although crows are not particuarly fast fliers, they are athletic and agile in the air and are better at manouvering through obstacles and course-correcting than when on the ground. When flying, your Dexterity score increases by 1.

A Curious Eye

You have the Dungeon Delver feat, giving you advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to detect the presence of secret doors, and on evading traps.

Tale-teller

You are proficient in the Deception skill.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence score increases by 2 and your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

Crows have comparatively long periods of youth and although they are ready to leave the nest the same time as other animals, they stay around home until they're 20-30 years old. On average, crows live about 300 years, though there are tales of some who have lived far longer than that.

Alignment

Although it may not seem that way to outsiders, crows are firmly lawful and aware of the benefits of a well-ordered society. Their laws, however, are as flexible and adaptable as their minds and each generation of crows further refines and changes their social order to match a changing world. They tend to be neutral, but their finely developed sense of fair play does shade them towards good.

Size

Crows are sturdy birds and although some are more sturdy, their height does not vary by much. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Tool Proficiency

You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and two other languages of your choice. There are rumours crows have their own language, but if they do it is not shared with outsiders.