Homebrew Duck Species Details

Native to coastal planes and large bodies of water, ducks are fiercely competitive and territorial. They are a proud race with a long history of success in battle. Don't be deceived by their short plump bodies as they are highly mobile and more than capable in a fight.

Bill and Feather

From below, ducks look much like large birds. Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walk across the ground does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, ducks might reach 4 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons.

Feathers cover their bodies. Their plumage typically denotes membership in a tribe. Males are brightly colored, with feathers of yellow, orange, or gold. Females have more subdued colors, usually brown or gray. Their heads complete the avian appearance, with a bill that resembles that of animal ducks but moves in a far more humanoid way.

Sky Wardens

Nowhere are the ducks more comfortable than in the sky above a large body of water. They can spend hours in the air, and some go as long as days, locking into formation and traveling huge distances to reach their desired goals. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or bill before turning and flying away.

Avian Mannerisms

The resemblance of ducks to birds isn’t limited to physical features. Ducks 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 descend from the sky, they often do so near pools where they can catch fish and bathe themselves.

Many ducks punctuate their speech with quacks and honks, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. A duck might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; a duck's threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.

The idea of ownership baffles most ducks. After all, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, ducks who have little interaction with other people might be a nuisance as they drop from the sky 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. A duck who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

Confinement terrifies the ducks. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few ducks can withstand. Even when perched on a high branch or at rest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.

Homelands

Most ducks live on the Elemental Plane of Air. Ducks can be drawn into the Material Plane, sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’ designs there. Accident might also send a nest of ducks 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 high mountains or in the canopies of old forests.

Once tribes of ducks 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 woven vines. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman. 

DUCKS IN THE FORGOTTEN REALMS

Never well established in Faerûn, ducks are rarely seen and  have only four major colonies: in the Sea of Fallen Stars, and in the Korinn Archipelago to the north of the Sea of Moonshae.

Unlike the ducks of other worlds on the Material Plane, the ducks of the Realms rarely travel to the Elemental Plane of Air.

Great Purpose

Ducks enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on solid ground. For this reason, it takes an exceptional circumstance for a duck to leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’s life. While treasure is rarely enough to coax a duck into a life of adventuring, glory and the sense of accomplishment that comes along with it is enough to lure them from their tribes; a dire threat to their people, a mission of vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heart of the duck adventurer’s chosen path.

Duck Names

As with much of their speech, duck names include quacks, honks, and whistles to the point that other peoples have a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, a name has two to four syllables with the sounds acting as connectors. When interacting with other races, ducks may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.

A duck of either gender may have one of these short names: Aera, Aial, Aur, Deekek, Errk, Heehk, Ikki, Kleeck, Oorr, Ouss, Quaf, Quierk, Salleek, Urreek, or Zeed. 

DUCK BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds that are most appropriate for duck include the outlander, the hermit, and the sage.

The small colonies of ducks are insular and remote, and few duck live away from their roosts. No more than a few dozen ducks live away from the nests of their families. Those that do are usually rangers or fighters, constantly patrolling for outside threats.

Duck Traits

As a duck, 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 a duck requires special consideration by your DM.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

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

Alignment

Most ducks 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

Ducks are about 3 feet tall. They have plump yet lightweight bodies that weigh between 80 and 100 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Flight

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

Vicious Bill

Your bill is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Languages

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