Homebrew Birdfolk Species Details

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the birdfolk evoke fear and wonder. Many birdfolk aren’t even native to the Material Plane. They hail from a world beyond — from the boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air.

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

Beak and Feather

Birdfolk are humanoid bird creatures that have long wings for arms and legs that end in sharp talons. They are able to walk or run on their bipedal legs but are also strong enough to take flight. Most birdfolk are not native to our desert world, but this does not mean that they are unheard of. Subraces can be chosen based on the type of bird the birdfolk resembles. Native to the dessert are Chickens, Owls, Roadrunners, Hawks, and Vultures. Any other bird creature will take after the regular race. Come up with a reason a bird native to the dessert would be here. 

Birdfolk can have feathers of many different colors and wingspans of different sizes. Their body is covered  in feathers except for their beak, eyes, and talons. They don't need to wear clothes, but they totally can. They have certain characteristics in line with regular birds such as squawking in speech. They also can live in nests and feed on bird seed, but due to their humanoid nature they don't have to.

Avian Mannerisms

The resemblance of birdfolk to natural born birds isn’t limited to physical features; birdfolk also 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 birdfolk will 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 birdfolk might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; a birdfolk’s threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.

The idea of ownership baffles most birdfolk. After all, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, birdfolk 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 birdfolk who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

Confinement terrifies them. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few birdfolk 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.

Birdfolk Names

As with much of their speech, birdfolk names include clicks, trills, 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, birdfolk may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.

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

BIRDFOLK BACKGROUNDS

Common backgrounds include: the outlander, the hermit, and the sage.

The small colonies of birdfolk are insular and remote, and few of them choose to live away from their roosts. In the Star Mounts of the High Forest in the Forgotten Realms, no more than a few dozen birdfolk live away from the nests of their families. Those that do are usually rangers or fighters, constantly patrolling for outside threats.

Birdfolk Traits

As a birdfolk, 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.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Birdfolk reach maturity by age 3, and don’t usually live longer than 30 years.

Alignment

Most birdfolk 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

Birdfolk size varies upon variant, but on average 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 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.

Talons

Your talons are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing 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, Auran, and any other avian language