Homebrew Aarakocra (humming bird variant) Species Details

Sequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, the aarakocra, sometimes called birdfolk, evoke fear and wonder. Many aarakocra 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

From below, aarakocra 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, aarakocra might reach 5 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 red, orange, or yellow. Females have more subdued colors, usually brown or gray. Their heads complete the avian appearance, being something like a parrot or eagle with distinct tribal variations.

Flower Wardens

Nowhere are the aarakocra more comfortable than around flowers. They can spend hours in forests or fields, and some go as long as days, buzzing their wings and suckling nectar. In battle, they prove dynamic and acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed and grace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talons before turning and flying away.

Once surrounded by flowers, a humming bird aarakocra leaves the flowers with reluctance. On their native plane, they can stay for days or months, making nest only to lay their eggs and feed their young before launching themselves back into the flowers. Those that make it to a world in the Material Plane find it a strange place. They sometimes forget or ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing but pity for those earthbound people forced to live and toil on the ground.

Avian Mannerisms

The resemblance of humming bird aarakocra to humming birds isn’t limited to physical features. humming bird aarakocra display many of the same mannerisms as humming 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 leave the flower fields or forests, they do so only to find a place to wash, or to give birth. only rarely do they actually land.

Many humming bird aarakocra punctuate their speech with chirps and whistles, sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shade meaning, much as a human might through facial expressions and gestures. An aarakocra might become frustrated with people who fail to pick up on the nuances; an aarakocra’s threat might be taken as a jest and vice versa.

The idea of ownership baffles most aarakocra. After all, who owns the flower fields and forests? Even when explained to them, they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying. As a result, aarakocra who have little interaction with other people might be a nuisance as they take any flowers or seeds they find back to their home field or forest to plant them in hopes of making it more beautiful. 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. An aarakocra who spends years among other races can learn to inhibit these impulses.

Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. To be grounded, trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold, unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra can withstand. Even when perched in a large flower or a small tree, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.

Homelands

Most humming bird aarakocra live on the Elemental Plane of earth. Aarakocra can be drawn into the Material Plane, sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’ designs there. Accident might also send a nest of aarakocra 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 the canopies of old forests or flowery fields.

Once tribes of aarakocra 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 a close together group of flowers with a deep nest or two in nearby trees. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman.

Aarakocra (humming bird variant) 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.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

humming bird aarakocra reach maturity by age 1. Compared to humans, humming bird aarakocra don’t usually live longer than 5 years.

Alignment

Most aarakocra 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

humming bird aarakocra are about 2-5 inches tall. They have thin, lightweight bodies that weigh between 1.5-2.5  pounds. Your size is tiny.

Speed

Your base walking flying is 35 feet, with a walking speed of 10.

Flight

You have a flying speed of 50 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor. you can fly backwords or forwards at the same speed, and you can hover.

Talons

You are proficient with your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d4 slashing damage on a hit.

Languages

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