Homebrew Ardei Species Details

The Ardei are the immensely loyal guardians of their culture, defenders of flock, and menacing figures of the bird world. Despite their intrinsic inclination to a solitary lifestyle, their heartfelt longing for family draws them naturally to create a Siege, Congregation, or Bowl. Ardei can be found anywhere in the world where their avian counterparts reside, though many find themselves attracted to the natural ecosystems of the Americas. The Ardei race has three subraces, which include the Ardeidae (heron, egret, and bittern-bloods) and the less common Threskiornithidae (ibis and spoonbill-bloods); the third subrace is known as the “Finkinese,” in English, though each Ardei calls them differently in their own native tongue. The word comes from the root word “fink,” meaning “a person who informs on people to the authorities.” Ardei see Finkinese as betrayers of their native culture to the humans, however, they are treated almost like sinners who must be saved from their own foolishness.

Diverse Plumage and Crests

Ardei looks vary greatly based on their avian genetics and subspecies, which gives them a very diverse look despite being a single species. There are no Ardei shorter than five feet; the smallest of the Ardei would be Least Bitterns, and the largest would be Goliath Herons. A majority of Ardei stand between six feet and eight feet, however, there are many who are within the five to six foot range, as well as the rare species who stand above eight feet tall. Most Ardei have lean yet muscular figures, as their culture greatly praises physical strength and dominance, and males will regularly fight for control of local groups.

Their hair can vary, but most Ardeidae possess a sort of feathered tuft near their crown, and nearly all Threskiornithidae have smooth, neatly-kept hair. Ardeidae have long, thin, graceful noses, similar to the beaks of their avian counterparts, while the facial features of Threskiornithidae vary more from subspecies to subspecies. Ardei skin tone can be anywhere between a pasty white to a rich brown, as Ardei can be found anywhere from Great Britain to South America, and Finkinese tend to inherit their human parent’s complexion. Regardless, Ardei often have unique, colorful facial markings based on their subspecies, and no Ardei has the same facial markings; it’s considered to be a personal trait that Ardei treasure dearly. Most Ardei possess dark grey or dark blue eyes, though some Finkinese possess an exotic look, as their human parents will pass on lighter pigments to their offspring. Ardei will rarely wear human clothes, as their dislike of human culture is fairly strong, but Finkinese enjoy formal clothes in order to give off the appearance of intelligence, dominance, and power.

Ardei wings tend to be large, powerful, and magnificent, as their wingspan can be up to twice as wide as their vertical height and their plumage depends on their avian subspecies. Plumage is located on the body of Ardei in the same places one would find hair on a human being, but some Ardei, like humans, have less feathers than others. Ardei tail feathers are shorter than other avian species, and they are very neatly kept and rarely ruffled. Some Finkinese have wings and plumage, and some do not, though those who do not have wings are frequently seen as human rather than Finkinese at all.

Lonely Freedom

Ardei generally follow the sole natural law of “self first, flock second, and survival is god.” Natural Ardei will occasionally flock together and interbreed, creating hybrid Ardei, but Ardei are instinctually solo flyers and oftentimes hunt and live alone. Sometimes, Ardei will make strong bonds together like family, but this rarely happens and requires some major event to bring them together permanently. Ardei will come together to mate, but the value behind that mating bond will change from Ardei to Ardei based on personal experiences.

There is no established religious system among Ardei, as they see religion as a human invention, but many Finkinese will adhere to their human parent’s religion; they aren’t naturally curious, and rarely investigate beyond the sole religion they are born with. Unlike other avian species, Ardei rarely migrate, and highly prefer to remain in one place they call home.

Resistant to Change

Ardei born in the wild despise the human race and have a strong superiority complex. Because of this hatred, the promotion of human genocide is not uncommon among many wild Ardei species, and some are willing to put aside their independence to attempt this goal together in an assassin-like community. However, they do not feel as strong of a bond with each other as Ardei who will come together for a more meaningful event, such as defense of a home or loved ones.

Despite the burning hatred of the human race held by pureblood Ardei, many Finkinese are immensely loyal to their human bloodlines and will either refuse to take sides at all, or defend their human communities at every and any cost. Sadly, many Finkinese also die at the hands of Ardei during human purges, as strength-wise, the halfblood Finkinese will rarely triumph against the pureblood Ardei, who have been fighting since the day they were created.

In addition to this hatred of humans, pureblood Ardei also tend to hold a male-centric view, though female Ardei are also incredibly contentious and violent. Female Ardei will sometimes overtake male Ardei, but female Ardei are still seen as lesser creatures than male Ardei. The natural order in wild Ardei societies tend to be: alpha, males, females, Finkinese (if permitted to live among the Ardei).

Mixed Identity

Loyalty, to Finkinese, is death of oneself before death of community, as opposed to the traditional Ardei view of self first, and sometimes community, if at all. Finkinese often hold a deep love and appreciation for the odd, complex, yet beautiful human society that they were born into, and they see it as something worth protecting. Even when Finkinese are mocked for their societal differences, as they noticeably stand out to humans, they feel like this is simply part of being human. They see pureblood Ardei as ignorant and self-righteous, as they put themselves on pedestals and see human genocide as a means of vengeance for their fallen mates and children, and it would take a very convincing pureblood Ardei to convince a Finkinese to abandon their human home in favor of the pureblood lifestyle.

Conniving and Cunning

Pureblood Ardei, as well as Finkinese (despite what purebloods may say), are immensely intelligent and are oftentimes able to trick others into seeing the world their way. Ardei may not be able to convince other Ardei or Finkinese, but when it comes to other avian species and humans, they act as silver-tongued serpents. They are incredibly dangerous, and if they see you as someone who refuses to see their way, they will not hesitate to use the strength they have to snap your neck.

Ardei look down on Finkinese as creatures who are limited by their human genetics, believing them to be stupider than pureblood Ardei, but contrarily, Finkinese are often wittier than most Ardei; this is because their association with human society has taught them that brutality and beauty can live hand in hand, and their philosophical views tend to be deep and emotionally charged compared to the logical and distant Ardei. Finkinese who flourish in human society tend to become major corporation owners, underground bosses, or other occupations that are cutthroat and hard to see success in.

Ardei Names

Ardei rarely hold names unless they are actively around others for a regular and reoccurring period of time, and when they choose a name, it is usually a name which holds some sort of significance and representation of power. Finkinese are named by their human parent, and as such, possess normal human names.

Ardei Names: Mandlenkosi, Ruth, Liam

Note that all pureblood Ardei names are still fairly human-esque, as they choose names of whatever powerful humans they remember from stories heard in passing.

Ardei Traits

Genetically built as apex predators, the dangerous silver-tongue of the Ardei is rivaled only by their sheer physical strength in close quarters combat.

Ability Score Increase

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

Age

Ardei reach maturity at age 10, and the vast majority do not live above the age of 45; a lucky few may live to see 50.

Alignment

Ardei seldom fit the stereotypes of good and bad, but rather, simply act in their own self-interest as they favor survival and self-preservation above all. Their natural inclination is to a more chaotic alignment, as their longing for freedom and independence calls them back to their wild roots; but, Ardei who flock together often live by some code of conduct determined by the alpha.

Size

Ardei vary in height, but are typically between 5 and 8 feet tall; in some rare cases, Ardei may stand as tall as 9 feet. They have lean, powerful bodies that can weigh anywhere between 110 and 215 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.

Languages

Ardei are not born or raised to speak Common or any other established language; however, their close proximity to suburban areas coupled with their intelligence will lead them to pick up other languages in order to survive or carry out shrewd dealings.

As a result, you can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Note that Ardei also have their own language of squawks, grunts, and throaty buzzes, but these are seldom used outside of mating season and have little to no communication value.

Wing Strike

An Ardei’s wings, if trained properly, can harness bone-crushing strength. As a bonus action, you can deal an unarmed strike while both hands are full. However, you must make a Dexterity save to avoid dropping one or both items you are holding. If successful with your attack, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier. To avoid strain on your wings, you may only use this ability twice; then, you must complete a short or long rest before attempting to attack with your wings again.

Silver Tongue

Ardei are naturally conniving and scheming, making them dangerous allies and ruthless foes. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill and the Persuasion skill.

Stubborn Tenacity

An Ardei’s solitary lifestyle leads to a distrust of others, sometimes even their own kind; you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or persuaded. However, this distrust can also hinder an Ardei’s capability to work in a team setting—any medicine check performed on (not by) an Ardei has disadvantage, and an Ardei will not gain any buffs through actions such as a Banneret Fighter’s Rallying Cry.