Aarakocra (/ærɑːˈkoʊkrɑː/ æ-ra-KO-kra)
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Covered in feathers, an average aarakocra has a wingspan of 20 feet (6.1 meters). They have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons. Their bones are hollow and fragile. 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. Their beaks are gray-black and their eyes are black.
Basic Traits
Ability Score Increase: Dexterity score increases by 2, and Wisdom score increases by 1.Speed: Base walking speed is 25 feet.
Flight: Flying speed is 50 feet. To use this speed, no wearing medium or heavy armor.
Talons: Talons are natural weapons that can be used to make unarmed strikes. These talons deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Language: Speak, read, and write Common, Aarakocra, and Auran.
Source: Elemental Evil Player's Companion
Additional Information
Social Structure
Aarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them have little interest in dealing with other peoples and less interest in spending time on the ground. A typical colony consists of one large, open-roofed nest made of woven vines in the highest mountains with little to no presence of other races. The eldest acts as leader with the support of a shaman.
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. Any animals in this territory are considered fair game, including the domesticated livestock of other races.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Aarakocra are known to be extremely claustrophobic, often refusing to enter caves or other enclosed spaces. Hence, aarakocra settlements often take the form of large nests woven from vines that are open to the sky. Aarakocra live atop the highest mountain peaks in small tribes sharing a communal nest and a controlled hunting territory of about 100 square miles. Aarakocra are an immigrant race from Maztica.
Famous Aarakocra Settlements
- The Star Mounts in the High Forest
(wiped out by a Green Dragon) - Last Aerie at the headwaters of the Unicorn Run
(from survivors of the Star Mounts) - The Storm Horns in Cormyr
- The Cloven Mountains in the Vilhon Reach
- The Mistcliffs in Chult
- The Adder Hills in Chessenta
- The monastery Kir Sabal in Chult
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
As with much of their speech, aarakocra 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, aarakocra may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.
An aarakocra 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.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Nowhere are the aarakocra more comfortable than in the sky. They can spend hours in the air, and some go as long as days, locking their wings in place and letting the thermals hold them aloft. 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 airborne, an aarakocra leaves the sky with reluctance. On their native plane, they can fly for days or months, landing only to lay their eggs and feed their young before launching themselves back into the air. 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.
The resemblance of aarakocra to birds isn’t limited to physical features. Aarakocra 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 aarakocra 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 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 sky? 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 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. 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 on a high branch or at rest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, with eyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.
History
In the 1360s DR, there were five aarakocra settlements on the Star Mounts when the green dragon Elaacrimalicros attacked, killing over 120 aarakokra and leaving their homes completely uninhabitable. The survivors scattered across the North. Forty-seven survivors came together for shelter at the source of the Unicorn Run in a new settlememt known as Khle'cayre.
Why go on an adventure?
- Are you out to take revenge on those who chased you out of your homeland?
- Did you accidentally come to the Material Plane via a portal?
- Maybe you are seeking a great relic for the Wind Dukes for great honor?
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