Aarakocra of D&D Elemental Evil Player’s Companion (5e)| What Does Your Race Say About You

[@B.-T.]

"It can fly. This really gets a lot of DM's panties in a bunch"' Meanwhile I'm just sittin' here letting my Tiefling Cleric use one of the SCAG variant options to give him wings. Which he never uses.

[@000Dragon50000]

I know. Flight is easily the most overrated ability I've seen people panic over, which really isn't as strong as they make it out to be. Not to mention, there are these things called buildings, or caves, and these other things called Ranged Weapons.

[@Nerdarchy]

...and there's always falling damage... -Nerdarchist Ryan

[@Nerdarchy]

I wanna do the winged tiefling and birdman party. Nerdarchist Dave

[@B.-T.]

Yep. It does help that I'm running Keep On The Borderlands so it'll be hard to fly in all these caves. We'll see if he ever ends up using it. He almost did to scout out a raider camp, but the Druid wildshaped into a skunk to prowl about instead.

[@trequor]

and the DM can give the monsters access to ALL OF THEM

[@dragonwithamonocle]

Beaks? You mean "eye removal devices"?

[@deadlybbqking385]

My Aarakocra,... Captain CoCo, a swashbuckler pirate parrot bird man. He Donald ducks, his clothes. And his pirate crew is called the “red wing pirates”.

[@VioletMoonfox]

Flight, for me, is easy. Hell, I didn't a 5e game not long ago with a pixie and variant winged tiefling in the party. I overcame that pretty easily. Ranged weapons and spells, other creatures that can fly (admittedly, even before I learned I had flying PCs, I was going to have these as part of constantly evolving magical abominations, but I digress), and cramped space (though I only used that once, since they decided to go into a cave). I usually have the plot, places, and characters of a campaign before the PCs exist, and then build the rest around what they choose. If someone chooses to fly, I'll create something that will let them use their flight to the full advantage, but I'll also create some things that will ultimately screw with flight.

[@TitaniaBird]

I've recently watched a 5E session with an Aarakocra that can't fly. ...Of course, that was Stephen Georg's way of playing around the fact that his mini had one wing broken off in shipping...

[@mikegould6590]

Something that gets overlooked for Aarakocra is their lifespan. They only live 30 years max. This is not normally a concern. ...Unless Wild Magic comes into play, (Surge# 35-36) where you could age up to 10 years. An adult character could be dead of old age in two surges. There are, I believe, spells and monsters that invoke premature aging. These would be deadly to the bird men. Just some observations outside the obvious "Hold Person =fall from great heights=death" argument.

[@mattlenington5936]

I inherited a Macaw that was over 40 years old. It was still alive when I pawned it off on someone else. Why would they limit the Aarakocra lifespan? that makes no sense.

[@mattlenington5936]

+Matt rhetorical question.

[@mikegould6590]

Matt That's the same sort of question that should relate to: Why are Dragonborn short-lived and have no darkvision? And what happened to the tail? (My house rule: Darkvision, Elf lifespan, tail. Done and done) Crows and Ravens can live near 75 years under the right circumstances. So Aarakocra, one would think, should not have the lifespan of a Sparrow. I dunno. Good question, though, rhetorical or not. I wonder if this comes from the original hardcover Unearthed Arcana from 2E. Does anyone out there have one that DIDN'T fall aprat after five days? Can they check that?

[@Nerdarchy]

Ghost age. Nerdarchist Dave

[@mikegould6590]

Nerdarchy There you go. And Ghosts are a relatively low CR monster that could end a character quickly just as a side effect.

[@Direwolf13PS3]

I dont mind flying characters, because a good GM can build around it. Additionally it opened the door for other interesting player character races, such as sylphs and pixies (up-scaled to small, instead of tiny). There is a homebrew set of rules for flying, specifically how armor and flight mechanics work (i.e. gliding rules, and armor limitations).

[@nathanperkins5353]

I forget to play up these aspects of my aarakocra! Flying isn't a problem for DMs. If the aarakocra is in range of the enemy, then the enemy is in range of the aarakocra. Flying also lends of lot of flavor when fighting on the ground. Use those wings!

[@destinyshand2049]

my aarakocra was a bard that had her egg stolen and was raised for a couple years by a human thief and taught how to be a plague doctor with a hunched back to blend into human society. she was a clever apothecary as well.

[@j.michaelcherry8330]

If people think flight is OP, I saw this homebrew for Avariel: www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Winged_Elf_(Avariel)_(5e_Subrace) Essentially: you have hollow bones to enable flight. This means that unless you are wearing heavy or medium armor, you are vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. However, if you are wearing medium or heavy armor, you are unable to fly, since it weighs you down too much. Maybe play it that way if DM's think it too much of a bonus.

[@Olathaen]

My DM wont allow me to play Aarakocra.. Im thinking of trying to talk him into letting me play an Aarakocra that was raised in captivity and is scared of heights, so he will almost never fly higher than 10 feet... It might happen :p

[@zerothecrow7239]

That should be enough for most DMs. The main concern with a flying race is the inability for those without ranged weapons to fight back. Not flying more than 10ft. off the ground eliminates that. However, your DM should give you another feature in exchange as flight is an Arrokroka's biggest feature. Something like medium Armor proficiency and the ability to stay aloft while wearing it or an ability like the charge feat where if you take the dash option while flying you can make a melee weapon attack as a bonus action.

[@Olathaen]

I like this answer, good ideas :)

[@trequor]

I mean i have trouble with that excuse because the DM is in charge of the game. She can literally give every enemy a ranged attack and/or a flying speed if she wants to. I seems like a weird excuse to shut down something that opens the way for new and cool tactics and monsters.

[@thereaIitsybitsyspider]

Why not just use anti aircraft? Knock you out of the sky occasionally?

[@agsilverradio2225]

Try making an aarkocra who's wings have been clipped, or a Kenku. Kenku are flightless. See if your d.m. acepts that. If your a kenku however, you will also be able to have origional thought.

[@user-fy3lg1hu2i]

I had a couple ideas regarding the Arakocra; I imagine like a talon king or queen that demands fealty from all his subjects and so they have to make a pilgrimage and offer up one of their flight feathers to the king who puts it on a large necklace it wears as part of ceremonial garb. Have some magic tied in that it is able to inspire awe/dread or issue minor compulsions to any Arakocra who offers up the feather. Depending on what type of bird they are modeled after you could be lethargic during the day or night, maybe if the character is based more around an owl they are kind of relaxed during the day but soon as the sun starts to go down it's like 'darkness equals dinner bell'. Heck if you had an Arakocra that was trying to be more well good aligned i could see him trying to break bad habits or stop cultural norms like swooping down on errant children that are running, snatching shinies for their horde (if they're raven like). Maybe rp wise they craft woven and beaded belts that have various gems and such set into them instead of adding things to a nest to attract a mate.

[@SgtTeddybear66]

Just played a Kensei Monk Aarakocra for a Level 8 One-shot. Super fun, definitely going to play a Campaign as one

[@Ausakun]

I play one in my friend's game. One way I play her is when she goes inside buildings and things of that nature she gets fidgety. She likes to have her wings opened up and at full wing span (20 feet on average if I remember correctly from the book)

[@jman5769]

I allow it in my games. It just takes planning on the DM's part but is actually easy to deal with proper planning.

[@PeterRockstead]

Played an Aarakocra in 5e Eberron (the only thing Eberron about it was the map though) and it was quite fun. I played a monk, one who had been inadvertently ejected from the Elemental Plane of Air, who was found as a babby birb by a cloister of Monks of the Four Elements. I stayed in the air as much as I could, and essentially acted as a scout for my party. It didn't cause any mechanical problems, though the talons did make my Monk's unarmed strikes significantly more viable.

[@AlpTekyildiz]

Peter Rockstead why are talons more viable than an unarmed strike? As far as I can see, the damage is the same (1d4 at starting level) only it's slashing instead of bludegoning.

[@agsilverradio2225]

I only made an Arrakocra Palidan, becase it resembled one of my Spore creatures! I wrote him in such a way as to nurf his flight, at least in combat.

[@thetacoman9657]

I've been working on an Aarakocra Paladin for a while now, and I've used most of the details on their race description at this point to create an absolutely hilarious combination. So, this character's entire backstory, personality, etc. stems from an almost childlike fascination with "grounded" culture. Basically, their mentality is "Wow, all these people built all these cool things *without* being able to fly? That's. So. Cool." As a result, they're kind of an outcast from their tribe, but this character is pretty much over it, to the point where their given name does not come from the Aarakocra language, bu is instead the name "Tallinn", which is a result of the character naming himself after a town that he liked a lot. To add to that, their fascination with shiny objects has resulted in this character keeping and maintaining an entire suit of plate armor, which he keeps just as immaculate as his feathers. (I am aware that this limits flight) As for explaining why this character isn't flying all the time (aside from the armor), he likes being on the ground because he just likes talking to people about just about anything, and he doesn't sleep in the air because he's a heavy sleeper and has crashed into a few too many trees and lakes to feel safe continuing doing so.

[@devinfowler9142]

guys the link image is an mtg card. What card is it? its obviously an aven creature but what's the name?

[@RobKinneySouthpaw]

For flight, a lot of solutions. Make the NPC or object they have to retrieve be super-heavy. So they can scout ahead and maybe find it, but no way are they just going to fly off with it. A Centaur with a broken leg or some such. Or let them shine by finding the right cave mouth in a matter of a day in region full of caves. But then they have to man up and go in there with the party.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

beaks don't work too well with bottles plates or spoons but sometimes a lock requires a beak

[@Sasquatch-fx6gw]

As an aacrokan monk our dm and i decided on two things for me. I was really scared of undergroind areas and I needed higher score than others to dodge things if my wings were out

[@villainschair9943]

What about an Aarakocra that is based around a Woodpecker, Do you think the beak could have the same stats to say a rapier or scimitar?

[@jacobdagun3670]

I wonder what it would be like to play an Aarakocra that wasn't always an Aarakocra. Like, it's just some random Gnome or Dwarf that's just now trapped inside this body that they didn't want.

[@marcgregory3290]

i made an aarakocra that is multiclassed between ranger (horizon walker), and a paladin (redeption). charecter is kind of like iro from avatar

[@marxfisher9461]

For those of you that don't like flying at lvl1 check out the variant on DnD wiki.

[@Lordserpentus]

what about the teifling variants in the SCAG, where they can take wing? could you guys discuss this?

[@Nerdarchy]

Sure we might be able to put something together. Nerdarchist Dave

[@Lordserpentus]

right on dude!

[@ki11j0y2]

i built a batman like aarakroca like hes a chaotic good ranger but i made his feathers black and gave him a scar and when i play him hes like the grim old bird...

[@KingMJAH]

Maybe I am not understanding something but wouldn't a monk Aarakocra have slow fall? they could props survive a fall from great heights. I guess it balances out so that when you get to the level that other flying methods are optional you can survive higher drops. At 6th level the max damage you could take from falling is 20 ( 20d6 at 200 feet in the air if you can even fly that high.)

[@tomtom7955]

keeping that reaction for slow fall may not work out, as you will likely use it defecting missiles. the real danger is being unconscious then slow fall isnt going to help and your auto failing 2 of 3 death saves immediately on impact doesnt matter if your 10 feet or 200ft because all damage is crit damage when your unconscious

[@voidheart1837]

I've been thinking of playing one for a while now, a bit unorthodox as he was born deformed in a way that makes it impossible to fly. as such he was more of an outcast in his society.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

disdain for dirt creatures, fear of fires, affection for birds and understanding with water breathers. living fire should force them to prone or flee

[@granthytrek8069]

I'm going to try and convince my DM to let me play a flightless aarakocra and make a more road runner like character and compromise their flight for fast ground speed.

[@RiotKurhein]

Another point being a creature used to their freedom of flight would find it frustrating if not down right frightening to be in an enclosed space that isn't it's nest. Should have waited to watch till the end.

[@TimothyWhiteowl]

Aarakocra Warlock spell sniper of Yan-C-Bin

[@thefirespectrum]

I'm a Half-Orc Ranger in my first D&D campaign. We have an Aarakocran in our party whose flying ability is making my role as a scout for the party completely pointless. I'm going gloomstalker, and I plan to take a level of rogue so that I will have more of a distinct role going forward, but it's been very frustrating having him just flying up to scout out locations and enemies, making my ranger pointless. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now that we're level 4 and I can pick a feat, but I came really close to quitting after the first 2 sessions.

[@lamarwashington2718]

thefirespectrum that’s on your dm. How was he scouting in caves? Why did nothing notice the giant birdman in the sky?

[@jo1italianstyle]

Why not allowing it? I mean, the game is named "dungeon & dragons", they can't fly inside a 2x4 room

[@radivmoe]

in my group nobody wanted to play one, but id allow it sure. id require a good backstory for such an uncommon race but id allow it.

[@Olathaen]

An Aarakocra reaches maturity at age 3... Not really that much to build a backstory on if you want to be young :p

[@radivmoe]

shikilaki why is it an adventurer though? why would it leave its people? why is it even on this plane? even if you disregard the fact that we basically only homebrew there are a lot of questions that could be answered.

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

+radivmoe Exile, wanderlust, a higher calling or mission, an injury of some kind, a debt that is owed to an earth-bound creature . . . IMO every backstory should be interesting and it wouldn't be that difficult to come up with one for an Aarakocra (i just came up with the basis for 5-6 on the spot), but some players aren't great at coming with a backstory and restricting a player for not is a little silly

[@radivmoe]

The Fractured But Whole id require a good backstory, i wouldnt require someone to do it entirely on their own if they cant do it. honestly id help with ideas if they had trouble with it.

[@frankrobinsjr.1719]

I'd be okay with a character having wings. Then, I'd make the first couple of adventures indoors. Sure, make sure that the Aarakocra is showcased while outdoors with a couple of random encounters, but, once you are indoors, let everyone see the trouble he has walking across a broken floor with a ceiling too low for flying.

[@Nerdarchy]

For every advantage there is a disadvantage. The one time I had one in my game it's flight was virtually useless. I had planned the adventure before I knew the character composition. The adventure took place on a lightning rail train in Eberron. Inside not enough room outside the train moved to fast for the flying character to keep up. Nerdarchist Dave

[@frankrobinsjr.1719]

Which is why I liked playing a Monk. I didn't need a magic item to better myself, just practice. The faster I got, the more hit and run I became. Combine that with some stealth and cunning (Love Frank Herbert and the idea of "Drum Sand" in a cave that echoes. Did that way before the Rock decided to steal the idea.)

[@cptncutleg]

Arakocra might prefer to let their allies flush enemies out so that they can take them on under open air, as opposed to going where the enemy is, they should bring the enemy to THEM.

[@Matt-md5yt]

Vulture men, I picture them as such. If the DM doesn't want them to fly you can reskin them to the Kig-Yar(Jackel) from the Halo series. They look vulture like and don't fly. I like there look.

[@Nerdarchy]

Without flight they will need some new racial traits to make up for their primary trait. Nerdarchist Dave

[@Matt-md5yt]

that is true. like running speed?

[@CaughtDingoes]

Running speed is a good one. Kenku have ambusher and mimicry but no talons. Maybe a glide/auto-featherfall, or flight like the eagle barbarian are something to look at. Start of a list to bring up with your DM to work out together.

[@TheMajesticSpyCrab]

Where do you get a physical copy?

[@Nerdarchy]

click the link in the description, then search print books 5e Prince of Apocalypse players companion and it should come up. Nerdarchist Dave

[@tomtom7955]

all enemies come in 2 squads melee and ranged givem crossbows or long bows and they will turn that bird to a pin cushion if it takes to the air.

[@RatchildUK]

If a DM can't find away to balance the Aarakocra flight, then they are lazy and bad DM's. How is it any more 'op' than stealth or spells? Just have ranged, flying and or lots of cover/low ceilings. Also the flight is useless in dungeons and situational outside (tree canopies give enemies cover, weather would effect speed, disadvantage or outright damage/death). Flight is a double edged sword, if a wizard uses sleep on you, you are auto dead. You could even have your character be young and not used to flight yet, give them flight at lvl 5 when Wizards get the spell fly. As a player I wouldn't even risk the flight, I would use it as a means to bypass canyons, to scout and in combat as a long jump. I would never just hover in the air hoping I won't plummet to my death.

[@trequor]

Go monk for Slow Fall and ranger for Archery and a longbow. You can out range most things and have an anti-fall reaction. Also the stats work out perfectly.

[@umbrellabirb2959]

I thought the Aarakroca are like the Rito from Zelda BOTW The can use bows and stuffs, but if there holding something they cannot fly

[@phelps6205]

Flareon Films would be mpre interesting really, but they have both arms and wings separated.

[@clericofchaos1]

lol well usually when I see someone play an Aarakocra, what it means is they are going to be a sniper and spend as much time as possible completely out of range of land bound creatures. I personally have never had a problem with them and by all means let players have them.

[@jonbaird8835]

"....From of the..." the grammatical side of my brain is hurting.

[@acm4bass]

good job on hitting the roll playing aspects. Its worth talking about the mechanics though. As great as flying is, especially in theater of the mind, but like spell sniper or mega range abilities, most maps or encounters don't accommodate them. Also fall damage is a bitch, and too many ways to bring them down with spells like hold person or command etc. Dm's shouldn't be afraid of the creature except that they are fragile.

[@Nerdarchy]

Ah, you could always put a mini at the end of a map jot down what distance they are away and that falling damage is going to be outright deadly to a low level aarokokra! You want to be a monk JUST for the slow fall ability! -Nerdarchist Ryan

[@acm4bass]

or barbarian maybe

[@jaspermooren5883]

Nerdarchy, you have to use your reaction for slow fall, which you can't when your unconscious. So yeah, you would still be fucked.

[@tomtom7955]

or if you've used your reaction to defect missiles that are likely being shot at you, slow fall doesn't help either

[@TheSilversepiroth]

I'm actually about to write up a conversion for these guys to Pathfinder after writing one for Goliath earlier today (it kinda turned into a cross between Goliath and Genasi by the time I was done, but I digress.) I enjoy the concept of these races, but the nebulous nature of 5e makes me not that excited to play it

[@victorvaldez8869]

Bacon from a cow ... Well there are owlbears so why not cowpigs? Domesticated cowpigs & Beefy bacon. Mmmnn.

[@chaddixon9764]

Cow bacon, the other other white meat

[@realmofdoors9605]

Birdarchy

[@borisstremlin4577]

Sounds like an aaracokra would present a pretty steep role-playing challenge to any group. You're making them out to be more annoying than kender.

[@Nerdarchy]

I see them as being very alien in how they would view the world of the earthbound. Nerdarchist Dave

[@Nerdarchy]

I've had a long held theory that kender aren't annoying, people who choose to play them are. -Nerdarchist Ryan

[@HauntedScourge]

I agree with this 100%, Ryan is now my new favorite.

[@christopherbrase5307]

easily distracted

[@Nerdarchy]

That's true, what a lot of people overlook is- *Oooh shiny!* -Nerdarchist Ryan

[@christopherbrase5307]

A.D.O.S LOL attention deficit Oooh shiny!