Aarakocra

Aarakocra are the most commonly encountered bird people of the Tablelands. Some are from Winter Nest in the White Mountains near Kurn, while others are from smaller tribes scattered in the Ringing Mountains and elsewhere. These freedom‐loving creatures rarely leave their homes high in the mountains, but sometimes, either as young wanderers or cautious adventurers, they venture into he inhabited regions of the Tablelands.

Typically human-sized their wings span some 20 ft on average. Halfway along the edge of each wing is a hand with three human-sized fingers and an opposable thumb. An elongated fourth finger extends the length of the wing and locks in place during flight. The hands cannot grasp while flying, but they are nearly as useful as human hands when an aarakocra is standing with wings folded back. The price for this gift of flight is the curse of hollow, fragile bones. As such, most aarakocra prefer to flee rather than fight or fight at a distance if pressed. Plumage color varies, but males generally have red, orange, and yellow coloration, while females tended towards brown and gray.

Aarakocra are a communal species and seldom leave their clans. The ones that do tend to be adventurous, curious, or on the lam. Experienced adventurers know aarakocra scouts tend to be the best around and will happily take one on. The aarakocra tend to adopt the party as their new clan, taking advantage of safety in numbers to see the world, or just keep a few steps ahead of their past.

Racial Bonuses

 * Flight: Aarakocra can fly at their basic Pace and even “run” while flying. It costs 2 of their Pace to gain 1 of height.
 * Hollow-boned: Aarakocra have –1 Toughness.
 * Raptor Ancestry: Aarakocra are proficient with unarmed strikes that cause Str+d6 damage using their talons.
 * Masters of the Sky: Aarakocra are naturally gifted with more than just wings, they tend to think in terms of three dimensional movement while other races are used to just the two. Starting Aarakocra enjoy a d6 in the Piloting skill.