Bird Folk

Bird folk are anthropomorphic birds with humanoid arms, hands, and legs, but birlike talons, beaks, wings, and feathers. They are said to have migrated from the material plane from the elemental plane of air.

Ancestral Traits

Bird folk have avian ancestry, lending them particular traits unique to birds and birdkind, including feathered wings that grow from your back, talons, and a hard beak. Some resemble large bird of prey, like eagles or hawks, while others have a more corvid appearance, looking like ravens or crows.

Age. Bird folk mature more quickly than humans, reaching adulthood by 15 years old. On average, they live about 60 years.

Size. Bird folk stand between 4 and 5.5 feet tall and average about 100 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base speed is 30 feet.

Avian Inheritance. Your avian ancestry provides you with feathered wings that grow from your back. You have a flying speed equal to your current speed, though only for short distances. You fall if you end your turn in the air with nothing holding you aloft. When you reach 5th level, you may remain aloft for up to 2 hours per day, all at once or in several shorter flights. You regain one hour of flying time when you complete a long rest.

Birdlike. Bird folk vary almost as much as birds themselves. Choose one of the following avian traits: Beautiful Song. Some bird folk resemble songbirds. You are a magnificent singer, able to repeat any tune you’ve heard with perfect pitch. You have proficiency in the Performance skill. When you use the Performance skill to sing a song that you have heard, you may roll with advantage.

Nocturnal. Other bird folk resemble owls. Your eyes are especially sharp at night. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Raptor Talons. Many bird folk are hunters. You have sharp claws at the ends of your fingers and toes which you can use to make unarmed strikes. The talons deal 1d4 slashing damage plus your Strength modifier.

Waterfowl. A few bird folk spend time in the water. You have webbed feet and a swim speed equal to your base speed.

Cultural Traits

Characters who grow up among the bird folk tend to adopt their cultural practices. Most bird folk communities, often called eyries, are on cliff sides or mountain tops, though a few with a contingent of bird folk with waterfowl ancestry prefer to settle near bodies of water. Children are trained from a young age to spot game from these locations and festivals often revolve around seasons and the weather.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2 and your Wisdom by 1.

Alignment. Bird folk culture valorizes the freedom of soaring through the sky, of colorful plumage, and of kinship. Thus there is a slight tendency toward chaos and goodness, though many also adhere to the natural cycles of nature, of hunter and prey, and thus prefer neutrality.

Keen Eyes. Your training hunting game from heights has honed your sight. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Weather-wise. Whenever you make an Intelligence (Nature) or a Wisdom (Survival) check related to the weather, you are considered proficient in the skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Auran, which is a dialect of Primordial spoken by creatures with an affinity for the element of air. As such, it has a whistling sound and a flowing rhythm.