Birdfolk

A winged people who originated on the Elemental Plane of Air, birdfolk soar through the sky wherever they wander. The first birdfolk served the Wind Dukes of Aaqa — mighty beings of air — and were imbued with a measure of their masters’ power over winds. Their descendants still command echoes of that power.

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Physical Description

From below, birdfolk look much like large birds. Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walk across the ground does their humanoid appearance reveal itself. Standing upright, birdfolk might reach 5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper to sharp talons.

Feathers cover their bodies. 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.

Birdfolk reach maturity by age 3. Compared to humans, birdfolk don’t usually live longer than 30 years.

Alignment and Religion

Most birdfolk are good and rarely choose sides when it comes to law and chaos. Tribal leaders and warriors might be lawful, while explorers and adventurers might tend toward chaotic.

Names

As with much of their speech, birdfolk 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, birdfolk may use nicknames gained from people they meet or shortened forms of their full names.

A birdfolk 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.

Birdfolk Heritages

Choose one of the following birdfolk heritages at 1st level.

Ancestry Feats

1st Level

Birdfolk Weapon Familiarity

You favor birdfolk weapons. You are trained with ???. In addition, you also access to all uncommon birdfolk weapons. For the purpose of determining your proficiency, martial birdfolk weapons are simple weapons and advanced birdfolk weapons are martial weapons.

Wind Caller

You can cast the gust of wind spell. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have of 2nd level or higher.

5th Level

Dance of the Winds

Five birdfolk within 25 feet of each other can magically summon an elemental hurricane. Each of the five must use its three actions on three consecutive turns to perform an aerial dance and must maintain concentration while doing so (as if concentrating on a spell). When all five have finished their third turn of the dance, the elemental appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of them. It is friendly toward them and obeys their spoken commands. It remains for 1 hour, until it or all its summoners die, or until any of its summoners dismisses it as a free action. A summoner can’t perform the dance again until it finishes a short rest. When the elemental returns to the Elemental Plane of Air, any birdfolk within 5 feet of it can return with it.

Birdfolk Weapon Guile

Whenever you critically hit using a ??? or birdfolk weapon, you apply the weapon's critical specialization effect.

9th Level

Option 1

You were trained in the way of flying. Your flight is no longer hindered by medium or heavy armor. You still suffer the speed penalty while flying.