quinron
2016-05-11, 05:48 PM
I love kenku, but I don't like giving them the Ambusher trait; I prefer 3.5's Great Ally trait, which I always found to be great fun. I also loved the idea of a race of flightless bird people. Thinking about it, I realized I could fold both those races in alongside aarakocra as one race and a set of subraces. So here's a quick and dirty rundown of the birdfolk and their traits:
BIRDFOLK
Ability scores - +2 Dexterity
Size - all medium
Languages - Common, Auran, Aarakocra (I figure the other races' personal languages can be dialects of Aarakocra the way the elemental languages are dialects of Primordial)
AARAKOCRA
Ability scores: +1 Wisdom
Speed: 25 ft.
Flight: 50 ft., no medium/heavy armor
Talons: 1d4 slashing for unarmed strikes
KENKU
Ability scores: +1 Intelligence
Speed: 30 ft.
Mimicry: imitate any noise, including speech; Insight check (DC = passive Deception score) to realize they're imitations
Footpad: proficient with Stealth
Great Ally: can use Help action as a bonus action
NEKKATUI
Ability scores: +1 Strength
Speed: 30 ft.; 40 ft. with no medium/heavy armor
Brilliant Coloration: advantage on Charisma checks made to impress others or make self seem important
Talons: 1d4 slashing for unarmed strikes
Territorial: when enemy enters reach, nekkatui has advantage on next melee attack against enemy before beginning of enemy's next turn
I had difficulty nailing down how to translate cassowaries' territoriality into a racial trait, but this seems pretty descriptive. I'm concerned, though, as to how it might work when multiple enemies attack one nekkatui; is this the sort of thing that should only be allowed on one target per round? And aside from that, are these subraces balanced alongside other races? Grazi in advance.
EDIT: Obviously I'm not claiming to have made the aarakocra. This is just how their features breakdown as a birdfolk subrace.
BIRDFOLK
Ability scores - +2 Dexterity
Size - all medium
Languages - Common, Auran, Aarakocra (I figure the other races' personal languages can be dialects of Aarakocra the way the elemental languages are dialects of Primordial)
AARAKOCRA
Ability scores: +1 Wisdom
Speed: 25 ft.
Flight: 50 ft., no medium/heavy armor
Talons: 1d4 slashing for unarmed strikes
KENKU
Ability scores: +1 Intelligence
Speed: 30 ft.
Mimicry: imitate any noise, including speech; Insight check (DC = passive Deception score) to realize they're imitations
Footpad: proficient with Stealth
Great Ally: can use Help action as a bonus action
NEKKATUI
Ability scores: +1 Strength
Speed: 30 ft.; 40 ft. with no medium/heavy armor
Brilliant Coloration: advantage on Charisma checks made to impress others or make self seem important
Talons: 1d4 slashing for unarmed strikes
Territorial: when enemy enters reach, nekkatui has advantage on next melee attack against enemy before beginning of enemy's next turn
I had difficulty nailing down how to translate cassowaries' territoriality into a racial trait, but this seems pretty descriptive. I'm concerned, though, as to how it might work when multiple enemies attack one nekkatui; is this the sort of thing that should only be allowed on one target per round? And aside from that, are these subraces balanced alongside other races? Grazi in advance.
EDIT: Obviously I'm not claiming to have made the aarakocra. This is just how their features breakdown as a birdfolk subrace.