Birdfolk (4e Race)
Birdfolk
 |
|---|
| By TD Chiu |
Birdfolk are a race that have spiritually bonded with birds, taking on their very powers and properties.
| Racial Traits |
| Average Height: 6'0"-6'8" |
| Average Weight: 130-210 lbs. |
| Ability Scores: +2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom |
| Size: Medium |
| Speed: 6 squares |
| Vision: Low-light |
| Languages: Common |
| Skill Bonuses: +2 Insight, +2 Diplomacy or Perception |
| Bestial Scent: You gain a moderate racial bonus to Perception checks made to track creatures. |
| Animal Empathy: You get a minor racial bonus to Nature checks made when dealing with birds and other avian creatures. |
| Aspect of the Bird: You can use Aspect of the Bird as an encounter power. |
| Aspect of the Bird | Birdfolk Racial Power |
| You take on the resilience and majesty of the beasts of the air, empowering your allies with this boon. | |
| 4e Power Usage::Encounter | |
| 4e Power Action Type::Standard Action | Close burst 1 |
| Target: All allies in burst | |
| Effect: All allied creatures in range gain a +2 power bonus to their AC and Will defense until the end of your next turn. | |
The birdfolk are people who, unlike aarakocra or raptoran, are avian not due to their origin in the Elemental Plane of Air. Instead, they originate from their worship of animals and beasts of the skies, modeling themselves and fashioning their lives after birds and such majestic creatures. This devotion earned them favor with the goddess Mielikki, who granted them control over degrees of abilities of avians.
Play a Birdfolk if you want...
- To be a creature connected to nature.
- To have avian qualities like a beak and feathers.
- To be a member of a race that favors the Wizard, Cleric, and Ranger classes.
Physical Qualities
As their name implies, birdfolk are humanoids that have taken on avian properties. They have the overall shape and limb-head arrangement of a human. But their arms are proportionally longer, and their legs are bent in the way that bird legs are. Their entire body is covered in ruffage, usually differing in color based on their primary bird. For example, those who focused on eagles have brown feathers below the neck and white feathers on their head. Birdfolk also have strong talons instead of fingers and toes, and their faces are more avian, with a protruded snout ending in a hard beak. The beak is sometimes more like a sharp tooth in the front, with the remnants of non-avian teeth behind it. Birdfolk also have pointed ears and very sharp eyes, as well as plumage making a tail from their coccyx.
Parts of the birdfolk body are less feathered than others. Their arms, neck and thighs have more feathers with stiff branches, so birdfolk do not like to wear clothing which covers these areas. Birdfolk do not have enough feathers or a light enough body to actually fly, so they do not mind wearing armor. Clothing and armor for birdfolk is preferably simple and easy to replace. Their feet, having talons and a spur, are ill-fitted for normal shoes, so they may just use wrappings on their feet and hands. While they are not vain, the birdfolk commonly had motifs of the sky and air woven into their clothes and embossed or carved onto their weapons. Sometimes this is reflected in their jewelry as well.
Attitudes and Beliefs
To the birdfolk, there is no greater form of life than that of freedom, like that of the birds who can soar freely in the sky where they please. This wanderlust and freedom holds fast in the hearts of birdfolk in general, and they all thus dislike things which tie them down. It is common for birdfolk to make noncommittal relationships among one another. While this makes them sound a bit like capricious floozies, they still have a very strong sense of unity as a race overall. It is their hope that they would one day gain wings and complete their ascension to become a being of the free and open skies.
Birdfolk commonly worship the deity Mielikki, who had granted the power to take on properties of birds in the first place. Other deities they worship are commonly tied to nature and air, like Aerdrie Faenya. Because the freedom they seek is an aspect of nature, the birdfolk are also reverent of the natural world. If it was destroyed after all, they would no longer have the same majestic avians in the sky. Therefore, they commonly ally with fey causes as well, to oppose threats to the natural world like the Far Plane.
Birdfolk Communities
Communities of birdfolk are commonly built into cliff faces where escarpment allows for access, or into the thick hollows of large trees in coniferous jungles. These communities can be fairly large and grow to numbers as much as a hundred members. The apex of power is a village elder who is not only proven in skill of hunt, but also in devotion to nature and the skies in particular. Under the elder is a council of warriors and shaman-esque practitioners who serve as council.
They divide up roles in the community. One of the most important jobs is nest-caring. Birdfolk have individual housing units and personal lives away from the public eye, but they pool their young together to be taken care of by chosen caretakers in the village. Thus, it is like any birdfolk can be familial and familiar. The other important job is patrol and training, where young birdfolk are taught the ways of the village and the customs of air worship.
Birdfolk Adventurers
The birdfolk are a noble race, but because of what they are and the way they live, they are often misunderstood by the other races. Sometimes, this is not an issue. Other times, they can be hostile to non-birdfolk in turn. Evil birdfolk are extremely rare, but not unheard of.
Cleric: Birdfolk commonly worship nature deities. They are not shamans despite this seeming reverence of the primal world, and instead have a more spiritual connection. They often therefore become clerics in the domain of earth or storm.
Wizard: While they appear beastly, birdfolk are keenly observant and adept thinkers. However, their physical strength is slightly lacking, and so they resort to using magic to best defend themselves. They are highly fond of spells that utilize elements of the sky like lightning and thunder.
Ranger: Rangers are very common in birdfolk groups, as they live like the predatory birds they admire. They also are highly attuned to instincts of the hunt overall, and their societies are based on hunter-gatherer skills as it is.
Three sample birdfolk adventurers are described below.
Krayus is a cleric birdfolk. Healing a mighty warrior, or simply healing a child's scraped knee, he is at peace. With his daily prayers to Mielikki, he is content, whether she would have him listen to the roar of battle or the song of the forest.
Malth is a birdfolk wizard who has left his roost to seek the powerful magic which would be an effective shortcut to giving him reign over the elements of air. As part of his journey, he found a group of adventurers in town who would open a slot for him to join, with coinciding destinations.
Zae is a birdfolk ranger whose village was torched and pillaged by a gnoll warband. Over the smoldering remains of her family and friends, Zae swore to save others from this fate, the cries of nature in her ears. She wandered into a camp of warriors from the Romanse Group who are also dedicated to eliminating the threat of gnolls.
Roleplaying a Birdfolk
When creating a birdfolk adventurer, here are a few points to consider.
Freedom is the best. The maxim of birdfolk is that they love to be able to behave as they wish. That is what they want, and admire of the ones who dwell in aeries and fly about the skies. They do not like needing to adhere to rules unless it is along with their own interest.
Community matters. The familial feeling birdfolk feel among themselves allows them to stay a cohesive unit despite their whimsical nature. You mess with one, you mess with all. This can extend to non-birdfolk with whom birdfolk have come to build strong bonds with.
Few words is better. Rather than listen to explanations, birdfolk learn better from doing. They don't like too many words getting in between themselves and action.
Birdfolk Characteristics: Capricious, free-spirited, tree-hugging, communal, sharp
Birdfolk Male Names: Taelth, Zagash, Lopith, Aerdrun
Birdfolk Female Names: Hullah, Yameh, Greela, Senth
Birdfolk Racial Options
Paragon Paths: Avian Ascendant
Birdfolk Feats
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Predator's Talons | Your talons are not only sharp, but also have a deathly gripping potential. |
| Name | Description |
|---|
| Name | Description |
|---|
Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Races