FREQUENCY: Very rare (high peaks in the mountains)

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Civilized Mountains], [Cold Civilized Hills]), ([Cold Wilderness Mountains], [Cold Wilderness Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Saltwater Surface])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Mountains], [Temperate Civilized Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Saltwater Surface])

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Civilized Mountains], [Tropical Civilized Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Freshwater Surface])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Saltwater Surface])

NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: 7
MOVE: 6" / 36" (MC: C)
HIT DICE: 1+2 <(wings)>
% IN LAIR: 5%
TREASURE TYPE: [D]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-3/1-3 or by weapon type ~ 16 <a note like usually javelins, with a link to target, could be added>
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral good
SIZE: M (20' wing span)
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: II | 28 + 2 per HP

SAVES: 14.15.16.17.17

The aarakocra are intelligent avian humanoids.
Their society consists of small tribes about 11-30;
each tribe has a hunting territory of about 10,000 square miles.
The bird-men live on high peaks in the mountains,
where they can soar all day on the winds and the thermals.

Aarakocra have little to do with humankind beyond the occasional poaching of a farm animal
(they appear incapable of distinguishing between domestic and wild animals, for this act is not one motivated by malice).
They have even less to do with demi-humans and actively dislike humanoids.
Infrequently, an aarakocra may agree to give info to, or act as a scout for, humans in exchange for shiny coins || gems.
As they are extremely reluctant to leave their familiar mountains such an act will only very rarely take place outside the bird-man's own territory.

Aarakocra stand about 5' high but they have a wing span of 20'.
Their wings/arms are built somewhat like those of a pterodactyl, <link>
with a hand half-way along each leading edge.
The wing-section beyond the hand has as its leading edge an extremely lengthened and strengthened outer finger which locks in place during flight.
The wing hands cannot grasp while in flight,
but when the bird-man is on the ground and the wings are folded back,
the hands are nearly as useful as normal human hands.
Each hand consists of three normal-sized fingers and an opposable thumb.

The bird-man's mighty wing muscles are anchored in a bony keel which projects forward from the chest a full foot beyond the normal extent of a human chest.
The legs are powerful,
with 'backward-bending' knees and dangerous-looking talons on the feet.
The feet are actually more dangerous than they appear:
the talons can unlock and fold back, uncovering a pair of fully-functional hands,
each with three tough, powerful fingers and a thumb.

It is these nether 'hands' that the bird-man employs in aerial combat,
either using the talons alone or clutching heavy fletched javelins,
used for stabbing or throwing.
Each feathered warrior usually carries half a dozen of these javelins,
which do 2-8 HP of damage each,
strapped to its chest in individual sheaths.
Aarakocra are remarkably adept at flinging these javelins in the air,
incurring none of the 'to hit' penalties used in aerial missile fire.

Their most devastating form of attack is dive upon a victim with a javelin in each nether hand,
building up great {SPEED}{SPEED}.
The bird-man pulls out of a dive just as it reaches its TARGET and snaps the javelins forward into its prey with great force and accuracy,
meanwhile emitting a blood-curdling shriek.
Such attacks are at +4 hit probability and do double damage if successful,
but the aarakocra needs at least 200' of dive to perform them properly.

Aarakocra share with eagles the ability to plummer a great distance vertically downwards and pull out at the last moment.
For purposes of aerial combat,
they are manoeuverability class C.
Rather than fling it away,
a bird-man will save its last javelin for stabbing purposes in battle.

The aarakocra are oviparous and the females tend the eggs during their 8-month incubation period.
It is these temporary nest-bound females which fabricate all the javelins,
tools and other small items the tribe uses
(the males do no work other than hunting).
The females also weave brilliant feathered banners and pennants which fly above the tribal nest and mark out their territory
(each tribe has a unique, highly impressive design).
The sight of an aarakocra weaving is said to be impressive,
as they do so while resting on their backs and using all four hands at the same time.
Individually,
their hands are not as dexterous as those of a human,
but the extra pair more than compensates for this.

Aarakocra speak their own language and that of the giant eagles,
with which they are on mutually respectful terms.
10% of aarakocra also speak the common tongue.
They get on very well with all forms of air elemental, <note forms and link>
and any five <5> aarakocra can summon an air elemental by chanting and flying through an intricate dance pattern
(this takes three <3> melee rounds).
The air elemental will comply with the bird-men's requests as a favour,
but will not fight to the death on their behalf,
returning to it's own plane (if it can) before such an eventuality could occur.
The bird-men are known to have tribal shamans. <details>

Colour <color> of plumage among the aarakocra varies from tribe to tribe,
but the males are always crested and gaudier than the females.
This especially true during the once-yearly mating season when the plumage of the males shows up in a particularly striking fashion.
Their beaks are about 5" long,
grey-black <> and in shape somewhat between that of a parrot and an eagle.
The beak can deliver a nasty bite
(1-3 HP of damage),
but is rarely used for fighting unless the bird-man is trapped on the ground.
Their faces are in no way similar to human faces,
though their eyes are set frontally on the head to provide binocular vision,
and in fact their sight is so keen that they can distinguish detail at considerable distances.
<quantify in WSG terms, reference eyes of the eagle, and make matching notes at eagle & giant eagle>
<
OUTDOOR RANGE OF AARAKOCRA VISION (in yards) (x2 for L objects, 1/2 for S objects)

-	Daylight	Twilight	Moonlight	Darkness
Clear	50,000	300	50	25
Overcast	400	250	50	25
Moderate fog	150	100	25	15
Heavy fog, rain, or snow	50	30	15	10
Heavy snow with wind	35	25	10	5
Blowing sand/dust	20	20	10	5

>

Though they are powerful,
they are also light
-- an adult weight is typically in the range 50-80 pounds -- <(3 hp=50, 4 hp=55, 5 hp=60, 6 hp=65, 7 hp=65, 8 hp=70, 9 hp=75, 10 hp=80)
and are unwilling to become involved in ground melee or fights which could result in grappling,
since their hollow bones are quite fragile and could break if,
for instance,
a bird-man is thrown heavily to the ground.
The aarakocra are extremely susceptible to claustrophobie.
Such is their fear of being closed in that they will not even enter buildings,
and only a mad or insanely-desperate bird-man would venture below ground.

Aarakocra can carry up to 1,500 g.p. weight (150 pounds) each.
 

by Lawrence Schick