Aarakocra or birdfolk are nomadic bird-like humanoids that originated from the Elemental Plane of Air. This race was first introduced in the fifth edition of the Monster Manual as an antagonistic creature, and later in Elemental Evil Player’s Companion, they were turned into a playable race, next to genasi and goliaths. Most recently, aarakocra’s traits and features were revamped in the book Mordekainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. I will base my guide on the information in this sourcebook since it was published last and it has the most extensive information on this race.
Appearance-wise, aarakocra mostly have bird-like features – they are covered in feathers, have wings, and their hands and feet end in razor-sharp talons. Even though the birdfolk usually resemble an eagle or parrot, it’s not unprecedented to pick another bird of your choosing. So have fun with it – owl, canary, pigeon, or even chicken, all have distinct features and personalities.
During flight, aarakocra seem like very large birds until they land and you can see them up close, standing upright. They are usually shorter and smaller than humans, standing at around five feet tall and clocking in at around 80-100 pounds. This race is a very rare sight even in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns since they rarely walk the Earth and usually just stick to their way of life with other members of their race.
Aarakocra are trailblazers in two ways, they are the first playable race that gets the ability to fly on the first level and they were also the first antromorph (a character with a combination of animal and human features) you could play in DnD. They were also banned in Adventurer’s League so it goes without saying that you should get a blessing from your DM before choosing this race.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about this exotic race, play a character that can fly around and kick ass or you just really liked Birdperson from Rick and Morty, this guide on how to play an aarakocra is perfect for you. So be sure to stick around until the end to see all the tips and tricks I have prepared for your next character.
Aarakocra Traits
The defining and most interesting racial feature of aarakocra is definitely their ability to fly. Even though some spellcasting classes can cast Fly, Levitate, or even Teleport, no races have an innate ability to fly that they can use from the first level. The speed of aarakocra’s flight is equal to their walking speed measuring in at 25ft, but medium and heavy armor hinders their ability to fly, so you should probably stick to light armor. Flying can get you out of a tough spot in various situations, you can easily fly out of a pit-like trap, scale a tower/mountain/treehouse or even carry your party members away from danger. If you or some other character cast invisibility, you can also eavesdrop or spy on your enemies from a high vantage point.
At the 3rd level, you get the ability to cast the spell Gust of wind which produces a 60 feet long and 10 feet-wide stream of air that can knock your enemies away from you and help with crowd control.
As for the roleplay, here’s some inspiration for you, you can yell ka-kaw at random times, especially when you are surprised or outraged, turn your head like a pigeon, or make outrageous bird puns every chance you get. The important thing is to just have fun with it! Also, if you end up separated from your weapons or in closed-quarters combat, be sure to make use of your talons. You can deal slashing damage of 1d6 + your Strength modifier, which can help you get out of a sticky situation.
Don’t Fly Too Close to the Sun
It is worth mentioning that even though aarakocra’s ability to fly is their biggest blessing, it can also lead to their downfall. We have all heard about the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the Sun, right? Well, let that be a cautionary tale for you. Although flying might seem amazing and provide you with some advantages over your enemies, you have to be careful when using it. It might be helpful against melee attacks, but ranged attacks can be your worst enemy. Some spells or effects that generate strong winds can knock you out of the sky, give you massive fall damage and even leave you at a single hit point. When flying around, you are basically a solo target with a big red X on your feathers and there’s usually no cover you can take.
Also, some DMs feel like flying can be OP and make you stand out from your party too much so they might give you additional rules and limitations for it.
Best Classes to Play as an Aarakocra in DnD 5e
When you play a character of this race, you get a +2 boost to your Dexterity and +1 to your Wisdom score. In addition to the fact that you can’t wear heavy or medium armor if you want to fly, this makes aarakocra a great fit for classes with ranged attacks that usually stay at a safe distance from combat and wear light armor or even no armor. Also, since they have a deep connection with Elemental Planes, you can also choose a class that is tied to nature in some way, for roleplaying purposes.
Even though I’ve already mentioned that this race is a better fit for spellcasters, hear me out. It might be interesting to try playing a Barbarian since this class sometimes forgoes armor and playing a big angry bird that swings a javelin and yells ka-kaw every time it rages can be a fun choice. Also, your ability to fly and deal strikes from higher ground will definitely be helpful. But since Barbarians almost always prefer closed-quarters combat, it can take away your biggest strength, your mobility, so this is probably not the best choice.
A better alternative to a barbarian would probably be a fighter. Your flight will help you if an enemy is out of reach and the Dexterity bonus is good if you want to choose an archery build.
If you want to capitalize on the connection with nature, you should play a druid. The armor this class wears would get a boost from the Dexterity increase and you can use your spells to shapeshift into other animals too.
Also, another great choice for roleplaying purposes would be a bard. Even though you’ll miss the Charisma boost to make a really powerful bard, imagine an aarakocra going around and entertaining people through their bird song. You can take advantage of birds’ innate music talent for your backstory and roleplay and use flight to move around and avoid melee attacks.
Ranger and Rogue will take advantage of both ability score increases this race gets and make use of the ability to fly close to and away from their enemy quickly.
In my opinion, Monk is the optimal option for an aarakocra character since the Dexterity ability score boost benefits the features of Unarmored Defense and the Unarmored Movement gives a boost to your flight speed making it an impressive 50ft. This bonus makes you incredibly fast, maybe even the fastest character in the game. Since monks usually deal with melee attacks, having the option to fly can add some variety too.
There are tons of great options for this race and even a lot of variety in them, so you should choose the class that fits your playstyle the best.
I really hope you’ll give this race a try, it really egg-cels in many things! Okay, I’ll let myself out.
