Editing Aarakocra (section)

==Generic D&D==
The aarakocra are actually one of the races that debuted as monsters in the original [[Fiend Folio]] for [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]] 1st edition, and so from that perspective they've actually done pretty well! They were further developed in the article "On the Wings of Eagles" in [[Dragon Magazine]] #124, which was also the first presentation of the race as a PC option. They made it into AD&D 2nd edition in the Monstrous Compendium Volume 2 in 1989, and from there into the Monstrous Manual in 1993. They received a PC writeup in the Complete Book of Humanoids.

In the Monstrous Compendium and Manual, they are described as a peaceful and reclusive tribal race that inhabit high mountain peaks; they do sometimes steal farm animals when hunting, but that's by accident rather than malice, as they don't practice agriculture themselves and so have no idea they're taking somebody else's property.

Aarakocra are described physically as being about 5 feet tall, wit a wing span of 20 feet. About halfway along the edge of each wing is a hand with three human-sized fingers and an opposable thumb. An elongated fourth finger extends the length of the wing and locks in place for flying. Though the wing-hands cannot grasp during flight, they are nearly as useful as human hands when an aarakocra is on the ground and its wings are folded back. The wing muscles anchor in a bony chest plate that provides the aarakocra with extra protection. The powerful legs end in four sharp talons that can unlock and fold back to reveal another pair of functional hands, also with three human-sized fingers and an opposable thumb. The hand bones, like the rest of an aarakocra’s skeleton, are hollow and fragile. Aarakocra faces resemble crosses between parrots and eagles. They have gray-black beaks, and black eyes set frontally in their heads that provide keen binocular vision. Plumage color varies from tribe to tribe, but generally males are red, orange, and yellow while females are brown and gray. As you might reasonably expect for an avian race, aarakocra are extremely claustrophobic and will not willingly enter a cave, building, or other enclosed area.

Due to their isolation, the aarakocra obviously speak their own language, but very rarely have knowledge of the common tongue - any individual has about a 10% chance of being fluent in Common. They can speak with giant eagles, though.

Aarakocra live in small tribes of about 11-30 (1d20+10) members. Each tribe has a hunting territory of about 10,000 square miles with colorful banners and pennants marking the boundaries; they are quite reclusive, and have little to do with any other neighboring races, not even other aarakocra tribes. Actually leaving their tribes is rare, and normally happens only in extreme circumstances... or when a human manages to bribe an aarakocra into serving as a guide with the use of a shiny jewel or coin. 

Each tribe lives in a communal nest made of woven vines with a soft lining of dried grass. The eldest male serves as the tribe’s leader. In tribes of more than 20 members, the second oldest male serves as the shaman, leading simple religious ceremonies involving the whistling of melodic hymns at sunset on the first day of a new month. Males spend most of their waking hours hunting for food and occasionally for treasure, such as gems and other shiny objects. Females spend eight months of the year incubating their eggs, passing the time by fabricating javelins and other tools from wood and stone. While resting on their backs, aarakocra females can use all four hands at the same time to weave boundary pennants, javelins sheaths, and other useful objects from vines and feathers.

As to the aarakocra religion, [[White Dwarf]] tried to make K'ooriall happen for them in [[Fiend Factory]]. As usual - nope! In 2e, the Monstrous Compendium and its Monstrous Manual reprint vaguely implied, instead, [[elemental]] powers of air. A shaman with the backing of at least four other aarakocra can even summon a friendly air elemental and attempt to bargain for its services by means of a intricate aerial dancing ritual that takes 3 rounds.

In aerial combat, an aarakocra fights with either talons or the heavy fletched javelins that he clutches in his lower hands. An aarakocra typically carries a half dozen javelins strapped to his chest in individual sheaths. The javelins, which can be used for throwing or stabbing, inflict 2d4 points of damage. Owing to the aarakocra’s remarkable skill at throwing javelins in the air, it incurs none of the attack penalties for aerial missile fire. An aarakocra will always save its last javelin for stabbing purposes rather than throwing it. Its favorite attack is to dive at a victim while clutching a javelin in each hand, then pull out of the dive just as it reaches its target, and strike with a blood-curdling shriek. This attack gains a +4 bonus to the attack roll and causes double damage, but an aarakocra must dive at least 200 feet to execute it properly.

An aarakocra is reluctant to engage in grappling or ground combat, since its fragile bones are easily broken. Though rarely used except when cornered, an aarakocra’s sharp beak can bite for 1-3 points of damage.