Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Tips For Playing As An Aarakocra (2024)

There are a lot of different options when it comes to picking a species for your character in . From classics like multi-faceted humans and forest-dwelling elves, all the way to rarer options like the wise loxodon or the dexterous tabaxi.

Related:

One such species options that is sort of mid-ranged as far as rarity goes are the avian aarakocra. These winged adventurers have been around for many editions and have gone through a few changes, but one thing that has stayed the same is they are always a fun choice to play. But, what should you keep in mind when playing as an aarakocra?

10 Fight Or Flight

By far the biggest advantage aarakocra have that most other species don't is their wings. Allowing them to fly high into the sky at pretty solid speeds, they're something you'll learn to use in creative ways.

There are a lot of instances where your flying ability can be used to your advantage, some of which will be gone over later. But, when making an aarakocra, one of the first things you'll want to consider is how flying will affect your play style.

9 Ranged Combatants

Fighting with range in mind can be a huge advantage to you and your party's fighting dynamic, and there aren't many species better set out for it from the beginning than aarakocra.

Creating a ranger or similar ranged fighter is a solid choice when creating your character with this species, being able to move quickly to a range where your enemies can't attack you, but you can still hit them is a great way to wear them down or grab their attention while the rest of you party deals with other baddies.

8 The Icarus Effect

On the subject of flying, like said before it can be a great idea to cover a lot of ground and use vertical range to your advantage. Though, make sure you're safe about it.

Related:

There are plenty of statuses that can interrupt your flying, from getting knocked unconscious to being grappled by another flying creature. It doesn't take much in the way of height for fall damage to get incredibly deadly. Make sure when you're flying high to have a backup for if you lose control. Whether that's a magic item or a friend with feather fall.

7 Not Bird Brained

The ability scores of any species are definitely something to consider when creating a character. For aarakocra, they are granted a plus two to dex and a plus one to wis. Which can be a definite boon.

This adds on well to wizards, monks, rangers, and similar classes that focus on one of these two scores. However, one of the things you'll want to clear with your DM is whether or not they want to use Tasha's book on character creation. If they do, you can easily substitute these ability score improvements for any other that you see fit.

6 An Eye In The Sky

When you start thinking about how your character will react in combat and exploration, one thing to consider is a recon role.

It is incredibly easy for aarakocra to get the drop on enemies or scout out new areas by getting... well, a birds eye view on the situation. With the help of your party, you may want to scout ahead on some adventures to get a better sense of what you're walking into. No one likes going into an ambush or an enemy camp blind.

5 Hand To Claw

As an aarakocra you're never without a weapon. Your claws have long and razor sharp talons that can be used to defend yourself.

This is an excellent backup weapon for situations when you've been disarmed, or you don't have the time to unsheathe your other weapons. As well, dipping into a class or feats with unarmed proficiency or off-hand attacks will further boost your unarmed damage.

4 Using Your Speed

Aarakocra are far from the slowest adventuring species out there to pick from. Knowing that, you should know how your speed per round will limit and help you. With 25 feet of walking movement and 50 of flying you'll be able to cover ground pretty well.

This is going to come in handy when chasing after enemies or when you need to get away from one fast. It is never a bad idea to dip into classes and feats with this species that will boost your speed further and dedicate you as one of the fastest party members. Especially when combined with a high initiative to cover distance and bring the fight to the enemy quickly.

3 Flying Fists

You're not tied to any certain class as this species, but aarakocra do make great monks for a handful of reasons.

Related:

For starters, their speed and unarmed damage is only boosted by the monk class. The boost to dexterity is also a great help when considering what weapons to pick as your dedicated monk weapon. Plus, at fourth level you get slowfall which helps to negate the issue of falling while flying. Not to mention there are some solid feats to boost both your monk skills and aarakocra benefits. All-in-all an aarakocra monk is a deadly thing to come across and even more fun to play as.

2 Age Before Beauty

Where your backstory is concerned, you will want to think about your character's age with aarakocra more so than some other species.

Aarakocra age rather quickly, with maturity coming around the age of three and their average lifespan being around 30 years. Knowing that, there isn't a huge amount of time for your character to make a name for themselves. Are you nearing old age, or were you born barely a few years ago and new to the world as a whole?

1 Ties To The Wind

Another thing you may want to build into your backstory is your character's connection to the Elemental Plane of Air.

Aarakocra originally are from this plane. Keep in mind how this and their avian nature effects your character. Have they pulled away from aarakocra society or are they trying to further it? Do they wish to return to the Plane of Air or were they banished from it? All are important questions when considering your character's past.

Next: