D&D 5E How did you handle the Aarakocra?

[Sunseeker]

I'm fairly surprised at how limited flight is as a resource to players in 5th (14th level Dragon Sorcerer is the only way to get perma flight), Aarakocra really breaks that design, since outside of the afore-mentioned 14th-level character, flight is limited to a one-hour duration per day for most magical items and class abilities.

As a DM, I let people go crazy (really, I use the madness rules, but seriously...) in my more sandboxy settings games. You can pretty much get or have anything if you put in the right amount of effort and are willing to take the appropriate steps to achieve your goals. So having flight at first level really isn't a big deal since 1: I have always given my NPCs some kind of ranged attack option, from spells to bows to flight themselves. 2: there are plenty of foes, even at low level, who have flight just fine.

There are also good ways to limit player flights without foes, from simple natural effects like bad weather to a high canopy/dense forest to the whole "your wings are too big to fly in here".

 

[The Grand User]

I don't have my book, but I'm pretty sure there was at least one other class where you could get unlimited flight similar to the Sorcerer's

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Nobody in my group has even asked about it. The roleplayers know that the race hates being on the ground and is basically afraid of going underground, which is where our campaigns inevitably end up. Being claustrophobic and hating to go underground seems like a bad idea. The min/maxers are unlikely to choose anything other than Human for quite awhile.

The only modification I'd make as a DM is to give nearly every enemy group some ranged weapons. About the only limitation I'd make is that non-magical armor would need to be built to accommodate wings, and maybe proscribing magical boots but probably not.

Cursing them until they get access to a 5th level spell is just lame. It eliminates the point of the race. It's banning them without banning them. It's like saying, "You can play a variant human, but you don't get the feat until level 9 and get a day of downtime and 100gp to train."

Assuming you mean "every group of intelligent armed humanoids": you should do this anyway, because variant Humans with the Mobile feat can kite just as well as Aarakocra. And also because ranged weapons are one of the crucial advantages humanoids have over fantasy brutes like bulettes and slaads. Without ranged weapons, most humanoids would rapidly go extinct.

I'm fairly surprised at how limited flight is as a resource to players in 5th (14th level Dragon Sorcerer is the only way to get perma flight), Aarakocra really breaks that design, since outside of the afore-mentioned 14th-level character, flight is limited to a one-hour duration per day for most magical items and class abilities.

Winged Boots (Uncommon, attunement) grant flight for four hours a day, not just one.

 

[Sunseeker]

Winged Boots (Uncommon, attunement) grant flight for four hours a day, not just one.

It is interesting to note that immediately below them "wings of flying" grants flying at 60' as opposed to the boots 30', for one hour, essentially 2 hours worth of the boots, however it is one linear hour that starts as soon as you activate them. The boots are substantially superior for an otherwise more common device with double the total time, and the ability to break up that time as you choose. The 'Wing of Flying' has a potential advantage in recharge time, but that can roll in your favor, or not.

 

[Hereticus]

Aarakocra are a delicacy to many races, they are often hunted as food.

In the opening scene of PotA the six characters will walk past three hunters that are cooking an aarakocra to underscore this point to the two bird characters, to see how they will react (we start next Tuesday).

 

[Jester David]

Can you really ban something you have to allow access to?

 

[Jester David]

Like [MENTION=1288]Mouseferatu[/MENTION], they're not in my current game because I never accommodated for aarakcra in the setting. If a PC has a neat idea or I think of a niche for the race, then sure.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Assuming you mean "every group of intelligent armed humanoids"

Obviously. Don't be willfully dense.

you should do this anyway, because variant Humans with the Mobile feat can kite just as well as Aarakocra. And also because ranged weapons are one of the crucial advantages humanoids have over fantasy brutes like bulettes and slaads.

I don't design every encounter to circumvent every capability of the party. I build them to challenge the party. Not every encounter or stat block in a prepared module includes ranged weapons for every monster, because not all encounters assume the party can fly.

Without ranged weapons, most humanoids would rapidly go extinct.

I'm sorry my comment wasn't unambiguous enough for you because it didn't account for the potential extinction of humanoid races in imaginary fantasy worlds.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Can you really ban something you have to allow access to?

This^. Unlimited flying PC based on ranged attacks will be pretty broken imo, at least at any table that doesnt dungeon delve constantly, and tries to keep a rough balance between PC power levels.

Trying to challenge this PC will require all kinds of artificial approaches by the DM. The game will be less fun for it.

Having said all that, I am still glad to see such a race in the article, for those who do want to use it.

 

[SoulsFury]

I was thinking of limiting how high they could fly by their level. At level 1 you could only go 1 square up, at 2, 2 squares, etc.