Avanis (Submitted by Mortuus Solidus)

Personality: Avanis are stubborn and set in all their views, and they have specific views on nearly everything. Arguing with a birdman is a waste of time to both parties, unless concrete proof can be provided to show that the Avanis is incorrect in his standing.
Avanis are rarely kind or compassionate, but they only intend the best for creatures. They take a stern, militaristic approach to teaching, not the methods favored by humans, which they consider to be 'babying' the student.
Avanis society favors the group over the individual, and a council picked for their skill, not age, typically leads them.

Physical Description: Avanis typically stand 6 to 7 feet tall, but only weigh around 100 pounds due to their hollow bones which keep them light enough to fly. Their wingspans are from 2.5 to 3 times their height, but they can be folded on their backs when indoors. Avanis are weaker than other humanoids of their size, and are also more fragile because of their bone structure.
Birdmen have arms in addition to wings. The wings sprout from their backs, and their arms come from their shoulders, like most humanoids. The hands have vestigial claws on their hands that do no additional damage in melee. The claws on their feet are also useless in combat. However, they do slashing damage, not bludgeoning when attacking unarmed. They have beaks that are like a hawk's, and they can speak normally.
Their whole bodies are covered in feathers, except for their beaks of course, and they're usually one solid color. The color of an Avanis can vary greatly, to any color that a normal bird can have (which is just about anything). Males are often vivid oranges or pitch blacks, while females are more often a drab brown or gray color.

Relations: Avanis work closely with dwarves, with the dwarves forging weapons for the Avanis and the Avanis providing fresh meat for the dwarves. Dwarves and Avanis also share general views on things, and get along very well. They're also allied in military operations, with the dwarves defending from intrusions to the mountain's interior, and the birdmen keeping the exterior secure.
Avanis see elves as silly and not nearly serious enough. Humans are known to very greatly from individual to individual, and aren't typically judged until a particular human is known. Avanis don't recognize a difference between halflings and gnomes, and view intruders of this variety to be walking deserts. Orcs and other evil humanoids, such as goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and gnolls, are hated and considered scum of the earth, which should be eradicated when possible. However, dragons are the prime enemies of birdmen, as well as hippogriffs, manticores, and pegasi. Dragons, and others, are hunted with extreme prejudice, regardless of the particular creature's alignment. Avanis see dragons are horribly destructive creatures that ravage an area for food, summon pesky adventurers, and generally ruin the local ecosystem and terrain with their huge bodies and weapons.

Alignment: Avanis are most often Lawful Neutral. Birdmen thrive on ordered life and specific edicts. They aren't cruel, but they aren’t compassionate, either. Birdmen that have left birdman society are rarely lawful neutral, else they wouldn't have left.

Lands: Avanis live in hard to access mountain faces, often with caves that are used by birdmen and dwarves alike. They prefer to make their homes in cliff faces that are inaccessible without flight. Their homes often overlook dense forests, which they hunt in for food and trade with dwarves.

Religion: Avanis worship an alternate aspect of Moradin, who they can Vorain. Dwarves and Avanis respect each other’s versions of Moradin, and they have no problems believing that Soul Forger is the patron of two races that are so like-minded. They believe that Moradin/Vorain gave the earthly aspect to dwarves, and the aerial aspect to birdmen.

Language: Avanis speak dwarven and use the dwarven alphabet. Avanis all have a certain accent because of their beaks, but they are still easily understood by anyone speaking the same language.

Example Names: Birdmen also have names very similar to dwarves. Of course, they don't use the same descriptive names such as 'Ironbeard' or 'Stonehammer'.

Adventurers: Most Avanis leave their society because they dislike the strict laws that are enforced. Also, Avanis may dislike having their roles in society be dictated by gender. An Avanis adventurer is an outcast to his own race, and dwarves, as well. Non-outcast Avanis see these renegades as abominations that should be destroyed if encountered. Luckily for the adventuring Avanis, birdmen rarely leave their reclusive homes so the odds of finding a non-renegade Avanis are very slim. Dwarves will react to adventuring Avanis depending on how the dwarf views Avanis in general. If he's never met one, there's no reason for dislike. However, if a dwarf who still follows the tenets of his clan finds a rogue Avanis, he'll consider it his duty to destroy the birdman, just as he would an orc or goblin.

 

Ability Modifiers Str: -2 Int: - Dex: - Wis: - Con: -2 Cha: -

Age Height/Weight Adulthood: 1d4 Base Height: 5'8" Middle Age: 10 Height Mod: 2d12" Old Age: 20 Base Weight: 60 lb. Venerable: 30 Weight Mod: x (1d4) lb. Max Age: +1d10 years

• Size: Medium-size
• Speed: 30; fly 300 (average)
• Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven.
  
  
• Bonus Languages: Auran, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, Orc, Terran, Undercommon.
  
  
• Favored Class: Fighter
• Darkvision: Avanis can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Avanis can function just fine with no light at all.
  
  
• +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against dragons: Birdmen are trained in special combat techniques that allow them to fight their greatest enemy more effectively.
  
  
• +4 dodge bonus to armor class against dragons: This bonus represents special training that Avanis undergo, during which they learn tricks that previous generations developed in their battles with dragons.
  
  
• Flight: Birdmen have average maneuverability, and therefore cannot fly at less than half speed (150). If anything reduces a birdman's flying speed to less that 150 (encumbrance, armor, etc.), the birdman begins to fall. While not capable of flying, the Avanis can still use its wings to slow its fall and can deduct 10 feet from the fall for every 10 feet of fly speed that the birdman has. So, a birdman who has his speed reduced to 100 can't fly foward, but he can reduce the damage taken by 100 feet.
  Avanis get a +4 racial bonus to Balance, Climb, and Jump checks because they can use their wings to help.
  
  
• Unusual shape: Avanis can't wear most armor due to weight and their positioning interferes with flight. Avanis can't wear heavy armors at all, but can wear medium armors and light armors that are special crafted for them. This special crafting costs 300 gp per point of AC that the armor grants. Avanis is medium armors have their fly speeds reduced to 200, and their maneuverability reduces to poor.
  
  
• Flying feats: Avanis can take the feats Flyby Attack, Hover, and Wingover. When hovering, Avanis don't stir up debris as a dragon does. All these feats are completely described in the Monster Manual on pages 11 and 62.
  
  
• Diving attack: If a birdman moves at least 50 feet downward towards an opponent, the attack is considered a charge. A birdman using a lance does double damage, as normal, as well as the other benefits and penalties of charging.
  
  
• Sharp eyes: Avanis have keen eyes and get a +4 racial bonus to Spot checks.
  
  
• Fire vulnerability: Birdmen suffer a -2 penatly to saving throws against fire effects because of their flamable feathers.