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PLAYER’S COMPANIONCreate heroic characters possessing elemental power from this supplementfor the world’s greatest roleplaying game

CreditsSasquatch Game StudioDesigners: Richard Baker, Robert J. Schwalb, Stephen SchubertEditors: David Noonan, Stacy JanssenInterior Illustrators: Mark Behm, Eric Belisle, Noah Bradley,Anna Christenson, Emrah Elmasli, Klaus Pillon, ClaudioPozas, Lee SmithWizards of the CoastD&D Lead Designers: Mike Mearls, Jeremy CrawfordManaging Editor: Jeremy CrawfordAdditional Design: Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, Matt SernettProducer: Greg BilslandArt Directors: Kate Irwin, Shauna NarcisoCover Illustrator: Raymond SwanlandGraphic Designers: Emi Tanji, Matthew StevensProofreading: Jennifer Clarke WilkesProject Management: Neil Shinkle, John HayProduction Services: Cynda Callaway, Jefferson Dunlap,David GershmanBrand and Marketing: Nathan Stewart, Liz Schuh,Chris Lindsay, Shelly Mazzanoble, Hilary Ross, John Feil,Laura Tommervik, Kim Lundstrom, Trevor KiddPlaytesters: Teos Abadia, Robert Alaniz, Rory Alexander, JayAnderson, Paul Baalham, Stacy Bermes, Joseph Bloch,carlo bosticco, Ken Breese, Tim Eagon, Pierce Gaithe,Richard Green, T. E. Hendrix, Sterling Hershey, Paul HughesMatthew Jording, Yan Lacharité, Shane Leahy, Ryan Leary,Jonathan Longstaff, Jon Machnicz, Farrell Madden, MattMaranda, Paul Melamed, Shawn MerwinLou Michelli, RobMickunas, Mike Mihalas, John Proudfoot, Rob Quillen II, KarlResch, Sam Sherry, Sam E Simpson Jr, Pieter SleijpenTable of ContentsChapter 1: Races.3Aarakocra.3Deep Gnome.5Genasi.7Goliath.10Chapter 2: Spells.12Spell Lists.12Spell Descriptions.15PrefaceIn the adventure Princes of the Apocalypse, the cosmicthreat of Elemental Evil reaches the Forgotten Realms.This supplement provides new options for playercharacters in that epic campaign. If your DungeonMaster allows, these options can be used in othercampaigns as well.The genasi in chapter 1 and all of the spells in chapter2 appear in the appendices of Princes of the Apocalypse.ON THE COVERUnleashing his eldritchmight, the Harper wizardZelraun Roaringhorn standsfast against the cataclysmicmight of the Air ProphetAerisi Kalinoth and theCult of Howling Hatred,in this scene illustrated byRaymond Swanland.640Z3276001 ENPublished March 2015. Updated November 2017.Disclaimer: For safe utilization of elemental magic, remember the following guidelines. You can drink water but not fire. You can breathe air but not earth. You can walk on earth but not onwater (unless you have the right pair of boots or spell). You can do a lot of things with fire, but almost all of them are bad ideas.DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Elemental Evil, the dragon ampersand, Princes of the Apocalypse, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual,Dungeon Master’s Guide, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. Allcharacters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproductionor unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast.Sasquatch Game Studio and the Sasquatch Game Studio logo are trademarks of Sasquatch Game Studio LLC.MADE IN U.S.A. 2015 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH.Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

Chapter 1: Raceshis chapter presents three newraces to supplement those in the Player’sHandbook: aarakocra, genasi, andgoliaths. A gnome subrace—the deepgnome—is also included. These newoptions are available when you make acharacter, provided that your DM allowsthem in your campaign.AarakocraSequestered in high mountains atop tall trees, theaarakocra, sometimes called birdfolk, evoke fear andwonder. Many aarakocra aren’t even native to theMaterial Plane. They hail from a world beyond—fromthe boundless vistas of the Elemental Plane of Air.They are immigrants, refugees, scouts, and explorers,their outposts functioning as footholds in a world bothstrange and alien.Beak and FeatherFrom below, aarakocra look much like large birds.Only when they descend to roost on a branch or walkacross the ground does their humanoid appearancereveal itself. Standing upright, aarakocra might reach5 feet tall, and they have long, narrow legs that taper tosharp talons.Feathers cover their bodies. Their plumage typicallydenotes membership in a tribe. Males are brightlycolored, with feathers of red, orange, or yellow. Femaleshave more subdued colors, usually brown or gray. Theirheads complete the avian appearance, being somethinglike a parrot or eagle with distinct tribal variations.Sky WardensNowhere are the aarakocra more comfortable than inthe sky. They can spend hours in the air, and some go aslong as days, locking their wings in place and letting thethermals hold them aloft. In battle, they prove dynamicand acrobatic fliers, moving with remarkable speed andgrace, diving to lash opponents with weapons or talonsbefore turning and flying away.Once airborne, an aarakocra leaves the sky withreluctance. On their native plane, they can fly for daysor months, landing only to lay their eggs and feedtheir young before launching themselves back intothe air. Those that make it to a world in the MaterialPlane find it a strange place. They sometimes forgetor ignore vertical distances, and they have nothing butpity for those earthbound people forced to live and toilon the ground.Avian MannerismsThe resemblance of aarakocra to birds isn’t limited tophysical features. Aarakocra display many of the samemannerisms as ordinary birds. They are fastidiousabout their plumage, frequently tending their feathers,cleaning and scratching away any tiny passengers theymight have picked up. When they deign to descend fromthe sky, they often do so near pools where they can catchfish and bathe themselves.Many aarakocra punctuate their speech with chirps,sounds they use to convey emphasis and to shademeaning, much as a human might through facialexpressions and gestures. An aarakocra might becomefrustrated with people who fail to pick up on thenuances; an aarakocra’s threat might be taken as a jestand vice versa.The idea of ownership baffles most aarakocra. Afterall, who owns the sky? Even when explained to them,they initially find the notion of ownership mystifying.As a result, aarakocra who have little interaction withother people might be a nuisance as they drop from thesky to snatch livestock or plunder harvests for fruitsand grains. Shiny, glittering objects catch their eyes.They find it hard not to pluck the treasure and bring itback to their settlement to beautify it. An aarakocra whospends years among other races can learn to inhibitthese impulses.Confinement terrifies the aarakocra. To be grounded,trapped underground, or imprisoned by the cold,unyielding earth is a torment few aarakocra canwithstand. Even when perched on a high branch or atrest in their mountaintop homes, they appear alert, witheyes moving and bodies ready to take flight.HomelandsMost aarakocra live on the Elemental Plane of Air.Aarakocra can be drawn into the Material Plane,sometimes to pursue enemies or thwart their foes’designs there. Accident might also send a nest ofaarakocra tumbling into a world on that plane. A fewfind their way to such a world through portals on theirown plane and establish nests in high mountains or inthe canopies of old forests.Once tribes of aarakocra settle in an area, they sharea hunting territory that extends across an area up to100 miles on a side, with each tribe hunting in the landsnearest to their colony, ranging farther should gamebecome scarce.A typical colony consists of one large, open-roofednest made of woven vines. The eldest acts as leader withthe support of a shaman.Chapter 1 Races3

Aarakocra in the Forgotten RealmsNever well established in Faerûn, aarakocra have only fourmajor colonies: in the Star Mounts within the High Forest, inthe Storm Horns in Cormyr, in the Cloven Mountains on theVilhon Reach, and in the Mistcliffs in Chult.Those colonies established in the Star Mounts, closestto the Dessarin Valley, were ever a secretive and guardedpeople, only spotted during their flights over the High Forest.A cruel and rapacious green dragon nearly wiped out thepopulation and scattered the survivors. These aarakocra andtheir descendants have sworn vengeance against the dragonand may be seen scouring the lands of the North and Cormyrfor signs of their foe.Their only remaining settlement lies on the slopes of theStar Mounts’ southernmost mountains. At the headwatersof the Unicorn Run, the Last Aerie is home to several dozenaarakocra. Recently, aarakocra elders detected changes in theprevailing winds that they regarded as a bad omen.Unlike the aarakocra of other worlds on the Material Plane,the aarakocra of the Realms rarely travel to the ElementalPlane of Air.Great PurposeAarakocra enjoy peace and solitude. Most of them havelittle interest in dealing with other peoples and lessinterest in spending time on the ground. For this reason,it takes an exceptional circumstance for an aarakocrato leave his or her tribe and undertake the adventurer’slife. Neither treasure nor glory is enough to lure themfrom their tribes; a dire threat to their people, a missionof vengeance, or a catastrophe typically lies at the heartof the aarakocra adventurer’s chosen path.Two other circumstances might call an aarakocra toadventure. First, aarakocra have historical ties to theWind Dukes of Aqaa. Exceptional individuals honor thatconnection and might seek out the missing pieces of theRod of Seven Parts, the remains of an artifact fashionedby the Wind Dukes long ago to defeat the Queen ofChaos’s monstrous champion, Miska the Wolf-Spider.When plunged into Miska’s body, the chaos in his bloodsundered the rod and scattered its pieces across themultiverse. Recovering the pieces means gaining honorand esteem in the eyes of the vaati who forged it andcould possibly restore a powerful weapon for defenseagainst the agents of elemental evil.Second, aarakocra are sworn foes of elemental earth,in particular the gargoyles that serve Ogrémoch, thePrince of Earth. The Aarakocra word for gargoyleis loosely translated as “flying rock,” and battlesbetween aarakocra and gargoyles have raged acrossthe Elemental Planes of Earth and Air, occasionallyspilling into a world on the Material Plane. Aarakocraon that plane might leave their colonies to lend aid toother humanoids committed to fighting earth cults andthwarting their efforts.Aarakocra NamesAs with much of their speech, aarakocra names includeclicks, trills, and whistles to the point that other peopleshave a difficult time pronouncing them. Typically, aname has two to four syllables with the sounds actingas connectors. When interacting with other races,aarakocra may use nicknames gained from people theymeet or shortened forms of their full names.An aarakocra of either gender may have one of theseshort names: Aera, Aial, Aur, Deekek, Errk, Heehk,Ikki, Kleeck, Oorr, Ouss, Quaf, Quierk, Salleek,Urreek, or Zeed.Chapter 1 Races4