Flying Race, General Information

Here are four new flying races suitable for use in any AD&D campaign, along with the magical items they have created to make them an even greater threat to ground-based enemies. Of course, their enemies have created magical items of their own to even the odds, and these are also detailed. Even with these items, though, the advantage in struggles between flying and grounded creatures is clearly with the former, so PCs must be prepared to use every ability they have in order to achieve victory.

The four races detailed in the following pages can be used as direct opponents of the PCs. As stimulus for world events, any of the races could be involved in a long-running military campaign with global implications. Alternatively, players might choose to roleplay one of the races, adding a new dimension to any adventuring group.

Flying Characters in Your Campaign World

While they are presented at first in the same format as the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® entries, the flying races detailed hereafter can make interesting PCs, at the discretion of the Dungeon Master. Individual DMs can decide whether their campaign world contains any of the detailed races, and which of races can be chosen as player characters. Tables 1-5 provide the details necessary to use these races as player character races. Table 1 details racial ability requirements, Table 2 details class level limits, Table 3 details thieving ability adjustments, Table 4 details racial ability adjustments and Table 5 details the average ages for each race.

Each of the following MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM entries also includes roleplaying notes for those who wish to use these flying creatures as player characters. As with any AD&D race, these notes are only guidelines, and personalities might well differ from individual to individual. In general, though, player characters of one of the following races tend to be outsiders from their own society, with few roots to tie them down. Adventurers are usually young, with a desire to experience more of the world than their society allows. Since none of the races interact freely with non-flying races, much of what these adventurers encounter will be new to them. Prior experiences will have been limited to their specific society, with Masgai the most sophisticated and Telvar the most rustic.

DMing Flying Characters

Each DM must make the decision as to whether one of these flying races can be used as a PC race. On the surface, the ability to fly would seem to give flying characters a significant advantage over non-flying characters. Flying characters can go places other characters can’t, they can avoid certain types of traps, and they would have all the combat advantages described previously. These abilities certainly affect how DMs referee a game, and some of the advantages might create imbalance.

In practice, though, the advantages these races have aren’t unbalancing, due in part to the nature of the AD&D game. The game’s emphasis on teamwork in overcoming obstacles requires flying characters to work together with the group to achieve shared goals. The abilities that a flying character has, much like the mining skills of a dwarf or the secret door detection skills of an elf, should benefit the entire party, not just the individual PC. The social problems these races encounter, along with their level limitations, help balance their physical advantages.

Consequently, refereeing flying characters is not much more difficult than refereeing any other type of character. For safety and teamwork reasons, flying characters must usually remain with the other PCs, reducing their mobility advantage. They can’t strike out on their own without exposing themselves to danger, making them less of a wild card for DMs to handle. In combat, flying creatures are targeted by opposing archers and spellcasters, so the ability to fly must be used wisely, lest the flying PC become a too-frequent target.

In addition, DMs have the advantage of adapting their campaign world to account for the actions of the party. If an imbalance is created by allowing a player to roleplay a flying character, DMs can adjust opponent actions or restrict the use of the flying ability. The idea behind the creation of these new races is to add some interesting twists to a campaign world, not to give characters an unfair advantage. Once the impact of a flying race has been gauged, DMs can modify the campaign to ensure that the PCs can use their special abilities while still facing appropriately difficult challenges. Remember that game balance exists to ensure fun, not to limit it.