Tengu
Tengu are a nature-dwelling race with many features of a crow, who usually live in small flocks of up to a dozen people. Tall and lean, they have two pairs of crow wings growing from their backs, which they can manifest or dismiss at will. While these wings are not developed well enough to allow them to fly, tengu are known for their unparalleled agility in midair thanks to their wings.
Tengu warriors train in unique esoteric arts that only tengu can perform, and use their abilities to defend the twilit forests and mountains of their homelands. Most tengu, whether or not they belong to a flock, feel a deep connection to nature and its creatures, and have a natural urge to protect it.
Tengu Racial Traits
Your tengu character has the following traits:
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and another ability score of your choice increases by 1.
Age. Tengu reach maturity at about the same age as humans, but do not age past their physical prime until the very end of their expansive lifespans. A tengu can live to be approximately a thousand years old before passing away from natural causes.
Size. Tengu are usually tall and lean, standing between 6 and 7 feet in height. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Tengu Wings. You have a set of four crow wings sprouting from your back, which you can manifest or dismiss at will. You can't manifest your wings while wearing armor or clothing not made to accommodate them.
Modifying armor or clothing to accommodate your wings requires Leatherworker's Tools proficiency for light armor, Smith's Tools proficiency for medium or heavy armor, or Weaver's Tools proficiency for clothing, and can be done as part of a short rest. A friendly creature with the relevant proficiencies can make these modifications for you, as long as you stay within their reach for the duration of the rest.
Winged Acrobat. Using your wings, you can maneuver yourself while in midair. When jumping, your long jump is up to your movement speed and your high jump is up to half your movement speed, with or without a running start. Additionally, if you're not wearing medium or heavy armor, you can adjust your trajectory and direction freely in midair when jumping.
Tengu Arts. You know one of the following tengu arts of your choice. You learn an additional tengu art of your choice at 3rd and 5th level. You cannot learn the same tengu art more than once.
- Tengu Art: Crowfeather Cover. You can take the Disengage action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
- Tengu Art: Sky Whisperer. You have trained yourself to gain extraordinary affinity with birds. You can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can fly. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
- Tengu Art: Feathers of Wind. As part of a short rest, you can craft a Feather Fan from your own feathers and imbue it with tengu magic. To do so, you must pluck some of your own feathers, taking 1d4 piercing damage that can't be reduced or negated in any way. You can have up to two Feather Fans crafted. If you try to craft more than two, the oldest one's feathers scatter, and it is destroyed.
- Tengu Art: Mystic Mask. As part of a short rest, you can conduct a ritual to obtain a Tengu Mask, a mystical artifact of cultural significance to the tengu. If it is lost or destroyed, you can perform the ritual again to gain a new one.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan, which is the native language of tengu, as descendants of denizens of the feywild.
Feather Fan
Wondrous item, common, minor
While this fan made of black tengu feathers is on your person, you can cast the Gust cantrip at will. This item can only be crafted by a tengu using their own feathers.
Tengu Mask
Wondrous item, common, minor
While wearing this ornate red mask, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. Only the tengu who created this mask can benefit from it.
Racial Feats for Tengu Characters
Tengu Arts Master
Prerequisites: Tengu
You have trained extensively in the ways of the tengu, and have gained access to yet more secrets of your kind. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice from among the following list: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Nature, Survival.
- You learn a tengu art you don't already know.
Titanbreaker
Prerequisites: Tengu
You have honed your body to be the ultimate weapon in defense of nature. As an action, you empower yourself, flourishing your raven wings and channelling ancient tengu magic to strike fear in the hearts of your foes. This empowered state lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed, and once on each of your turns, you can force a creature you damage to make a Charisma saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls until the end of your next turn. Once you have empowered yourself in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
