GIANT EAGLEAbility Score Adjustments. None. The type of die used for generating ability scores is changed instead, to reflect a more restricted range of starting scores.
Starting Ability Score Range
Ability Min Max* +1 STR, +1 DEX, and +1 CON points gained per level of ability, to a maximum of 18 (no percentile roll for strength).
Strength (2d4+4)* 6 12
Dexterity (2d4+4)* 6 12
Constit. (2d4+4)* 6 12
Intell. (3d6) 3 18
Wisdom (3d6) 3 18
Charisma (3d6) 3 18**** CHA scores over 12 apply only to other avians.
Class Restrictions
Class Max Level
Warrior
Fighter 8
Priest
Shaman* 8* If The Complete Book of Humanoids is not available, use the cleric instead.
Class Mixing. No class mixing is allowed.
Hit Dice. PC giant eagles receive hit dice by class (d10 for warriors, d8 for priests). Normal Constitution bonuses apply.
Alignment. Giant eagles are basically true neutral, but PCs can be of any neutral alignment (LN, NG, CN, NE, N).
Natural Armor Class. 10 on the ground, -2 modifier in flight due to high speed, with further bonuses for high Dexterity.
Background. Giant eagles are huge birds (size Large, stand 10 feet tall, wingspan 30+ feet). They are carnivorous and actively hunt prey while flying, using superior vision to locate victims from miles away. Giant eagles make their nests in tall, heavy trees and high, rocky cliffs. They tend to be solitary.
Giant eagle PCs begin play as young adults, slightly smaller and weaker than full adults. As they grow, they gain the ability and combat bonuses detailed here.
Giant eagle shamans worship nature or avian spirits, but are not found as druids even if of neutral alignment. Spellcasting for eagle shamans requires verbal (eagle cries), somatic (wing and claw gestures), and material (held in claws or beak) components. Spellcasting cannot be performed in flight, unless using spells with verbal components only.
Languages. Giant eagle only (avian "tongue" of cries, postures, and gestures). However, a giant eagle has limited telepathy that allows it to communicate with one intelligent creature per round within a range of 10 feet. This power may be used at will throughout the day, even while performing other actions except spellcasting.
Role-Playing Suggestions. Giant eagles fly at every opportunity, getting the best perspective on outdoor situations. They prefer to scout all environments carefully, and remain suspicious of the motives of most intelligent beings. They get along best with dwarves and elves, who usually mean them no harm, but are careful around humans. They like aarakocra. Giant eagles are very courageous and fear little.
While giant eagles do not have hands, they can wear magical rings on their claws (one ring per foot) and magical bracers or phylacteries on their legs (one per leg).
Special Advantages. Giant eagles fly at MV 48 (D). They can reach altitudes of 5,000 feet or more with updrafts.
Eagles have eyesight so acute that they have a +6 bonus to avoid being surprised by any visible creature. A being successfully hiding in shadows or natural terrain reduces this bonus to +4. A magically invisible creature might be detected if the DM feels there is sufficient cause for this to occur (water surface disturbed, footprints appear in dust, rustling of leaves). In this event, the eagle gets a +2 bonus to avoid surprise each time such an event occurs. (See the 2nd Edition DMG, page 120, for more.) The DM may treat eagle PCs as if they each wore eyes of the eagle, giving them 100x telescopic sight (e.g., items 1 mile away seem to be only 52.8 feet away.).
Giant eagles can drop at high speed toward the ground, breaking the fall or pulling out into a flat glide at the last second by spreading their wings.
Special Disadvantages. Giant eagles move at MV 3 when on the ground. They have no hands and cannot use the vast majority of magical devices. They may use scrolls if they know reading, but someone must hold the scrolls open; they may use potions, but someone must open the bottles and pour them into a dish to allow drinking; and so forth. They cannot use wands, staves, pistols, tools, keys, etc. They can carry Small-size objects in their claws in flight, but cannot carry anything in their claws when walking. Of course, giant eagles cannot swim.
If wounded for 75% or more of total hit points, a giant eagle in flight must land at once, as it cannot sustain flight and likely has injured its wings. If wounded for 90% or more of total hit points while flying, the eagle plummets to the ground (crash!). Fireball spells, breath weapons, and the like are especially dangerous, as they put out so much damage and are hard to avoid, often knocking the eagle out of the sky regardless of the saving-throw result.
In any enclosed space of 1,000 cubic feet or less, giant eagles feel claustrophobic and suffer a -3 penalty on attack rolls.
Monstrous Traits. Flight, appearance 1, sight, speech.
Superstitions. Giant eagles fear dark enclosed spaces, and normally refuse to enter tunnels or dungeons farther than a few feet, with a quick retreat after.
Weapon Proficiencies. Giant eagles cannot use any sort of artificial weapon. However, they begin play able to use several attack modes in the following ways:
Every level of natural fighting proficiency taken allows an eagle to gain a +1 bonus to all attack rolls, with an extra bite attack taken during any normal claw/claw/bite routine (i.e., the extra bite attack cannot be taken during dive, buffet, or snatch attacks).
Nonweapon Proficiencies. Dancing (aerial acrobatics), direction sense, endurance, languages (modern), local history, navigation (aerial only), observation, reading, weather sense. Alertness and danger sense are normally unnecessary due to the quality of the giant eagle's vision.
