Characters that obtain racial flying features have been hounding DMs since early in 5th Edition. The flying Aarakocra race was introduced in the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion released alongside Princes of the Apocalypse (PotA) in 2015. Later that year, the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (SCAG) introduced another flying race option: Winged Tieflings. They haven’t really touched the design since, with good reason.

While a creative DM can plan around a flying PC, it’s not so simple when running a prepackaged module. Especially in a restrictive environment like D&D Adventurer’s League (AL).

Historically, players have always been able to build their characters from a selection of options available in the Player’s Handbook, plus one other book. Recognizing the headaches caused by flying races, the AL character creation guidelines (Player’s Guide v 9.2) create a specific ban on Aarakocra and Winged Tieflings.

Most characters see a significant power bump when…