Aetherytes

Aetherytes are massive shards of crystallized aetheric mist, precisely cut and fused to arcane machinery. While it is not known when or by whom these devices were originally constructed, their teleportation qualities have become the backbone of everyday transportation throughout the realm, with most managed and operated by individual city-states.

Though the exact mechanism behind teleportation via Aetheryte is still largely a mystery, one theory states that when a sentient being approaches one of the portals, the aether that makes up its body resonates with the aether of the crystals, breaking down the being's mass, allowing it to temporarily return to the invisible aetheric streams that course throughout the planet. The being's soul, which cannot be broken down, then guides the particles to a predetermined destination, and upon arrival, the corresponding Aetheryte receptacle reconfigures the mist into its original form. This process takes only a matter of moments, allowing for nearly instant transportation to faraway destinations.

However, being broken down to the aetheric level can take its toll on one's body, and rest is often required after several consecutive jumps, especially as the distance becomes greater. As a precaution, most city-states strongly discourage over-teleporting, as it can lead to irreversible damage.

You can only Travel to Aetherytes that you have attuned to.

Aetheryte Attuning

Attuning to an Aetheryte is simple, one must simply touch the crystal with his or her hand and feel the crystal within themselves. It can be done with a short rest and anyone could do it.

Aetheryte Shards

City-states all have a network of Aetheryte Shards that allows warping between key facilities in the city, at no cost.

Chocobos

Despite the emergence of airships, chocobos have retained their place as a traveller's best friends. Be it as bearers of a merchant's wares, steeds for battle-bound soldiers, or an adventurer's means of locomotion; the long-legged avian creatures are still very much a common sight.

These flightless birds have sturdy legs with which to bear you across great distances swiftly. They serve not only as a form of transportation but also as a companion that will fight alongside you.

With effort and training, they can learn to cast simple spells and some breeds can learn how to fly. They are a pricey investment but they are loyal and will stick with you for the rest of their lives.

The colours of their feathers can vary depending on the food they eat but most commonly default to yellow unless if the breed is Ishgardian or Dalmalscan. They are strong enough to carry your burdens and are able to draw upon carriages.

Chocobos seem to have a sixth sense in regard to natural disasters or danger. Scholars speculate that this is because they are in tune with aether and the world around them which explains why they are able to cast magic.

Chocobo Armor (Barding)

Grand Companies have crafted armour for chocobos for when they charge into battle or when they assist you. You can purchase armour, but because they are custom crafted for chocobos, they are usually triple the cost and on average take 9+d6 days to make. If one has a high rank in a Grand Company they can provide a discount and in some rare cases provide it for free. Most armour types available for players have chocobo variants.

If a chocobo wears barding that they are not proficient in, they will move at half speed and disadvantage on saving throws.

Chocobo Training

Professional trainers take time to train a chocobo. If a party member wishes to train it, they themselves must have the animal handling skills and double the amount of days required. They can only be taught per one long rest and will need a day's break in between sessions. Adventurers that are trying to teach a chocobo a spell must know the spell and the player's spell slot will be used. For the extra days, it takes to train it, add 50 Gil per extra day.

Damalscan chocobos learn to level 2 and 3 spells 5 days quicker.

If an exemplary Eorzean chocobo (yellow) has a longer wingspan, has the strength, and the discretion of the GM, then that chocobo can learn to fly. For this circumstance, an additional d12 is added for the amount of days and increases the cost by 1,000 gil x the d12 result.

Chocobos can only learn spells and cantrips starting at later levels, depending on the breed.

Chocobo Leveling

Chocobos are imprinted on one person. If that person levels up past level 4 and rolls for an additional hit die; then the chocobo can also roll a d10 and add that value to the chocobo hit points.

When the imprinted partner reaches levels 4,8,12,16 and 19, the chocobo abilities and capabilities will grow. Please refer to the levelling bonuses table specific to your chocobo breed each time you reach those milestones.

If a chocobo is abandoned or has spent too much time apart from its owner, it will level normally and will need to reach those levels on its own.

Chocobo Breeds

The three most common breeds are Ishgardian (Black), Dalmascan (Amber or Red), and Eorzean (Yellow).

Ishgardian Chocobos have a more muscular build and longer wingspan, Dalmascan Chocobos are more slender and intelligent, and Eorzean chocobos are somewhere in the middle. Ishgardian chocobos are more likely to be able to fly, Dalmascan chocobos have access to a larger spell pool, and the Eorzean chocobo has the potential for either or has access to neither (depending on the GM). Of those three, the Eorzean chocobo is the most common.

You can have a chocobo of any breed and dye them any colour

Chocobo Spells

Although they can cast magic, they are not as intelligent as a humanoid. Since they are excellent mimickers they can cast only simple spells; which makes their spell selection limited. DM's can use their discretion as to which spells are learnable but it must be taught after a long period of time. Its spell-casting modifier is WIS. Most breeds can only learn spells at later levels.

Spells in red are only available to Dalmascan chocobos. Spells that are in gray are not available to Ishgardian chocobos but are still available to the other two breeds.