Laridian

Laridians are a secret society slash human offshoot race in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Introduced in issue #266 of Dragon Magazine, Laridians belong to a thieves guild that has infiltrated a wide array of coastal cities and port-towns, rising to success through access to a secret magical rite that imbues its members with the power to transform at-will into seagulls. Unlike their counterparts the Swanmays, the Red Falcons and the Thebestyns, a Laridian's transformation affects every single item they can carry as well, allowing them to smuggle away literal armfuls of loot without anyone noticing. After all, in a port town, who pays attention to a seagull?

The Laridian Guild recruits human thieves, seeking out new followers exclusively from the most skilled, brave and daring thieves around. Only a thief who commits a truly outrageous or spectacular heist has a prayer of being offered a role in this prestigious group. Naturally, Laridians are renowned for their daring - if not their pigheaded stupid pride. Many strive to become infamous, often adopting signature "calling cards" for their heists or openly bragging about their thefts, confident in their transformative abilities to let them escape any punishment.

It goes without saying, but the Guild is wracked with internal strife, as Laridians tend to squabble just as much as the seagulls they resemble. The only thing they won't reveal to outsiders is how they pull off their amazing feats - sometimes out of pride, sometimes out of fear of the Guild's bloody vengeance, sometimes simply because they're not stupid enough to reveal their true nature. For this reason, a Laridian protects their shapeshifting token with their life; should they lose it, their only hope to have it restored is to appeal to the mercy of the guildmaster - and pay for it with stupendous fees.

Like most thieves, Laridians tend to be highly superstitious, seeking omens as to their future successes and failures in the weather, the flight of birds, dreams, certain words, stumbling, and so on.

Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 9/18, Dexterity 14/19, Constitution 12/18, Intelligence 13/18, Wisdom 8/17, Charisma 9/18

Ability Score Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, -1 Wisdom

Class & Level Limits: Thief 14

Available Kits: Tramp, Shadow

Natural Armor: 10

Base Movement Rate: 12

Exceptional Thief: A Laridian gains +10 Thieving Skill Points to distribute at 1st level, and +5 TSPs at each level thereafter.

Gull Form: A laridian can shapeshift into the form of a gull. In this form, they are immune to mundane weapons, have Magic Resistance (1.5 X Level)%, their Natural Armor changes to 7, and their Base Movement Rate changes to 3 with Fly 24 (Maneuverability C)

Non-Weapon Proficiencies: Alertness, Animal Noise, Appraising, Begging, Crowd Working, Danger Sense, Direction Sense, Drinking, Eating, Fast-Talking, Forgery, Fortune Telling, Gaming, Hiding, Information Gathering, Looting, Observation, Reading Lips, Rope Use, Seamanship, Set Snares, Swimming, Tightrope Walking, Tumbling, Ventriloquism, Voice Mimicry