Garid (gah-REED) are avian humanoids, resembling athletic humans with the heads of eagles. Wings sprout from their backs, enabling them to fly as easily as they walk.
Most of the garid race are members of semi-nomadic tribes. They prefer to dwell in hilly or mountainous country, especially when there are open plains nearby to provide easy hunting opportunities.
Fierce and insular, they are inveterate raiders and seldom answer to outside authority. Despite their standoffishness and suspicion of outsiders, they are willing to engage in occasional trade, offering furs and leather in exchange for metal, gems, and other products that they find difficult to acquire on their own–not unexpectedly, most garid are claustrophobic and make poor miners. Trade, for garid, is a less-preferable alternative to raiding for food, luxuries and weapons.
Garid settlements are semi-permanent affairs at best, usually consisting of tents of leather, canvas or silk thrown up within a hastily erected earthen berm and ditch. They habitually maintain sentries and patrol flights, making it difficult to sneak up on them, but in instances where an attacker manages to slip close enough to threaten their camp, a garid tribe usually takes to the air rather than endure a siege, either to retreat or to fight.
Garid are carnivorous, with a preference for snakes, lizards and other reptiles, but they will eat fish, birds, and mammals as well. Although they normally do not devour other members of their own race, they are perfectly willing to treat other intelligent species as food. Kobolds and wyverns are especial favorites, and especially large and powerful garid tribes have been known to hunt dragons for food. This has, unsurprisingly, earned them the enmity of dragons in general. Given their easygoing approach to the concept of property ownership, it is also common for garid and shepherds or ranchers to come into conflict when the bird-men make free with the land-bound humanoids’ flocks or herds.
Garid speak Common and Auran. Especially intelligent members of the race may also speak Draconic, Goblin, Halfling or Orc.
Garid Brave
Garid, 1st-level Warrior
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Garid)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 Dex, +1 leather armor, +2 heavy wooden shield), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: +2 melee (1d6+1/18-20, scimitar), or +2 ranged (1d6+1/x4, garid drop-vane), or +2 ranged touch (net)
Full Attack: +2 melee (1d6+1/18-20, scimitar), or +2 ranged (1d6+1/x4, garid drop-vane), or +2 ranged touch (net)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Garid traits
Special Qualities: Garid traits
Saves: Fort +3, Reflex +1, Will -1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 7.
Skills: Listen +1, Spot +5
Feats: Point Blank Shot
Environment: Temperate hills, mountains and plains
Organization: Gang (4-9), band (10-100 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults and 1 wind lord of 4th-6th level), warband (10-24), or tribe (30-300 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults, 1 or 2 stormwings of 4th or 5th level, 1 wind lord of 6th-8th level and 2-4 griffons)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
Combat
Garid braves have a strong understanding of strategy and tactics, and are capable of making and carrying out sophisticated battle plans. A perennial feature of garid tactical planning involves an attack from above with nets to hinder whomever their war wind lords consider most dangerous. Once the greatest threats are entangled in netting, the creatures prefer to stand off from a distance and use missile weapons to finish off the ensnared victims and anyone who attempts to aid them.
Despite their preference for airborne combat, garid braves are as mobile on foot as the average human, and they are quite willing to fight on the ground or maneuver on foot in order to set up an ambush or sneak attack against foes who expect them to come from above.
Skills: Garid braves have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
A garid brave’s light load is 50 lbs or less. Its medium load is 51-100 lb., and its heavy load is 101-150 lbs. A typical garid brave carries its armor, shield, scimitar, a net and two garid drop-vanes, for a total of 39 lbs.
Garid Stormwing
Garid, 3rd-level ranger
Size/Type: Medium humanoid (Garid)
Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (20 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +2 studded leather armor, +2 heavy wooden shield), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: +5 melee (1d6+2/18-20, scimitar), or +6 ranged (1d6+2/x4, garid drop-vane), or +6 ranged touch (net)
Full Attack: +5 melee (1d6+2/18-20, scimitar), or +6 ranged (1d6+2/x4, garid drop-vane), or +6 ranged touch (net)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Garid traits
Special Qualities: Favored enemy (dragon) +2, garid traits, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +4, Reflex +6, Will +0
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 10
Skills: Heal +2, Hide +3, Knowledge (geography) +4, Knowledge (nature) +3, Listen +5, Move Silently +2, Spot +9, Survival +5, Use Rope +6
Feats: Endurance, Plunging Shot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Track
Environment: Temperate hills, mountains and plains
Organization: band (10-100 braves plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults and 1 wind lord of 4th-6th level), or tribe (30-300 braves plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults, 1 or 2 stormwings of 4th or 5th level, 1 wind lord of 6th-8th level and 2-4 griffons)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
Combat
The garid stormwing employs broadly the same tactics as its lesser brethren, except that its casts of the garid drop-vanes that make up its primary armament are strengthened by its use of the Plunging Shot feat. Stormwings act as officers, commanding smaller groups on their own or acting under the supervision of garid chieftains when engaged in large-scale combat.
Skills: Garid stormwings have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
A garid stormwing’s light load is 66 lbs or less. Its medium load is 67-133 lb., and its heavy load is 134-200 lbs. A typical garid stormwing carries its armor, shield, scimitar, a net and three garid drop-vanes, for a total of 46 lbs.
Garid Wind Lord
Garid, 6th-level ranger
Size/Type: Medium humanoid (Garid)
Hit Dice: 7d8+7 (42 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +2 masterwork studded leather armor, +2 masterwork heavy wooden shield), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+10
Attack: +11 melee (1d6+3/18-20, masterwork scimitar), or +11 ranged (1d6+4/x4 plus 1d6 electrical, varaj*), or +11 ranged touch (masterwork net)
Full Attack: +11/+6 melee (1d6+2/18-20, masterwork scimitar), or +11 ranged (1d6+4/x4 plus 1d6 electrical, varaj*), or +11 ranged touch (masterwork net)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Garid traits, spells
Special Qualities: Animal companion, favored enemy (animal) +2, favored enemy (dragon) +4, garid traits, wild empathy, woodland stride
Saves: Fort +6, Reflex +8, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Skills: Heal +4, Hide +6, Knowledge (geography) +10, Knowledge (nature) +4, Listen +10, Move Silently +6, Spot +14, Survival +10, Use Rope +7
Feats: Endurance, Far Shot, Plunging Shot, Multishot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Track
Environment: Temperate hills, mountains and plains
Organization: band (10-100 braves plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults and 1 wind lord of 4th-6th level) or tribe (30-300 braves plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level stormwing per 20 adults, 1 or 2 stormwings of 4th or 5th level, 1 wind lord of 6th-8th level and 2-4 griffons)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Varaj (with tribe only), masterwork heavy wooden shield, masterwork scimitar, masterwork studded leather armor
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2
Combat
The garid wind lord can attack from a greater range than lesser garid warriors, thanks to its Far Shot feat. The typical order of battle when one of these feathered warlords enters the fray is for subordinate garid to fly in low, disabling serious threats by draping them with nets while the wind lord circles high overhead and pelts softer targets with its drop-vanes or (if applicable) a varaj. If the enemy is numerous and attempts to scatter as a means of throwing off pursuit, the wind lord often deploys the call lightning storm power of its varaj as a way to cut short the chase or herd the quarry along a desired path.
Wind lords seldom are encountered on their own, since they are the chieftains of entire tribes of garid. On the rare occasions that they are isolated from their tribes, they try to avoid combat if diplomacy or trickery will serve to further their ends.
Typical Ranger Spells Prepared: 1st–longstrider. CL 3rd.
Skills: Garid wind lords have a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
A garid wind lord’s light load is 76 lbs or less. Its medium load is 77-153 lb., and its heavy load is 154-230 lbs.
* A typical garid wind lord carries its armor, shield, scimitar, a net and three garid drop-vanes, for a total of 46 lbs. Wind lords who are the rulers of tribes carry a varaj instead of mundane drop-vanes, reducing their loads to 42 lbs. If a garid wind lord does not have a varaj, reduce the ranged attack bonus listed for the varaj above, to +10, and its damage with them to 1d6+3/x4, with no additional electrical damage.
Garid Characters
Garid characters possess the following racial traits.
- +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma. Garid are very agile and have excellent reflexes, but their demeanor can be arrogant.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, garid have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Flight: Garid have wings and a fly speed of 60 ft. with average maneuverability. Garid base land speed is 30 feet.
- Weapon Familiarity: Garid treat nets and garid drop-vanes as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
- +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against dragons, snakes, lizards, and creatures with the Reptilian subtype.
- +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
- +4 racial bonus on Spot checks.
- Automatic Languages: Common and Auran.
- Bonus Languages: Draconic, Goblin, Halfling, and Orc.
- Favored Class: Ranger. A multiclass garid’s ranger class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty.
- Level Adjustment: +2