Races of Wild

OrganizationLuckstealers don’t have an organized group or an agendabeyond that of their halfling caravans. Because a luckstealeris a charismatic, powerful spellcaster, such acharacter is almost always an influential member of thecommunity. A luckstealer is sometimes an instigator ofcriminal schemes cooked up by less respectable halflings;many are the ringleaders of roving thieves’ guilds. Otherluckstealers lead caravans of their own or act as senioradvisors to a community leader. Pulling strings from behindthe scenes is a common tactic for luckstealers becausethey’re personable, good bluffers, and able to use spellssurreptitiously to good effect with their subtle magicclass feature.Some luckstealers spend their days working on their nextscheme, setting up the big folk for another humiliating loss atthe hands of the halflings. Others take a day-to-day approachto life, relying on fate to bring them one adventure afteranother. They’re rarely disappointed.Many luckstealers venerate Dallah Thaun, but theirrelationship with clerics of the halfling goddess can becomplicated. Recently, clerics of Dallah Thaun have beentrying to bring luckstealers under their wing, granting themhigh station in the church in exchange for magical aid and ameasure of control. Some luckstealers are stubbornly independent,spurning the advances of the church even if theyare worshipers of Dallah Thaun. Other luckstealers wonderwhether the luckstealing techniques weren’t really DallahThaun’s to begin with, and they’re more willing to cast theirlot with Dallah Thaun’s clergy.NPC ReactionsFew nonhalflings know about luckstealers, and sayingsomeone is a “luckstealer” sounds like a quaint halfling wayof describing an unlucky person. Of course, those in theknow have definite opinions about powerful spellcasterswho can twist fate itself.Most halfling caravan leaders have heard of luckstealers,and few are indifferent toward them. About half of suchleaders regard luckstealers well and have an initial attitudeof friendly. The others have found that trouble follows inthe wake of a luckstealer and have an initial attitude ofunfriendly. Halflings who are not part of a community’sleadership almost always have an initial attitude of friendlybecause many halfling folk tales feature a luckstealerwho’s always getting into trouble but escaping by foolingthe big folk.Luckstealers likewise have few enemies beyond halflingcommunities. Rivalries occasionally develop between aluckstealer and a cleric of Dallah Thaun, and sometimesan evil luckstealer will turn on his own caravan. Clerics ofOlidammara (and other gods with the Luck and Trickerydomain) tend to think of luckstealers as kindred spirits, whenthey have heard of them at all, and have an initial attitudeof friendly.LUCKSTEALER LORECharacters with Knowledge (local) can research the luckstealersto learn more about them. When a character makesa skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including theinformation from lower DCs. Halflings get a +4 circumstancebonus on the check because luckstealers are a significantpart of their culture.DC 10: “Luckstealers are spellcasters who specialize incurse-magic.”DC 15: “A luckstealer does what it says—he takes yourluck and uses it to power his magic. A lot of them hide inhalfling caravans, stealing people’s good fortune and thenleaving town.”DC 20: “A luckstealer can steal people’s luck—it’s a sortof curse—but the effects don’t last very long. Almost all ofthem used to be sorcerers.”DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success canlearn important details about specific luckstealers in yourcampaign.A DC 25 Gather Information check is sufficient to set up ameeting with a luckstealer. Halflings get a +4 circumstancebonus on this check as well, as a luckstealer is more apt totrust a fellow halfling.LUCKSTEALERS IN THE GAMEWhether it’s a PC or an NPC, a luckstealer is a good choicewhen you want a slippery spellcaster who always lives tofight another day.If you have a luckstealer at the table, you can challengethe PCs by giving them multiple encounters without a restbreak. That will give the luckstealer a chance to use hisdesperate recall ability to save the group. Longer battlesalso favor a luckstealer, because his curses have a biggereffect on the game when combat stretches beyond two orthree rounds.AdaptationAs written, the luckstealer is tied to halfling culture, but itwould be a balanced prestige class for any race. It would beparticularly appropriate for spellcasters with a connection toluck or fate—whether they’re arcane or divine casters. It’s alsostraightforward to put an evil twist on luckstealers, turningthem into secretive plotters who work secret magic, bringmisfortune, and manipulate fate to their own ends.EncountersWhen you run an encounter with a luckstealer, make sure thecharacter uses one of the curse abilities (fatespurned or blackcloud) early in the battle. The desperate recall and lucky magicabilities are interesting in the hands of PCs but invisible toyour players when an NPC luckstealer uses them, so they’reless important. Like all arcane spellcasters, luckstealers arephysically vulnerable, so they work best when accompaniedby a tough bodyguard.CHAPTER 5PRESTIGECLASSES121