User with this ability either is or can transform into an gargoyle, a winged humanoid with a penchant for perching on high terrain. Given their origins as statues of grotesque humans and animals designed to ward off evil spirits and channel rainwater from rooftops, they also tend to have an ability to turn to stone, voluntarily or not. Few are actually living stone. Traditionally, in folklore, they were benevolent despite their appearance, which was framed as being frightful to scare demons away. This is less common in modern fiction.