A Thief Class Revision

Thief

There are those who do not wish to gain power through their own merit, but who wish to steal it from others. Some do it, perceiving theft to be the easier route. Wiser but more adventurous men may steal for sport, or the thrill of it. More importantly, not every man who steals is of the thief class. These thieves are of a special breed, with the potential to achieve true greatness by their wit and wiles. Few do so, and fewer still do so alone -- hence the likelihood of finding higher-level thieves in large cities, organized into thieves' guilds.

Dexterity is the prime requisite for thieves and they gain benefits for having high Dexterity scores (see Ability Scores).

All races have thieves and all thieves advance evenly regardless of race.

Because so many thief skills require stealth, or at least ease of movement, low-level thieves cannot wear the heavier armors. This burden lessons as the thief becomes more accomplished at higher levels.

Backstabbing is a special attack thieves can make when their targets are taken by surprise. Despite the term "stabbing," any melee weapon can be used. The thief gains a +4 bonus "to hit" and (at lower levels) does "double" damage (the die is doubled and then modifiers are added). It is possible that a thief may be positioned to backstab during the initial surprise phase of combat (see Combat). Otherwise, the thief must move silently into melee (or, if already seen, hide in shadows and then move silently). After the initial backstabbing attack, whether successful or not, the thief cannot try again without repositioning himself. Invertebrates cannot be backstabbed.

Climb Walls is a skill all people have, but one thieves hone through practice. It is used for determining the success of navigating a vertical wall or steep slope either up or down, but can also be used for climbing trees and ladders when speed is of the essence. There are more possible variables than can be enumerated here, but some guidelines for bonuses and penalties include the following:

-80 for smooth (granite, marble) and wet surfaces (1 ft. per 2 rounds)
-70 for smooth and damp surfaces (3 ft. per rd.)
-70 for cracked (statues, timber) and wet surfaces (3 ft. per rd.)
-45 for smooth and dry surfaces (6 ft. per rd.)
-45 for cracked and damp surfaces (6 ft. per rd.)
-45 for fairly rough (limestone) and wet surfaces (6 ft. per rd.)
-20 for cracked and dry surfaces (12 ft. per rd.)
-20 for fairly rough and damp surfaces (9 ft. per rd.)
-20 for rough (rocky cliffs, chimneys) and wet surfaces (9 ft. per rd.)
+20 for rough and dry surfaces (24 ft. per rd.)
+40 for using a grapple and line
+40 for using spikes and line

Rates of speed are given above in parantheses. For situations not covered, the base speed is 12 ft. per round. If a check fails, the thief will typically loose his grip halfway to his destination. The exact distance fallen -- and resulting falling damage -- are determined by the referee.

Find Concealed/Secret Doors is a skill that combines intuition, mechanical skills, and old-fashioned groping. The thief must be in contact with the surface he wishes to check and even the thinnest of gloves would mean a penalty of 10 to the roll. A thief will likely need no tools for detecting a concealed door, which may require no more than lifting a tapestry or rolling back a rug. A thief can check a 10 ft. wide section of wall for concealed doors in one round. Secret doors are more problematic, as the thief must first search to find the door and then search again to find its trigger mechanism or other means of opening (provided there even is one on this side of the door). It takes 1-6 rounds to search a 10 ft. wide section of wall for secret doors or their means of entry. A thief can check the same section of wall twice, but has no further chances of finding something in that spot. Magically obscured secret doors cannot be detected by a thief at these levels.

Find/Remove Traps is a skill that follows many of the same rules for finding secret doors. Again, a thief will likely need no tools for detecting a trap, but will need tools for disarming one -- and will proceed with only half his normal chance if empty-handed. It takes 1-10 rounds to find and an equally random amount of time to remove a trap. The thief must roll separately to determine the success of both. A trap must be found before it can be removed. Failure at removing a trap will activate the trap. If either attempt fails, the thief cannot make a second attempt until he has gained another level of experience (though in the case of removing traps, this is seldom applicable). Magic or magically hidden traps cannot be detected or removed by a thief at these levels.

Hear Noise is a skill all people have, but one thieves hone through practice. It is used for listening at doors, trying to hear snatches of conversation across a crowded room, or determining the direction of a sound. Conditions may impose penalties or bonuses, dependent on the referee. Wearing a helmet, for instance, imposes a penalty of 20. Any thief may attempt to hear noise once per round.

Hide in Shadows is a related skill to Move Silently, yet the two are not used in tandem. Hiding in shadows is used when the thief plans to remain motionless. Any movement involved requires a Move Silently check instead. The stated chance assumes the thief is wearing clothes fitting for the environment (black at night, green in the forest, etc.). Otherwise, the roll is made at a penalty of 5. The environment itself can modify chances as well, such as +10 for dark woods or -20 for a meadow on a sunny day. A thief has only one-quarter his normal chance of hiding in shadows if already directly observed. Even once a thief is hidden in shadows, he is still subject to detection as if invisible (see Detection). Any thief may attempt to hide in shadows once per round.

Move Silently is the skill of generally moving unnoticed -- sound is but one of the obstacles to this skill. It is used if a thief wishes to sneak past someone, sneak into melee (often with intent to backstab), or slip out of a melee undetected. Movement cannot be made faster than walking speed while moving silently (see Movement). The stated chance assumes the thief is dressed for the part -- no hard-soled shoes, no clanking items carried, etc. Inappropriate garb could cost the thief a penalty of 5-20, depending on the circumstances. Any thief may attempt to move silently once per round.

Open Locks is a skill a thief cannot attempt without a set of special tools. It takes 1-10 rounds before a roll can be made for the attempt. It the attempt fails, the thief cannot make another attempt until he has gained another level of experience.

Pick Pockets is a skill of sleight of hand, taking something without being seen. The stated chance presumes that the thief is using a tool such as rosin powder, a concealed knife, or the like to help pull off the trick. If the thief tries this trick empty-handed, his chance of success is reduced by 5. A failed roll means the attempt was unsuccessful, but failure by 21 or more means the intended victim (and possibly more people, given the circumstances) catches the thief red-handed. For every level of the intended victim over 3rd, a thief's chance of success is reduced by 5. All thieves may attempt this skill once per round and additional attempts can be made on a target even after one has failed.

Level One
Title: Mugger XP: 0-1,000
HD: 1d6 Fights As: 1st level

Special Abilities: Backstab for double damage.

Climb Walls: 75 in 100
Find Concealed/Secret Doors: 35 in 100/18 in 100
Find/Remove Traps: 20 in 100
Hear Noise: 11 in 100
Hide in Shadows: 20 in 100
Move Silently: 15 in 100
Open Locks: 25 in 100
Pick Pockets: 30 in 100

Limitations: Muggers cannot perform their special abilities while wearing armor heavier than light leather.

Obligations: Muggers must pay 50 gp in protection money to the regional thieves’ guild (most likely the Glein Rogues). They must live as if lower lower class, even if they are not. They must steal at least 10 gp worth of valuables by roughing people up before leveling.

Level Two
Title: Baiter XP: 1,001-2,000
HD: +1d6 Fights As: 1st level

Special Abilities: Backstab for double damage.

Climb Walls: 77 in 100
Find Concealed/Secret Doors: 37 in 100/20 in 100
Find/Remove Traps: 25 in 100
Hear Noise: 13 in 100
Hide in Shadows: 25 in 100
Move Silently: 21 in 100
Open Locks: 29 in 100
Pick Pockets: 35 in 100

Baiters can broad jump 3’, broad jump 3’ standing, and broad jump 7’ running.

Limitations: Baiters cannot perform their special abilities while wearing armor heavier than heavy leather armor or light studded leather.

Obligations: Baiters must pay 100 gp in membership fees to join the regional thieves’ guild (most likely the Master Thieves’ Guild of Chillavo, Junior League). They must live as if no higher than middle lower class, even if they are not. They must steal at least 25 gp worth of valuables by luring people into fights (alternatively through gambling) before leveling.

Level Three
Title: Bully XP: 2,000-3,500
HD: +1d6 Fights As: 1st level

Special Abilities: Backstab for double damage.

Climb Walls: 79 in 100
Find Concealed/Secret Doors: 39 in 100/22 in 100
Find/Remove Traps: 30 in 100
Hear Noise: 15 in 100
Hide in Shadows: 25 in 100
Move Silently: 27 in 100
Open Locks: 33 in 100
Pick Pockets: 40 in 100

Bullies can high jump 3 ¼’, broad jump 3 ½’ standing, and broad jump 7 ½’ running.

Limitations: Bullies cannot perform their special abilities while wearing armor heavier than heavy leather or light studded leather.

Obligations: Bullies must pay 150 gp in annual membership fees to the regional thieves’ guild (still most likely the Master Thieves’ Guild of Chillavo, Junior League). They must live as if no higher than upper lower class, even if they are not. They must steal at least 60 gp worth of valuables before leveling.

Level Four
Title: Poacher XP: 3,501-5,500
HD: +1d6 Fights As: 2nd level

Special Abilities: Backstab for triple damage.

Climb Walls: 83 in 100
Find Concealed/Secret Doors: 42 in 100/25 in 100
Find/Remove Traps: 36 in 100
Hear Noise: 18 in 100
Hide in Shadows: 31 in 100
Move Silently: 34 in 100
Open Locks: 38 in 100
Pick Pockets: 45 in 100

Poachers can high jump 3 ½’, broad jump 4’ standing, and broad jump 8’ running.

Limitations: Poachers cannot perform their special abilities while wearing armor heavier than heavy studded leather or light scalemail.

Obligations: Poachers must pay 200 gp in membership fees to the regional thieves’ guild (still most likely the Master Thieves’ Guild of Chillavo, Junior League). They must live as if no higher than lower middle class, even if they are not. They must steal at least 135 gp worth of valuables before leveling.