Thieves sneak furtively in the shadowed alleyways of cities, living by their wits. They are often members of the criminal underclass, usually trained by a thieves’ guild in the arts of burglary and stealth. It is not uncommon for a thief to seek out the great rewards that can be gained from the adventuring life, especially when circumstances require lying low for a while.
Most thieves come from the teeming masses of a large city, wherein a thieves’ guild is often the only source of justice and exercises as much power as the city’s legitimate government. Of course, not all thieves are members of a guild. Some are freelancers, evading both the authorities and the guild, living on the edge of the knife. Some are even found working on the side of the law; agents or spies who use their skills in more accepted (though equally shadowy) pursuits. A thief character must be of any neutral or evil alignment. Neutral good thieves are permitted because of the neutral component of their alignment.
Sensible adventuring parties will almost always include a thief, for the skills of such a character are invaluable in reaching inaccessible places via climb walls, pick locks, and so on. In addition, dungeons frequently contain traps which must be located and disarmed, and the thief’s cunning and stealth conspire to make him or her very useful in a scouting role.
*Constitution hp adjustments no longer apply after the twelfth level of experience. Each level gained thereafter grants +2 hit points.
Backstab. If the thief can approach his or her target unobserved and strike with a melee weapon, the attack is made at +4 to hit. Damage from a backstab is doubled or trebled if the thief is of 5th level or higher. Thieves of 9th level or higher do quadruple damage, while those of 13th or greater level quintuple the number shown on the die. Damage modifiers (such as those pertaining to strength or magic) are not multiplied from a backstab.
Thieves’ Cant. Thieves have their own language.
Skilled. The thief can add his/her level to any checks if trying to: Hear noise, Hide, Move Quietly, Pick Pockets. The thief can also use his special Thief Skills to perform certain special tasks.
Climb Walls. Climbing represents a thief’s ability to scale sheer walls and surfaces, cling to ceilings, and perform other feats of climbing that would normally be impossible. Climbing checks must ordinarily be repeated for every ten ft of climbing. Non-thieves cannot climb walls, cliffs, or any vertical surface without the use of a rope or magic, making the presence of a thief vital to many adventuring parties. Make a Strength check against a Difficulty Class of 5, increasing the chance of success by 1 for every two experience levels of the thief.
Find Traps. This ability represents the thief’s minute visual inspection of a new area for tiny telltale signs that something of interest or danger may be concealed nearby. It requires a full turn (10 minutes) to accomplish. Make a Dexterity check against a Difficulty Class of 15, increasing the chance of success by 1 for every two experience levels of the thief.
Open Locks/Disarm Traps. Opening locks and disarming traps (without springing them) is a skill unique to thieves, which cannot be successfully attempted by members of other classes. A thief can also set traps (with the same chance as to disarm). Make a Dexterity check against a Difficulty Class of 15, increasing the chance of success by 1 for every experience levels of the thief.
Read Languages. The thief may attempt to read languages and ciphers of a non-magical nature only. Make an Intelligence check against a Difficulty Class of 20, increasing the chance of success by 1 for every experience levels of the thief.
| Race | Climb Walls | Find Traps | Open Locks | Read Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | -2 | +3 | +3 | -1 |
| Elf | -1 | +1 | -1 | +2 |
| Gnome | -3 | — | +2 | — |
| Half-elf | — | — | -— | — |
| Halfling | -3 | — | — | -1 |
| Half-orc | +1 | +1 | +1 | -2 |
| Human | +1 | — | +1 | — |
Read Scrolls. When a thief reaches 10th level, he or she has become versed enough in training to cast spells from an arcane or phantasmal scroll (magic user or illusionist). However, this casting is not always successful. The thief should roll against his or her intelligence as a magic user or illusionist does, and if the score shown on the die is insufficient for the thief to cast the spell, then the casting will fail, possibly (at the GM’s option) having some entirely unexpected effect.
| Level | Aimed Magic Items (e.g., rod, staff, wand) | Breath Weapons | Death, Paralysis, Poison | Petrifaction, Polymorph | Spells for unlisted categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 15 |
| 5-8 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
| 9-12 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| 13-16 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| 17-20 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| 21+ | 4 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 5 |