Treasure lures many adventurers, but thieves most of all. Low-lives, burglars, footpads, bandits, cutpurses, skulks, robbers, highwaymen – these are all common names for those who follow the path of the thief. They are agile infiltrators and cunning specialists who use wits, skill, and subterfuge to best their enemies and extract wealth from the coffers of the rich and the tombs of the dead.
Of all adventuring classes, thieves are the most adept at exploring the dungeon and avoiding the traps and hazards that guard the treasure. Because they are so stealthy, they are often used as scouts to sneak through unknown tunnels and survey the path ahead, hoping to silently eliminate foes that threaten to raise the alarm and bring reinforcements that could spell disaster for the party.
Hit Dice: Thieves gain +1d6 hit die per level.
Restrictions: Thieves can wield any weapon. They can wear only padded, leather, or studded leather armor. They cannot use shields.
Alignment: As one might expect, thieves are almost always chaotic or neutral, given the nature of their skills. Lawful thieves are indeed a rarity, though not entirely unheard of, as many thieves operate on code of ethics, and a thief who ends their life of crime retains the skills they learned in the shadows.
THIEF EXPERIENCE LEVEL TABLE
| Level | Title | XP | HD | Attack Bonus | Backstab |
| 1 | Knave | 0 | 1d6 | +0 | +3 (x2) |
| 2 | Footpad | 1500 | 2d6 | +0 | +3 (x2) |
| 3 | Robber | 3000 | 3d6 | +1 | +3 (x2) |
| 4 | Burglar | 6000 | 4d6 | +1 | +4 (x2) |
| 5 | Cutpurse | 12,000 | 5d6 | +2 | +4 (x3) |
| 6 | Sharper | 25,000 | 6d6 | +2 | +4 (x3) |
| 7 | Pilferer | 50,000 | 7d6 | +3 | +5 (x3) |
| 8 | Prowler | 100,000 | 8d6 | +3 | +5 (x3) |
| 9 | Filcher | 200,000 | 9d6 | +4 | +5 (x4) |
| 10 | Rogue | 300,000 | 10d6 | +4 | +6 (x4) |
| 11 | Master Thief | 400,000 | 11d6 | +5 | +6 (x4) |
| 12 | Prince | 500,000 | 12d6 | +5 | +6 (x4) |
THIEF SAVING THROW TABLE
| Level | Death/Poison | Wand/Rod | Petrify/Poly | Dragon Breath | Spells/Staves |
| 1 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +0 | +1 |
| 2 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +0 | +1 |
| 3 | +4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +2 |
| 4 | +4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +2 |
| 5 | +5 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +3 |
| 6 | +5 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +3 |
| 7 | +6 | +5 | +6 | +3 | +4 |
| 8 | +6 | +5 | +6 | +3 | +4 |
| 9 | +7 | +6 | +7 | +4 | +5 |
| 10 | +7 | +6 | +7 | +4 | +5 |
| 11 | +8 | +7 | +8 | +5 | +6 |
| 12 | +8 | +7 | +8 | +5 | +6 |
THIEF SKILL BONUS TABLE
| Level | CS | TR | HN | HS | MS | OL | PP | RL |
| 1 | +10 | +1 | +3 | +1 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +4 |
| 2 | +11 | +2 | +4 | +2 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +4 |
| 3 | +11 | +3 | +5 | +3 | +4 | +3 | +4 | +5 |
| 4 | +12 | +4 | +6 | +4 | +5 | +4 | +5 | +5 |
| 5 | +12 | +5 | +7 | +5 | +6 | +5 | +6 | +6 |
| 6 | +13 | +6 | +8 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +8 | +6 |
| 7 | +13 | +8 | +9 | +7 | +8 | +9 | +10 | +7 |
| 8 | +14 | +10 | +10 | +9 | +9 | +11 | +12 | +8 |
| 9 | +14 | +12 | +11 | +11 | +10 | +12 | +13 | +9 |
| 10 | +15 | +14 | +12 | +13 | +12 | +13 | +14 | +10 |
| 11 | +15 | +15 | +14 | +15 | +14 | +14 | +15 | +11 |
| 12 | +16 | +16 | +15 | +16 | +16 | +15 | +16 | +12 |
Special Features
Thieves’ Cant: Thieves can speak a secret coded language called thieves’ cant that allows them to relay information to other thieves without revealing the true details to an eavesdropper. They can also read and write special symbols that only other thieves can read which denote useful information about an area, such as the presence of danger, traps, monsters, law enforcement, watchful folks, or wealthy targets.
Backstab (BS): If the thief is able to move silently (see below) a creature and attacks it from behind, add their skill bonus to the attack roll. A successful backstab inflicts double (x2) damage. This increases to triple (x3) damage at 5th level and quadruple (x4) damage at 9th level.
Thief Skills: Thieves are are exceptionally skilled at certain activities, allowing them to perform some special actions when adventuring. Using a thief skill requires an ability check. A skill bonus is added to rolls for these actions, per the table above. The default DC to use a thief skill is 20. This may be increased for difficulty by +/-4 per the referee.
- Climb (CL): Thieves are exceptional climbers, adding their skill bonus to checks for difficult climbing. A thief can attempt a DC 20 check to climb sheer surfaces, such as flat walls or smooth cliffs.
- Find and Remove Traps (TR): On a successful DC 20 wisdom check with skill bonus added, a thief is able to spot a trapped object or area. With a successful dexterity check with skill bonus added, a thief can disarm a trap once found.
- Hear Noise (HN): In a quiet environment and with concentration, a thief may attempt to listen for the feintest of noises, making a DC 20 wisdom check with skill bonus added. On a success, any potential noises are heard. This is in addition to the normal chance via the awareness rules.
- Hide in Shadows (HS): With a DC 20 dexterity check with skill bonus added, a thief is able to hide with only shadows to obscure them, as if they were hiding behind full cover. They must remain completely motionless, unable to move or attack.
- Open Locks (OL): On a successful DC 20 dexterity check, a thief is able to open non-magical locks. The thief adds their skill bonus to these rolls. Opening locks requires a set of lock picks called thief’s tools.
- Move Silently (MS): On a successful DC 20 dexterity check with skill bonus added, a thief can sneak up on or sneak past enemies without being noticed. This may allow the thief to automatically gain surprise against an foe.
- Pick Pockets (PP): On a successful DC 20 dexterity check with skill bonus added, a thief can steal things off of another creature without being noticed. Failure means the thief is unable to steal the object. If the roll is failed by a margin of 5 or more, the attempt is noticed by the target. The thief’s skill bonus is added to these rolls.
- Read Languages (RL): On a successful DC 20 intelligence check with skill bonus added, a thief is able to read any non-magical writing or language, as well as decipher non-magical codes. Failure means the thief may not try again until they reach the next experience level. The thief’s skill bonus is added to these rolls.
Scroll Use: A thief may attempt to use their Read Languages skill to cast an arcane spell scroll. On a failure, the spell is not cast and the thief is unable to attempt to cast that spell from a scroll again. If the roll is a natural 1, the scroll is destroyed and the spell is cast in the reversed form or else is unexpectedly harmful or problematic (per the referee).
At 9th Level: If a thief controls a stronghold, they attract 5d6x10 knaves to serve as a ring of thieves.