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 | Awareness | Backstab |
| 1 | Knave | 0 | 1d6 | +0 | 1-2 | +3 (x2) |
| 2 | Footpad | 1500 | 2d6 | +0 | 1-2 | +3 (x2) |
| 3 | Robber | 3000 | 3d6 | +1 | 1-2 | +3 (x2) |
| 4 | Burglar | 6000 | 4d6 | +1 | 1-3 | +4 (x2) |
| 5 | Cutpurse | 12,000 | 5d6 | +2 | 1-3 | +4 (x3) |
| 6 | Sharper | 25,000 | 6d6 | +2 | 1-3 | +4 (x3) |
| 7 | Pilferer | 50,000 | 7d6 | +3 | 1-4 | +5 (x3) |
| 8 | Prowler | 100,000 | 8d6 | +3 | 1-4 | +5 (x3) |
| 9 | Filcher | 150,000 | 9d6 | +4 | 1-4 | +5 (x4) |
| 10 | Rogue | 200,000 | 10d6 | +4 | 1-5 | +6 (x4) |
| 11 | Master Thief | 250,000 | 11d6 | +5 | 1-5 | +6 (x4) |
| 12 | Prince | 300,000 | 12d6 | +5 | 1-5 | +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 | CL | HS | MS | OL | PP | RL | RT |
| 1 | +7 | +3 | +4 | +3 | +5 | +4 | +5 |
| 2 | +8 | +4 | +5 | +4 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
| 3 | +9 | +5 | +6 | +5 | +7 | +6 | +7 |
| 4 | +10 | +6 | +7 | +6 | +8 | +7 | +8 |
| 5 | +11 | +7 | +8 | +7 | +9 | +8 | +9 |
| 6 | +12 | +8 | +9 | +8 | +10 | +9 | +10 |
| 7 | +13 | +9 | +10 | +9 | +11 | +10 | +11 |
| 8 | +14 | +10 | +11 | +10 | +12 | +11 | +12 |
| 9 | +15 | +11 | +12 | +11 | +13 | +12 | +13 |
| 10 | +16 | +12 | +13 | +12 | +14 | +13 | +14 |
| 11 | +17 | +13 | +14 | +13 | +15 | +14 | +15 |
| 12 | +18 | +14 | +15 | +14 | +16 | +15 | +16 |
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.
Awareness: Thieves train their senses to notice threats and opportunities better than other classes. This is reflected as an increased chance on the d6 roll for search checks and listen checks (see table above). The referee rolls these checks, as per the normal rules. Unlike most other classes, the thief can use this ability to spot treasure traps.
Backstab: If a thief attacks an unaware foe from behind, add the thief’s backstab bonus to the attack roll. This may apply during a surprise round in combat, or if the thief makes a successful Move Silently check to sneak up behind the target. 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 capable of performing extraordinary feats of stealth and cunning, allowing them to do things other classes cannot. To perform a skill check, roll 1d20 + Skill Bonus. Refer to the table above for Skills Bonuses per level. An ability modifier is also applied to the roll, depending on the skill being tested.
- Climbing (CL): Thieves are exceptional climbers, applying their skill bonus to all checks to climb. The thief’s Strength or Dexterity modifier is applied to these checks. Unlike other classes, a thief may attempt to scale sheer surfaces without specialized climbing gear; this is a DC 20 check.
- Hide in Shadows (HS): A thief has the uncanny ability to seemingly disappear into the shadows. They must remain completely motionless, unable to move or attack. On a successful DC 20 check, the thief remains undetected even if an observer succeeds on a search check. The thief’s Dexterity modifier is applied to the check. This ability cannot be used in broad daylight or other situations with very bright lighting, but it can be used at dusk, twilight, nighttime, and in shadowy, torchlit interiors.
- Open Locks (OL): A thief is trained to unlock non-magical locks and latches using lock picks instead of a key. These lock picks are called thief’s tools and the thief must have these on hand to use this skill. Their Dexterity modifier is applied to the check. A typical lock is DC 20, but the referee may adjust the DC based on the quality of the lock by +/-4.
- Move Silently (MS): A thief can attempt to move completely silently, and if successful, cannot be heard even with a successful listen check. This allows the thief to sneak up on or sneak past adversaries without being noticed, possibly to surprise a foe and get positioned for a backstab. Their Dexterity modifier is also applied to the check. This is a DC 20 check in most circumstances, but the referee may adjust the DC by +/-4 to account for particularly noisy or quiet surfaces.
- Pick Pockets (PP): A thief can attempt to steal things off of another creature without being noticed. Failure means the thief is unable to steal the object. This is a base DC 20 check. The thief’s Dexterity modifier is applied to the check. If the roll is failed by a margin of 5 or more, the attempt is noticed by the target. The DC may be modified by the level difference between the Thief and the target (e.g., a Level 1 Thief picking the pocket of a Level 3 target must pass a DC 22 check).
- Read Languages (RL): A thief may attempt 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. A typical document is DC 20 to decipher. The thief’s Intelligence modifier is applied to the check.
- Remove Traps (RT): A thief can tinker with a trap’s mechanisms to safely disable or disarm it. The thief must know of the trap and must have thieves’ tools to do so. A typical trap is DC 20 to remove. If the roll to remove the trap is failed by a margin of 5 or more, the thief must make a Death Save or accidentally trigger the trap.
Arcane 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, the scroll is not destroyed, 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.