Thief v2

An alternate variant of Thief bringing it into line with the Spy layout.

The current document for discussion is/was File:Thief 203.doc

History

Changes from 2.03 to 2.05

• a couple of grammar fixes
• removed requirement to R/W one language at Rk 3 to advance past Rk3.
• Mugging - further detail about what may be stolen.
• Danger Sense - Specifying that this is based on skill/experience not magic.
• Detect Path of Escape - changed to be decision making based on skill/experience not a quasi-magical instinct.

== Thief == (Version 2.05) (September 05)

Thieves cover a wide range of individuals that walk the shady path, living from ill-gotten gains stolen from others. Each thief will generally have a chosen style of theft ranging from Mugging or Burglary through to pick pocketing and other forms of petty theft. In many towns and cities Thieves will loosely form into guilds or brotherhoods and woe betide the thief who is caught disobeying the local rules.

47.1 Restrictions

When a character is both a spy and a thief, the player may use the better of the two percentages to perform a given ability.

Discovery

If the thief catastrophically fails in their skill by rolling greater than 30% over the base chance for the ability, or 90% + Rank (whichever is the lesser BC), then they may have been discovered. The repercussions of this discovery is based on their situation: what exactly they were attempting, who the discoverer is, the difficulty of the task compared to their rank in the skill, whether the thief has other skills help them make their escape etc. The repercussions may range from a whipping, expulsion from an inn/town, a beating in the back alley, through to the traditional punishment for a thief: to lose a hand or eye. Thus, a good thief is not only the one who does not get caught, but also the one who can escape before punishment.

47.2 Benefits

All thieves gain grounding in basic theft, including foraging, moving quietly, the paths of the thieves' highway and communicating with their peers. They may also choose three abilities from the optional list.

Stealth

A thief increases their chance of acting stealthily by 2% per Rank.

Foraging

A thief will be able to survive in a city or town living off their wits and skills. They will be able to obtain basic food and water and a place to sleep. Ranks 0-4 may only achieve this for 1+Rank*2 days before running the risk of being captured by the local law. This chance is 100-20*Rank for each additional day. Thieves rank 5 and above are able to live poorly with minimal fear of capture.

Navigation

A thief is able to navigate around a town within minutes of arrival. They will be able to tell where the market, gaol, or other amenities are simply from the layout of the town.

Thiefsign

Thief sign is a short code language that thieves use to recognize each other and make contact with local gangs or guilds. Outside of a thieves normal area of operation the chance of contacting a thieves guild member is Rank x 4 + PC x2 per day.

Optional Abilities

In addition, a thief gains an optional ability with each Rank. Additional abilities may be gained by the expenditure of 4,000 Experience Points and 4 weeks of training per ability. These costs are discounted by 25% if the thief has reached rank 8, or by 50% if they have reached rank 10.

1. Assess

the thief may assess the value of stolen items as if a merchant of similar rank. The success percentage for assaying a common item is equal to the thieves (Perception + 6 x Rank)%, to assay an uncommon item equal to (Perception + 5 x Rank)%, and to assay a rare or costly item equal to (Perception + 4 x Rank)%. If the GM's roll is equal to or less than the success percentages, the merchant character is told the exact value of the item in question. If the roll is greater than the success percentage, the GM's quote increasingly diverges from reality as the result approaches 100. If the result is odd, the quote is below the actual asking price; if even, it is above. All prices are dependant on the items value on the black market and not on the items normal market value.

2. Mugging

the thief may strike a blow to stun or confuse a victim from surprise. A successful strike with a blunt object at -30 to the strike chance will allow the thief time to remove a small item (+1 per 4 full ranks) from the victim and gain a reasonable head start to evade pursuit. Only items that are easily removed such as money pouches, items in pockets etc may be taken at GM discretion. The victim will be aware of the theft but will take a few seconds to recover and start pursuit. This cannot normally be done during the combat sequence.

3. Blending

the thief will be able to merge with crowds of people to avoid detection on a busy street. They will be aware of how to blend in and perform the actions appropriate to their surroundings and use any available props or clothing to assist in maintaining this guise.

• Ranks 0-2 require a very busy street or market place in a city to be successful.
• Ranks 3-6 will be able to perform this action on a moderately busy street or in a town's market place.
• Ranks 7 and above will be able to perform this feat wherever there are at least a few people to blend in with.

4. Climbing

the thief can, as long as they may find a purchase sufficient to bear their weight, climb simple structures without difficulty. For natural features, difficult structures or for performing other actions while climbing, the success chance is (3 x MD+ PC + 10 x Rank) - Appropriate GM modifier.

5. Concealment

the thief may conceal small items (coins, lock picks etc) about their person. Anyone attempting to locate hidden items on a thief must roll 4 x PC - 10 x rank of thief.

6. Danger sense

The thief may get a sixth sense feeling when they have been spotted, found or if a trap is about to trigger equal to Rank x 4 +PC x 2. This will only act as a warning and will not confer any specific abilities to avoid capture or the trap. This is not a magical sense just simply the heightened awareness of their surroundings.

7. Detect path of escape

The thief will be able to make on the spot decisions as the most likely escape route from pursuit or entrapment.

8. Distraction

the thief will be able to distract watchers long enough to steal items in a shop or from a market stall.

9. Escapology

The thief has a Rk x 9 + 2x AG - 8 x Rank in Thief Spy or Assassin (or appropriate GM Modifier) of captor chance of escaping from chains, handcuffs or ropes. This skill also allows the thief to dislocate joints in order to pass through small openings or crevices.

10. Enhanced Perception

the thief may be able to spot hidden apertures, traps or hidden loot. It will take 12- Rank minutes to completely search an appropriate area with a chance of 2xPC + 10xRank - 10xRank of opposition artisan/mechanician. This skill confers no abilities to remove, open or steal anything located. The area for the purposes of this skill can be defined as one object or a section of floor/wall 10ft square.

11. Hiding

a Thief can find unlikely hiding places and conceal themselves for long periods of time, keeping still and quiet. The thief may remain motionless for up to Rank/2 hours (Roundup) without cramps or ill effects. After this time the thief must roll WP+EN+5*Rk each half hour.

12. Intimidation

this allows the thief to make threats in a believable fashion so that the person being intimidated will know the thief is capable of any acts described in the threat. The chances of a thief being able to convince someone to do as the thief wishes through intimidation are equal to (2 x WP + 5xRank) - (2 x Victims willpower + GM Modifier if appropriate).

13. Picking Locks

A thief can pick locks with the aid of appropriate tools. The time a thief must spend to implement the picklock ability is (120 - 10 x Rank) seconds with a chance of (2 x MD + 6 x Rank) - (6x Lock Rank). If the GM's roll on percentile dice is equal to or less than the success percentage the thief has picked the lock. If the roll is greater than the success percentage, the lock resists the thief's best efforts. If any trap remains in place when a thief fails to pick a lock, it is triggered by that action.

14. Picking Pockets

A thief can attempt to pick the pocket of another being without being detected by either the victim or other members of the public. A thief has a base success percentage equal to (3 x Manual Dexterity + 6 x Rank)% to pickpocket a being.

It is assumed that the thief attempting to pickpocket is not handicapped by their physical condition or their location; if they are, the GM should modify the success percentage accordingly.

The following modifiers may be applied to the success percentage:

• The victim is unconscious +50%
• The victim is sleeping or stunned +25%
• The victim cannot see well in current circumstances (e.g. human at night) +10%
• The victim is inebriated +5%
• The pickpocket attempt is made in an un-crowded area and the victim has at least a slight suspicion of the thief's intentions -15%
• The object to be pick pocketed is in a sealed pocket, pouch or compartment -20%
• The object to be pick pocketed is affixed to the victim's person or is something used constantly during the day by the victim -30%
• The object to be pick pocketed makes noise when removed -25%
• The victim wears metal armour or garments -5%
• The victim is an assassin, thief or spy: Subtract (5 x Victim's Rank)%

15. Photographic Memory

The thief will be able to accurately remember the details given to them regarding a theft. Any details of the objects to be stolen or layouts of the locations may be recalled perfectly up to 2xRank days later. A Thief's chance to recall a memorised image accurately is (2 x Perception + 12 x Rank)% rolled by the GM. If the failed recall attempt occurs within 1+ (1 / Rank) days of the memorisation, the Thief merely cannot remember. After this period, their effective rank for recall reduces by one per subsequent day, and with a failed roll, erroneous information may be remembered instead. If a Thief fails to recall an object or place, they may not attempt to recall it again until they study it again.

16. Remove Traps

the thief may attempt to remove traps. A thief must spend (12 - Rank) minutes to use their remove trap ability and they will have a chance equal to (2 x MD + 10 x Rank) - (5 x Trap Rank). When a thief attempts to remove a trap, the GM rolls percentile dice. If the roll is less than or equal to the success percentage the thief has removed the trap without triggering it. If the GM's roll is greater than the success percentage, the trap is triggered

17. Teamwork

the thief may work with a team of thieves to perform thefts. This will allow the thieves to work as one seamless unit distract guards, enter locations or perform petty thefts. For any co-ordinated effort each thief may add 2% per combined ranks of all thieves with teamwork to their thief base chances while working with the team.

A GM may give the following abilities to a Thief over the course of play. Or may be requested by a player as part of there character knowledge and backgrounds.

Thief Area Knowledge's

the thief is intimately knowledgeable about the shady path in an area. They will know and be known by the other local criminals and will be aware of the local rules applying to them (both from local law and those who live beyond it). They will be aware of local fences and what goods are prices are both in supply and demand on the local black market. The thief will generally also have a reputation in this area.

Thief Master (area)

The thief has risen to rank as a master thief in an area, or has set up his or her own thieves' guild. They will be able to organise other thieves, declare local rules and set punishments for interlopers. This ability requires Rank 8 plus.