HP: 1d8 (minimum 5) until level 12, +2 HP/level after 12
Attack Bonus: Level 1 +0 - Level 20 +15 (medium BAB progression)
Attack Rate: Level 1 1/1 turn
Weapon Proficiencies: 3 at level 1 + 1 every 4 levels (5, 9, 13, 17)
Non-Proficient Weapon Penalty: -3
Weapon Proficiencies: Thieves may choose from any Simple Weapon, any FinesseWeapon, the sap, and short sword.
Talent Proficiencies: 4 at level 1 + 1 every 3 levels (4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18)
Non-Proficient Talent Penalty: -2
Thief Talents: Thieves are talented individuals. They start the game with proficiency in Climbing, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand and Stealth automatically. Additionally, once per day, a Thief may re-roll a roll for one of these four Talents as if they had Mastery in it.
Fortitude Save: +1 at level 1 + 1 every 2.5 levels (4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19)
Reflex Save: +3 at level 1 + 1 every 2 levels (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19)
Will Save: +1 at level 1 + 1 every 2.5 levels (4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19)
Sneak Attack: [Use: Additional Effect on Damage Rolls] Thieves capitalize on the unaware. When a Thief successfully hits a Flat-Footed target, the attack is automatically a Critical Hit.
Evasion: [Use: Additional Effect on Reflex Saving Throw] At 2nd level and higher, a Thief can avoid disastrous attacks with great agility. If a Thief makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the Thief takes no damage instead. A Thief cannot use Evasion if they are wearing armor heavier than Light, using a shield larger than a buckler or if they are Flat-Footed.
Insight: [Use: Free] - At 3rd level and higher, a Thief develops a startling insight into the flow of money. After having been in the presence of an individual or business for 10 minutes or more, a Thief can attempt to gain insight into them. The Thief can ask a Yes or No question of the DM in a manner like the Commune spell. These questions are limited to the persons (or businesses) wealth, source of income, history, or other like topics. The Thief makes an Ability roll vs. Intelligence and, if successful, they receive an answer. If the roll fails, the Thief knows he cannot determine that information at this time. A Thief must wait until the next day and must observe the person (or business) again for another 10 minutes to attempt to discern an answer to a question they already failed.
Keen Eye: [Use: Additional Effect on Damage Rolls] At 4rd level and higher, a Thief knows how to hit where it hurts. When a Thief hits a target and the total of the Attack Roll exceeds the Armor Class of the target, any additional Attack Bonus is added to the Critical Range of the Thieves weapon for the purposes of that attack. For example, a Thief wielding a short sword that rolled a total of an 18 on an attack roll to hit a target with AC 16 would increase the critical range of the short sword from 19-20 to 17-20. If the result of the die used for the Attack Roll is within the increased Critical Range the attack is a Critical Hit.
Vital Attack: [Use: Additional Effect on Damage Rolls] At level 6 and higher, a Thief treats any weapons Critical Modifier as +1. For example, a short sword that does x2 damage does x3 damage when in the hands of a Thief. A Thief cannot use Vital Attack if they are wearing armor heavier than Light or using a shield larger than a buckler.
Mug: [Use: Attack Option] At level 8 and higher, a Thief knows a knife makes a great distraction. When a Thief uses Sneak Attack they may choose to deal only standard damage. If they do, they may also use the Sleight of Hand Talent to attempt to steal from the target of the Sneak Attack and the target takes a penalty on their Wisdom equal to the damage dealt to notice the Sleight of Hand attempt. A Thief cannot use Mug if they are using a shield larger than a buckler.
Trickster: [Use: Bonus Talent] At level 10 and higher, a Thieves sharp senses allow him to understand the basics of magic. The Thief gains the Use Magic Devices Talent. If the Thief already has this Talent they gain an additional proficiency rank in it.
Improved Vital Attack: [Use: Additional Effect on Damage Rolls] At level 11 and higher, a Thief treats any weapons Critical Modifier as +2 instead of +1. A Thief cannot use Improved Vital Attack if they are wearing armor heavier than Light or using a shield larger than a buckler.
Greater Vital Attack: [Use: Additional Effect on Damage Rolls] At level 16 and higher, a Thief treats any weapons Critical Modifier as +3 instead of +2. A Thief cannot use Greater Vital Attack if they are wearing armor heavier than Light, using a shield larger than a buckler.
...off their back: [Use: Additional Effect on Talent Roll] At level 20, a Thief may attempt to steal worn or held items from a target without any penalty to their Sleight of Hand roll. A Thief cannot use ...off their back if they are wearing armor heavier than Light or using a shield larger than a buckler.
| Thief Level | Ability | Attack Bonus | CMB | Base Armor Class | Fort | Ref | Will | ||||||
| 1 | WPs, TPs, Thief Talents, Sneak Attack | +0 | +0 | 10 | +1 | +3 | +1 | ||||||
| 2 | Evasion | +1 | +1 | 11 | +1 | +3 | +1 | ||||||
| 3 | Insight |
+2 | +2 | 11 | +1 | +4 | +1 | ||||||
| 4 | TP, Keen Eye | +3 | +3 | 12 | +2 | +4 | +2 | ||||||
| 5 | WP | +3 | +4 | 12 | +2 | +5 | +2 | ||||||
| 6 | Vital Attack | +4 | +5 | 13 | +3 | +5 | +3 | ||||||
| 7 | TP | +5 | +6 | 13 | +3 | +6 | +3 | ||||||
| 8 | Mug | +6 | +7 | 14 | +3 | +6 | +3 | ||||||
| 9 | WP | +6 | +7 | 14 | +4 | +7 | +4 | ||||||
| 10 | TP, Trickster | +7 | +8 | 15 | +4 | +7 | +4 | ||||||
| 11 | Imp Vital Attack | +8 | +9 | 15 | +5 | +8 | +5 | ||||||
| 12 | TP | +9 | +10 | 16 | +5 | +8 | +5 | ||||||
| 13 | WP | +9 | +11 | 16 | +5 | +9 | +5 | ||||||
| 14 | +10 | +12 | 17 | +6 | +9 | +6 | |||||||
| 15 | TP | +11 | +13 | 17 | +6 | +10 | +6 | ||||||
| 16 | Greater Vital Attack | +12 | +14 | 18 | +7 | +10 | +7 | ||||||
| 17 | WP | +12 | +14 | 18 | +7 | +11 | +7 | ||||||
| 18 | TP | +13 | +15 | 19 | +7 | +11 | +7 | ||||||
| 19 | +14 | +16 | 19 | +8 | +12 | +8 | |||||||
| 20 | …off their back | +15 | +17 | 20 | +8 | +12 | +8 | ||||||
***
So here is what I have as a first draft for the Thief. Note the name...Thief. Yup going old school with this one. Why call it a Rogue? It's a Thief! Have some pride in it! Rogue is a larger umbrella a Thief falls under.
On to the concept!
A low level Thief is little more than a cagey, sneaky cut-purse. They are good at sneaking about and generally doing thief-ie things. They are also squishier than a Fighter, tending to have less HP and less AC as well.
Burglar? Who you calling a burglar?
Bilbo at the start of his journey is a great example of a low-level thief. Quite nearly the archetype. He is crafty, sneaky and clever in all the right ways. He's also not much in a stand-up fight but knows how to capitalize on situations.
Thankfully fiction is full of mid-level thieves! You can't throw a rock without hitting one actually! (hint: aim for the shadows) However could I pick one? I need one not only great at being a thief...but possessed of a certain...unbelievable awesomeness. God, where could I find someone like that...?
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Whoa! Bruce Campbell to the rescue courtesy of Autolycus, King of Thieves! And if you don't know who the character or the actor is...then kill yourself! Sneak into a king's storehouse? Done. Disable a bunch of guards? Child's play! Have awesome facial hair?It naturally grows this way!
Now, high level Thieves are a bit harder to find...but that's kinda the point isn't it?
Identity unknown? Head of a guild? Stole from a god? Yup. High level thief right here! Nothing is beyond this guy's reach. He's brilliant, guileful and an enigma.
Thieves have enough HP (d8 hit die) to stay in the fight but they aren't going to outlast a warrior class. Their attack bonus is also sub-warrior, meaning they have to pick and choose their attacks.
The Thief has a good amount of Weapon Proficiencies to start with 3 but has a limited selection of weapons to choose from and they do not earn that many throughout their career. An important thing to notice here is the mention of "Finesse" weapons. Finesse is a Weapon trait that means the weapon uses Dexterity for its to-hit bonus instead of Strength. Yes, Weapon Finesse as a Feat-Tax is dead and buried. In addition, their non-proficient penalty hurts at -3.
On the Talent Proficiency side, Thieves are pretty well off, starting with 4 and gaining them at a good pace. In addition, Thieves start with 4 proficiencies for free that represents their Thief training. Not too shabby! Their non-proficient penalty for Talents is also not too bad at only -2. This makes them versatile with skills they aren't trained in if they have a good enough Ability Score.
Saves are as one would expect with the same sort of tweaks I made with Fighters. The Thief focuses on Reflex just as one would expect.
As for class features...
Sneak Attack is a much simplified version of Third Editions Sneak Attack and previous editions Back-stab. If you are undefended and a Thief can hit you they WILL hurt you bad. Simple as that. You hit, you crit. Simple. Done. Fun.
Evasion makes a return though you won't find it's bigger brother Improved Evasion anywhere. Honestly, Improved Evasion never really came up that much and Evasion is where it's at. It is now an iconic Thief ability and gives the Thief good identity against effects.
Keen Eye is a new twist on Sneak Attack along the same lines as the Fighters Exploit ability. It is also built on the concept that rolling high should be rewarding and fun. Keen Eye improves a Thieves ability to hit as they hunt & peck for weaknesses in their enemies defense. It is very flavorful. It is also fairly straight-forward while still rewarding a Thief that targets enemies who will have lower AC.
Mobility is an adaptation of the Spring Attack feat that was fairly popular among Rogue builds. It is a very Thief-ie ability where the character can dart in and out of melee to ping enemies that are exposed. This keeps Thieves from having to fight stand-up if they don't want to. It allows them to fight on their terms. It also encourages the player to think about where they're battling and how they're moving around the battlefield itself.
Vital Attack is another simplification, this time of the old Back-stab multiplier and multiple Sneak Attack dice. Thieves get better and better at stabbing people with weapons. Vital Attack works in conjunction with Keen Eye and Sneak Attack to make Thieves critical hits increasingly dangerous. Again, flavorful and in keeping with how Thieves are presented in just about EVERY VIDEO GAME EVER. Want a crit? Get a Thief. Yet Crits have always been next to useless for Thieves, especially for Rogues in 3rd edition. Very silly. This helps unify it all under one umbrella.
Mug! Seriously, what a fun power. Mug ALONE would make me want to play a Thief. See something you like? Stab and grab!
Trickster sees a return of the classic scroll-reading Thief ability which adds excellent versatility to a Thief's arsenal.
Finally, ...off their back is the level 20 ability for Thieves. While I was tempted to make it something to do with Sneak Attacking I couldn't justify it. The Thief class is about stealing and the capstone ability should reflect that...so at level 20 Thieves can steal pretty much anything on a targets person. Think that isn't that useful? Imagine stripping the cloak off a Wizard. Not so useless anymore is it?
The Thief is undoubtedly a more complex class than Fighter but only by a degree or two. It is meant to be fairly easy to understand but, as anyone that has played a Thief knows, the difficulty is in the execution. This class is meant to give a player the options they need to be a Thief but it is up to them to plan and play well. Additionally, the class is not designed for stand-up combat and one should keep that in mind. But...then again...that's half the fun with a Thief!
As always...gimme feedback! It's welcome and will help me!
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