Little John, by Louis Read, Colorized

GLoG Classic Class: The Thief

This is the first post in a series I am intending to start that revisits classic classes to breathe new life into them. Not merely a set of bonuses to existing play options, my hope is that these revisitations will open interesting gameplay options to the players that choose to take them.

Thieves have been a troublesome class since their introduction in the early days of D&D. Gygax himself famously hated the thief class, adding it primarily due to pressure from fans of the Hobbit. And his disdain is perhaps justified. The very nature of the class removes many of the threats of dungeoneering. Traps? Send the thief. Monsters? Have the thief sneak past. An unsuspecting guard? Backstab! 

Rather than create interesting play scenarios, it is very easy to design thief classes that simply negate them. Much as Rangers in 5e come under fire for making wilderness exploration procedures irrelevant, the thief can actually reduce interesting gameplay scenarios merely by existing.

This class aims to give thief players interesting choices.

My hope is that this thief will feel both useful and thrilling. In addition, having multiple thieves in a party is also useful, as they may have different Talents, and different bonuses in those talents.

Let me know what you think in the comments!

The Thief

Skills: Street-Rat | Charlatan | High Society

Starting Gear: 2 Daggers, Lockpicks, Rope, Mysterious Treasure-Map

A. 2 Talents, Backstab

B. Luck, +1 Talent

C. Backstab 2d6, +1 Talent

D. Reliable, +1 Talent

Talents

A thief with the given Talent simply succeeds at basic tasks related to that talent. Each Talent also has an associated Gambit, which is a bit riskier. When you take a Gambit, its bonus starts at 1. When you gain a Thief template, increase the bonus of any Gambits you already know by 1.

To test a Gambit for success, roll a d6 and add the Gambit's Bonus. On a 6+, you succeed!

• Pick Locks: You can always pick a mundane lock in 10 minutes. 
• Gambit: Rush Job, You may attempt to pick a lock as an action, though on failure the lock becomes stuck. It could be opened via smashing, but this will likely trigger an encounter check.
• Pick Pockets: In a crowded area you can jostle someone and reach into their pocket unnoticed.
• Gambit: Light-Fingers You may attempt to pick-pocket someone while speaking with them or concealed from them. On a failure, they realize you've taken something.
• Hide: In as little as a dark corner, you can blend into the background. 
• Gambit: Sneak, You may attempt to sneak by conscious creatures, but they notice you on a failure.
• Spot Traps: Even when rushing, you can spot Trap Triggers without a check. 
• Gambit: Disarm/Repurpose: You may attempt to break a trap down into its essential pieces, thus disarming it. On failure, the trap triggers. You may also attempt to build new traps from the old pieces. On failure, the pieces are wasted.
• Bluff: You can lie with ease, so long as the lie is slightly believable. 
• Gambit: All In, Even the Big Lies sound believable while rolling off your tongue, sometimes. You may attempt to pass off just about anything as true.
• Appraise: You can tell the market value of anything, and know how to find a buyer.
• Gambit: Insight, You can attempt to learn a character's true motivation by listening to them. On a failure, they become very wary of you. Useful for bribery and blackmail.
• Read Magic: You can tell if an object is magical. 
• Gambit: Trick Magic, You know just enough magical jargon to get some things to work for you, such as wands and spell scrolls. On a failure, the item misfires, breaks, or causes trouble dependent on the intended effect.

Backstab

If you have advantage (or a similar situational bonus) on an attack, deal +d6 Damage, or +2d6 at 3 Thief Templates.

Luck

Whenever a Gambit fails, gain 1 Luck, up to your Thief templates. You may spend luck on a later roll to automatically succeed instead of rolling. You may also spend luck to avoid all damage from one source.

Reliable

Once per day, if you fail a Gambit, you may choose to succeed instead. You gain no luck if you do.