Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition, AD&D 2nd edition Character creation: Kits and Classes: Rogue, Thief skill descriptions

Character Creation main

Introduction

Introduction

Experience tables

Kits & Classes Index

Suggested Reading

Credits

Thief Skill Descriptions

Back protection: A thief quickly learns caution is the best rule for survival. The rogue develops a sixth sense about weapons and other forms of attack aimed at the character. Any time an undetected enemy is preparing an attack, the thief can attempt a Back Protection check to receive a vague impression of the attacker's general direction (front, rear, left, right) and distance (close, far). In many cases, the attacker's identity is obvious from the information the skill provides.
A successful skill check gives the rogue a chance to surprise his attacker and the attacker's surprise roll is penalized by -2. In addition, if the thief chooses to attack his attacker he does so one combat phase earlier than normally allowed. (For example, if the thief could normally attacks during the fast phase, he can attack in the very fast phase if he makes his skill check.) A thief who makes a successful check also negates to hit and damage bonuses gained by the attacker for attacking from behind or concealment. These bonuses apply only during the round in which the back attack is detected.
Bribe official: A thief uses this skill to sway the reactions of NPC’s with small gifts of coin or

Table 3.30 Bribery costs

NPC station Bribe

Commoner or slave 2d4 gp

Merchant or soldier 3d8 gp

Gentry or officer 5d10 gp

Noble or general 5d00 gp

merchandise. Success depends on the thief’s skill, the NPC’s initial reaction and the gold piece value of the bribe offered.
When a bribe might be necessary, roll the NPC’s reaction in secret, noting the exact roll and reaction. If the reaction is friendly, the NPC probably does what the player character wishes without any bribe at all. If the reaction is not friendly, the rogue may try offering a bribe.
The original reaction die roll must be modified enough (through bribery) to make the reaction friendly. For instance, if the roll was 15 (cautious), and seven is the highest number to indicate a friendly reaction, the roll must be modified by eight. Determine the station of the NPC using Table 3.30 below, then roll the dice indicated. The number of gold pieces indicated by the roll is the minimum bribe per one point modifier.
Continuing the previous example: If the NPC is a soldier, the DM could roll 3d8 to get 20 gp -- so the thief must offer a total of 160 gp (20 x 8) to have a chance of success. Of course, only the DM knows the initial reaction die roll, bribe die roll and exact station of the NPC. Though, the thief may be able to guess the first and last. However, a thief who makes a successful bribe official roll can estimate within 10 percent the amount needed to successfully bribe an NPC. Note, the DM makes this roll and should always indicate an amount which the thief thinks is sufficient to bribe the NPC. The inaccuracy of this figure should be commensurate with the degree to which the thief failed his skill check. If a random check is desired, roll d20 for actual percentage: a roll of 1-10 indicates the rogue underestimated the amount required by 1-10 percent and a roll of 11-20 indicates the thief overestimated by 1-10 percent.
Once the thief arrives at the gold piece value of his bribe, he rolls against his skill. Failure indicates that the bribe did not work and the NPC’s reaction immediately changes to hostile. A successful roll means the bribe worked, provided enough coinage was offered. If not, the bribe failed.
Bribes may also be material goods. Determine the gold piece value of the item, then consider whether or not the NPC might want it. The bribe may include services -- the DM should role play such situations carefully.
A bribed NPC will usually perform reasonable services within the confines of his job or station. A bribed guard will not attempt to assassinate the king, for instance, but he may look the other way while several characters pass through his gate.
Unusually corrupt NPCs may accept a bribe and then betray the character anyway. The DM should reserve this option only for the most dramatic story situations.

Climb walls: Although most adventurers can climb rocky cliffs and steep slopes, rogues are far superior to others in this ability. they not only succeed more often than others, but they can climb even the most difficult

Table 3.31: Climbing modifiers

Situation Modifier

Assisted climbs (rope and wall base modifier) +55%*

Assisted Climbs Armor Type Modifier

No armor** +65%

Leather armor +55%

Padded, studded leather, hide, elven chain +50%

Scale mail, chain mail, ring mail, +40%

Banded armor, brigandine, splint mail +30%

Plate armors (all types) +5%

Assisted Climbs Miscellaneous Modifiers

Encumbrance† -5%

Climber below half hit points -10%

Rappelling down a surface

Bottom of rope is held +50%

Bottom of rope is not held +30%

Surface condition

Abundant handholds (brush, trees, ledges) +40%

Sloped inward +25%

Slightly slippery (wet or crumbling) -25%

Slippery (icy, slimy) -40%

*This bonus applies when the character can brace his feet against the wall and use a rope to assist in the climb. Special thieving tools such as climbing claws are not included in this bonus.

**Includes small magical items such as rings, bracers and cloaks, but no large or bulky devices.

†This penalty is cumulative for each encumbrance category worse than unencumbered (e.g., a moderately encumbered rogue would suffer a -10% penalty).

Table 3.32 Rogue climbing rates

Type of Surface
Dry Slightly Slippery Slippery

Very smooth
1/2 1/4 0

Smooth, cracked
1 2/3 1/2

Rough
2 2/3 1/2

Rough w/ledges
2 1 2/3

Ice wall
— — 1/2

Tree
8 6 4

Sloping wall
6 4 2

Rope and wall
4 2 1

Rappelling
10 10 10

surfaces without the aid of special gear (free climbing). Rogues are the only characters who can climb rough , smooth, and very smooth surfaces without the use of ropes or other equipment. And, they are the only characters able to climb very smooth surfaces when they are slightly slippery.

All climb walls rules that apply to Rogues have been compiled below.

Mountaineering skill: A Rogue with the Mountaineering skill may add one-quarter (round down) of his skill score to his Climb Walls ability. The rogue is not required to use climbing gear in order to gain this benefit. It is a permanent increase that applies in all situations.

Climbing checks: A climbing check must be made any time a rogue tries to climb more than 10 feet. An initial check is made to see if the rogue is able to even attempt the climb. If this check fails, the wall is too difficult and another attempt can be made only if the rogue’s chance to succeed increases (i.e., a rope is tossed down) or he moves to a significantly different new location (half a mile or more along a cliff).
Another check is not required unless the rogue climbs more than 100 feet or takes more than a turn (ten rounds) to climb. The reason for this is that the first check assumes that the rogue is scouting out the wall (or cliff), picking the best route. If the check is successful, he has found such a route and can climb the surface.
It takes 1d20 rounds to scout out a surface. If the surface cannot be seen or scouted for some reason, the rogue must simply start climbing and hope forthe best. In such cases, a climb walls check is made; if it fails, the rogue falls. To determine how high he had climbed, percentile dice are rolled and the result is the fraction of the climb completed before the fall.
For example, if Aldwin is adventuring in a large underground cavern and decides to climb a wall, he spends a turn examining what he can see (say 15 feet in torch light). He then rolls his climb walls check. If successful, he sees an obvious route and can climb up to 15 feet without mishap. If he decides to climb the next 50 feet of this 65-foot wall, he must roll a second check (it is impossible to scout in the middle of a climb). He rolls and fails; now the DM rolls a percentile of 98. Aldwin almost reaches the top before he falls. The DM decides that damage should be 7d6 as Aldwin essentially falls 70 feet.
Falling: As always, falling damage is 1d6 per 10 feet. A fall of 40 feet causes 4d6 hit points of damage. If a climber is climbing assisted (using a rope), he cannot fall clear to the ground. If pitons or spikes are being driven into a wall and rope is attached between them and a climber, the climber will fall only until the slack between him and the piton is taken up.
Thus, if a climber attaches 20 feet of rope to the piton, climbs 10 feet up, and then falls, he would fall 30 feet (10 feet down to the piton plus the 20 feet of slack) and suffer 3d6 hit points of damage. (The DM might decide to allow a saving throw vs. paralyzation for half damage, since the rope takes up some of the shock).
Pitons and spikes are not completely reliable and pull out 15 percent of the time.
Characters can also rope themselves together. If a roped character falls, any character directly tied to him must immediately roll a climbing check. Success stops the fall. Failure means that they are both falling. If more than one person is falling, a -10% penalty is added for every falling character in addition to the first one (e.g., if three characters are falling the penalty would be -20%).
Climbing rates: To determine how fast a rogue climbs, look for the type of surface and the surface condition on the following table. Multiply the resulting number by the character’s current movement rate. That is the number of feet per round the rogue can travel in any direction (up, down, sideways or diagonal). This rate is twice as fast as non-rogues can travel.
Combat while climbing: Combat is both difficult and dangerous while climbing. Spells with somatic or material components can be cast only if the Rogue is in a steady, braced position. If the spell has a material component, the rogue must only have one hand free. Somatic components require the use of both hands (i.e., the rogue must be able to steady himself with rope and legs alone).
The following additional adjustments occur while climbing:

Dexterity and shield Armor Class bonuses are lost;
Most attacks against a climber are made with the +2 rear attack bonus;
Climbers suffer a -2 penalty to attack, damage, and saving throws;
Attacking from above results in a +2 attack roll bonus and attacking from below results in a -2 attack roll penalty. These two adjustments apply to climber and non-climbers alike;
Two-handed weapons are rarely usable by climbers;
If struck for any amount of damage while climbing, an immediate climbing check must be rolled. A free climbing character falls if this roll fails, while an assisted climber loses his balance for a round (he cannot attack, suffers an additional -2 penalty to saving throws, and opponents gain an additional +2 bonus to their attack rolls).

All adjustments are cumulative. Thus, an ogre standing atop a cliff gains a +6 attack if Aldwin has lost his balance on his assisted climb (+2 because Aldwin is below the ogre, +2 because Aldwin’s back is exposed as he is facing the cliff, and +2 because he is off balance).
Detect Illusion: Thieves quickly master strong observation skills or pay for their lack of attention to detail in a cell deep within the city dungeons. Some thieves hone their observation powers to the point that they become useful for detecting flaws in magical illusions, thus allowing them to disbelieve such subterfuge. This skill is not automatic, like a gem of seeing or similar magic; the thief must state that he is using the skill and spend an entire uninterrupted round studying the suspected illusion without taking any other action.
Other characters must make a saving throw vs. magic to disbelieve an illusion, modified for the situation. A thief can instead roll against this skill. Failure means that the thief believes the illusion is genuine. Success means that the thief knows the illusion is a fraud. If the thief's detect illusion check fails, he may attempt to detect the illusion again the following round if he continues to study it without taking any other action.
Sudden illusions cannot be so detected. Nor can illusions which the thief cannot examine for an entire round.

Detect magic: A skilled thief learns to sense the magical properties of an object — the faint glow or vibrations peculiar to enchantment. If allowed to examine (and touch) an object for a full turn uninterrupted, the thief can check to see if he detects magic.

The DM should make all the die rolls for this skill. If the result is less than or equal to the thief’s skill level, the thief accurately determines whether or not the object is enchanted. He does not learn the level or nature of the enchantment, only that one exists. If the roll fails and the result is greater than 70 plus the theif’s level, the DM should present erroneous information. On a roll of 00 a magical item appears non-magical and vice versa.

Note, extremely large objects (entire rooms, walls, dunes, etc.) may, at the DM’s discretion, require more time to examine or that the aura is simply too diffuse to detect with this skill.

Table 3.33: Detect Noise Modifiers

Situation Modifier

Distance (indoor/outdoor)*

Up to 5 feet/yards +10%

Up to 25 feet/yards —

Up to 50 feet/yards -10%

Up to 100 feet/yards -25%

Up to 150 feet/yards -50%

Up to 200 feet/yards -75%

Up to 300 feet/yards -100%

Ear Covering

Cap -10%

Scarf/Cloth -10%

Hat -25%

Leather helmet -50%

Metal helmet -75%

Sound Obstructions

Closed door -50%

Ear pressed to door +30% (-20%)

Bend in corridor -10%

Curtains -15%

Sound Volume

Whisper
-25%

Personal conversation
–

Speaking to an audience
+10%

Shouting
+25%

Yelling
+50%

Weather Modifiers:

Calm (0-2 mph)
+5%

Light wind (2-7 mph)
–

Moderate wind (8-18 mph)
-15%

Strong wind (19-31 mph)
-50%

Gale force winds (32-54 mph)
-75%

Stronger than gale force winds
(55+ mph)
-100%

Light Rain
-10%

Heavy Rain
-50%

*Distances are measured in feet indoors and in yards outdoors.

Detect Noise: A good thief pays attention to every detail, no matter how small, including faint sounds that most others miss. His ability to hear the slightest noise (behind heavy doors, down long hallways, etc.) is much better than the ordinary person's. Listening is not automatic; the thief must stand still and concentrate on what he's hearing for one round. He must have silence in his immediate surroundings and must remove his helmet or hat. Sounds filtering through doors or other barriers are unclear at best.

The check to Detect Noise is made secretly by the DM. Success means that the listener picks up some noise. Additional checks can be made in which the listener can attempt to discern one of the following (per check):

number of beings
race
nature of beings
exact direction
movement
bits of conversation
distance to beings

Once a check fails, no more information can be gained unless conditions change considerably (and favorably). Certain conditions listed on Table 3.33 affect the Detect Noise ability of a thief (or anybody attempting to detect noise). A thief’s ability to detect noise is also affected by his Observation score as listed on Table 1.15 in Chapter One.
Dig Tunnel: As part of his career, a thief can learn the fine art of tunneling. Success depends on the thief’s skill, the material being tunneled and the availability of tools.
The Tunneling Table shows the time required to dig through 10 feet of ground with adequate digging equipment. Having no tools doubles the time for sand/loose earth or packed earth and quadruples it for rock. Having sufficient unskilled help can speed the process by two hours per 10 feet regardless of material.
At the end of every 10 feet, make a skill check. Failure means the tunnel collapses. It can be excavated again at the loose earth rate.
Table 3.34: Tunneling rates

Type of earth
Mod. Time

Sand/loose earth
-10% 5 hrs.

Packed earth
0 10 hrs.

Rock
+10% 30 hrs.

A thief’s tunneling skill is limited to shafts no more than a few feet long. It cannot double for Mining skill. Generally, a thief can only dig a tunnel 10 feet long per level. A high Strength score modifies a thief’s chance for success with this skill as indicated on Table 3.28: Thieving Skill Ability Score Adjustments.

Escape Bonds: Through contortion and raw skill a thief can learn to free himself from even the most difficult bonds. The skill lets the thief break free from tied rope or leather bonds, manacles, chains, straight jackets or any restraining device.

When a character is bound or tied, the DM assigns a penalty based on the type and circumstances of the binding. Table 3.35 shows standard penalties for a variety of situations.

The thief must make a successful escape roll against every item binding him. For instance, if he’s bound at the wrists and at the ankles, he must make two successful rolls to get free. Locked items do not also require an open locks roll. One failure means the bond cannot be slipped by the thief until he improves in skill.

For example, Naj the thief is bound back-to-back with his fighter friend, Olaf. Naj has been bound with standard rope, but the

Table 3.35: Escape bonds penalties
Binding type	Penalty (Cumulative)
Standard rope	0%
Rawhide, dry	-10%
Rawhide, soaked and shrunken	-20%
Wire	-15%
Fingers individually tied/taped	-20%

Circumstance
Extra time/attention spent binding thief	-10%
Little time/attention spent binding thief	+10%
Character binding thief is is a rogue	-15%
Character or NPC binding thief makes a successful find/remove traps roll	-10%*
Character with Escape Bonds skill tries to untie another	+20%
Bound character with Escape Bonds skill tries to untie another	-20%
Thief hurries attempt**	-5% per round omitted

The DM will assign a penalty equal to the number by which the binding character makes his Find/Remove Traps roll. (For example, if the character has a 50% chance but rolls a 30, he has made the roll by 20, therefore the penalty is -20%.) *Normally this skill takes five rounds per roll. The thief can hurry attempts but suffers a -5% penalty per round omitted to a minimum of one round.

character tying him spent extra time on the task and individually tied the thief’s fingers. Naj receives a penalty of -30% against his skill of 60% and rolls a 65. The thief fails.

Naj then tries to free Olaf. The penalty is the same, but he’s trying to untie another person while he himself is bound, resulting in an additional -20% penalty for a total of -50%. The thief manages to roll a 06 and successfully frees his ally.

The Escape Bonds penalty does not allow the character to undo locks or escape other sorts of traps (however, he may work his way around them). These tasks require the Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps skills.

Find/Remove Large Traps: A thief requires special training to remove large mechanical and magical traps such as deadfall ceilings, crushing walls and pits. In general this skill is used to deal with traps designed to affect more than a single person or traps that occupy a space greater than 25 square feet.

To find a large trap the thief must carefully investigate the area in question for 2d6 rounds. The DM rolls to see whether a trap was found. If the thief finds a trap, he knows its general principle, but not its exact nature. However, on a roll of 96-00 the thief accidentally activates the trap while searching for it. A thief can check an area for traps only once per experience level. A high Observation score increases a thief’s chance to find a large trap.

Once a trap is found, the thief can try to remove it or disarm it. Removing a simple trap requires 2d10 rounds and 4d10 rounds are required to remove a complex device. If the dice roll indicates success, the trap is disarmed. If the dice roll indicates failure, the trap is beyond the thief's current skill. He can try disarming the trap again when he advances to the next experience level. If the dice roll is 96-100, the thief accidentally triggers the trap and suffers the consequences. Sometimes (usually because his percentages are low) a thief will deliberately spring a trap rather than have unpleasant side effects if the trap doesn't work quite the way the thief thought, and he triggers it while standing in the wrong place. A thief’s chance to remove a trap is affected by his Dexterity/Aim ability score.

This skill is far less useful when dealing with magical or invisible traps. A thief can attempt to find/remove this kind of trap, but his chances of success is penalized by -15% per level of the magic used to enchant the trap. Thus a thief attempting to remove an invisible large trap would do so with a -30% chance of success.

The thief may also use this skill to locate secret or concealed doors in rooms or corridors.

Find/Remove Traps: The thief is trained to find small traps and alarms. These include poisoned needles, spring blades, deadly gas dispensers, and warning bells. This skill is not effective for finding deadfall ceilings, crushing walls, or other large, mechanical or magical traps. In general this skill can only be used to find and remove traps designed to effect a single person or that occupy a space of less than 25 square feet (one 5' x 5' square).

To find the trap, the thief must be able to touch and inspect the trapped object. Normally, the DM rolls the dice to determine whether the thief finds a trap. If the DM says, "You didn't find any traps," it's up to the player to decide whether that means there is no trap or that there is a trap the thief didn't see. If the thief finds a trap, he knows its general principle but not its exact nature. A thief can check an item for traps once per experience level. Searching for a trap takes 1d10 rounds. A thief with a high Observation score has an increased chance to find traps as listed on Table 3.28.

Once a trap is found, the thief can try to remove it or disarm it. Removing a simple trap requires 1d10 rounds and 2d10 rounds are required to remove a complex device. If the dice roll indicates success, the trap is disarmed. If the dice roll indicates failure, the trap is beyond the thief's current skill. He can try disarming the trap again when he advances to the next experience level. If the dice roll is 96-00, the thief accidentally triggers the trap and suffers the consequences. Sometimes (usually because his percentages are low) a thief will deliberately spring a trap rather than suffer unpleasant side effects if the trap doesn't work quite the way the thief thought, and he triggers it while standing in the wrong place. A thief’s chance to remove a trap is effected by his Dexterity/Aim ability.

This skill is far less useful when dealing with magical or invisible traps. A thief can attempt to find/remove this kind of trap, but his chance of success is penalized by -15% per level of the magic used to enchant the trap. Thus a thief attempting to remove a glyph of warding would do so with a -45% chance of success.

The thief may also use this skill to locate secret or concealed compartments in small containers and objects.

Hide in Shadows: A thief can try to disappear into shadows or any other type of concealment — bushes, curtains, crannies, a crowd in the marketplace, etc. A thief can hide this way only when no one is looking at him; he remains hidden only as long as he remains virtually motionless or moves at 1/3 or less of his normal movement rate. (The thief can make small, slow, careful movements: draw a weapon, uncork a potion, creep from shadow to shadow, etc.) A thief can never become hidden while a guard is watching him, no matter what his dice roll is — his position is obvious to the guard. However, trying to hide from a creature that is locked in battle with another is possible, as the enemy's attention is fixed elsewhere. The DM rolls the dice and keeps the result secret, but the thief always thinks he is hidden.

Hiding in shadows cannot be done in total darkness, since the talent lies in fooling the eye as much as in finding real concealment (camouflage, as it were). However, hidden characters are equally concealed to those with or without infravision. Spells, magical items, and special abilities that reveal invisible objects can reveal the location of a hidden thief. A thief hiding in shadows increases his chance to surprise a victim by +2.

This skill can be used very effectively in combination with the Move Silently skill to surprise a victim.

Move Silently: A thief can try to move silently at any time simply by announcing that he intends to do so. While moving silently, the thief's movement rate is reduced to 1/3 normal. The DM rolls percentile dice to determine whether the thief is moving silently; the thief always thinks he is being quiet. Successful silent movement improves the thief's chance to surprise a victim by +2, avoid discovery, or move into position to stab an enemy in the back. Obviously, a thief moving silently but in plain view of his enemies is wasting his time.

This skill can be used very effectively in combination with the Hide in Shadows skill to surprise a victim.

Open Locks: A thief can try to pick padlocks, finesse combination locks (if they exist), and solve puzzle locks (locks with sliding panels, hidden releases, and concealed keyholes). Picking a padlock requires tools. Using typical thief's tools grants normal chances for success. Using improvised tools (a bit of wire, a thin dirk, a stick, etc.) imposes a penalty on the character's chance for success. The DM sets the penalty based on the situation; penalties can range from -5% for an improvised but suitable tool, to -60% for an awkward and unsuitable item (like a stick). The amount of time required to pick a lock is 1d4 rounds for a simple lock, 1d10 rounds for a complex lock and perhaps even longer for a unique or extremely complex locking mechanism. A thief can try to pick a particular lock only once per experience level. If the attempt fails, the lock is simply too difficult for the character until he learns more about picking locks (goes up a level).

Pick Pockets: The thief uses this skill when filching small items from other peoples' pockets, sleeves, girdles, packs, etc., when palming items (such as keys), and when performing simple sleight of hand.

A failed attempt means the thief did not get an item, but it does not mean that his attempt was detected. To determine whether the victim noticed the thief's indiscretion, subtract three times the victim's level from 100. If the thief's pick pockets roll was equal to or greater than this number, the attempt is detected. A zero-level victim, for example, notices the attempt only if the roll was 00 (100), while a 13th-level character notices the attempt on a dice roll of 61 or more. In some cases, the attempt may succeed and be noticed at the same time.

A thief of higher level than his victim is less likely to be caught pilfering. The chance that the victim notices the attempt is modified by subtracting the victim's level from the thief's level, and then adding this number to the percentage chance the thief is detected. For example, Ragnar, a 15th-level thief, tries to pick the pocket of Horace, a 9th-level fighter (27% chance of detection). Since Ragnar is six levels higher than Horace, he will only be detected on a roll of 79 or more (73+6=79). This option only applies if the thief is higher level than his victim.

A thief can try to pick someone's pocket as many times as he wants. Neither failure nor success prevents additional attempts, but getting caught might!

The ability to pickpocket extends far beyond reaching into a victim’s coat pocket and removing its contents. It has many other applications, as listed below. Some of these applications can be reversed and are indicated below. For example, “redo” is the opposite of “undo.”

Undo/Redo: A thief can untie, unstring, unclasp, unbuckle, unbutton, etc., an item without being noticed.
Palm/Place: Palming enables a thief’s hand to be held naturally while looking empty, but it actually contains some item: cards, a dagger, a scroll, silverware, coins (up to 10 + 2/level), gems (up to 5 + 1/level), etc.
Strip/Garb: If a thief removes any accessible item (small or large) from a sleeping person (swords, boots, hat, and so on) without waking the victim, he is stripping items from the victim.
Sleight of Hand: This is a general category that enables a thief to transfer an item from one hand to another, make the item seem alive, make it vanish and reappear, cause it to appear behind another’s ear, and so on.
Adjust Items: This skill enables a rogue to make subtle adjustments without being noticed. For example, he could slip a peg from hole one of some game and place it into hole two without being noticed.
Exchange: Exchange enables a thief to reach into a pile of coins and remove more than he places there or to drop in a gold but remove a platinum.
Slit: Slitting is the art of cutting through straps or cutting holes in bags, garments, purses, pouches, etc., without being noticed.

Most of these Pick Pocket functions can be reversed. Doing so requires a successful Pick Pockets roll. An example follows:
While enjoying a fancy dinner party, the bard, Rembam, may wish to frame the good cleric Baldwin as a thief. To do so he might undo Madam Morgava’s necklace, lift it from her, then drop it in Baldwin’s pocket (this process requires three Pick Pockets rolls).
Later Rembam could alter the topic of discussion to that of jewelry, causing Madam Morgava to notice her missing necklace. As soon as a large stir is made, Rembam might exclaim, “I noticed the good cleric here was doting over your person earlier. Perhaps we should ask him to empty his pockets.”
Read Languages: Out of necessity, thieves tend to learn odd bits of information. Among these is the ability to read various languages, particularly as they apply to treasure maps, deeds, secret notes, and the like. A thief has enough exposure to languages that he has a chance to read most nonmagical writing. This ability naturally improves with more experience. However, your DM can rule that some languages (those the thief has never encountered) are indecipherable to the thief. A thief with a high Intelligence has an increased chance to read languages as indicated on Table 3.28.
The die roll to read a language must be made every time the character tries to read a document (not just once per language). A successful die roll means the thief puzzled out the meaning of the writing. His understanding of the document is roughly equal to his percentage chance for success: a 20% chance means that, if the thief understands it at all, he gets about 20% of the meaning. A different document in the same language requires another die roll (it probably contains different words). It isn't necessary to keep notes about what languages the thief has read in the past, since each document is handled individually.
Only one die roll can be made for any particular document at a given experience level. If the die roll fails, the thief can try again after gaining a new experience level.
If the character knows how to read a given language because he spent a skill slot on it, this die roll is unnecessary for documents in that language.
Set Large Traps: This skill is similar to the Set Traps skill but applies to large traps such as pressure activated pits, deadfall ceilings and other traps that occupy a space greater than 25 square feet (one 5' x 5' square). A thief with this skill can duplicate the effects of traps he has disarmed or research new traps that affect a maximum of two people per character level or an area equal to 100 square feet (10’ x 10’) per level.
A thief can duplicate the effects of any trap he has disarmed before on a successful skill check. It takes a thief 1d6 hours per 100-square-foot area occupied by the trap to duplicate and set a simple trap such as a pressure activated pit and 1d6 weeks per 100-square-feet to duplicate and set a complex trap such as a room with walls that crush occupants after its activation. A thief who rolls a 96-00 while attempting to set a trap has accidentally sprung his own creation and must make a successful Dexterity/Balance check or suffer the full effect(s) of the trap. Other individuals may help the thief with the physical construction of a large trap (dig the pit or laying bricks for the crushing walls) under his direct supervision. A thief may supervise up to one worker per two levels. Additional workers reduce time by one hour per worker for a simple trap to a minimum of one hour and by four hours per worker on a complex trap to a minimum of one week.
The thief may devise a new trap (one which he has never disarmed before) by spending 2d6 weeks (or more at the DM’s discretion) researching the new device. During this research period the thief may not adventure and spends 100-1,000 gp per week of research, plus the cost of the materials needed for the finished trap, to create the device. At the end of the research period, a skill check is made. If the thief misses his check by less than 10%, he has created a trap that appears to function normally but will fail when the conditions for its activation are met. On a roll of 96-00 the thief accidentally triggers and destroys his new trap during research and suffers the full effect(s) of the trap unless he makes a successful Dexterity/Balance check. If a thief fails in his research, he must start again from scratch and all but 10 percent of the materials used to create the trap are rendered useless through the failed attempt. Additional workers have no effect on the thief’s research time for a new large trap.
A thief with high Intelligence and Dexterity/Aim score has a greater chance to set a trap or research a new one as indicated on Table 3.28.
Set Traps: A thief who plans on remaining free from the clutches of the authorities or who has a desire to protect his hard won loot learns this skill. With this skill a thief can create and set small personal traps such as poison needles on chests, spring blades, gas traps and alarm bells provided he has the proper materials and sufficient time. In general this skill can only be used to devise traps that effect a single person or occupy no more than 25 square feet (one 5' x 5' square).
A thief can duplicate the effects of any trap he has disarmed before on a successful skill check. He may also create new traps through research. It takes a thief 1d6 turns to duplicate and set a simple trap such as a alarm bell triggered by a trip wire and 1d3 days to duplicate and set a complex trap such as a device that sprays acid at a person opening a chest without a key. A thief who rolls a 96-00 while attempting to set a trap has accidentally sprung his own creation and must make a successful Dexterity/Balance check or suffer the full effect(s) of the trap.
The thief may devise a new trap (one which he has never disarmed before) by spending 1d6 weeks (or more at the DM’s discretion) researching the new device. During this research period the thief may not adventure and spends 10-100 gp per week of research, plus the cost of the materials needed for the finished trap, to create the device. At the end of the research period, a skill check is made. If the thief misses his check by less than 10%, he has created a trap that appears to function normally but will fail when the conditions for its activation are met. On a roll of 96-00 the thief accidentally triggers and destroys his new trap during research and suffers the full effect(s) of the trap unless he makes a successful Dexterity/Balance check. If a thief fails in his research, he must start again from scratch and all but 10 percent of the materials used to create the trap are rendered useless through the failed attempt.
A thief with high Dexterity/Aim score has a greater chance to set a trap or research a new one as indicated on Table 3.28.

Underworld contacts: The rogue by his very nature often travels in unsavory circles. He consorts with experts in every type of crime both within and outside his guild. These acquaintances can provide him with

Table 3.36: Underworld contacts modifiers
Situation	Modifier
Rogue is member of local thieves’ guild	+1% per level
City or region controlled by opposing guild	-50%
Native of city or region	+15%
In city or region for more than a year	+10%
In city or region for more than six months	+5%
In city or region for more than three months	0
In city or region for less than three months	-10%
In city or region for less less than a month	-15%
In city or region for less than a week	-25%
Rogue possesses City Familiarity skill for city	+10%
Rogue possesses Information Gathering skill	+5%
Rogue possesses Street Sense skill	+10%

information, a place to sell stolen goods, shelter from the authorities and many other services (at the DM’s option). The underworld contacts skill is used to determine a rogue's chance to successfully locate a specialist in a certain field, to gain a specific piece of information, find a safe place to hide from the authorities, etc. This skill is effected by the thief’s membership in a guild and his knowledge of the area in which he is trying to utilize his contacts as indicated on Table 3.36.

Note, the underworld contacts skill is normally only used for locating new contacts and has no bearing on whether the contacts will cooperate once found. Contacts the thief has established in the past are always known to the rogue and may be utilized freely.

Thief Skill Descriptions

Table 3.30 Bribery costs

Table 3.31: Climbing modifiers

Table 3.32 Rogue climbing rates

Table 3.33: Detect Noise Modifiers

Table 3.34: Tunneling rates

Table 3.35: Escape bonds penalties

Table 3.36: Underworld contacts modifiers