From: pd1x+@andrew.cmu.edu (Peter F. Delaney)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: New Thief & NWP Rules (LONG!)
Date: 16 Oct 92 14:06:56 GMT
Organization: Junior, Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


	Because my mailbox is filling up with requests, I'll post this stuff. 
The following is a summary of changes made to the *thief* character
class in our Imperial Civil War game here at CMU.  Comments?

*

The Thief

        SAVE:  Priest
      ATTACK:  Priest, but 3rd level THAC0 is 19 not 20
     WEAPONS:  Any one-handed weapon
       ARMOR:  Any (But cannot perform thief abilities of the DEX based
                type in heavier than leather armor, except two!)
     REQUIRE:  DEX 9 *or* CHA 9.

        o  Thieves use the xp table in the PH, but they gain d8's for
           hit points, *NOT* d6's!

        o  Thieves start with 18 Non-Weapon Proficiency slots, as well as
           any bonus slots for Intelligence.  They are allowed to purchase
           NWP's from the "Thief Only" chart as well as the normal chart.
           Remember that putting an extra slot in a proficiency raises it
           by +1d4 points, 1d4+1 for Thief Only skills.  They must spend at
           least 10 of these slots in the "Thief Only" section.

        o  At every level, thieves get +2 NWP slots.

        o  Yes, thieves can use shields.

        o  There are no armor or race modifiers to thief abilities,
           except that DEX-based thief abilities cannot be performed
           in armor heavier than leather (except lock picking and *finding*
           traps).

        o  Scroll use at 10th level or higher.

                *                       *                       *

*

NOTES ON NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES


Thieves and Non-Weapon Proficiencies

     There are certain abilities that only thieves can learn.  These
abilities are listed under "Thief Only Proficiencies".  Notice that
Disguise, Forgery, Tumbling and several others have been moved to this
list.  Their success chance has also been reduced.  These skills can no
longer be purchased by non-thieves.  Also notice that some skills now cost
more slots to learn, or have had their base attribute changed!

     For "Thief Only" Proficiencies, the minimum value the attribute can
take is a 14.  So even if your DEX is only a 10, you can take Move Silently
and start with a base of 14 - 5 = 9.  For "Thief Only" Proficiencies,
adding an extra slot adds +2-5 points instead of +1-4 points, as well.

     Rope Use has been moved from the General list to the Rogue (regular)
list.

     Remember that a thief starts with 18 NWP slots, plus those for
Intelligence!  Of these, at least 10 must be spent on the "thief only"
section.  Later, the thief acquires +2 NWP slots per level.


More Slots in an NWP

     If you put an extra NWP point into a skill, you can add +1d4 to your
total skill in that area.  No skill may exceed 19.



Rogue Proficiencies (Revised List)
----------------------------------

Ancient History (1 Slot, INT - 1, PH)
Animal Noises (1 Slot, WIS - 1, CT)
Appraising (1 Slot, INT, PH)
Beggar (1 Slot, CHA, CT)
Blindfighting (2 Slots, No Roll, PH)
Boating (1 Slot, WIS + 1, CT)
Bureaucracy (1 Slot, WIS, !!)
Fortune Telling (1 Slot, CHA + 2, CT but see my notes!)
Gaming (1 Slot, CHA, PH)
Gem Cutting (2 Slots, DEX - 2, PH)
Intimidation (1 Slot, CHA or STR, CT)
Juggling (1 Slot, DEX, PH)
Jumping (1 Slot, STR, PH)
Local History (1 Slot, CHA, PH)
Locksmithing (1 Slot, DEX, CT but see my notes!)
Musical Instrument (1 Slot, DEX - 1, PH)
Navigation (1 Slot, INT - 2, PH)
Reading Lips (2 Slots, INT - 2, PH)
Rope Use (1 Slot, DEX, PH)
Set Snares (1 Slot, DEX - 1, PH)
Ventriloquism (1 Slot, INT - 2, PH)
Voice Mimicry (2 Slots, CHA, CT)



Thief *ONLY* Proficiencies
--------------------------

Alertness (2 Slots, WIS, !!)
Backstabbing (2 Slots, To Hit Roll, !!)
Bribery (2 Slots, CHA - 4, !!)
Climb Walls (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)
Contortion (2 Slots, DEX - 4, !!)
Deception (2 Slots, CHA - 3, !!)
Detect Lies (2 Slots, WIS - 4, !!)
Detect Noise (2 Slots, INT, !!)
Disguise (2 Slots, CHA - 4, PH)
Escape (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)
Evasion (2 Slots, DEX, !!)
Find/Remove Traps (2 Slots, DEX - 4, !!)
Forgery (2 Slots, DEX - 2, PH)
Guild Lore (1 Slot, WIS, !!)
Hide in Shadows (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)
Impersonation (1 Slots Each Class, CHA, !!)
Information Gathering/Guild Contacts (1 Slot, INT, CT but see my notes!)
Judgement (2 Slots, WIS, !!)
Looting (1 Slot, WIS, CT)
Move Silently (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)
Observation (2 Slots, INT, CT)
Open Locks (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)
Pass Without Trace (2 Slots, DEX - 1, !!)
Pick Pockets (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)
Poker Face (2 Slots, CHA - 2, !!)
Read Languages and Magic (2 Slots, INT - 4, !!)
Seduction (1 Slot, CHA, !!)
Thoroughness (2 Slots, INT - 2, !!)
Tightrope Walking (1 Slot, DEX, PH)
Tongue Loosening (2 Slots, CHA - 2, !!)
Trailing (1 Slot, DEX-*, CT)
Tumbling (2 Slots, DEX - 2, PH but see my notes)


Descriptions of Thief-Only Proficiencies

 1)  Alertness (2 Slots, WIS, !!)

     This is the ability to detect an ambush before you walk into it.  You
can spot even the most carefully laid ambush, although you may not know all
the details.  The ability is checked automatically.  In an ambush
situation, or under surprise attack, on a successful skill check the thief
is *not* surprised and reacts normally (though with weapons undrawn, most
likely) instead of losing a turn.

 2)  Backstabbing (2 Slots, To Hit Roll, !!)

     This is the standard backstabbing ability.  Level 1-4, x2.  Level 5-8,
x3.  Level 9-12, x4.  Level 13+, x5.  A backstab requires careful
preparation.  Either the thief must vanish from view (Hide in Shadows) and
then sneak up (Move Silently) on a victim, or he must be behind the person
and the target not expecting an attack.  Thieves can backstab with any
one-handed weapon.

 3)  Bribery (2 Slots, CHA - 4, !!)

     The thief is a master of bribery, knowing not only when and who to
bribe, but generally being able to take a good stab at *how much* to bribe.
When used, the DM should roll against the skill, and if it is successful,
come up with a number of gold coins which could be used to buy off the
individual.  He may also, as an option, come up with some item or idea that
the NPC could be bought off with.  Whatever this valuable thing is, the
player should be informed of it through a cautious hint from the NPC as to
its nature ("Well, I could use a little cash, like maybe eight gold
crowns...").

     A failed roll means the character can't figure out what he wants.  An
uncorruptable character may, at the DM's option, ignore the results of the
bribery roll whether it is successful or not and just call the guards, or
something similar.  This is a dangerous skill for the thief, for if he is
caught bribing guards or bureaucrats, often there are stiff civil
penalties.

 4)  Climb Walls (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)

     This is the standard wall-climbing from the PHB, pg. 40.

 5)  Contortion (2 Slots, DEX - 4, !!)

     Contortion allows the character to have incredible flexibility.  He
can pass through very small openings by means of this skill.  It includes
the dislocation of joints and clever twisting to make the body smaller.
The skill can also be used to enclose oneself in a case or box of small
size, to sit in one of the various yoga positions and do that sort of
exercise, and to fit through tunnels which other characters would get stuck
in.

     The contortion skill cannot be used when wearing any sort of armor,
including normal leather, due to the great flexibility required for its
function.

 6)  Deception (2 Slots, CHA - 3, !!)

     Deception is about telling someone something that just isn't so.
Although anyone can tell a lie, the thief can construct believable
fabrications on a moment's notice.  When called upon to answer for
something, if a successful proficiency check is made the thief's player is
given an extra minute or so to formulate a suitable lie.  At the end, if
the other person's player is able to poke a hole in the lie, the character
is forced to believe if the thief made his Deception proficiency check by
more points than the character makes an INT or WIS (his choice) check.

     Obviously, really outlandish stories are going to be less likely to be
believed, and the person in question may be mad enough that he doesn't
listen to the thief's explanation...

 7)  Detect Lies (2 Slots, WIS - 4, !!)

     Any time the character suspects he is being lied to, he can check
this.  Even after he has been "fooled" by an expert liar, he can check this
skill to determine if subtle visual or auditory cues have given the liar
away.  Even a master of deception can get caught.

 8)  Detect Noise (2 Slots, INT, !!)

     This is the standard Hear Noise ability from the PHB, pg. 40.

 9)  Disguise (2 Slots, CHA - 4, PH)

     This is the standard Disguise proficiency from the PHB, pg. 58.

10)  Escape (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)

     The character can slip bonds and escape easily from manacles, ropes,
and so on.  Traps which bind the character in place, like manacles, can be
slipped off using the skill.  If the character has Rope Use, this check is
made at +2.

     It also allows the player to dodge around opponents in combat when
trapped, though the person they are Escaping from gets a normal attack roll
against the escaping character.  Once the player has escaped the person he
is dodging around, he may start running normally.  This is no guarantee
that he actually gets away, but it is very useful when the city guard
corners you in a dead end alleyway...

11)  Evasion (2 Slots, DEX, !!)

     This allows the thief character to escape a pursuer by slipping down
side-streets, ducking between the brambles, or hiding.  The character must
be able to run away from the chasing people or creatures.  Note that this
does not guarantee that the character cannot be tracked, but he will escape
for the time being.

12)  Find/Remove Traps (2 Slots, DEX - 4, !!)

     This is the standard F/R Traps ability, as per the PHB, pg. 39.

13)  Forgery (2 Slots, DEX - 2, PH)

     This is the same as the Forgery proficiency in the PHB, pg. 58.

14)  Guild Lore (1 Slot, WIS, !!)

     This proficiency represents general knowledge about which thief guilds
are powerful in what areas.  If a successful roll is made, the thief knows
about whatever local guilds exist, and may be able to contact them.  On a
second successful roll, he is able to remember what the guild's general
structure is, its attitude towards outsiders, and how likely it is to
intervene if the thief character takes a specific action.

15)  Hide in Shadows (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)

     This is the standard Hide in Shadows ability, as per the PHB, pg. 40.

16)  Impersonation (1 Slots Each Class, CHA, !!)

     This skill is actually taken for each character class the character
wants to impersonate.  He gains enough knowledge to "walk the walk and talk
the talk" of the specific character class, so that when disguised as such a
character he will not be found out by casual questioning by a "fellow"
member of the class.  The specific specializations are Mercenary Fighter,
Imperial Knight, Ranger, Paladin (both in one), Bard, Wizard (all types),
and Khadaan, and Gatze Religion.  This last is roughly equivalent to the
Religion proficiency (q.v.).

17)  Information Gathering/Guild Contacts (1 Slot, INT, !!)

     This represents general ability to garner information in an area
through a network of informants.  Like Local Knowledge, this skill must be
taken over a specific city, and is not broadly applicable.  Finding out is
just as hard where you don't have the contacts.

18)  Judgement (2 Slots, WIS, !!)

     The character can size up people he observes for one hour or more with
the intent to judge them.  He will be able to guess their alignment, race,
class, and general level (each item requiring a separate roll against the
skill, of course).  The DM should make up appropriate results if he guesses
wrong.  Don't be too ludicrous; "The big guy in armor with the two handed
sword looks like a mage, to you, and the big smiley face on the shield
strapped to his back indicates his chaotic evil alignment..."

19)  Looting (1 Slot, WIS, CT)

     This is exactly the same as the Looting proficiency from the Complete
Thief, pg. 19.

20)  Move Silently (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)

     This is the same as the Move Silently ability from the PHB, pg. 40.

21)  Observation (2 Slot, INT, CT)

     This is similar to the Complete Thief proficiency of the same name,
pg. 19.  If a *person* has something odd about them (like, this guy seems
to be making all the same turns as I am, or, didn't this guy not have a
moustache yesterday?), the thief automatically gets a roll on this skill.
If a *place* has something odd about it, the thief only gets a roll if he
specifically searches the area looking for "clues".  This may take some
time.  Searching also gives the thief a +1 bonus to locating secret doors.

22)  Open Locks (2 Slots, DEX - 2, !!)

     This is the same as the ability described in the PHB, pg. 39.

23)  Pass Without Trace (2 Slots, DEX - 1, !!)

     The thief can, when in a wilderness area, travel at normal speed even
in overgrown zones.  In addition, he does not leave a discernible trail
behind, even to the trained eye of a ranger.  A failed roll means he does
leave a trail.  This is a great skill for an army scout to take.

24)  Pick Pockets (2 Slots, DEX - 5, !!)

     This is the same as the ability described in the PHB, pg. 40.


25)  Poker Face (2 Slots, CHA - 2, !!)

     The character is an accomplished liar.  The character with a Poker
Face makes a check every time he lies.  The amount he succeeds by reduces
the chance of a Lie Detector working correctly by that much.  Poker Face
also works against magical detections and Rings of Truth; for such
purposes, the skill of the magic is considered to be a 20 on 1d20, minus
the Poker Face percentage.

26)  Read Languages (2 Slots, INT - 4, !!)

     This is the same as the ability described in the PHB, pg. 40.

27)  Seduction (1 Slot, CHA, !!)

     This is only effective on members of the opposite sex.  You can use
"pick up lines" to get your way with people.  If you succeed in your check,
and the target fails a Wisdom check on 1d20, you have successfully enticed
them into at least giving your sexual advances a fair shake.  Of course,
this is not used when there are genuine emotions involved.


28)  Thoroughness (2 Slots, INT - 2, !!)

     This is the skill of not getting caught.  The thief won't leave clues
that he was present in a place he goes in, other than obvious damage or
missing items.  In addition, magical detections will not reveal that the
thief was there later.  Although the thief may still set off traps, he will
not be traceable from the site of a burglary if he makes this roll.
Otherwise, there may be magical means to trace him.


29)  Tightrope Walking (1 Slot, DEX, PH)

     This is the same as the ability described in the PHB, pg. 64.


30)  Tongue Loosening (2 Slots, CHA - 2, !!)

     This is the ability to put people at ease.  Any time you are in
conversation with someone in comfortable surroundings, people will just
naturally let things slip as you guide the conversation.  It is sort of the
skill of getting people to reveal their innermost thoughts to you.  It
operates best in bars or warm living rooms, but if you are particularly
kind to someone in an uncomfortable area, that person might be affected by
this there, too.


31)  Trailing (1 Slot, DEX-*, CT)

     This is the same as the ability described in the Compete Thief, pg. 20
and 21.


32)  Tumbling (2 Slots, DEX - 2, PH but see my notes)

     This is the same as the ability described in the PHB, pg. 64, except
there is no bonus to fighting unarmed.

.
Pe+eR Delaney, CMU, Pittburgh, PA ... Compuserve: 73750,3667
Internet: blackclove+@cmu.edu ...  Local: pd1x
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