Miscellany (CTH)

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==Blade Boots==
This exotic title is a catchall for specially modified boots which have concealed blades within them. The blades have to be small, of course; they are usually little bigger than modern-day razor blades. They are usually concealed in secret compartments in the heels of boots (see Hollow Boots above), but slender blades can even be hidden in the soles of boots. Such blades are of little use as weapons, but can be used to slit pouches and purses, to cut ropes, and for similar tasks.
==False Scabbard==
Thieves can employ stout scabbards which are slightly longer than the swords which fit into them, leaving a length of scabbard at the end which is a separate, hollow compartment. Usually, this can be accessed via a sliding panel at the end of the scabbard.
This hollow compartment can be used to conceal a great many kinds of things, either to smuggle them in (poisons, dog pepper, blinding powder, etc.) or smuggle them out (gems and such). Some are so well-designed that the compartment can be entered from above or below, so that the thief can use the false scabbard as a snorkel (or, more correctly, as an underwater breathing tube) if he has to stay concealed in the water for any reason.
==Hand Warming Lamp==
This small lamp is oil-burning, with a reservoir of oil and a small wick sunk into an earthenware shell. It is used by the thief to warm his hands, by cupping them around it, if cold would otherwise impair his talents (try picking a lock with frozen fingers in a cold clime!). Virtually no light is produced, the aim simply being to warm the hands. The simplest version of this is a corked earthenware sphere which can be filled with hot oil before the thief sets off on his work, to be drawn from a pocket and held in the hands when needed.
==Marked Cards and Biased Dice==
These are standard trappings for any self-respecting swindler. There are no rules for gambling in AD&D® 2nd Edition, however, so the DM has two options. First, he can write his own. Second, the simple rule-of-thumb rules suggested here can be used.
If the Gaming proficiency is being used, use of suitably marked cards or biased dice allows a -1 modifier to the d20 check (remember that proficiencies work when low dice rolls are made).
If the game is actually being played out and the Gaming proficiency not used, then the thief PC is allowed (in effect) to replace any one card drawn or die thrown if he has the suitable prop and if a Dexterity test is made. Thus, if the PC is playing blackjack and has drawn a king and a five, the effect of using marked cards is simulated by allowing a redraw on one card, if the player wishes to do so (in this case, the five, in all likelihood). When rolling the Dexterity test, if the d20 roll is 18+ the thief has been seen cheating (even if he makes the Dexterity test successfully). For obvious reasons, the DM should roll this test in secret!
==Water Shoes==
These belong most correctly in Kara-Tur, land of Oriental Adventures and ninja, but they could exist in any fantasy setting.
Water shoes are simply large, wickerwork basketlike devices which are worn over the feet (and come to mid-calf height). The thief balances in an upright position and propels himself across the water with a paddle or oar. The DM may insist on a move silently check at some stage. If anything happens to startle the thief (such as an arrow whizzing past his head or some monster rising up in the water), a Dexterity test may be called for to avoid falling over into the water.