Thief Rebuild 2e

: Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x-aBui_0bhhT-biOyAaV9USbM1CSxWDDzbHymZe8Xis/edit#heading=h.nexdisv89gk
This is an optional replacement rules for the Rogue subclass, Thief. These rules cannot be applied to the other Rogue sub-classes as of yet.
===Hit Points===
d8 - A thief should have the same HP as your typical person. (RAW says humans have d6 hp which is stupid. Goblins have d8-1, humans should have more hp than goblins.)
===Hit Bonus===
A thief gets a +2 to hit every 3 levels (like a cleric).
 	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level
 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	12 	13 	14 	15 	16 	17 	18 	19 	20
Hit Bonus	0 	0 	1 	2 	2 	3 	4 	4 	5 	6 	6 	7 	8 	8 	9 	10 	10 	11 	12 	12
===XP Scale===
Level	XP needed		Level	XP needed
2 	1,500 		10 	192,000
3 	3,000 		11 	264,000
4 	6,000 		12 	528,000
5 	12,000 		13 	792,000
6 	24,000 		14 	1,056,000
7 	48,000 		15 	1,320,000
8 	84,000 		16 	1,584,000
9 	132,000 		17 	1,848,000
===Proficiencies===
Thieves start with 2 weapon and 4 non-weapon proficiencies. At every level divisible by 3, thieves gain 1 non-weapon proficiency. At every level divisible by 4, thieves gain 1 weapon proficiency.
* Non-Weapon Proficiencies
===Assassinate===
While fighters are masters of armed combat, thieves are adept at striking down unsuspecting marks. To use their special Assassinate ability, a few conditions must be met.
# The target to be assassinated must have their guard down
# The physiology of the target must be understood well enough to take advantage of their weak points
# The thief must be able to reach said weak points
On the first point, a viable target for assassination must be someone who is unsuspecting of the imminent violence. The Assassinate ability can never be used on someone already engaged in combat, someone who is suspicious of the thief, or someone who is themselves ready to initiate combat. An assassin is a cold blooded killer, and the assassinate ability is for striking down opponents in cold blood. Excellent examples of an ideal target are an unsuspecting guard patrolling a wall, a person perusing their pantry at home, or someone cheering in a public crowd. 
The second point has to do with the understanding and availability of weak points. Most humanoids have tender and vulnerable areas ripe for exploitation. An ooze, jelly, or golem has no such weak point. A bear or shark might have weak points, but where exactly these might be would be unknown to the common thief. 
The last point speaks to the weapon type, range, and positioning needed to actually strike a weak point. Ideally the thief would be adjacent to their target with a small stabbing weapon in hand. A giant could be said to have all the same weak points as a human, but a thief standing at their knee certainly couldn’t reach any of them. Generally speaking, the weapon size needs to be one size smaller than the target, although a knife or dagger will always do. A war hammer is a deadly weapon, but it is not a suitable tool for opening arteries or cutting kidneys. A long sword could affect the desired areas, but would be too unwieldy to subtly reach those places on a medium sized target. An arrow has penetrative power sufficient for the task at hand, but is almost impossible to hit the right spot from the right angle.
When successfully using the Assassinate ability, the damage roll is modified based on the thief’s level. The ability improves as follows.
: Level 1-4: Multiply the damage rolled by 2 + 1 for every 5 points of AC cleared.
: Level 5-8: Increase the multiplier for every 4 points of AC cleared.
: Level 9-12: Roll the damage dice twice and pick the highest.
: Level 13+: Add one to the damage die before multiplication
Calculation Example: A thief rolls an 18 on an assassinate ability vs the target’s AC of 10. The thief is using a short sword, for 1d6 damage.
: Level 1-4: Damage [1d6 -> 3] is multiplied by 3 for a total of 9 damage.
: Level 5-8: Damage is multiplied by 4 for a total of 12 damage.
: Level 9-12: Damage [2d6 -> 3, 5 -> 5] is multiplied by 4 for a total of 20 damage
: Level 13+: Damage [2d6 -> 3, 5 -> 5 +1 -> 6] multiplied by 4 for a total of 24 damage
Setup Example: A 1st level thief is attempting to assassinate a man relieving himself against the side of a church. The man is unsuspecting as the thief walks past him, so he qualifies for the first condition. He is a humanoid, so he qualifies for the second condition. The thief is wielding a knife, so the third condition is met. The target is unarmed (AC 10), and the thief is getting a full surprise and back attack for a +4 bonus to hit. When the die is rolled, it comes up as an 11, which modifies to 15. This not only hits, but it clears the target’s AC by 5, resulting in a x3 damage multiplier.
It is important to use a damage multiplier here instead of rolling extra dice. This ability is similar to, and overrides, critical hits.
==Thief Skills==
Skill 	Stat 	Mod 	Opposed Skill 	Average Start
Pick Pockets 	Dex 	1/3 	Pcp 	3
Pick Locks 	Dex 	1/2 	Set by lock type	5
Move Silently	Dex 	1/2 	Pcp 	5
Hide 	Dex + Pcp	1/3 	Pcp 	7
Eavesdrop 	Pcp 	1/2 	Not opposed 	5
Climb 	Dex + Str	1/3 	Not opposed 	7
Disguise 	Chr 	No Modifier	Chr 	10
Forgery 	Dex 	1/2 	Chr 	5
Non-thieves may try their hand at any of the thief skills except for pick locks. If a non-thief wishes to improve one of these skills, and the DM permits it, they would gain 5 points to level up the skill per non-weapon proficiency allotted. Thieves who spend a non-weapon proficiency on thief skills gain 10 points, but must still observe the 5 point limit. 
===Levelling up Thief Skills===
At every level, including first, the thief gets 10 points to apply to their skills as desired. No more than 5 points may be spent on any one skill. Starting at skill 10, all advancement costs are doubled. At skill 15, they are tripped. At skill 20 they are quintupled.
Thieves who spend a non-weapon proficiency on thief skills gain 10 points, but must still observe the 5 point limit.
:Example: Cosi the halfling rogue is first level. She has 12 Dexterity, and thus starts with a Pick Pockets of 4. Being the curious girl she is, Cosi decides to max out her Pick Pockets skill as quickly as possible.
* At first level she puts half of her points (the maximum allowed) into Pick Pockets, bringing it to a score of 9. 
* At second level, she wants to continue the min/max. Going from 9 to 10 takes one point, but going from 10 to 11 takes two points, as does going from 11 to 12. With five points to apply, she takes her Pick Pockets skill all the way to 12. 
* At third level, she can bring her skill to 14 (only using four of her ten points).
* At fourth level she brings it to 15 with the first two points - but the move from 15 to 16 takes three.
* By now she’s quite the little thief, but it’s never enough. Even though she is experiencing diminishing returns on her skill investment, Cosi is mad with lust for the contents of other people’s pockets and when she hits 5th level she increases her ability from 16 to 17 using three of her ten points. She can’t take it to 18 because she can only spend five points on any one given skill.
* It will be a slow crawl forward from here, but at 8th level she will reach a pick pockets skill of 20.''
===Pick Pockets===
Make check opposed by the target's perception, modified by the ease of the task and difference in level. Cutting open a bag attached to a belt is easier than opening and reaching inside a backpack. If both sides fail, nothing happens and nobody notices. If the target fails their perception check, they are oblivious to the attempt. If they succeed, they are aware that the thief made contact with them, but ignorant of the attempt. If they succeed with a greater number than the thief rolled, the thief is caught. If the thief rolls a 21+, they take the item. Less than that and contact is made with the target, but no damage is done or items acquired. On a natural 1, the target automatically notices the attempt, unless they also rolled a natural 1. On a natural 20, the attempt cannot be noticed, unless the target also rolled a natural 20, in which case normal rules apply.
Thief Action 	Modifier 		Thief 	Modifier		Target 	Modifier
Cut Purse 	+2 		Thief is Invisible	+2 		Gaurded* 	+10
Pick Pocket 	0 		Busy Area 	+2 		On Watch 	+5
Take from Bag 	-4 to -10		Crowded Area 	+4 		Distracted	-2
Lift Ring 	-8 		Easy Access 	+2 		Asleep 	1/2 pcp
Lift Necklace 	-12 		Awkward Access 	-2 		 	
Lift Dagger / Knife	-4 		Difficult Access 	-4 		 	
Lift Small Weapon 	-8 		 	 		 	
:*A guarded character is one who is not simply observing the area, but inherently distrustful of anyone approaching
If it is vital for the thief to succeed, they may make an aggressive Pick Pockets attempt that improves their chances by 3, but improves the target's check by 5. On the other hand, if being undetected is more important than succeeding, the thief may take a penalty of 5 to their check in order to impose a -3 on the target’s chance to notice.
===Pick Locks===
To begin picking a lock, a thief must first assess the mechanism before her. This is accomplished by a successful Pick Locks check which takes one round of handling the lock with her tools. Once a particular has been assessed, it need never be assessed again. A thief may continue checks until she succeeds, or the need to roll can be waived if time is not of the essence.
Once the proper type has been determined, the thief may set around working on it. If the thief has an equal or greater skill than the lock’s score, she can succeed as long as she has enough time. The thief’s score assumes unlimited access to the lock as well as the proper tools.
Skill Difference	Time To Pick Lock	Average Time
0 	1d4 days 	2–3 days
1 	2d8 hours 	9 hours
2-3 	1d4 hours 	2–3 hours
4-5 	2d4X10 minutes 	50 minutes
6-7 	1d10 rounds 	5–6 minutes
8-9 	1d6 rounds 	3–4 minutes
10+ 	1 round 	1 minute
Lock	Type 	Cost
0 	Archaic (0-2) 	1 sp
5 	Common (3-7) 	5 gp
8 	Old / Damaged¹ 	1 sp
10 	Good (8-12) 	100 gp
15 	Excellent (13-17)	1,000 gp
20 	Superb (18-22) 	10,000 gp
∞ 	Broken² 	
:¹ - A poor lock is more difficult to pick than a common one because it is not functioning properly. A person with the key to that lock might struggle to open it too. Perhaps the tumblers are misaligned, or there is corrosion making it harder to turn. It’s good to remember that a common lock is designed to prevent someone from walking in, and is not designed to resist a trained thief.
:² - A broken lock will not function. Even the right key could not open it.
If the thief is using damaged or improvised tools, a check may be called for. On a success, the lock can be picked. On a failure, a tool has broken off and damaged the lock. The lock’s difficulty increases by 3 and anyone attempting to work the lock will notice that it has been jammed. A lock also jams if the check was a natural 1.
If the thief has limited access to, or limited vision of the lock, the DM may reduce their effective skill, making the effort take longer. It is possible that a thief may no longer be able to pick a lock due to poor conditions.
==== Complex Locks ====
These expensive devices rely on both keys and knowledge of the locking mechanism to open. Multiple keys may need to be turned in the right order or there may be locks hidden behind panels. Often the instructions on how to open them are written down in case the owner suddenly dies. These instructions may be in the form of a simple verse, rhyme, or puzzle that would make no sense without the context of the safe.
Left and right
Nine and four
Turn me now
And open the door
This might be a clue to a complex lock with 10 parts, reminding the owner to open locks 1, 10, 9, and 4 in that order. Or perhaps those are the locks that need to remain closed while the others are opened.
===Move Silently===
An opposed roll vs all possible listeners is made. Anyone who succeeds with a roll equal to or greater than the thief's notices something. Listeners make a normal perception check.
Enviroment 	Modifier		Thief 	Modifier 		Target 	Modifier
Gravel, Dry Leaves	-6 		Heavy Boots 	-4 		Distracted*	1/2 pcp
Forest Floor 	-4 		Boots, Heels 	-2 		On Watch 	Advantage
Old Snow 	-3 		Sandals, Shoes 	+0 		 	
Floorboards, Grass	-2 		Barefoot, Slippers	+2 		 	
Stone, Dirt, Trail	+0 		Metal Armor 	-2 		 	
Fresh Snow 	+3 		Leather Armor 	-1 		 	
Pin Drop Silence 	-4 		Loose Gear** 	-1 		 	
Quiet, Still 	-2 		Encumbrance 	-1 per category		 	
 	 		 	 		 	
:*The target rolls their perception check at half their score rounded down. A distracted person with 9 pcp would roll d20+4
:**Wearing a backpack, sword, or other things that move and creak. A backpack and be strapped down or a sword/scabbard can be taken off the belt and held in hands to remove this penalty.
===Hide===
This skill is used when the thief wishes to not be seen. Anybody in the vicinity that might be able to spot them gets an opposed perception check. If the other people are not actively searching the area, they make their perception checks at half strength (a person with a perception of 9 would roll d20+4). Nobody can hide in plain sight (you can't hide in an empty jail cell for example).
Cover 	Hide Modifier		Setting 	Hide Modifier		Ambiance 	Spot Modifier
Reactionary cover	-4 		Beach 	-4 		Soft light 	-1
Prepared cover 	+4 		Grassland 	+0 		Dim light 	-2
Limited cover 	Up to -4 		Farmland 	+2 		Moonlight 	-4
Abundant cover 	Up to +4 		Light Woods 	+4 		Starlight 	-8
Poor cover 	Up to -4 		Heavy Woods 	+8 		Rain, Storm 	-2, -4
Good cover 	Up to +4 		Rainforest, Jungle	+8 		Distracted¹ 	½ score
 	 		Village 	+2 		Focused search²	Advantage
 	 		Town 	+4 		 	
 	 		City 	+6 		 	
 	 		Bedroom 	-4 		 	
 	 		Celler 	+4 		 	
 	 		Kitchen 	-4 		 	
 	 		Parlor 	-2 		 	
 	 		Workshop 	+0 		 	
:¹ - Distractions include being in combat, engaging in conversation, reading texts, or otherwise focused on another task.
:² - If someone is specifically searching the area, they make their check at advantage.
To move unseen through an area under observation, a thief would make a single roll against all observers rolls. If the thief is moving quickly, use the reactionary cover penalty. If the thief is taking their time, use the prepared cover bonus. The amount and quality over cover modifiers used should be of the most difficult section. Thus a thief approaching a fort might have to make their way through the edge of the woods (+8, good and abundant cover), then through some 2’ grass between the woods and the wall (+0, poor and abundant cover), down and over a ditch (-8, poor and limited cover), and then up the wall (-4, limited and OK cover). This thief would use the cover adjustment of -8, as it is the most difficult section to cross. 
The same thief might be taking their time (+4 for prepared cover) as they make their way to the wall, or perhaps there’s only one small window of opportunity that they have to take (-4 for reactionary cover). If during the sneaking the thief is disturbed, say a patrol comes back from the woods and is going to be walking near enough that they might spot the thief, a second hide check may be in order. This hide check would involve not only the thief and the patrol, but also those on the wall the thief was originally hiding from.
===Eavesdrop===
A successful check (21 or higher) means the thief is able to focus on a particular sound / noise / conversation. This could be for listening to a conversation on the other side of a door, overhearing a conversation at a nearby table, counting footsteps coming down a hall, or other similar things.
The range of this ability is 10 feet, with a modifier of -2 for every extra 5 feet of distance, or a modifier of +3 for every 5 feet closer. That is to say, at 20 feet of range, this ability is rolled at -4 while at 5 feet of range this ability is rolled at +3
Distance to Target	Modifier		Environment 	Modifier		Status 	Modifier
Adjacent 	+6 		Pin Drop Silence 	+8 		Every inch of wooden door 	+10 feet distance
5 feet 	+3 		Quiet, Still 	+4 		Every inch of wooden wall 	+20 feet distance
10 feet 	0 		Daily Activity / Setting	+0 		Every inch of stone door 	+15 feet distance
15 feet 	-2 		Busy room or street, windy, 
distant loud noises, light rain	-4 		Every inch of stone wall 	+30 feet distance
20 feet 	-4 		Loud Tavern, heavy rain 	-8 		Target speaking in low voice	-4
25 feet 	-6 		 	 		Target whispering 	-8
etc... 	etc... 		 	 		 	
:
===Climb===
The thief succeeds on a score of 21 or higher. A failure means the character is incapable of climbing it. Long climbs may require constitution checks. 
Climb Type 	Modifier		Situational 	Modifier
Rode and wall 	+11 		Climbing pick / axe on ice / wood 	+4
Overgrown* 	+4 		Spiked boots on ice / wood 	+4
Average tree 	+0 		Inward slope 	+2
Natural rock, rough 	-2 		Encumbered** 	-1
Natural rock, average	-4 		Outward slope 	-3
Stone / brick wall 	-8 		Bad grip (wet or loose) 	-4
Natural rock, smooth 	-10 		Wounded (1/2 hp) 	-4
Palisade wall 	-10 		Poor conditions (rain, wind, etc.)	-4
Castle wall 	-12 		Overhang 	-6
 	 		Icy or slimy 	-8
 	 		Enviroment (terrible) 	-12
:*Overgrown does not stack with Rope and wall
:**Cumulative for each level of encumbrance. -1 at light, -3 at medium, -6 at heavy, -10 at severe
A character’s climbing speed is based on their height and modified by the success of their roll. A 5 foot tall character would climb 5 feet in 1 round on a 21. They would climb 10 feet on a 22, 15 feet on a 23, etc. until a maximum of 50 feet on a 31. 
A climber may climb for a number of rounds equal to ½ their constitution, after which they will need to make constitution checks every round to keep going.
===Disguise===
This is the ability to, with the right equipment, disguise oneself as a different person of similar age, height, weight, sex, skin/hair color, and of the same race. A thief may not disguise another person with this check as part of the disguise is changing mannerisms such as voice, walk, posture, pathing, body language, and speech patterns. 
Attempting to disguise oneself as a member of a different sex or race carries heavy penalties and may require special equipment - for example a short female thief trying to pass herself off as a tall male might need some stilts to complete the disguise, or human male trying to disguise himself as an elf might need some clay and makeup to fabricate pointed ears, as well as a close shave to hide his beard.
When we talk about disguising there are three terms we need to clarify.
:Thief: The person attempting the disguise.
:Subject: The person the thief is being disguised as.
:Target: Anybody who might be deceived by the thief. There are often many targets of a disguise.
Reasons to be disguised
*To be unrecognized
*To be recognized as something else
**Blend in as a servant, monk, party goer, etc.
*To be recognized as someone else
**Impersonate the high cleric, the tax collector, the local lord/lady, etc.
Global Situational Modifiers 	Thief Modifier
Moonlight 	+2
Starlight 	+4
Different skin color (covered with makeup)¹	Up to -5
Different race² 	-5 / -2
Different gender¹ 	Up to -5
Different build¹ 	Up to -10
Different age 	Up to GM
Different culture³ 	-2
Different social status 	-2 / tier
Has acting non-weapon proficiency 	+4
Has etiquette non-weapon proficiency 	+2
:¹- These modifiers are scalable. A light skinned thief may only have a -1 penalty for impersonating a tanned person, or a -5 penalty for impersonating a dark skinned person. Similarly an effeminate male thief would have an easier time impersonating a female than would a very masculine male. The exact modifiers ought to be discussed before the disguise is made.'
:² - A human disguised as an elf would roll at -5, but a human disguised as a half elf would roll at -2.'
:³ - This penalty might be much higher if the target of the deception is familiar with the culture of the subject. That is to say, an Eridonian thief might have a -2 penalty to disguise themselves as someone from Akuba, but if they are trying to pull this off in front of another Akuban, the penalty might be as high as -5. If that same Eridonian thief had lived in Akuba for years, this penalty might be done away with altogether.
 Social Statuses
Nobility 	Clergy
Knights 	Clergy
Spellcasters / Merchants / Scholars / Skilled Laborers / Artists	Clergy
Servants / Musicians / Actors / Messengers / Scribes 	Clergy
Hunters / Ranchers / Woodsmen / Peasants / Fisherman / Laborer 	Clergy
Low Life / Riff Raff / Street Urchin 	Clergy
 	Clergy
The difference in social status from a beggar (street urchin) to a scribe is 2, while a difference between a fisherman and the king is 4. The difference between a fisherman and a rancher is 0. Seeing as members of the clergy come from all social statuses a thief must take into consideration the social status of the clergy member they wish to be disguised as. A thief who comes from a family that operates a roadside inn (servant class) could disguise themselves as a humble traveling monk with a social class difference of 1, or as a noble priest with a social class difference of 4.
==== General Disguise / Bluff ====
Karina the thief is keeping low in a tavern after a successful heist when the door opens and guards some in to search the place. She quickly makes her way to her room where she shuts the door and examines her options. The only props she has are the tools of her trade, which won’t help much, and the drink she brought in with her. She kicks her props under the bed as the door bursts open and the guard asks her about where she’s been. All she needs to do is pull off “not the thief who robbed the castle” and then she can get out of town. 
Karina is attempting the easiest disguise, being another person of a similar background, and rolls her disguise check vs. the guard’s charisma. 
==== Disguised as Someone Else ====
If a thief wishes to disguise themselves as a specific person, both the thief and the target get modifiers to their rolls based on how well they know / knew the person in question.
Subject Known 	Thief Mod
Described only 	-8
Artistic rendition 	-6
Seen in person 	-4
Spoken with 	-2
Known slightly 	0
Known well 	+1
Close friend / family	+2
Mate 	+4
Target's check: Modifiers and Check Frequency	Target's check: Modifiers and Check Frequency	Target's check: Modifiers and Check Frequency	Target's check: Modifiers and Check Frequency
Existing Familiarity With Subject 	Sees Thief At Distance 	Sees Thief Up Close 	In Conversation With Thief
Described only 	Modifier: -18Frequency: Once 	-12Frequency: Once 	-12Frequency: Once
Artistic rendition 	Modifier: -12Frequency: Once 	Modifier: -8Frequency: Once 	Modifier: -8Frequency: Once
Seen or heard 	Modifier: -8Frequency: Once 	Modifier: -4Frequency: Once 	Modifier: -4Frequency: Day
Seen and heard 	Modifier: -4Frequency: Once 	Modifier: 0Frequency: Once 	Modifier: +2Frequency: Day
Known slightly 	Modifier: 0Frequency: Day 	Modifier: +4Frequency: Day 	Modifier: +8Frequency: Turn
Friend / Known well 	Modifier: +5Frequency: Hour 	Modifier: +8Frequency: Turn 	Modifier: +12Frequency: Round
Close friend / family 	Modifier: +5Frequency: Turn 	Modifier: +10Frequency: Round 	Modifier: +16Frequency: Round
Mate 	Modifier: +5Frequency: Turn 	Modifier: +12Frequency: Round 	Modifier: +25Frequency: Round
Example:
:Reginald the dastardly rogue wishes to lace the queen’s wine with a love potion. The only problem is that the city watch is on to him and have posters up all over town with his face on them. First Reginald must gain access to the city. To do this, all he needs to do is to not be himself, so he puts on his disguise and makes for the city gates. Reginald doesn’t need to make a disguise check when he crosses paths with other people on the road because, while they might have noticed and recognized him without his disguise, none of them are looking for him and won’t give a second thought to just another stranger on the road. Coming to the city walls, Reginald sees six guardsmen on the gate. Two are conducting short interviews with people coming in, two are conducting short interviews with people going out, and the other two are keeping an eye on the lines that are forming. Reginald comes in front of the two suspicious guards and makes his disguise check (d20+18 for our roguish hero) which is a very average 10+18=28. Each of the two guards makes an opposed charisma check (d20+11) and end up with a 15 and a 26. Reginald is in!
:Now our intrepid adventurer needs to get within the castle walls. He hears there’s a grand ball being held in a week’s time so he prepare himself while he keeps a low profile in a friend’s house. Reginald’s plan is to drug a young nobleman who is similar to age and size as himself and take his place. Reginald scopes out the young nobleman’s manor only to find that they are renovating the west wing. After buying the appropriate (and worn) clothes to masquerade as laborer and stuffing his shirt a little to beef up, our hero makes his way to the manor gates to sneak on through. The footman on duty needs to be convinced that Reggie belongs here so they take a good look at him as he approaches. Our dear Reginald was born to a noble family and is not a particularly well built fellow (9 strength and 10 constitution) so trying to disguise himself as a strong common worker might be a bit of a challenge. Reginald makes his normal d20+18 check at -5 (3 for social status, 2 for build) rolling a 25 (12+18-5). The well trained footman make their check (d20+13), fumbles badly with a 6+13=19, and waves the faux-laborer in without a second thought. Once inside, Reginald sneaks upstairs where he hides out until evening when the nobleman is getting ready for the party. Reginald slips a strong sedative in the nobleman’s tea, waits for him to fall asleep, changes him into a spare set of his clothes (so as not to attract attention with a naked body), steals his invitation, and uses his room to apply the appropriate makeup and costume alterations.
:Finally Reginald gets to the castle gates where he must impersonate this young nobleman to the guards who are checking invitations. The guards have seen the young nobleman at court often but without heavily considering him. The DM decides this is equivalent to them having seen and heard him. Reginald presents his invitation to the guards and asks them how their evening is going. They give a short reply and make their opposed checks, Reginald at -2 (-4 for having only seen his subject and +2 for the dim light out when he arrived at the gates) and the guards at +2 (they’ve seen and heard the nobleman and are engaging Reginald in conversation). Reginald rolls a 3 for a low 19 and the guards roll a total of 14 and 20. Something’s off so one of the guards offers to walk him to the party, intentionally steering Reginald toward someone who might know him better. Had Reginald just handed over his invitation in silence, the guards would have rolled at +0 and failed. Or perhaps Reginald should have spent more time getting to know his subject, reducing or even eliminating his penalty for not knowing him well.
===Forgery===
No forgery can be attempted if the handwriting of the subject is unknown. At the very least the thief must have closely seen the subject's handwriting before, but preferably they have a sample to work off of. A forgery check should be made in secret by the DM. A thief never turns in work they think is bad.
Script Known 	Thief Mod	Target Mod
Writing style seen 	-12 	-10
Writing style is familiar 	-8 	-4
Writing style is well known	-4 	0
Writing sample in hand 	0 	+6¹
:¹ - Only useful if the person being fooled is actively looking for a forgery / discrepancy. A bookie who sees an entry in their ledger that they don’t remember writing would get a +6 to notice the difference, but someone who steals the bookie’s ledger wouldn’t get a bonus to notice the added entry unless they were looking for alterations.
Status 	Modifier
Illiterate¹ 	-6
Inappropriate paper quality	-1 to -4
More than just a signature 	-4
Rushed job 	-4
Very rushed job 	-8
Unlimited time to make 	+4
:¹ - An illiterate person might be able to copy a letter in someone’s hand (with -6), but not create a letter with different text. A person literate in common, but not in elvish, trying to copy an elvish script would get a -6 to their forgery check. Even an illiterate thief can forge a signature, provided they’ve seen it before or have it in hand.
==Undercommon==
This is a combination of slang, innuendo, and colloquialisms used to discuss illicit activities and goods. It is learnable by anyone if they have a teacher, but finding such a person is a challenge. Undercommon has similar forms in other languages but the concepts are interchangeable so someone who speaks undercommon and later learns dwarven would be able to speak a rough form of underdwaven. Language is cultural so any character that speaks this language must have been heavily immersed in it. Only under exceptional circumstances should a non thief character be able to speak undercommon at character generation (perhaps if they were employed as a bodyguard or enforcer for someone in the underworld). Furthermore, undercommon is not limited to verbal forms of communication. Hobo signs, small markings that relate information about the owner of the marked territory, are a good example of written undercommon.
Should a thief wish to use undercommon to get the attention of another thief or to see if the person they're talking to speaks undercommon, a charisma check may be made to do so surreptitiously. Failure indicates clumsy wording or and awkward social situation. Should the person they are speaking to be a regular person, it is possibly of little consequence other than a bad impression. Should the person be versed in undercommon, either as a thief or as a constable, the thief's intent could be muddled or clear (up to the DM).
==Removed Skills==
There were skills that were part of the Thief Rebuild in earlier version, but not in the current version. They are kept here for reference purposes.
===Gauge===
:The Gauge skill is removed in the current version of the Thief Rebuild as of 2024
This skill allows a thief to closely estimate distances, sizes, weights, and other measures. This skill also permits a thief to estimate a target's combat ability. In practice this means revealing a target's bonus to hit, damage, AC, and how much HP they have left. When using this skill to gauge the combat abilities of a target, the thief must observe the target in combat or a display of skill. A thief may use make use of gauge checks in combat, but if it is against a target the thief has not been focusing on, they must take a -4 for being engaged in combat / distracted. Observing a person walking down the street will tell you nothing about their skills.
Status 	Modifier
Seen briefly 	-4
Observed 	+0
Studied carefully 	+4
Handled 	+8
Recalling from memory 	-4
Engaged in combat / distracted	-4
Unknown material¹ 	-8
:¹ = Guessing the weight of a painted cube of metal would impose a -8 penalty on the check if the item is not handled, since the paint covers up the type of metal. It could me mithril (very light) or lead (very dense). Similarly a mystical beast before might be light or heavy for its size.
Roll	Hit Bonus	Damage Bonus (Str)	AC Bonus (Non-armor)¹	% HP Remaining
21 	Up to +4 	Up to +2 	Up to +3 	Closest 30%
26 	Up to +8 	Up to +4 	Up to +6 	Closest 20%
31 	Up to +12	Up to +6 	Up to +9 	Closest 10%
36 	Up to +16	Up to +8 	Up to +12 	Closest 5%
:¹ - This reveals a creatures bonus to AC for things like Dex, shield specialization, fighting styles that grant AC bonuses as well as magical bonuses like bracers of defense, rings/robes of protection, etc.
 	General	Specific	Exacting
Familiar 	21 	26 	31
Unfamiliar	24 	29 	34
Strange 	27 	32 	-
Alien 	30 	- 	-
:Familiar: People, dogs, pits, books, etc.
:Unfamiliar: Lion, tall buildings, 
:Strange: Dragon, displacer beast, giant spider
:Alien: Gelatinous cube, mimic
Note: To a person who is setting foot in a town for the very first time a tall building might be strange, but to a person who has lived in that town their whole life it would be familiar. Similarly someone who did not grow up around dogs might roll for their info as unfamiliar. 
:General details of a person: Height ± 1 inch, weight ± 5%, age ± 2 years
:Specific details of a person: Height ± ½ inch, weight ± 2.5%, age to the year
:Exacting details of a person: Height ± ¼ inch, weight ± 1%, age to the season
If a thief wanted to determine if her friend's fireball spell would fit in a room (else it might spill out into the hallway and burn them up as well) she would need to make a specific unfamiliar check (she's seen her friend cast fireball a few times). When she boches the check and the fire comes screaming down the hallway at her, she might need to make a general familiar check to see if the pit they laid a ladder across is narrow enough that she can jump over it. Later the same thief is trying to tunnel under the alter of a temple from the tavern across the street. She would need to make an exacting unfamiliar check to make sure her tunnel comes up right under the alter (else the floor tiles might shift giving away her tunnel).
Things that can be determined: Distance, weight, volume, age (only familiar)
Category:Custom Classes
Category:Custom 2e Classes
Category:2.Neal