Thieves Beyond 20th Level (DK)

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At their highest levels, thieves gain a new category of abilities and can improve their Dexterity scores. 
Dexterity improvement: On gaining a new level, a thief may forego the usual 30 discretionary percentage points and instead add 1 point to his Dexterity score. A thief can raise his Dexterity score to a maximum of 21 this way. The increase is immediate and affects all aspects of play, from Armor Class and missile fire to all thief abilities.
New thief abilities: At 21st level, all thieves gain six new skills with base scores, as modified by a character's race and Dexterity score. The thief can immediately apply discretionary percentage points to these new abilities at 21st level and at all subsequent levels. 
 Thieving Skill Base Scores
Skill 	Base Score
Detect Magic 	5%
Detect illusion	80% (10%)*
Forge Document 	10%
Bribe Official 	5%
Dig Tunnel 	15%
Escape Bonds 	10%
: * A thief's Detect Illusion skill starts at 10% if the character chooses it at first level (see "Variable Thief Skills" below). 
 Thief Skill Racial Adjustments (Optional) 
Skill 	Dwarf	Elf 	Half-Elf	Halflng	Mul
Detect Magic 	-5% 	+10%	+5% 	— 	—
Detect Illusion	+5% 	— 	+5% 	+5% 	—
Forge Document 	— 	+10%	— 	— 	—
Bribe Official 	-5% 	+15%	+5% 	-5% 	—
Dig Tunnel 	+10% 	-10%	-5% 	— 	+10%
Escape Bonds 	— 	— 	— 	+10% 	—
 Thieving Skill Armor Adjustments 
Skill 	No Armor	Armor
Detect Magic 	— 	—
Detect Illusion	— 	—
Forge Document 	— 	-5%
Bribe Official 	+5% 	-10%
Dig Tunnel 	+5% 	-15%
Escape Bonds 	+5% 	-10%
 Thief Skill Dexterity Adjustments
DEX	DetMgc/Ill	FrgeDoc	BribeOffcl	DigTnnl	EscBnds
9 	— 	-15% 	— 	-10% 	-20%
10 	— 	-10% 	— 	-5% 	-15%
11 	— 	-5% 	— 	— 	-10%
12 	— 	— 	— 	— 	-5%
13 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
14 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
15 	— 	— 	— 	— 	—
16 	— 	+5% 	— 	— 	—
17 	— 	+7% 	— 	— 	+5%
18 	— 	+10% 	— 	+5% 	+10%
19 	— 	+15% 	— 	+10% 	+12%
20 	— 	+17% 	— 	+15% 	+15%
21 	— 	+20% 	— 	+20% 	+17%
22 	— 	+22% 	— 	+25% 	+20%
==Skill Explanations==
===Detect Magic===
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 thief's level, the DM should present erroneous information magical items appear non magical, and vice versa. 
Note that extremely large objects (entire rooms, walls, dunes, etc.) may, at the DM's discretion, require more time to examine or be simply too much for the thief's skills. 
===Detect Illusion===
Detect Illusion: As masters of illusions themselves, high-level thieves can use this skill to detect suspected illusions. 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 viewing the suspected illusion. 
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. 
Sudden illusions cannot be so detected. Nor can illusions which the thief cannot examine for an entire round. 
===Forge Document===
Forge Document: The thief uses this skill to mimic the handwriting of another character or creature, or to re-create a common form or document. In either case, success depends upon the thief's skill, his familiarity with the original, and the examiner's level of scrutiny. 
A thief attempting to forge should have an example of the original on which to base his work. With out such an example, the thief suffers an automatic 
-10% penalty on every skill roll. Having a wide variety of examples can actually improve the process, granting as much as a +5% bonus (DM's option). 
Every time the forgery is examined, the thief makes a skill roll. A forged pass allowing a slave to travel by night, for instance, might be examined by several different guards through the course of an evening. The skill roll is made every ti.me. An examiner inspects documents in a manner that reflects his reaction to the holder. 
Friendly: Gives document only the slightest glance. Bonus + 15%. 
Indifferent: Gives document a cursory glance. Bonus +5%. 
Cautious: Takes time to look over the document. No bonus or penalty. 
Suspicious: Scrutinizes the document carefully. Penalty -10%. 
Hostile: Questions everything; may even call a genuine document a forgery! Penalty -20%. 
The observer's reaction should be determined using Table 59: Encounter Reactions, in Chapter 11 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. An observer looking at a forgery that isn't accompanied by a character should still roll his reaction, as if confronted by an indifferent player character.
Special situations abound. The observer might know for certain that the document could not be real, or that it is highly irregular. Guards are more cautious when they suspect trouble. A discovered forgery may or may not point back to the forger, but it certainly reflects poorly on the holder. 
The thief's forging skill extends to paper and papyrus, stone tablets, signet rings, etc. 
===Bribe Official===
Bribe Official: A thief uses this skill to sway the reactions of NPC's with small gifts of coin or merchandise. Success depends on the thief's skill, the NPC's initial reaction, and the ceramic 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 7 is the highest number to receive a friendly re· action, the roll must be modified by 8. Determine the station of the NPC using the table below, then roll the dice indicated. The number of ceramic pieces indicated by the roll is the minimum bribe per 1 modifier.
Continuing the previous example: If the NPC is a soldier, the DM could roll 3d8 to get 20 cp—so the thief must offer a total of 160 cp (20 x 8) to hav e 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. 
Once the thief arrives at the ceramic 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. 
 Bribery Table 
NPC Station 	Bribe
Peasant or Slave 	2d4 cp
Freeman or Soldier 	3d8 cp
Merchant or Officer	5d10 cp
Noble or General 	5d100 cp
Bribes may also be material goods. Determine the coin value of the item, then consider whether or not the NPC might want it. The bribe may include services; 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 sorcerer-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. Reserve this option only for the most dramatic story situations. 
===Dig Tunnel===
Dig Tunnel: As a part of his career, a thief can learn the pne art of tunnelling. Success depends on the thief's skill, the material being tunnelled, and the availability of tools. 
The Tunnelling 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 re-dug at the loose-earth rate. 
 Tunnelling Table 
Type of Earth 	Modifier	Time
Sand/Loose Earth	-10% 	5 hours
Packed Earth 	+0% 	10 hours
Rock 	+10% 	30 hours
A thief's tunnelling skill is limited to shafts no more than a few feet long. It cannot double for mining skill.
===Escape Bonds===
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. 
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 that thief. 
Normally, this skill takes five rounds per roll. The thief can hurry his attempts but suffers a -5% penalty per round omitted (minimum 1 round).