Pickpocket#

Thieves, rogues and assassins, quick with their hands and quicker to leave. A pickpocket opens locks, walks in shadows and kills from behind, and has more ways to stay out of a fight than most classes have to win one.

How it plays#

Thievery is the heart of the class: seventeen skills from level 0 to 100, from peeking into a pack and picking locks to walking through shadows and bending light. Dexterity leads. Luck backs it, and a pickpocket leans on luck harder than anyone.

In a fight a pickpocket’s stances strike with each hand in turn, and the assassination skills open wounds, backstab, hamstring and cut spines. Rogue combat is fighting dirty: tripping, kicking dirt, gouging eyes, disarming and knocking out. They wear only light armor, so the plan is never to get hit.

Pickpockets are one of the road and shadow classes. Every ability, level by level, is under Abilities.

The road to Shadow Walker#

A pickpocket takes a new title at levels 100, 200, 300 and 400. A title can be declined; Five titles says what that means.

1. Level1
   Rank 1: Pickpocket

   Your class's own name. You earned it by doing the work, and nobody has to grant it.

2. Level100
   Rank 2: Rogue

   A rogue may join any thieves' guild on Sedia without a sponsor. Most guilds pretend to have rules about that.

3. Level200
   Rank 3: Thief

   Thieves may fence goods in Narsis without paying the house's cut.

4. Level300
   Rank 4: Assassin

   An assassin may take contracts on titled heads. In Dumasque that's legal. Everywhere else it's only lucrative.

5. Level400
   Rank 5: Shadow Walker

   The last title, and nobody grants it in public. A shadow walker is simply let into places, and nobody remembers letting them in.

Where they train#

Nobody knows Mother Sable’s real name, and three people have died finding out the wrong one. She teaches anyone who can lift her purse without her noticing. Nobody has, but trying is the entrance exam.

Find Mother Sable at a fence’s back room off the Outer Reach in Narsis. Any trainer can take your training points, but titles are bestowed here. Where the classes train maps all fourteen.

How it shows#

None of this changes a roll. It’s how the people around you can tell what you are, if you let them.

• You always know how much money is in a room, and roughly where.
• People pat their pockets after talking to you, and couldn’t tell you why.

Races that start closest#

The races whose starting scores sit nearest a pickpocket’s dexterity and luck. Any race can be a pickpocket; the class finder and the race finder rank all of them.

Quickling Dexterity 14 leads and luck 11 backs it. DEX 14 · LUC 11 · AC 7 Kobold Dexterity 12 and luck 11, and they were going to take it anyway. DEX 12 · LUC 11 · AC 12 Halfling Dexterity and luck, a pickpocket's two stats, are a halfling's two best. DEX 11 · LUC 11 · AC 11 Half-Elf Dexterity 12 again, and a face that fits in on either side of town. DEX 12 · LUC 9 · AC 9

Rodes that suit#

A rode is the one path of trials a character walks from level 20. These are the ones that do the most for a pickpocket; the rode finder ranks all fourteen.

Agility Dexterity is a pickpocket's primary score, the one every skill it uses adds. The rode takes it past where training stops. Built for it · +1 to +5 DEX Avoidance A pickpocket can't afford to be hit, and heavy armor slows the hands. Built for it · +2 to +10 armor class Destruction A backstab or a double strike is several hits at once, and the bonus counts on each. Helps · +2 to +10 damage Chance Luck backs a pickpocket's dexterity. The rode takes it past where training stops. Helps · +1 to +5 LUC Endurance Backstabs, trips and dirt kicks all draw on stamina. Helps · 1d4 to 1d20+10 stamina

Tradesguilds that suit#

A character belongs to two tradesguilds at most. These are the ones whose work fits a pickpocket; the guild finder ranks all eleven.

Jewelcrafting A pickpocket who can appraise a ring knows which pocket to pick, and a jeweler's bench is a fine place to change what a stolen piece looks like. A natural fit · hall in Crecia Tailoring A tailor knows where every pocket on a coat is, and how to sew one nobody else will find. Works well · hall in Dumasque Engineering An engineer understands hinges, springs and locks, which a pickpocket finds very useful. Works well · hall in Tharsis

What others say#

The wrong purse

A pickpocket lifted a purse on the Tharsis road and found a Legion seal inside, with a list of names, half of them crossed out. Mother Sable won’t fence it and won’t keep it, and its owner has started asking around.

Abilities#

A class teaches its abilities in disciplines, a handful of related abilities learned as you level. Most open at level 0 and add one every ten or twenty levels. The heroic disciplines open at level 50 and run to 100.

A cost in willpower or stamina is paid each time you use the ability. A passive works all the time, and a toggled ability stays on until you turn it off. Every ability starts at 0 efficacy and gets better with practice, as Levels explains.

StancesAssassinationRogue combatThievery

Stances#

Strikes that work both hands: counter, shadow, crippling, circle, double and triple strikes. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 50

Counter StrikeLevel 0 · 15 stamina

Instantly return a normal physical non-ability strike may be used only once per round.

Shadow StrikeLevel 10 · 20 stamina

Deal 2d8 + DEX mod damage with offhand weapon.

Crippling StrikeLevel 20 · 25 stamina

Prevent target from moving for 3 rounds dealing normal physical damage.

Circle StrikeLevel 30 · 50 stamina

Attack immediately surrounding targets, up to 4 dealing 2d8 damage each.

Double StrikeLevel 40 · 20 stamina

Strike twice with main hand weapon.

Triple StrikeLevel 50 · 50 stamina

Strike two times with mainhand and one time with offhand.

Assassination#

Expert wounds, carving, backstab, hamstring, spinal cuts and kidney stabs. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 50

Expert WoundLevel 0 · 20 stamina

Cause regular damage and open a wound that deals 1d8 damage for 4 rounds.

CarveLevel 10 · 15 stamina

Re-opens closed wounds and causes 2d8 damage to them for 4 rounds.

BackstabLevel 20 · 50 stamina

An opener, used only to start a fight: a weapon in the main hand strikes 4d8 plus DEX mod. Not on a foe awake and below two fifths of its health; always lands on a sleeper.

HamstringLevel 30 · 30 stamina

Prevents movement permanently and deals 1d12 damage, opens wound causing 1d4 damage per round. DC 10-DEX mod.

Spinal CutLevel 40 · 40 stamina

Deals 1d12+30damage and continues 1d12 damage per round for 6 rounds.

Kidney StabLevel 50 · 20 stamina

Deals 1d8 and 1d6 damage per round for 6 rounds.

Rogue combat#

Fighting dirty: trip, dirt kick, gouge eyes, disarm, knockout and distract. 6 abilities, levels 0 to 50

TripLevel 0 · 10 stamina

Instant. Prohibits target from moving for 1 round. Requires player+5+current dex+1d20 vs opponent+current dex+1d20. Deal 1d4 damage if successful, take 1d4 damage if fails. Only usable one per round.

Dirt KickLevel 10 · 5 stamina

Blind target for 2 rounds, DC 10.

Gouge EyesLevel 20 · 20 stamina

Dc-15 chance to blind target, opening wounds causing 2d8 damage.

DisarmLevel 30 · 10 stamina

Disarm targets weapon, only one weapon if two are held, DC 10 - DEX mod.

KnockoutLevel 40 · 50 stamina

Renders target with 10% & under health into a temporary comatose DC 10 - DEX mod.

DistractLevel 50 · 20 stamina

Instant, interrupts spell casting. Only usable once per round.

Thievery#

Seventeen skills from peek to bend light: locks, hiding, sneaking, tracking, picking pockets, haggling and walking in shadows. 18 abilities, levels 0 to 100

PeekLevel 0 · 15 willpower

Look into targets inventory, DC 10+target level - player level - LUC mod.

Fortify LockLevel 5 · 5 willpower

Adds +5dc to lock difficulty, cannot fortify magical locks.

HideLevel 10 · 25 willpower

Ability to hide an object or oneself.

Reflex AdaptationLevel 15 · Passive

Instant. Gives an instant reflex save to all sprung snares or traps, ranged attacks, and non-spirit elemental attacks. Dc attack level+10 - player level.

SneakLevel 20 · 50 willpower

Ability to move without making sound.

PalmLevel 20 · Passive

Take something up from the ground, a container or a corpse without the room being told; each player watching may catch you at it.

Cover TracksLevel 25 · 10 stamina

Prevents shadow walker from being tracked.

Pick Basic LockLevel 30 · 10 willpower

Pick any basic lock, DC 5.

TrackLevel 35 · Toggled

Allows the thief to track targets and the location they may have gone in the recent past.

Stalk ShadowsLevel 40 · 20 willpower

Ability to move without being seen, way more powerful than sneak - this one is unrootable.

DistractLevel 45 · 25 stamina

Must be stealthed, stuns 5 yard radius up to 15 yards from thief, will remain stealthed.

Pick PocketLevel 50 · 10 willpower

Take from a creature's pack what you name, coins for a share of its purse, or whatever comes to hand. Dc target level - player level - LUC mod.

HaggleLevel 55 · Passive

Allows thieves to buy items at least at their normal price and up to 1d10 where 6 is 60% of original price, 7 is 70% of original price, 8 is 80% of original price, 9 is 90% of original price, 10 and 1-5 gain no benefit from haggle.

Pick Complex LockLevel 60 · 20 willpower

Pick any complex lock DC 10.

Pick Magical LockLevel 70 · 50 willpower

Pick any magical look. DC 15.

Shadow WalkLevel 80 · 30 willpower

Ability to meld into the shadows extremely deeply, this is an unrootable version of hide.

Shadow JumpLevel 90 · 10 willpower

Ability to immediately leave combat and jump back into the shadows.

Bend LightLevel 100 · 80 willpower

Ability to bend shadows to consume players current location. This forces current location to cause everyone to stop fighting for 3 rounds and blind for 4 rounds as the darkness refuses to leave their eyes.

Proficiencies#

What the class can wield, wear and speak from the start, and the extra attacks it learns as it levels.

Weapons

Hand to hand, dual wielding, basic slashing, all piercing, advanced bashing and basic ranged

Armor

Light armor

Languages

Common and narsik

Extra attacks

Second attack at level 15, third attack at level 32 and fourth attack at level 65

Combat puts these to use: weapons and extra attacks under Attacking, armor and parry, shield and dodge under Defending.

Parry

Parry blows with the weapon in your hand.

Greater Dodging

Dodge blows that would otherwise land, more often the nimbler you are.

Swimming

Allows swimming through water too deep to wade.