New Thief Skills

The thief skills listed here are intended to give high-level thieves something to spend their points on. Unless otherwise noted, all skils below start at a rating of 0% and may have points allocated to them at any level.

Escape Bonds

This is the ability to wriggle free from bonds and fetters, even those that would normally be too tight for escape to be possible. It is a feat of contortion and determination, and requires a separate roll for each bond; if you are bound hand and foot, you must make two checks. Even if the Escape Bonds check is failed, you may still try to get free by other means, i.e. lockpicking or brute strength. Escaping bonds takes 1d6 rounds per fetter; the skill is modified by the race and Dexterity in the same way as Move Silently.

There are some mitigating circumstances which can make escaping bonds harder. Silk rope, which is of higher quality, is harder to escape from, imposing a 10% penalty. Exceptionally fine rope, such as that of elven make, may impose a further penalty. Furthermore, a successful proficiency check by someone with the Rope Use NWP imposes a 25% penalty to the check to escape from their knot.

Detect Illusion

Thieves, masters of deception themselves, are often alert and aware enough to notice the subtle imperfections of an illusion. At level 1, the Detect Illusion skill begins at 0%; armor and dexterity do not affect it, but dwarves start with a +5% bonus, and gnomes start with a +10% bonus. A thief with at least 1% in this skill has a chance to passively detect any illusions in their line of sight and within 90 feet. A secret check is made by the DM; if the thief fails, they are none the wiser. If they succeed, they notice some subtle flaw in the illusion that betrays its true nature. This skill is even capable of discerning those who are magically invisible, whether by the telltale shimmer or the subtle disturbances in the air that an invisible character or object leaves. Note that knowing someone is invisible does not allow you to see through their invisibility.

Set Snares

This skill replaces the Set Snares NWP for thieves, and is affected by Dexterity and race in the same proportion as Find/Remove Traps. Anyone can attempt to set traps, but some thieves are skilled enough in it that they can make traps out of virtually anything, and to suit any location. Creating a trap is as simple as making a Set Snares roll. This takes 1d10 rounds, and failure indicates that they have bungled the trap and destroyed the components. Rolling a 90-00 or more indicates that they have accidentally triggered the trap, taking full damage (including any poisons applied to it).

There are three forms of basic traps:

• A needle trap that can be set into door handles, locking mechanisms, and similar areas. This trap deals no damage unless poisoned.
• A dart trap that can be concealed in an alcove, beneath a bed, or anywhere else where there is a small hidden space. This deals 1d3 damage with a successful attack roll using the thief's THAC0, and can be poisoned.
• A crossbow trap that can be placed openly behind a door or hidden in a large space - such as behind a tapestry or above the heads of unsuspecting passers by. This deals either 1d6+1 or 1d8+1 damage, depending on the type of crossbow. Like the dart trap, it requires an attack roll with the thief's THAC0.

The three traps above are referred to as standard traps. They can be made by any thief in most positions; setting up a trap of this kind requires a "trapmaking kit" which consists of 10 gp worth of gears, pulleys, fishing line, delicate mechanisms, and so on. The trapmaking kit can be obtained from any thieves' guild, fence or other clandestine merchant, and is consumed when setting a trap. In addition to the trapmaking kit, the armaments used must be supplied, such as a 1sp needle, a dart, or a loaded crossbow. Thieves can always disarm their own traps, but this will destroy them. Alternatively, they can make a Find/Remove Traps roll to disarm their trap without damaging the materials used to make it.

The trapmaking kit is a bare necessity for making the most simple types of damaging traps detailed above, but it can be combined with other materials to make any trap the thief can conceive of (and the DM agrees to). The components supplied in a trapmaking kit are versatile; examples of more complex traps might include long-distance lines that ring alarm bells in another room, a trip-line that strikes a flint and explodes a barrel of oil, or one that causes a canister of deadly gas to be shattered and its contents released. Likewise, if space allows, the standard traps above could be replaced with variants - a spear trap that raises from beneath a carpet, for example.

Use Scrolls

At 10th level, thieves gain the ability to attempt to read wizard scrolls; however, they do so imperfectly. According to the rules, there is a 25% chance that a scroll malfunctions when read - which almost always happens in a manner detrimental to the thief and his companions. Reimagined as a thief skill, Use Scrolls is not aquired until 10th level, and begins at a rating of 75%. It is not affected by dexterity or armor.

Once 10th level is reached, the thief can improve their Use Scrolls ability in order to reduce the chance of a malfunction - increasing your Use Scrolls score to 85%, for example, would mean that you only have a 15% chance of malfunction when using a scroll. The skill can be improved to a maximum of 99%; it is not possible for a thief to completely eliminate the risk of malfunction.