Although all thieves and thief sub-classes have the ability to pick locks, pick pockets, and steal items, various classes have certain advantages or disadvantages in these areas. The governing statistics for all thief classes are Agility and Intelligence. A high Speed rating is also very desirable.
Thieves
Quick, agile, cunning, Thieves use agility and speed to steal for a living. They are useful in combat to surprise the enemy, scout, or try for critical hits. Thieves have a chance per level of experience to score a critical hit when attacking an opponent. A critical hit is defined as 3x the damage the weapon normally does. Thieves are the fastest to rise in experience levels. They start with 25 health points plus a d10 in health. Thieves have the ability to pick locks and pockets. This ability increases as the Thief increases in levels.
Weapons: Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Saber, War Axe, Short Bow
Armor: Leather only
Shield: Buckler only
Starting Health: 25 + d10
Burglars
Burglars are adept at picking locks and infiltrating different areas. They do this better than any other class, honing their skills to be able to find ways into areas thought inaccessible. They are very useful when exploring new dungeons, palaces, or other areas where others may be stopped by locked doors and/or chests. Because of the delicate nature of their work, they are restricted in the armor they may wear and the weapons they may carry. They may not use shields. Burglars also receive a chance per level to score a critical strike (3x damage) when attacking an opponent, though they are not as adept at this as Thieves.
Weapons: Dagger, Short Sword, Tanto, Short Bow
Armor: Leather only
Shields: None
Starting Health: 25 + d8
Assassins
Assassins are the dark hand of the night, their skills honed to the killing of others. They are very adept at this, able to find weak points or critical areas to strike, often felling opponents much more powerful than themselves. Assassins have the greatest chance per level to score a critical hit (3x damage) when attacking. Because of their training, Assassins have a wide variety of weapons from which to pick, but because of their need for stealth, they are not allowed to wear armor greater than leather or allowed to use shields.
Weapons: Any
Armor: Leather only
Shield: None
Starting Health: 25 + d12
Rogues
Rogues are thieves who have also trained in using arms and armor. They have combined the agile and cunning of their brethren with the skill of arms found in warriors. This makes them formidable and versatile. They are comparable in combat to the warrior class, but still retain the ability to pick locks and pockets. Rogues may wear up to chain armor and use any weapon or shield, with the exception of the Tower Shield. Rogues have a slight chance per level to critical strike an opponent (3x damage).
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any Leather or Chain only
Shield: Any except for Tower.
Starting Health: 25 + d14
Acrobats
Acrobats are thieves who have honed their physical skills in agility and balance to such a degree that they are almost supernaturally adept at scaling walls, running, jumping, and tumbling. They retain the ability to score a critical hit. They also have the ability to leap great distances and climb walls more securely and faster than the average thief. They are, in general, the fastest characters on foot. Further, because of their nimbleness, Acrobats deduct a certain percentage from their opponent’s base chance to hit when engaged in combat with them. This makes them difficult foes to hit, and dangerous adversaries. Because of their need for agility and speed, Acrobats use only leather armor, but never shields, and have a reasonable selection of weapons.
Weapons: Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Tanto, Shortbow
Armor: Leather only
Shield: None
Starting Health: 25 + d8
Bards
Bards are the proverbial ‘Jack of all Trades’. They are able to perform many tasks, including but not limited to: critical strikes, weapons skill, picking locks/pockets, and magic. They are a very versatile class, able to take up slack in almost any situation. Bards receive an amount equal to their INT in spell points. They have a wide selection of weapons, may wear armor up to chain, and use any shield except the Tower Shield. A Bard’s critical strike capability is useful when cornered by stronger opponents, though their chance to score is not as great as Thieves and the others in this subclass.
Weapons: Dagger, Shortsword, Broadsword, Saber, Mace, War Axe, Shortbow
Armor: Any Leather or Chain only
Shield: Any except Tower Shield
Starting Health: 25 + d10
