Thief

“Stop, thief!”  Few sayings sum up the life of one of these shady individuals so well.  On the move – that is how a thief lives to be old enough to enjoy the fruits of his life’s pursuits.  Of course, those pursuits might very well have been less than honest – in fact, they probably were – but good thieves exist, as do "thieves" who have never committed an illegal act.  Where do these heroic rogues come from that they can be set apart from the criminal scum of society?  Some are idealistic highwaymen who rob from the established nobility, seeking to deliver gold and perhaps even power into the hands of the oppressed poor.  Still others are too good-hearted to even think of stealing, at least from the living.  These professional dungeon-delvers and treasure-hunters are the quintessential adventuring burglar.  Others seek to become great swordsmen, scoffing at traditional fighting schools and relying on their wits, their speed, and the elaborate feints and precise strikes of a swashbuckler.  Finally, there is a new breed of thief that has become quite common in Lethandria with the rise of the nation-state: the spy.  Espionage artists train themselves in all of the thief's arts (along with a few investigator levels on the side), from sneak attacking to lip-reading to general skullduggery.  If there is one thing spies have learned from thieves, it is how to blend in – one goes unnoticed in the shadows, but one is not even looked for in the crowds.

Hit Die: d8

Starting Cash: 5d4 × 100ƒ

Class Skills
The thief’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Demolitions (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Investigate (Int), Jump (Str), Knowledge (art & artifacts) (Int), Knowledge (business) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (physical sciences) (Int), Knowledge (streetwise) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use FX Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) × 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.
 

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the thief:

Starting Feats: Thieves begin with Simple Weapons Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency (rapier, sap, shortbow, short sword), Exotic Weapon Proficiency (hand crossbow), Personal Firearms Proficiency, and Light Armor Proficiency.

Backstab: If a thief can catch an opponent from behind by flanking her target, she can strike a vital spot for 1d6 extra damage. Should the thief score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, the backstab can be made to deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage; but she cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

A thief can only backstab living creatures with discernible anatomies -- undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to backstabs. The thief must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A thief cannot backstab while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Trapfinding: Thieves (and only thieves) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.

Thieves (and only thieves) can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A thief who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.

Sneak Attack: At 2nd level, the thief gains the ability to deal extra damage at any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), as well as when the thief flanks her target. This extra damage is still 1d6, but it increases by 1d6 every three thief levels thereafter. Should the thief score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.

Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, a thief can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual –4 penalty.

A thief can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack.  Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The thief must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A thief cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Evasion: At 2nd level and higher, a thief can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the thief is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless thief does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Trap Sense: At 3rd level, a thief gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the thief reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level.

Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.

Uncanny Dodge: Starting at 4th level, a thief can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a thief already has uncanny dodge from a different class she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.

Improved Uncanny Dodge: A thief of 7th level or higher can no longer be flanked.

This defense denies another thief the ability to backstab or sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more thief levels than the target does.

If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum thief level required to flank the character.

Special Abilities: On attaining 10th level, and at every three levels thereafter (13th, 16th, and 19th), a thief gains a special ability of her choice from among the following options.

Crippling Strike: A thief with this ability can sneak attack opponents with such precision that her blows weaken and hamper them. An opponent damaged by one of her sneak attacks also takes 2 points of Strength damage. Ability points lost to damage return on their own at the rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability.

Defensive Roll: The thief can roll with a potentially lethal blow to take less damage from it than she otherwise would. Once per day, when she would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow, not a spell or special ability), the thief can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, the thief must attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt). If the save succeeds, she takes only half damage from the blow; if it fails, she takes full damage. She must be aware of the attack and able to react to it in order to execute her defensive roll—if she is denied her Dexterity bonus to AC, she can’t use this ability. Since this effect would not normally allow a character to make a Reflex save for half damage, the thief’s evasion ability does not apply to the defensive roll.

Improved Evasion: This ability works like evasion, except that while the thief still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth she henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless thief does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Opportunist: Once per round, the thief can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as the thief’s attack of opportunity for that round. Even a thief with the Combat Reflexes feat can’t use the opportunist ability more than once per round.

Skill Mastery: The thief becomes so certain in the use of certain skills that she can use them reliably even under adverse conditions.
Upon gaining this ability, she selects a number of skills equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier. When making a skill check with one of these skills, she may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent her from doing so. A thief may gain this special ability multiple times, selecting additional skills for it to apply to each time.

Slippery Mind: This ability represents the thief’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If a thief with slippery mind is affected by an enchantment spell or effect and fails her saving throw, she can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. She gets only this one extra chance to succeed on
her saving throw.

Feat: A thief may gain a bonus feat in place of a special ability.
 

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