Character Creation — Thieves and their kits
 | THIEF Race: Any Alignment: Any except LG Description: There are many reasons to become a Thief; the desire to sneak undetected and see without being seen, the desire to kill someone against whom you lack the mettle to stand in face-to-face combat, or the desire to be able to pass anywhere, unhindered by locked gates or lethal booby-traps. Even the desire to steal things has the split motives of simple greed and the joy of acquisition. Whatever their original intentions, Thieves are capable of all these tricks and more, acting both as a battery of vital skills to be used against enemies, and as a constant source of cash while among "friends." |
STRENGTHS:
| » » » » » » » | Able to use the Thieving skills of Detect/Disarm Traps, Open Locks, Stealth (BG1 only), Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, Detect Illusions, Set Traps, and Pick Pockets Gains 25 Thieving points per level (20 in BG1) to distribute among the above skills Can Backstab, to a maximum multiplier of x5 Special Ability of Set Snare, usable 1x/day per 5 levels (first use gained at Level 1, then every 5 levels thereafter): The Thief can attempt to place a large Trap at a chosen location—if successful, the Trap will remain in place until an enemy comes within 15 feet, at which point it fires an arrow that unerringly strikes the victim. The arrow's effects vary with the level of the Thief that set the Trap: Levels 1-10: Arrow does 2D8+5 Missile damage Levels 11-15: Arrow does 2D8+5 Missile damage, plus 2D6 Poison damage per round for the next 3 rounds Levels 16-20: Arrow does 3D8+5 Missile damage, plus 4D8+2 Fire damage Levels 21+: Arrow does 3D8+5 Missile, plus 20 Poison, and instantly slays the victim if they fail to Save vs. Death with a -4 bonus Shares the fastest rate of level progression in the game Can be combined with the classes of Fighter, Cleric, and Mage Guaranteed at least 9 Dexterity |
| » » » » » | Restricted to Proficiency (*) in any weapon proficiency
Restricted to Proficiency (*) in any Weapon Style Cannot wear Helmets, armor heavier than Hide or Elven Chain Mail, or shields larger than Bucklers Cannot use most heavy weapons—restricted to the Dagger, Short Sword, Ninja-To, Wakizashi, Scimitar, Longsword, Katana, Club, Staff, Sling, Darts, Short Bow, and Light Crossbow Cannot cast Priest spells or Wizards spells, read spells from scrolls, or use most Wands |
| Notes: The "Strengths" and "Weaknesses" listed for each base class are intended both as a general description of the class, and compared to the other classes of the same superclass. In the descriptions of the kits, however, the Advantages and Disadvantages
are always directly relative to their base class. In the table to the right, the columns are as follows— Level: The Experience Level of the Thief. EXP: The Experience Points required for a Thief to reach that level. Hitpoints: The hitpoints that a Thief would gain at that level. "+CON" means the additional hitpoint bonus from having a high (or possibly low) Constitution stat. THAC0: The base THAC0 (before any modifiers) of a Thief at that level. ApR: The base Attacks per Round (before any modifiers) of a Thief at that level. Profs: The number of Proficiency Points a Thief would gain at the given level. Saving Throws: The Saves (given in this order: vs. Death, vs. Wands, vs. Polymorph, vs. Breath, and vs. Spell) of a Thief at the indicated level. BS: The Backstab multiplier of a Thief at the given level. TP (1) and TP (2) refer to BG1 and BG2, respectively, and indicate the number of distributable Thieving Points that become available to spend upon reaching the given level. Note that in BG2, characters who Dual-class to Thief get only 20 points, not 40, to allocate at Level 1. |
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 | ASSASSIN Class: Thief Race: Any Alignment: Any except LG Description: Some Thieves know perfectly well that they are, first and foremost, cold-blooded murderers. These individuals aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, and allow their study of the more benign aspects of Thievery slide for a bit, while they concentrate on practicing the very best ways to swiftly dispatch an unsuspecting foe. Assassins are equally adept at ending a creature's life with poison or the blade—sometimes they'll use both, to be extra sure of getting the job done. |
ADVANTAGES:
| » » » | Base -1 bonus to THAC0 and +1 bonus to Damage
Special Ability of Poison Weapon, usable 1x/day per 4 levels (first use gained at Level 1, then every 4 levels thereafter): For the next 5 rounds, all successful hits made by the Assassin will be enhanced with a powerful contact poison, which inflicts 2hp of Poison damage per second for 1 round (no Save), as well as 1 hp of Poison damage per second for 4 rounds (Save vs. Death negates). Backstab multiplier elevated to x6 at Level 17, and to x7 at Level 21. |
| » | Only recieves 15 Thieving points per level |
Notes: Setting a Trap does not count as making an attack, so you cannot Poison your Traps.
 | BOUNTY HUNTER Class: Thief Race: Any Alignment: Any except LG Description: It's not often that those in the adventuring profession would want to try not to kill an enemy, but in those rare circumstances, the Bounty Hunter is there to help. Whether the target has vital information the party needs to learn, or they can simply earn a larger reward by handing him over alive, the Bounty Hunter's Traps can quickly & cleanly remove a target from a fight while the party deals with his fellows. Bounty Hunters are usually looked on as the most law-abiding of Thieves, as even freelancers frequently work directly for local authorities. |
ADVANTAGES:
| » » | 15% bonus to Set Traps skill
Special Ability of Set Special Snare, usable 1x/day per 5 levels (first use gained at Level 1, then every 5 levels thereafter): Works exactly like setting a regular Snare (which Bounty Hunters also get), but with additional effects, varying according to the level of the Bounty Hunter: Levels 1-10: 3D8+5 Missile damage, and Slows the target for 5 rounds if they fail to Save vs. Spells with a +4 penalty Levels 11-15: 4D8+5 Missile damage, and Holds the target for 5 rounds if they fail a Save vs. Spells with a +1 penalty Levels 16-20: No damage, target is placed under Otiluke's Resilient Sphere for 7 rounds (no Save) Levels 21+: No damage, target is Mazed (no Save, duration varies with target's Intelligence) |
| » | Only recieves 20 Thieving points per level |
Notes: The Level 11-15 Special Snare functions as Hold Person, and thus can only Hold Humanoid targets no larger than a Half-Orc.
 | SWASHBUCKLER Class: Thief Race: Any Alignment: Any except LG Description: Piratical connotations notwithstanding, the Swashbuckler's forte is the ability to step up and melee with the big boys when needed. Although not as hardy or lethal as an actual Warrior, Swashbucklers are easily the strongest melee combatants among Rogues, and even surpass Priests most of the time, making them a dandy last-resort Tank to stop enemies that made it all the way into the party's back rank. Their nimble dodges and quick, precise swordplay help them prove to the world that being clad in leather is not necessarily a sign of being an easy target. |
ADVANTAGES:
| » » » » » | Base -1 bonus to AC
Additional -1 AC bonus at every 5th EXP level -1 bonus to THAC0 and +1 bonus to Damage at every 5th EXP level Can attain Specialization (**) in every type of allowed melee weapon Can attain Mastery (***) in Two-Weapon Style |
| » | Base Backstab multiplier never increases beyond x1 |
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