Thief

Note -- This page refers to the Thief Guild, for a list of disambiguities, see Thief (Disambiguation).

Thief Guild
Image copyright of Simutronics Corporation
Primary Skillset:	Survival
Secondary Skillsets:	Weapon, Lore
Tertiary Skillsets:	Armor, Magic
Special Abilities:	Khri, Backstab, Sign, Passages, Voice Throw, Slip, Contacts, Lockpick Carving, Poison Resistance, Mark
Mana Type:	None
Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Commoner - Empath - Moon Mage Necromancer - Paladin - Ranger - Thief - Trader - Warrior Mage

Beyond skulking in shadows and relieving the careless of their burden of coin, Thieves' superior stealth, hyper-aware senses, and familiarity with locks and traps make them valuable additions to any adventuring party.

A life in the shadows is like no other -- never above the law, but always one step in front of it.

Official Information

Information courtesy of Dragonrealms Website.

Guild Hall Locations

That is a secret -- think of gaining entry to the guild as your first test.

Zoluren

The young snake Varsyth has brought order to the guild.

Therengia

Crow and Swan watch over their den.

Ilithi

The guild hall here is managed by Saishla.

Qi'Reshalia

The criminal element of Qi'Reshalia is overseen by Dwillig.

Forfedhdar

The Elven mistress Ivitha holds this province in an iron grip.

Skillsets and Common Races

A Thief's primary skillset is Survival. Weapon and Lore are secondary skillsets, with Magic and Armor as tertiaries.

According to the DragonRealms website, Thieves tend to be:

Elven	26%
Human	20%
Halfling	15%
Prydaen	11%
S'Kra Mur	10%

Guild Abilities

Most of these are considered in-game secrets.

Skill Bonusing System

Urban Bonus

This is dependent on where the thief is currently located. Thieves are most comfortable in places populated by the masses and/or with structures artificially created. SMIRK can be used by a thief to discern if the location is very urban, urban, neutral, or wilderness. This portion of the thief's bonus will directly raise the effective ranks a thief will use when doing contested actions. In the wilderness the thief is working with no urban bonus so can in essence only be using base ranks.

Reputation

This is a reflection of how the guild currently views the member. Bringing heat down upon the guild by being caught breaking the law of the province will lower the reputation of the member causing the thief to be without the aid of the guild as a whole. A thief with a reputation at the lowest point will be punished when entering the guild by Death. Standing in the guild can be raised with donations of stolen goods into the appropriate bins and by not being wanted by the law of the province.

Confidence

This is the feeling a thief has for her own skills. When a thief performs a skill successfully that is of some risk to her, she will gain confidence in her skills overall. The thief can SMIRK to tell how confident in her skills she currently is. If a thief botches a skill check that should be easy for her, confidence level will lower. A low confidence will hinder a thief's base ranks by 5% and can negate the urban bonus of where the thief is located. The bonuses to skills from high confidence and a good urban spot will stack, giving the thief a good edge on difficult tasks.

• Not yet completely implemented, right now only hiding, backstab, and stealing will modify a thief's confidence. Will be changed when fully implemented.

Backstab

Backstabbing is the act of surprising an opponent from hiding and inserting a narrow blade into an important organ. This attack, when successful, causes far more damage and death than a simple ambush or weapon attack. Backstabbing can only be performed using Light Edged or Medium Edged weapons that weigh 30 stones or less and must be performed from hiding at melee distance. Backstabbing utilizes and teaches the Backstab skill, a weapon skill, and the Hiding skill versus an opponents Perception skill and limited defenses. Only bipeds can be backstabbed, including these Creatures.

Sign Language

A secret language using slight hand gestures to communicate between Thieves. This ability is taught by the silent guildleader, Crow. At least one hand must be empty to perform sign. Each sign creates a random chance that someone in the room will notice the signing, though they won't be able to interpret it.

Passages

Thief-only shortcuts and hideouts found throughout several Elanthian cities. In The Crossing there are many passages spread around town. In Shard there is a large interconnected passage system. In Riverhaven there is small passage system with 3 entry points. In Throne City a passage there allows access to the rooftop of the Museum of Imperial History.

Contacts

The guild has contacts in each major city and some smaller cities that can do a variety of small tasks. For each 20 circles a Thief has they will gain the use of 1 additional contact, up to a maximum of 5, which can be doing work simultaneously.

USAGE: CONTACT <PERSON> [FIND|TELL] ([Message] When used with TELL.)

CONTACT GUILD while in Riverhaven for a hint to guild location.

CONTACT FIX while holding the item in your RIGHT hand.

CONTACT <PERSON> DELIVER while holding the item in your RIGHT hand.

CONTACT <PERSON> DISTANT [<CITY NAME>|ALL] [FIND|TELL] <message>

Valid cities are:

Crossings, Leth, Riverhaven, Langenfirth

Theren, Shard, Ratha, Aesry, Taisgath

Mer'Kresh, Throne City, Muspar'i, Hibarnhvidar

ALL will search every city, but at a substantial cost

CONTACT <PERSON> THUG [OPTION]

Valid options are:

THEFT (default) - Sends your thugs after a non-Thief who steals.

ITEM - Sends your thugs to collect Ambika items from non-Thieves.

GRAVEROB - Sends your thugs after any Thief grave robber.

Lockpick Carving

Lockpick repair and Lockpick Carving are Thief-only abilities that can be attempted beginning at 12th Circle. Lockpick carving involves creating a lockpick by carving a keyblank with a knife. The greater the Lockpicking skill and agility, the better quality of lockpick. Read more in the Lockpick Carving article.

Khri

Khri is a Thief-only ability based on intense concentration that leads to heightened awareness and dexterity. The Khri are taught by various guild leaders. "Khri" is both the singular and the plural term.

Ambush Moves

• AMBUSH STUN: Done from hiding, will attempt to give the opponent a nasty crack on the head that has the potential to knock them completely unconscious. Requires special equipment or a blunt instrument.
• AMBUSH SLASH: Done from hiding, will attempt to cut the back of the opponent's ankles in order to drop them to the ground in pain. Requires a sharp instrument and possibly a great deal of strength.
• AMBUSH SIGHT: Done from hiding, blinds and disorients your target, assuming you hit. If you're stealthy, you will vanish after the strike.
• AMBUSH SCREEN: A technique to surround oneself with dirt, blinding and disorienting nearby foes, as well as revealing any who may be trying to lurk near you. If you're stealthy, you will vanish after the attack. Can be done in and out of hiding.
• AMBUSH CLOUT: Done from hiding without a weapon, this attack will put a target to sleep temporarily.

Slip

SLIP <person> COIN <ear|nose|mouth|wound> <easy/hard>	[Sleight of hand magic]
SLIP <person> <amount> (<type> <name> OPTIONAL)	[Silent giving of coins]
SLIP <right|left|item>	[Silent stowing of an item into your packs]
SLIP <item>	[Silent getting of an item from your packs] - Addition 1: Works on WORN items. - Addition 2: Works with items ON THE GROUND.
SLIP <person> <right|left|item> <pack|hand>	[Silent giving of items]
STALK <person|creature> (while unhidden)	[Hide + Stalk of target]
SNEAK <direction> (while unhidden)	[Hide + Sneak in direction]
SLIP HELP	Lists known Slips
SLIP TEACH <person>	Teach slips to eligible people

Voice Throw

Some Voice Throw abilities are learned from a guild leaders, others are taught by Bard player characters who also possess the Voice Throw abilities but with slightly different uses.

• Different directions. THROW VOICE OUT <message>.
• Objects you see lying around. THROW VOICE <item> <message>.
• Items in/on/behind/under item on the ground. THROW VOICE <item> in/on/behind/under <item> <message>.
• Items on critters. THROW VOICE <item> on <critter> <message>.
• At critters. THROW VOICE <critter> <message>.

Mark

See Mark for full details.

Important Skills

Survival Skills

Thieves need to train a minimum of 8 survival skills to advance consistently in the guild, with each 8 needing to be chosen from the list of 10 skills below. This type of requirement is known as a Soft Requirement, or General Requirement. When a guildleader tells you you do not lack anything specific but still need to train more, he is referring to something falling under this type of requirement.

Skills Eligible to Fill the Soft Requirements:

• Stealing
• Lockpicking
• Hiding
• Stalking
• Escaping
• Disarm Traps
• Evasion
• Perception
• Backstab
• Climbing

Thieves then have 4 skills with a hard requirement. These have a skill specific required amount to fill regardless of how or if they are in your "Top 8".

It is possible to always be in excess of the hard requirements simply by using skills with a hard requirement to satisfy some aspect the soft requirements.

Skills Having A Hard Requirement:

• Stealing
• Lockpicking
• Hiding
• Stalking

Note: These hard requirements do however require hiding and stalking to eventually be more of something along the lines of in the top 4 soft requirement survivals, as the bottom 4 of your top 8 skills are required less of later in your career, and the hard requirements exceed that what is required of the lower 4 of the Top 8. However, most circle hungry thieves find this negligible, as even with evasion as number 1 and stealing as number 2 your typical thief will have hiding and stalking as 3 and 4, simply due to the ease they find in learning them in combat and the amount of time your typical thief spends there.

Many (most? (all?!)) Thieves would recommend not using escaping to circle as they find it to be far harder and less combat friendly to train than the other survivals we have to choose from, especially later into one's career.

Weapon Skills

Thieves need two weapons to advance in the guild, a third will be required at higher circles. Most thieves would suggest one to be a Medium Edged or Light Edged weapon user (or use both, hint hint) for employ in backstabbing, as well as general combat.

If not at first, by later on in a Thief's career they will probably want to train the Brawling skill and be trained in the use of a Bow skill as well.

A Thief may also want to train Light Thrown weapons if they wish to excel at throwing dirt in the face of their opponents.

Lore Skills

Mechanical Lore is required as well as three other lore skills. Appraisal and Scholarship are excellent choices for filling the remaining picks, and despite its general lack of practical use (one besides circling with), one may find Vocals to be an excellent choice as well. This is because one may hum a song while disarming boxes, and play in any sort of sordid weather without the risk of instrument damage any other instrument (besides the mouth) is prone too.

Percussion has been suggested for years by Guildleaders, as it may someday be useful for abilities later in ones career. The skills in question appear to have not yet come to fruition.

Armor Skills

Shield will be required up to a minimum of 10 ranks, although many choose to train it past this level. A thief can get by with training in only a single armor type, although many thieves would not recommend this as training more armor nets more TDPs.

Leather Armor is an excellent choice that offers good protection and light stealth hindrance. One may consider Cloth Armor to be an option as well, which is the least stealth hindering at the cost of very, very low protection (with the exception of some old Gorbesh invasion robes that appraise like HP and are nigh unfindable/purchasable in modern day).

Many elder thieves and rangers alike have found themselves using tanned (player made) leather torso armor with chain armor on their hands and heads in modern times, due to chains better protection against critical stunning hits, and negligible hindrance because of their already high level of ranks in the Leather Armor skill, as well as for the benefit of more TDPs. For this hand and head protection Thieves typically find Light Chain the armor of choice, having stats very similar to, or in the case of some pieces of armor, the exact same stats as Heavy Chain, with a lower stealth penalty.

The best store bought full body armor for a beginning Thief is likely the race size-specific set sold in Shard, which run for a little under 6 plat dokora, and have very good protection with moderate hindrance. Despite this many choose to go with the more hindering sets sold on Ratha or in Riverhaven, due to them being much, much cheaper. Wolf Clan leathers are not recommended due to their high weight, which will effect newer player's encumbrance more. Note that the hindrance mentioned here is the evasion hindering type, as all leathers now have the exact same amount of stealth hindrance regardless of protection and combat hindrance (combat hindrance being the type that shows up when you APPRAISE a piece of armor).

Magic Skills

Thieves do not have any abilities that teach any of what are considered the core magical skills. They currently may not harness mana, cast spells, charge cambrinth, or perceive the mana in a room. Thieves have been banned from emplying runestones, although in the past such practices were allowable. They may however learn the Magical Devices skill by itemic means that do not require them to harness mana. Items a Thief may learn the Magical Devices skill from include a fan sold in the Crossing's Estate Holder Shop (Zephyr spell), ilmenite-tipped wands (Lightning Bolt spell) sold down in Shard, azurite Thief charms (Shadows spell) and indakar-eyed cat charms (Protection from Evil spell) from a festival merchant, and the legendary Achaedi Crystal.

Guild History

Kalag Ka'Hurst founded the Zoluren Thieves Guild around the start of the Elanthian Calendar, just as the Dragon Priest war was ending. All guild leaders following have taken the name "Kalag" as their own, until the most recent leader, Varsyth, who has stated he will not follow in that tradition. Varsyth has since adopted the name Kalag the Sly.

Kalag's tale and therefore the founding of the guild is described in two books residing within the Zoluren Thieves Guild library:

• Kalag's Memoirs, Part 1
• Kalag's Memoirs, Part 2

The memoirs tell of how Kalag first came to River Crossing, fleeing his hometown which had been beset by famine. Kalag came across an old man being attacked in the streets and helped fight with the old man. After the encounter Kalag learned the man was a well-known locksmith named Lyanothe, who then offered to teach Kalag many skills in return for Kalag's work as a runner and business partner.

One day their hideout was discovered and Kalag proposed they move to the sewers, for its easy access to anywhere in the city and its superior defensibility from foes. Kalag and Lyanothe became well known and opened their home to locksmithing students. This band of students began cross-training each other in skills that collectively made them qualified thieves. Kalag proposed they form a Thieves Guild and bring in other members from around the town that were engaged in criminal enterprises.

Kalag planned to have the guild recognized by the city council, but then the Dragon Priest army came to town. The Thieves Guild united against the army and their cunning helped defeat the Dragon Priests. Their actions and some support from the shrewd Trader guildleader earned them official acknowledgment by the city. And thus the Zoluren Thieves Guild was formed.

Thief Council

The governing body of all Thieves Guilds in the Five Provinces. Little is known.

Major Thief Events

• Inquisitor Anamir's discovery of the Zoluren and Therengia Thief guild halls.
• Ishtvan's attempt to violently overthrow Kalag and install Ladoc as new Zoluren Thief Guild leader and the deal made to train Ishtvan's men in the Crossing's sewers.
• Crossing Guard Zukir's destruction of the Zoluren Thief guild and Kalag the Black's subsequent death.

Thief Merchants

• Ambika
• The gnome tinkerer (Freiden?) who sells imitation magical devices

Miscellaneous Information

• Guild crest: A blank charger shrouded by a concealing veil.
• Thief Titles