In retrospect, this seemed obvious:

In retrospect, this seemed obvious:

The City Thief

The following changes represent a slightly different type of Thief – one perhaps involved in… darker projects.

Starting moves:

Replace Poisoner with:

Avoid the Light

When you stand in shadows or darkness without talking or moving, NPCs will never notice you as long as they haven’t already spotted you. If you’re more than a few feet away from them, they won’t see you even if you move or attack and even if they know you’re there.

Advanced moves 2-5:

Add: 

Mechanical Eye

You have a mechanical replacement for one of your eyes. You can see without difficulty in total darkness and its increased visual acuity gives you +1 to hit targets at range, but sudden exposure to bright light disorients you.

Replace Brewer with: 

Contortionist

You’re adept at bending your body in ways it was seemingly not designed to bend. You can fit into uncomfortably small places, and when you Defy Danger by dramatically dodging out of the way, take +1.

Replace Poison Master with:

Thieves’ Highway

When you use the city’s secret paths to travel to your destination or escape pursuit, roll+Dex. On a 10+, choose 2; on a 7-9, choose 1:

– you get there unseen or lose your pursuers

– you get there in half the time it would normally take 

– you leave nothing that could be traced back to you or your friends

(This is actually from my Assassin playbook, but, well, the only reason it’s there is because it wasn’t in the Thief playbook already.)

Advanced moves 6-10:

Add:

Without Being Heard

You’re preternaturally silent, and will never make any noise unless you want to. You never need to Defy Danger to move about quietly.

Replace Alchemist with:

Thief-Acrobat

You never lose your balance, and you always land on your feet. When you fall from any height, as long as you can find a way to break or cushion your fall, you take no damage. 

New equipment:

Blackjack (hand, nonlethal, 10 coins, 1 weight): this small club has a lead-filled leather pouch for a head. It is specially designed to knock victims out, as thieves have generally found it easier to rob people when they aren’t able to protest.

Flash bombs (3 uses, 20 coins, 1 weight): these glass bulbs contain two carefully-separated alchemical substance which, when they come in contact with each other (when the glass is thrown with enough force to break it, for example), emit a very bright flash of light. Anyone who was looking in towards a flash bomb at the moment of impact will end up blinded by the flash for a few seconds – good for making a quick getaway.

Moss arrow (1 use, 20 coins, 0 weight): this arrow’s glass tip contains fast-growing moss spores. When fired against a hard surface, the tip shatters and releases the spores. Over a few seconds, these will grow into enough moss to cover a couple of square feet. The moss is so thick that walking on it won’t make any noise, no matter the underlying surface.

Water arrow (1 use, 5 coins, 0 weight): this arrow’s glass tip contains an alchemical payload designed to snuff out your average torch, lantern or camp fire (despite the name, do not try drinking it). Just shoot it at a hard surface close to the open fire you’re trying to extinguish and gravity will do the rest.

Fire arrow (1 use, dangerous, 50 coins, 0 weight): this arrow’s glass tip contains two highly volatile chemical substances kept carefully separated, much like flash bombs. Unlike flash bombs, when the glass breaks and the two substances mix, the resulting reaction is somewhat… explosive. Anyone within a few feet of a fire arrow’s impact point takes 2d8 damage (forceful, messy, ignores armour).

Gas arrow (1 use, nonlethal, 50 coins, 0 weight): this arrow is tipped with a carefully-designed slow-release mechanism for varenech seed gas. When the tip of the arrow hits something solid, the mechanism starts pumping gas into the surrounding area. Anyone who breathes in even a little bit of this gas takes 4d6 nonlethal damage.

New weapon tag:

Nonlethal: it’s designed to knock people unconscious, not deal real damage. If you reduce them to 0 HP with this, they just get knocked out for a few hours.

New starting gear section:

Your load is 9+Str. You start with adventuring gear (5 uses, 1 weight), leather armor (1 armour, 1 weight), flash bombs (3 uses, 1 weight) and 10 coins.

Choose your arms:

– Blackjack (hand, nonlethal, 1 weight) and short sword (close, 1 weight)

– Dagger (hand, 1 weight) and rapier (close, precise, 1 weight)

Choose a ranged weapon:

– Shortbow (near, 1 weight) and quiver of arrows (3 ammo, 1 weight)

– Throwing knives (thrown, near, 3 ammo, 1 weight)

Choose one:

– Dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight) and one healing potion (0 weight)

– 2 water arrows (0 weight) and 2 moss arrows (0 weight)