My first write-up of moves for the Street Rat class.
Yes I know it treads on the Thief’s toes, but the Thief’s signature moves are all advanced moves for the street rat. And he is designed to play completely differently. Specifically in an urban jungle.
The rat crawls the underbelly of the filthy underbelly of town. He has a few main skills: Urban acrobatics – to run away from the law, mainly. He fights with knives. He is part of a community and culture, and mostly functions as part of that community. He knows all the news on the street. He has friends all over that will help him in a spot. And yes, he has a bit of sewer magic – just enough to give him some homeless bum awesomeness.
Note that this is Alpha version – input is always appreciated!
Urban Acrobat
When you fall from a hight and do a roll to soften your landing, subtract 3 from damage taken.
Roof Runner (Dex)
When you run the streets, rooftops and built structures of the city, roll+Dex
10+ : You run, jump and tumble over obstacles to where your want to be or to escape pursuers.
7-9: The GM also chooses one
You bail once and take 1d6 damage (subtract 3)
You draw attention to yourself, causing complications for you or your friends.
Freestyle Fighter (Dex)
When you do an acrobatic stunt to defy danger during combat, roll +Dex.
10+ Take +1 and +1d4 damage forward to hack and slash.
7-9 Take +1 forward to hack and slash.
The Grapevine (Cha)
When you need to know about anyone or anything in town, roll+Cha
10+: People will tell you something interesting and useful relevant to your enquiry.
7–9: People will only tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful.
Advanced Moves:
Know the turf
You know how to get to any place (even obscure places) in a city or town.
When you are cornered or pursued in a town or city environment, Roll+Int
10+: There is a window, alley, hole or sewer you can disappear into.
7-9: As above, but the escape is only temporary.
Backstab (Dex)
When you attack a surprised or defenseless enemy with a dagger, you can choose to
deal your damage or roll+Dex
10+ choose two. On a 7–9 choose one.
You don’t get into melee with them
You deal your damage+1d6
You create an advantage, +1 forward to you or an ally acting on it
Reduce their armor by 1 until they repair it
Pickpocket (Dex)
When you pick pockets, roll+Dex
10+, you do it, no problem.
7–9, you still do it, but the GM will offer you two options between suspicion, danger,
or cost.
The grapevine (Cha)
When you need to know about anyone or anything in town, roll+Cha
10+: People will tell you something interesting and useful relevant to your enquiry.
7–9: People will only tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful.
Fence (Cha)
When you attempt to sell stuff that you should not have, roll+Cha
10+: You get its value + 50%
7-9: Choose 1
You get its value
You don’t get into trouble
Knife Brawler (Dex)
When you fight with a precise knife and you roll Hack and Slash or Volley, do +1d4 damage.
Knife Fighter (Dex)
Requires and replaces Knife Brawler
When you fight with two precise knives and you roll Hack and Slash or Volley.
10+: Do +1d6 damage.
7-9: Do +1d4 damage.
Knife Master (Dex)
Requires and replaces Knife Fighter
When you fight with two precise knives and you roll Hack and Slash or Volley
10+: Do +1d8 damage.
7-9: Do +1d6 damage.
Street Rats (Cha)
When you need help in a public place, roll+ Cha
10+: There is a friend to help you. (hireling, loyalty=3, skill 4)
7-9: There is a friend to help you. (hireling, loyalty=1, skill 2)
The person leaves when the immediate need is met.
Street Rat Riot (Cha)
Requires Street Rats
When you need someone to start a street riot in order to create a distraction* and the fiction allows it, roll + Cha
10+: Within a minute or two a riot starts that involves at least 10 people and lasts for a few minutes, or until the law arrives.
7-9: It costs you coin, it takes a bit longer to happen, with less people, or you may get into trouble.
(* The rioteers won’t fight for you!)
Snitch (Wis)
When you are in trouble with the law, roll+Wis
10+ You know something about someone else that gets you off the hook for now.
7-9: As above, but now you have trouble coming from the person you snitched on.
Blend in (Cha)
When you stand still in a dark shadow you will not be noticed.
When you attract unwanted attention in a public place, roll+Cha
10+: You disappear in the crowd
7-9: You disappear for a minute or so.
Tail (Int)
When you tail someone, roll+Int.
10+ You follow the person to his destination
7-9: The GM also chooses one:
You attract attention from your target
You attract attention from someone else
Roof Jumper
When you do Roof Running, take +1
Climber
When you climb a wall, you can find hand and footholds on the smoothest surfaces. Take +1 and roll+Dex
10+: You climb fast and efficiently.
7-9: There are delays, complications and / or danger.
Urban Summoner
Once per day, when you summon a swarm of rats or a pack of dogs, roll+Wis
10+: Hold 3
7-9: Hold 1
Spend hold to
Do +1d8 damage when you Hack and Slash
Take +1 when you Defy Danger
Take +1 when you Parley
When all your hold is spent, the creatures leave.
Master Summoner
Requires Urban Summoner
Once per day, when you summon a Drain Beast or Sludge Monster from the city’s sewers, roll+Wis
10+: Hold 3
7-9: Hold 1
Spend hold to
Do +1d10 damage when you Hack and Slash
Take +2 when you Defy Danger
Take +2 when you Parley
Take +1 on Mob Buff rolls
When all your hold is spent, the creature leaves.
Looking good! I’ll post some in-depth comments later, am out of time. In the meantime, might be worth checking out Alex Norris’s City Thief:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B30fzv28XdrYNjRwTXN6TzhWZ1E/edit
and his Assassin too:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B30fzv28XdrYYy1lOFVrZWp1cWM/edit
Both are extensions based on the Thief with different emphasis, the City Thief in particular runs along similar lines.
The City Thief is a straight-up variant, the Assassin is a completely new class that operates somewhat in a shared space.
I just updated those gdoc links to the latest versions of those playbooks, FYI.
Alex Norris
I like your city thief. It is closer to what I had in mind than the more traditional thief. Interesting how many of our moves are related – we obviously hat the same tropes in mind! The Street rat is more of a street gangster than a burglar or assassin. He does not pick locks or disable traps. But as I said, he is well known in his underground community and knows everybody. To normal people he is invisible – the guy sleeping in a dark doorway under a pile of rags. I was thinking of the Artful Dodger and the street urchins in the Sherlock Holmes stories: Nameless and invisible guys who change the course of the story.
Water arrows and moss arrows? From my favourite PC game EVER! (Which explains the shared tropes.)
For the Dark Project thief I would add a move that lets you use the blackjack and knock someone out without rolling , something like the backstab move.
There’s absolutely no need for that, since you don’t need to roll to hit against an enemy that isn’t aware of you. You just deal damage.
If you really want to be able to one-shot enemies that are unaware of you, you can MC to grab the Assassin’s Miséricorde.
What I mean is, that one hit should knock the target unconscious. Lets say a guy has 12 hitpoints but the thief does only 1d8. That means he has to hit his target a few times before he passes out, which sort of misses the whole point of blackjacking him in the first place. So yes, I suppose the misericorde will work.