This character is more of an exercise in portraying an archetype that I don’t believe I have ever seen represented in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but the Thief archetype for the Rogue class is really tailor made for – the art thief. We see them represented more often in games set in the modern age and even in science fiction, but I feel there is more than enough room in the fantasy universe where this kind of character could be a lot of fun to play.
Welby Quickstep
Rogue (Thief) 3
Armor Class 14 (leather armor)
Hit Points 18 (3d8)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Speed 25 ft.
Alignment neutral good
Languages Common, Halfling
Ability Scores
Strength 8 (-1)
Dexterity 17 (+3)
Constitution 10 (+0)
Intelligence 14 (+2)
Wisdom 12 (+1)
Charisma 14 (+2)
Attacks
Melee Attack: rapier +5 1d8+3 piercing damage, finesse
Ranged Attack: shortbow +5 1d6+3 piercing damage, ammunition (range 80/320), two-handed
Melee or Ranged Attack: dagger +5 1d4+3 piercing damage, finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)
Skills Acrobatics +5, Animal Handling +1, Arcana +2, Athletics +1, Deception +3, History +2, Insight +3, Intimidation +2, Investigation +6, Medicine +2, Nature +2, Perception +1, Performance +2, Persuasion +2, Religion +2, Sleight of Hand +3, Stealth +7, Survival +1
Equipment rapier, shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows, burglar’s pack, leather armor, two daggers, thieves’ tools, crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp.
Racial Features
Lucky. When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
Brave. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Halfling Nimbleness. You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.
Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size large than you.
Class Features
Expertise. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the Investigation or Stealth.
Sneak Attack. You know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 2d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Thieves’ Cant. During your rogue training you learned thieves’ cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves’ cant understand such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly. In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.
Cunning Action. Your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus action on each of your turns in combat. This action can only be used to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Fast Hands. You can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, use your thieves’ tools to disarm a trap or open a lock, or take the Use an Object action.
Second-Story Work. You gain the ability to climb faster than normal; climbing no longer costs you extra movement. In addition, when you make a running jump, the distance you cover increases by a number of feet equal to your Dexterity modifier.
Proficiencies
Armor Proficiencies: Light armor
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tool Proficiencies: Chess, thieves’ tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Stealth
Background: Criminal
Criminal Contact. You have a reliable and trustworthy contact who acts as your liaison to a network of other criminals. You know how to get messages to and from your contact, even over great distances; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you.
Personality Traits: The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of everything valuable – or where such things could be hidden.
Ideals: Greed. I will do whatever it takes to become wealthy.
Bonds: I will become the greatest thief that has ever lived.
Flaws: When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it.
Adversary: An art collector who uses illegal means to acquire masterpieces.
Background: Welby Quickstep grew up fairly well-to-do in a halfling neighborhood of a medium sized port city and was able to attain some amount of schooling thanks to his parents’ careers. While he was growing up and getting his education, he found that he very much enjoyed learning everything that he could about art through visits to a local gallery that hosted famous paintings that had been commissioned from various artists by the patrons of the arts.
However, his parents were killed in an accident when he was a young teen, and while they had provisions set up for him, the will was unable to be found and his safety net was gone and he was forced into some rough company just to feed keep himself fed and clothed. But they taught the young halfling some valuable skills that he would be able to continue utilizing after he grew up, and whatever happened, he still enjoyed going to the gallery (sneaking in after hours now most of the time) to view the paintings and other works of art. It wasn’t long before he figured that there was probably a market for these kinds of objects that would be more lucrative than simply picking pockets and less dangerous than trying to navigate ancient ruins…
He styles himself a “gentle-thief” these days, stealing works of art and fencing them through various legal and illegal means (auction houses are wondrously bad at confirming provenance) and trying to live the best life that he can. He is still smarting about the fact that his parents’ will mysteriously disappeared when they died and desperately wants the kind of life he would have had.
Ben Erickson
