Stealing the Show
In case you haven’t heard, we just released a new book about the classic archetype (in the non-rules sense of the word) of the gentleman thief, called Character Guide: the Gentleman Thief. It discusses some of the ins-and-outs of this archetype, with useful advice on running one at the table, both from a roleplay perspective and a mechanical one, as well as advice for GMs who want to use them as NPCs. We’re pretty excited about it, and so we’ve set aside this entire week to thieves of every stripe, from the gallant and dashing to the craven and low, be they rogue or bard, or even more unlikely thieves, like sorcerers, clerics, and barbarians. In this spirit, I have a handful of larcenous feats for characters of any class.
Get Away With the Loot
You don’t let a heavy sack of valuables get in the way of your escape.
Prerequisite: Acrobatics 5 ranks.
Benefit: You can use Acrobatics to move past foes, even if your speed is reduced due to carrying a medium or heavy load, or wearing medium or heavy armor. Further, you suffer only half of any check penalty imposed by a medium or heavy load on any Acrobatics check you make (including Acrobatics checks made to jump or balance). Finally, as long as you are not carrying a medium or heavy load, or wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain a +2 competence bonus on Acrobatics checks made to move past foes.
Improved Surprise Attack
You draw your blade fast enough to get the drop on any opponent.
Prerequisites: Quick Draw, Surprise Attack, Sleight of Hand 8 ranks.
Benefit: Whenever you draw a melee weapon, you gain a +2 competence bonus on attacks with that weapon until the end of your turn. This bonus does not stack with itself.
Invisibility Master
You are skilled at gaining the most out of invisibility.
Benefit: When you are invisible, you retain the full +40 bonus to Stealth checks regardless of whether you are immobile or not.
Scoundrel’s Luck
You’re just plain luckier than most people.
Benefit: Once per day, before making an attack roll, ability check, saving throw, or skill check, you may roll twice and take the better result. Alternatively, once per day when you are the target of an attack, before the attack roll is made, you may have the target roll twice and take the worse result. As a final option, once per day when you are subject to a d% chance (such as the chance to arrive in the correct location with a teleport spell, or to act normally while under the effects of the confused condition, or to hit a character with concealment), you may declare before the roll is made that you want to use this ability, in which case, after the roll is made, you may add or subtract up to 10 from the roll’s result. Regardless of which of the three options is used, a character can benefit from this feat only once per day.
Special: This feat can be taken more than once. Its effects do not stack. Instead, each time it is taken grants an additional daily use of the feat.
Skillful Concealer
You know how to hide objects more effectively.
Prerequisite: Sleight of Hand 5 ranks.
Benefit: You can use Sleight of Hand to conceal slightly larger items than normal, including a one-handed weapon, such as a short sword, or similarly-sized items, including a light crossbow or even a warhammer, although when trying to hide items of this size, you suffer a -4 penalty on the Sleight of Hand check.
Surprise Attack
You are able to catch your foe off-guard by attacking with a hidden weapon.
Prerequisites: Quick Draw, Sleight of Hand 3 ranks.
Benefit: As a full-round action, you can draw a single concealed weapon and attack with it. If you do, the target is flat-footed against that attack.