Chapter 1 - Class - Character Kits - Thief Kits
Note: This kit is taken from the Complete Thief's Handbook.
The Spy is a gatherer of information. At the lowest level, he is a
common informant, an eavesdropper with his ears open for salable information. The
expert Spy is hired by guilds and governments to infiltrate opponents' buildings and ranks
to find vital, secret knowledge.
To take the Spy kit, a thief must have a minimum Intelligence of 11.
Role: Spies are vital in supporting any large organization such as a guild or
government. Information is the key to success, whether thieves are preparing for a
burglary or a nation is preparing for war, and the Spy's role is to provide that information.Most Spies are in the permanent service of one such organization. A small number
may be double (or triple) agents, but that is very risky. A few are freelance, and their
main problem is this: to find employment, they must be known; but if they're known, they
have difficulty being successful.
Spies may come from any background. A large percentage, in fact, are from the lower
classes, close in touch with the word on the street and all the secret channels of society. A
smaller number of elite Spies exist, either in permanent positions (e.g., a count who
reports word on his liege's troop movements to a rival kingdom, or a treacherous castle
steward). Most of these characters would not be of the Spy rogue kit, since spying is
secondary; the focus of their life is (or at least was) something else.
But there are also talented individuals ready to go anywhere, risk any danger, and
encounter a lot of excitement on the way to finding the knowledge they seek. They excel
at infiltration, in finding information, not just in selling what they know. Exciting Spies,
and player characters, are usually of this sort.
The standard penalty for spying (if the crime is beyond the low levels of spreading
rumors, eavesdropping, and scoping out potential burglary targets) is death, and Spies
from one nation to another can hardly expect anything in the line of "diplomatic
immunity."
Secondary Skills: Any.
Weapon Proficiencies: The normal range of weapons open for thieves' proficiencies
applies to Spies as well, and they are not required to take any in particular. A Spy can use
nonthief weapons (for the purpose of disguises), but cannot take proficiency in them.
Example: To help impersonate a castle guard, a Spy carries a halberd. He could use it
combat, but he would suffer a nonproficiency penalty. To increase his chances of success,
he would probably switch to a different, familiar weapon—even a dagger or knife—
unless circumstances prohibit it (e.g., people around him would be surprised to see him
not using the halberd, and might thereby see through the disguise).
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Disguise, Gather Intelligence, Observation.
Recommended: Alertness, Begging, Etiquette, Forgery, Heraldry, Local History,
Reading/Writing, Reading Lips, Trailing.
Skill Progression: An effective Spy usually needs a fairly even distribution of thief
skills, since his vocation can bring him into any number of diverse situations.
Equipment: Spies in the medieval setting don't have all the fancy gadgetry of their
modern counterparts. They may equip themselves liberally with what is available,
however, such as boots with hidden compartments in the soles, thieves' equipment, and
so forth. See the later chapter on equipment for a host of ideas.
Special Benefits: None.
Special Hindrances: None.
Races: Elves and half-elves, with their love for knowledge, are especially predisposed
toward this kit. However, the problem that all demihuman Spies face is the difficulty of
appearing disguised as a member of another race. They therefore risk having a rather
limited range of professional assignments.
