Chapter 1 - Class - Character Kits - Thief Kits
Thug
Note: This kit is taken from the Complete Thief's Handbook.
The Thug is the most violent sort of thief. Assassins are killers,
certainly, but they depend on refinement and subtlety. Bounty hunters also are willing to
use violence, but are relatively restrained as well. The Thug, on the other hand, comes as
close to the warrior class as any Thief Kit.
Because of the kit's emphasis on physique and physical prowess, a Thug must have aminimum ability scores of 12 in strength and constitution. In designing the character's
description, a Thug should be as physically imposing as possible. Furthermore, his
intelligence may be no higher than 12.
Thugs are usually male, but this may be otherwise in your campaign (particularly if
your world sports an Amazon tradition).
Role: Historically, the "Thugee" were actually a cult group of murderers found in
India. The term "Thug" has come to mean, however, any brutal sort of thief, such as an
armed robber, hijacker, or goon (the latter specifically indicating a guild-associated Thug,
an enforcer), or perhaps a kidnapper (though bounty hunters are probably better at that
activity).
If one compared a guild to the human body, surely Thugs would be the muscle—the
large, powerful muscles. Thugs function as enforcers, intimidating common people
(especially in racketeering schemes), bodyguarding important guildsmen, and carrying
out the guild's threats of violence often enough to keep people suitably afraid.
In fact, outside of the thieves' guild, the Thug really does not have a place. Most
Thugs haven't the wit to become accomplished burglars or even pickpockets on their
own, let alone swindlers, spies or fences. Even begging might be denied them on account
of their imposing physique: A plea for alms from a huge, muscular man tends to look
more like a demand backed up by a thinly-veiled threat. The guild pays them well and
gives them a satisfying job: They usually need just to scare the living daylights out of
people, and not even face real combat.
The few Thugs who are not guild-affiliated will be found as armed robbers or (if they
are more intelligent) kidnappers or hijackers.
Secondary skills: Most often none (the ultimate "unskilled" labor, or perhaps Sailor.
Weapon Proficiencies: Thugs are permitted an extra weapon proficiency slot at first
level. They may choose non-thief weapons, but to gain proficiency in one requires an
extra slot.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Intimidation.
Recommended: Player's choice;
among those that may be selected are Alertness, Endurance, Looting and Trailing.
Skill Progression: There is no uniform preference among Thugs for the distribution of
points among their thieves' skills. Note, however, that they start out with fewer points to
distribute than other rogues (see Special Hindrances, below).
Equipment: The Thug's equipment usually consists of the biggest, most intimidating
weapon available. Otherwise, it's a matter of common sense according to the job. A
kidnapper, for example, could make good use of a rope to bind his victim.
Special Benefits: Because they are better trained in combat than other thieves, Thugs
receive +1 on their "to hit" rolls.
Special Hindrances: Thugs spend much of their early career learning about weapons
and their use, and their initial training in the traditional thief skills suffers as a
consequence. To compensate for the extra weapon proficiency slot and combat bonus, a
thief of the Thug kit has only 40 points to distribute initially among his thief skills
(although he can still put up to 30 of them in a single ability, if he so chooses).
Races: Humanoids and half-humanoids are particularly fond of this kit, as it
emphasizes force over stealth. One has more difficulty imagining demi-human Thugs;
dwarves might have the temperament, but the Thug personality doesn't suit their culture,
and their small stature would might make them look somewhat silly as guild enforcers(which is not to say that they would be ineffective—they'd simply bash anyone who
made thoughtless or snide comments about their height).
