(TFT) Thief Talents -> call for new talents.

[Pasha and or Rick Smith <pnrsmith@istar.ca>]

Hi Everyone,
To try to lower the emphisis of magic items I have
added more talents for heroes (and wizards) to take.  Thus
they are heroic because they are GOOD not because they are
loaded with cash.  (I've also increased the price of many items
but that is an other article.)

One problem with thieves is that they are stopped
cold by the Lock spell which is only IQ 10.  This was later
revised in the Codex to say that the Lock spell made a lock
one die harder for a thief to pick.  I have chosen to keep the
earlier rules in my campaign, but have added a few ways
around this problem.  One is 'magical lock picks' which
I described in a previous post on new magic items.  
Another way is the ??? talent below.

One thing I've noticed is that thieves have lost
power compared to other character classes in my campaign.
So lately I've made some rule changes and new talents to 
help those on the shady side of the law.

In order to avoid copywrite issues, I am not
reprinting the existing thief talents.  Master Thief is now
IQ 12 in my campaign (I'm not sure if that is a change 
from the basic rules).

A couple of notes on particular talents: Both
Criminology and Security Expert have more modern names
than I am happy with.  Does anyone have a suggestion for
better ones?

Second, I have ALWAYS given my high security
locations the benefits that come with Security Expert.  The
main use of the talent is for expert thieves to have more talents
to allow them to rise above the pack.

Without further ado...


IQ 9
KOSHING (0.5) You may strike someone on the head to knock them unconcious with out perminantly harming them. Figures without this talent may attempt to kosh someone but are at -4 DX. You must be in your target's side or rear hexes, and strike them with a blunt weapon. This is considered subdual damage. The penalty is -6 DX  for a head shot, but you get +2 DX if your target does not know your are there. If you do 5 or more points of damage the victim falls unconcious, and if you do 2 to 4 hits the victim falls unconcious unless they make a 5vsAdjST (subdual damage counts when calculating the AdjST). People knocked unconcious will remain so for 1 to 6 hours. If you roll a 16, there is a 50% chance that it is a normal miss, and a 50%  chance it will do real damage. (Double and Triple damages will do *2 or *3 Subual damage NOT real damage.)

IQ 11
CASING (0.5) * preq Thief. This talent allows a thief to study a location for weaknesses in its security more quickly and successfully than normal.  Someone with Casing rolls one less die to notice traps.  The main advantage of this talent is that the GM may point out weaknesses or give suggestions to the thief on ways to get by security.


IQ 12
GARROTING AND BACKSTABBING (2) coreq Silent MA. When you sneak right behind someone they can detect you if they were trying to sense someone (Invisibility rules, an invisible figure being adjacent to some one). If they are not expecting some one they must roll to detect you;  3vsIQ, +3 dice if you have Silent MA, -5 dice if they have Acute Hearing, or -1 die if they have Alertness.   If the figure hears you he must immediately disengage ( you may attack as per attacking a disengaging figure ) or turn to face you ( normal combat but he is at -4 DX for this turn ).   If the figure doesn't hear you, you may garrote or backstab the figure.  

*BACKSTABBING:	Striking at a vital spot to get a double damage, also you are so close that daggers do HTH damage.      Roll to hit is adj thus; +6 DX for unsuspecting target,   -10 DX for striking at a vital spot, +4 DX for this talent for a net no adjustment. If you do not have this talent you do not get the +4 DX and daggers do the normal and not the HTH damage. 

*GARROTING: 	Pulling a line or cord around some ones neck to strangle them or break their neck (and in high tech worlds to slit their throat with a sharp wire filament).  To pull the cord over their neck requires a roll to hit with the following adjustments; +6 for an unsuspecting target, -10 for a vital spot, and +4 DX for this talent. If you do not have this talent you do not get a +4 DX and the figure gets a 3vsDX to get a hand or something in between his neck and your cord.  (If he gets a hand in there treat the figure as being pinned in HTH with a 3 die pin).  Once Garroted,  you may break the victims neck if you are stronger than him.   The time to do this is:   (8 turns - [Your ST - The victim's ST]  in turns)  example: if your ST is 8 or more higher than your victim's you kill him in the same turn that you garrote him.  If you wish to strangle your victim this takes as many turns to knock them unconscious as double their ST (with swimmers and divers getting their bonuses).  
Once unconscious it will take another minute or two to kill them by suffocation.   While being Garroted the victim may try to break free. Each turn he may roll to break a pin on X:X+1vsDX dice where X is the number of dice rolled to establish the garrote above (thus when Garroting an experienced figure you may wish to roll extra dice to hit in order to get a good hold, to prevent the figure from struggling free).  Whether you are trying to break the victim's neck or not he will grow weaker as his breath is cut off. Each two turns the victim loses 1 fST (This can be regained at the rate of 1 fST / turn of breathing normally). 

IQ 12
CRIMINOLOGY (1)* This talent costs 0.5 points if you have Thief. This talent is the systematic study of crime solving methods.  At higher technologies there is a much larger body of knowledge, and this talent costs double.  You roll one less die when trying to find clues for a crime.  This talent may combine bonuses with Alertness.

IQ 14
THIEF LORD (3) coreq Master Thief, Streetwise & 3+ years as working as a thief full time.  If you have Logistics this talent costs one point less.  As well as giving further improvement in thieving skills, this talent gives background in how to run organized crime rings.  
A Thief Lord knows the secret phrases of Thieves Argot, he rolls 1 less die for spotting secret hiding places, and rolls one less die to pick locks or to disarm traps.  They are master liars:  people with Detect Lies must roll 2 extra dice to detect if a Thief Lord is lying.  NOTE:  This talent does not give further help in picking pockets, that ability has leveled off at Master Thief.
You know how to intimidate and motivate thieves in your employ.  You get a +1 reaction for dealing with other thieves.  You know who to bribe and who to blackmail to (try to) keep the authorities from making trouble.


IQ 15
WARD WARPING (2) preq. Thief & the ability to use magic.  This talent allows you to 'twist' the magical spells to allow a thief to defeat magical defenses.  With this talent a Thief can pick a lock that has the Lock spell cast on it (add one to the difficulty to the lock for each Lock spell).  A team of thieves can have one try to pick a lock, and use the thief with Ward Warping to defeat the magical defenses and another trying to pick the lock but this has an additional 2 dice penalty on the lock picking.
To defeat other types of magical defence make a X:XvsIQ (the thief's IQ verses the IQ of the magical defense).  
*	Thief makes it and defence fails.  Thief gets thru and does not set off defence. Wards fail to alert casting wizard. Defense remains intact and no one can tell the defense was penetrated.
*	Thief makes it and defence makes it.  Thief gets thru, but defense is triggered.  Wards alert casting wizard.  Defense remains intact and casting wizard can tell the defense was tested.
*	Thief fails and defense fails.  Thief does not get thru, but defense is not set off.  Wards alert casting wizard.  Casting wizard can tell defense was tested.  The defense will remain unless it is a one shot magic item or single action spell.
*	Thief fails and defense makes it.  Thief does not get thru, and defense is set off.  Wards alert casting wizard.  Defense remains intact and the casting wizard can tell someone has tested it.
This ability only works on magic items or spells that are not being monitored actively by the casting wizard.  Possessing this talent is a capital offence with most wizard schools.


IQ 16
SECURITY EXPERT (1)   coreq Mechanician and 5 years experience as a guard, spy, thief or assassin.  A security expert is some one trained in subtle traps, locks and alarms in order to defeat thieves, spies and assassins.  They also can direct teams of body guards, patrolling guards and gage human security issues. 
If you have a Security Expert advising you and make minor changes to your behaviour (security items cost 10% more and you have minor lifestyle changes), then bad guys have a one die penalty on rolls involving security.  (And the GM will rule that the 'obvious' breaches in security are noticed and fixed.)  
If you are willing to make major changes to your life style (security things cost 100% more, at least 5% of your time is 'wasted' on keeping security rules, and you have markedly less privacy), then bad guys have a 2 dice penalty on security rolls.
If the Thief, Spy or Assassin has this talent then they get a one die bonus when dealing with hostile security devices and routines.  If they can live or work in or near the area they are trying to cause a security breach in (for a month or more), they can get a 2 or 3 dice bonus when they make their attempt.  (However this should normally be played out if a PC is involved.)
A security expert usually makes about 3 to 5 times what a guard makes, and it is less risky and much more pleasant work.  Often it is a 'retirement' job for a guard captain, etc.
Someone can get most of the benefits of a security expert (up to the 1 die modifier level) by having one come in and give advice twice a year, but the lord must spend some of his time, enforcing the inconvenient behaviors required.  Even so, security tends to degrade over time the longer a business or area is without an expert on site. 



Let me know what you all think.

Rick

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