Breaking & Entering: A Toolbox for Thieves

You own the night. Let that big and dumb sword swinger go toe-to-toe with a well armed foe, allow the pointy headed magic user his pitiful spells, let the weakling cleric beg for help from her disinterested deities; you know better. Using your brains and skills, you outwit and out-maneuver your opponents. You take that which others wish to keep, you go where others may not enter. You are a shadow, a rumor, a whisper in the night. . . you are a thief. The purpose of this document is to expand the basic idea of the thief as presented in the OSRIC™ basic rules. This is not an official rules expansion though this document was written specifically for use with the OSRIC™ rules. With a little work, it can also be used with other sword and sorcery type games popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The enterprising GM may use this material as written, in whole or in part, or simply use this material as inspiration for his or her own unique interpretation of the thief class. “Breaking & Entering” will add the following items to the GM's toolbox: New skills, and a fresh look at an existing skill set. A closer look at spying. An expanded list of weapons allowable to thieves. A new PC class based upon the thief, the Deep Scout. A new PC class, the Bard. A complete Thieves Guild Chapter House for inclusion in your home campaign. Various patron deities for the spiritually minded sneak-thief. New magic weapons both mundane and magical and miscellaneous items for the stealth based classes. While writing this material, the litmus test for the new classes, equipment, and abilities was always game balance. We have sought historical accuracy as much as possible, but accuracy has of necessity taken a back seat to making the material merge seamlessly with the existing rules. The result is in your hands.