Rogue Skills

Rogue skills refer to the percentile skills able to be used by thieves, bards, and assassins; a few of these are also able to be used by characters of other classes.

Pick Pockets
The rogue uses this skill when filching small items from other peoples' pockets, sleeves, girdles, packs, etc., when palming items (such as keys), and when performing simple sleight of hand.

A failed attempt means the rogue did not get an item, but it does not mean that their attempt was detected. To determine whether the victim noticed the rogue's indiscretion, subtract three times the victim's level from 100. If the rogue's pick pockets roll was equal to or greater than this number, the attempt is detected. A 0th-level victim, for example, notices the attempt only if the roll was 00 (100), while a 13th-level character notices the attempt on a dice roll of 61 or more. In some cases, the attempt may succeed and be noticed at the same time.

Note that a rogue of higher level than their victim is less likely to be caught pilfering. The chance that the victim notices the attempt can be modified by subtracting the victim's level from the rogue's level, and then adding this number to the percentage chance the rogue is detected. This rule only applies if the rogue is higher level than their victim.

A rogue can try to pick someone's pocket as many times as they want. Neither failure nor success prevents additional attempts, but getting caught might!

Open Locks
A rogue can try to pick padlocks, jostle deadbolts, and solve puzzle locks (locks with sliding panels, hidden releases, and concealed keyholes). Picking a padlock requires tools. Using typical thief's tools grants normal chances for success. Using improvised tools (a bit of wire, a thin dirk, a stick, etc.) imposes a penalty on the character's chance for success; penalties can range from -5 for an improvised but suitable tool, to -60 for an awkward and unsuitable item (like a stick). The amount of time required to pick a lock is 1d10 rounds. A thief can try to pick a particular lock only once per experience level. If the attempt fails, the lock is simply too difficult for the character until they learn more about picking locks (go up a level).

Find/Remove Traps
Thieves and assassins are trained to find small traps and alarms. These include poisoned needles, spring blades, deadly gases, and warning bells. This skill is not effective for finding deadfall ceilings, crushing walls, or other large, mechanical traps.

To find the trap, the rogue must be able to touch and inspect the trapped object. Normally, the DM rolls the dice to determine whether the thief finds a trap. If the DM says, "You didn't find any traps," it's up to the player to decide whether that means there are no traps or there are traps but the character didn't see them. If the rogue finds a trap, they know its general principle but not its exact nature. A thief or assassin can check an item for traps once per experience level. Searching for a trap takes 1d10 rounds.

Once a trap is found, the rogue can try to remove it or disarm it. This also requires 1d10 rounds. If the dice roll indicates success, the trap is disarmed. If the dice roll indicates failure, the trap is beyond the rogue's current skill. They can try disarming the trap again when they advance to the next experience level. If the dice roll is 96-100, the rogue accidentally triggers the trap and suffers the consequences. Sometimes (usually because their percentages are low) a rogue will deliberately spring a trap rather than have unpleasant side effects if the trap doesn't work quite the way they thought, and they trigger it while standing in the wrong place.

This skill is far less useful when dealing with magical or invisible traps. Rogues can attempt to remove these traps, but their chances of success are half their normal percentages.

Move Silently
A rogue can try to move silently at any time simply by announcing that they intend to do so. While moving silently, the rogue's movement rate is reduced to 1/3 normal. The DM rolls percentile dice to determine whether the rogue is moving silently; the rogue always thinks they are being quiet. Successful silent movement improves the rogue's chance to surprise a victim, avoid discovery, or move into position to stab an enemy in the back. Obviously, a rogue moving silently but in plain view of their enemies is wasting their time.

Hide in Shadows
A rogue can try to disappear into shadows or any other type of concealment - bushes, curtains, crannies, etc. A rogue can hide this way only when no one is looking at them; they remain hidden only as long as they remain virtually motionless. (They can make small, slow, careful movements: draw a weapon, uncork a potion, etc.) A rogue can never become hidden while a guard is watching them, no matter what their dice roll is - their position is obvious to the guard. However, trying to hide from a creature that is locked in battle with another is possible, as the enemy's attention is fixed elsewhere. The DM rolls the dice and keeps the result secret, but the rogue always thinks they are hidden.

Hiding in shadows cannot be done in total darkness, since the talent lies in fooling the eye as much as in finding real concealment (camouflage, as it were). However, hidden characters are equally concealed to those with or without darkvision. Spells, magical items, and special abilities that reveal invisible objects can reveal the location of a hidden rogue.

Detect Noise
A good rogue pays attention to every detail, no matter how small, including faint sounds that most others miss. Their ability to hear tiny sounds (behind heavy doors, down long hallways, etc.) is much better than the ordinary person's. Listening is not automatic; the thief must stand still and concentrate on what they're hearing for one round. They must have silence in their immediate surroundings and must remove their helmet or hat. Sounds filtering through doors or other barriers are unclear at best.

Climb Walls
Although everyone can climb rocky cliffs and steep slopes, the rogue is far superior to others in this ability. Not only do they have a better climbing percentage than other characters, they can also climb most surfaces without tools, ropes, or devices. Only the rogue can climb smooth and very smooth surfaces without climbing gear. Of course, the rogue is very limited in their actions while climbing - they are unable to fight or effectively defend themselves.

Read Languages
Out of necessity, rogues tend to learn odd bits of information. Among these is the ability to read various languages, particularly as they apply to treasure maps, deeds, secret notes, and the like. At 4th level, the rogue has enough exposure to languages that they have a chance to read most non-magical writing. This ability naturally improves with more experience. However, some languages (those the rogue has never encountered, especially those with non-standard letters or characters) are indecipherable to the character.

The die roll to read a language must be made every time the character tries to read a document (not just once per language). A successful die roll means the rogue puzzled out the meaning of the writing. Their understanding of the document is roughly equal to their percentage chance for success: a 20% chance means that, if the rogue understands it at all, they get about 20% of the meaning. A different document in the same language requires another die roll (it probably contains different words). It isn't necessary to keep notes about what languages the rogue has read in the past, since each document is handled individually.

Only one die roll can be made for any particular document at a given experience level. If the die roll fails, the rogue can try again after gaining a new experience level.

If the character knows how to read a given language because they selected it as a bonus language (i.e., if the character has above-average Intelligence), this die roll is unnecessary for documents in that language.

Table: Rogue Skill Armor Adjustments
* Only bards can wear ring mail or chain mail while using rogue skills.

Note: A character uses the "No Armor" column if wearing non-armored magical protection (such as a ring or bracers) or a cloak without large or heavy protective clothing.