Perfect Thieving Outfit (PEACH)

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Heyas, thought I might share with ya'll the first D&D creation I ever made back during 2nd edition and I've updated it a bit. My DM allowed it and one of the players who for some reason had the equivalent of ranks in Craft (tailoring) made it for me.

Any ideas for making it more dastardly would be welcome.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Thieve's Outfit consists of pants, shirt, shoes, cloak, and headband. All of which are in shades of muted blacks, shadowy greys and very dark greens which grants a +4 bonus to hide checks in darkness.

Shoes:
The shoes are not so much shoes as slippers with a very thinly padded sole which have a layer of sharkskin for aid in climbing. These shoes grant a +2 bonus to move silently checks.

Pants: the front legs of the pants are sharkskin as well with a layer of normal fabric over them which can be pulled away. A skirt can be unwound from a secret slit in the pants to give a feminine look for disguises. Several hidden pockets of course as well. When used in conjunction with the shoes they grant a +2 bonus to climb checks.

Shirt: the doublet is of silk with long sleeves held tight at the wrist by small cufflinks sharpened to a razor edge for slitting purses. Inside each sleeve is ribbon for tying knives with, and if the arm is carefully extended the knot inside will be undone. Sewn within the shirt is a bit of very fine, but tough twine that is tied within the fabric of one sleeve, and is attached to a small bag at the other. The bag can be pulled out and rings or coins stuffed within, and with a quick jerk of the other sleeve can be taken back inside the shirt. The collar of the shirt contains a thin saw-blade wire for use in cutting through dungeon bars. Folded within the collar is a thin silk hood that can be brought over the head to hide features and comes with a bit of frabric to wrap about your face that can be used as a veil if needed to go with the skirt or as a mask to pass yourself off as a foreigner. Many many many pockets in as well, as fits a proper thief.

Cloak: The cloak is of sealskin to keep off water and the chill and in each of its corners has a small lead weight to keep it from blowing in the wind and alerting others to your position. It has a very large pocket in the back to allow a small pet or familiar to hide within it secret.

Headband: The headband is silk as well and when turned inside out displays many tiny pockets all around it, each just large enough to hold a few coins or perhaps a ring. Flip it back and simply keeps hair and sweat out of your eyes (a must for nervous rogues).

Moneybag: Not exactly part of the theive's outfit, but because all the thieve's wealth is carefully hidden on him with this garb, the bag is free to be filled with small razor blades, glass dust, thorns, needles, or even magical objects deadly to the touch, all of which may discourage the casual pickpocket.

When worn all together the wearer gains a +6 bonus to disguise checks, and a +4 bonus on sleight of hand checks to hide things on his person.

Price: ? gp

[Ryshan Ynrith]

To tell the truth, while I was reading this I expected that it would in some way cause some sort of mental or physical tramua to the wearer, but it seems you've made something that won't make players curl up in the corner shivering.

Let's see...looks good, but it might cost a bit low. MW thief's tools cost more, IIRC, and don't give such large bonuses.

[Zeful]

What about the individual articels of clothing? How much does each pocket hold? Why is only one hundred gp?

Sorry kinda over enthusiastic about this, it's really cool.

[Oeryn]

What's this? Something that actually helps players??

Who are you, and what have you done with the real VT? ;)

Seriously, though, it reminds me of something out of a "catalog" they put out, for 2nd Edition. Neat little gizmos and stuff, but I can't remember what it was called. I think it had something like this, except piecemeal. You could get shoes that added 2% to your Hide in Shadows score, a body suit that added +5%, or something. Even had facepaint, and weaponblack.

Not near as detailed as this, though. Well done, as always.

[Telonius]

I'd specify that when it isn't actively being used as part of a disguise check, it's indistinguishable from a (slightly dark-colored) normal traveler's outfit. I could see some smarter-than-average town watchman looking out for people wearing these things.

[Zeful]

What's this? Something that actually helps players??

Who are you, and what have you done with the real VT? ;)
Maybe the weird thing with the boards changed his personality from demented to friendly.

...

What? It's possible.



Anyway to make it better would be to sow a really thin and light chain shirt (like celestial armor (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#celestialArmor) to provide armor bonuses and keep the overall theme of the outfit.


I'd specify that when it isn't actively being used as part of a disguise check, it's indistinguishable from a (slightly dark-colored) normal traveler's outfit. I could see some smarter-than-average town watchman looking out for people wearing these things.
Like a reverseable raincoat, that would work well

[Meat Shield]

Yeah I reflexively expected something slobbering and multi-tentacled inhabiliting this outfit. Admit it VT, you have a rep around here.

As for the outfit itself, I like it, good flavor. Might lower the individual bonuses, they seem a little high, maybe no more than a +1 for each item.

I would also raise teh price to 250 gp or so for the whole thing.

[storybookknight]

I'm reasonably certain that chain shirts aren't sewn.

I'd agree with Oeryn that it's underpriced, however. For a price of +100 gp, in the Eberron campaign setting, one can have shadows sewn into the weave of one's clothing, giving a +1 hide bonus. Ordinary grey thread wouldn't seem to be nearly as effective... So rather than under-valued, I would say overly effective. Perhaps this fine outfit should instead be restatted as a merely roleplay-worthy item? I would still buy it, if I ever played rogues...

[Zeful]

What I ment was that you take celestial armor, (or masterwork armor with just the weight/hideaility porperty) and you have it sewn into the shirt, so they are one unit; much like those shadows in the Ebberon campagin setting.

I'm sorry if this came of as overtly sarcastic.

[Matthew]

What's this? Something that actually helps players??

Who are you, and what have you done with the real VT? ;)

Seriously, though, it reminds me of something out of a "catalog" they put out, for 2nd Edition. Neat little gizmos and stuff, but I can't remember what it was called. I think it had something like this, except piecemeal. You could get shoes that added 2% to your Hide in Shadows score, a body suit that added +5%, or something. Even had facepaint, and weaponblack.

Not near as detailed as this, though. Well done, as always.

You are thinking of Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, an outlet of which can be found in Baldur's Gate II at the Adventurer's Mart. A very useful and entertaining little tome, but like a lot of 2.0 material tended to contradict itself from time to time. There was a particularly entertaining section devoted to Armour that served no useful purpose except to adorn buxom women on the front of Heavy Metal or else any number of TSR products with covers that displayed young ladies wearing poorly designed armour.

I like VT's intentions here; the only problem I forsee is every Thief *cough* Rogue and his mother wearing one...

[MMad]

Pretty cool. :) I'd certainly want one of those. Seems kinda cheap for all that utility, though. Also, shouldn't there be a small bonus to climb checks, since it's even mentioned in the description of the shoes?

[Seffbasilisk]

Wouldn't sharkskin on the bottom of the shoes actually make it LESS stealthy? Maybe you can pull away the pad to TRADE the +2 to move silently for the +2 to climb?

And it does seem underpriced.

[Brickwall]

Wouldn't sharkskin on the bottom of the shoes actually make it LESS stealthy? Maybe you can pull away the pad to TRADE the +2 to move silently for the +2 to climb?

And it does seem underpriced.

The pants are sharkskin. Like how spiderman can use his knees to help him climb? It's like that.

[Seffbasilisk]

I know how the pants work, but sharkskin rubbing against the floor as you step or against itself (leg on leg) makes noise.

[Brickwall]

Sharkskin has an AC penalty of -1 when wearing a full suit of armor (Stormwrack). With just the leggings, I'm gonna say it's negligible.

[Seffbasilisk]

Well how about a -1 or -2 to move silently unless special pads are on the thighs or feet when not climbing?

[Oeryn]

You are thinking of Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, an outlet of which can be found in Baldur's Gate II at the Adventurer's Mart. A very useful and entertaining little tome, but like a lot of 2.0 material tended to
contradict itself from time to time.

YES!! That's exactly what I was thinking of. Thanks.


I like VT's intentions here; the only problem I forsee is every Thief *cough* Rogue and his mother wearing one...


Same problem I had in high school, with the Aurora's catalog. I think I was the only one of my friends that didn't have a character with the vorpal scythe/farm implement thingy.

[Dragonmuncher]

Well how about a -1 or -2 to move silently unless special pads are on the thighs or feet when not climbing?

Remember that these are just basically slippers, with sharkskin soles.

So an entire suit of sharksin armor is only -1 to move silently, with arms and legs and everything rubbing against each other. A pair of tiny slippers that just have a slightly rougher sole than normal slippers, that's a negligable penalty.

The sharkskin is an aid to the climbing, and could also be used as a way to stop the slippers from sliding around on hardwood floors. The main reason there's a bonus to move sliently is because they're Slippers.

[Freiheit]

The Thieve's Outfit consists of pants, shirt, shoes, cloak, and headband. All of which are in shades of muted blacks, shadowy greys and very dark greens which grants a +4 bonus to hide checks in darkness.


Just a flavour comment, darker blues work VERY well for hiding at night.

I agree with the rest, pricing needs work.

[blackfox]

Hm. I must steal this and use it for my own characters, or even for The Town.

I wonder what El Jaspero will think of this thread... Of course, he's probably not going to say anything now that I've posted this. :P

I would bump the price up at least a little, though, so that you can't equip a bunch of 1st-level rogues with them and pickpocket your way to glory. Maybe make it cost 250-500 gp for that much of a bonus.
((Which is, of course, the point. I don't care.))