[4e, Paragon] The Impossible Thief (Creative Criticism please)

[Shoes]

Well. Rogues are meant to steal things, right? And sometimes magic can be an aid in that, right?
With some inspiration from TVTropes and some assistance (you know who you are), I made this.

Impossible Thief
“I can steal anything. Yes, even that.”
Prerequisite: Rogue, Arcane multiclass, Wand Implement
This thief is unrestrained by those pesky laws of physics. Leave what they want in a timelocked diamond-hard safe underground in a room filled with lava past a pit of crocodiles and it will be gone in the morning. Should they choose to, they could steal your underwear without you noticing anything, or they could steal a jewel from in front of a dozen attentive guards without any of them seeing it go. The craziest examples are capable of stealing abstract ideas or concepts, such as knowledge, ability, or souls.
In short, most thieves can steal anything that’s not nailed down or on fire. These thieves laugh in other thieves’ faces while waving around the priceless gold idol that not just a moment ago was bolted to the ground in the Elemental Plane of Fire. While sitting in a very comfy chair in the middle of the Feywild.

Impossible Thief Path Features
Arcane Thievery (11th Level): Due to your penchant for the arcane, you have learned to use magic to further your thieving ways. If you use a wand as an implement, you gain a bonus to your thievery checks to steal something equal to your intelligence modifier + the wand's enhancement bonus (if any) You are also also able to make an Arcana check (DC 5+creature's level) as a minor action to be aware of all the possessions carried by one ajacent creature.
I Was Nowhere Near There! (level 11): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can also teleport your speed as a free action. In addition, once before the end of the encounter, you can return to the square from which you originally teleported as a move action.
But I was all the way over here! (16th Level): You can make thievery checks on targets up to two squares away, and all thievery checks to steal an object are free actions (limit 2 per round in combat).
Impossible Thief Exploits

Borrowed Animus Impossible Thief Attack 11
It’s like that show life swap. Except a lot more painful for you.
Encounter – Arcane, Implement, Necrotic, Healing
Standard Action Melee Touch
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity vs Will
Hit: 3d8 + Dexterity modifier necrotic damage. You gain temporary Hit Points equal to half the damage dealt.

Yoink! Impossible Thief Utility 12
Hey, don’t be mad. Even I don’t know how that works.
Daily – Arcane, Implement Personal
Immediate Interrupt
Trigger: An enemy uses a Daily or Encounter power.
Effect: Roll a thievery check opposed to the enemy’s Will defense. On a success, the enemy loses the use of the triggering power until the end of the encounter (unless the power recharges), and you regain the use of an equivalent (Daily or Encounter) power that you have expended.

Robbed Blind Impossible Thief Attack 20
Bet you didn’t know that was physically possible, did you?
Daily – Arcane, Implement
Standard Action Close Blast 3
Target: Each enemy in blast
Attack: Dexterity vs Will
Hit: Target is blinded, stunned, deafened, slowed, and weakened (save ends).
Miss: Target is blinded until the end of its next turn.

[Temotei]

Rouges are meant to steal things, right?

Rogues, not reds. :smallamused:

[Talbot]

I dig it.

Only note I'd have is limiting the free action theft attempts to once per round.

[Loxagn]

Huh. I thought Robbed Blind was just one creature. Maybe I'm crazy.

Anyway, all that's left is for you to get yourself a red hat and trenchcoat and go steal a temple of Corellon or something, Shoes.

[Suleman]

You got me wondering, are there other creatures with ability-blocking powers, and how do they work? Also, what exactly is an "ability", rules-wise.
Other than that, nice concept but I wonder whether this works for a striker-type.

[Black Mage]

I think you may want to change the bonus on Arcane Thievery to the enhancement bonus of the wand, rather than half of your Arcana bonus.

[Shadow_Elf]

A few things I would recommend:

Change "Arcane Thievery" to:
When holding a wand in one hand, you gain a bonus to thievery checks equal to 2 + your intelligence modifier. Its a bit less clunky, IMHO, but does about the same thing.

This path needs an action point feature - not just for convention, but because Action Points for everyone else go up in value at paragon, and for the impossible thief, they do not. So, suggestion:

But I Was Nowhere Near There! (level 11): When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can also teleport your speed as a free action. In addition, once before the end of the encounter, you can return to the square from which you originally teleported as a move action.
(better wordings welcome).

Basically: It lets you teleport your speed when you spend the action point, and then teleport back to your starting location as a move action later on, allowing you to sort of place an "anchor" at the entrance, run in, steal something, and then warp back.

Sneaky Arcana (level 16): You can sneak attack with powers that use a wand as an implement, as if you were wielding a light blade, crossbow or sling.

As for the powers, just make sure they all have "Arcane" AND "Implement" and you're golden. Very good concept on this path.

[Shoes]

Talbot: Good idea. Implemented.

Shadow_Elf: That revision for Arcane Thievery is awesome. Implemented.
Not really what I was going for with the rest though. This is less of a focus on the damage for the character but cool, magic and stealing based powers. Also, not all Paragon classes do stuff with action points. Just 90% or thereabouts of them.

Also, beefed the class features some...

[Yakk]

I think the font you chose doesn't reflect your inner meaning. And it needs more whipped cream on top of the class features.

(You did ask for creative criticism.)

Theft of Life
Traditionally, the act of moving life force around is necrotic.

Yoink!
It should be a one-time thing, rather than a repeatable one. (Even then, this is a ridiculously good ability).

Arcane Thievery (11th Level): Due to your penchant for the arcane, you have learned to use magic to further your thieving ways. If you use a wand as an implement, you gain a bonus to your thievery checks to steal something equal to 2 + your intelligence modifier + the wand's enhancement bonus (if any).
The highest similar bonus I've seen (untyped, from a paragon path, to a skill) was adding a secondary stat to a skill. This is ... rather larger than that.

Checking for Change (11th Level): As long as you are adjacent to a creature, you are aware of everything it has in its possession. In addition, all of those items, no matter how they are located on that person and/or attached may be stolen with a successful thievery check of appropriate DC. This includes items located in Bags of Holding or their equivalents.
Badly worded, and cumbersome.

Cumbersome, in that it means DMs have to provide you with a list of items whenever you ask for it (as a non-action). Badly worded, as there is no appropriate DC for stealing something in a locked box at the bottom of a bag of holding which is located in a locked box which is located in a pocket dimension tent which is stashed in the handy haversack that the player has clutched in their hands, trying to prevent you from stealing from it, because they know you are going to try...

But I was all the way over here! (16th Level): You can make thievery checks on targets up to two squares away, and all thievery checks to steal an object are free actions (limit 2 per round in combat).
I'd make it a minor action, throw away the limit, and generate a penalty of -X per square (or something like that).

[Shoes]

Well Yakk, thanks for the new perspective.

Theft of Life will change, and be renamed because there is a Bard spell with the same name.

My research of monster abilities has made me aware that most at-will monster abilities are either rather weak or have certain body parts or equipment that are necessary to use to pull off. Thus, most useful things stolen would be encounter or daily stuff. So, moot point.

I will remove the 2 from arcane thievery. I was feeling iffy adding it.

For CfC, I will remove the part about bags of holding. This eliminates many of the problems. To limit the cumbersomeness, the player should exhibit some self control and state that they are 'Checking someone for Change' to give the DM a cue. Plus some templates for standard equipment load outs for people wouldn't hurt.

Edit:
Checking for Change removed and 'I was All the Way Over Here!' (curtosy of Shadow_Elf) added. Arcane Thievery now has a CfC-esque check thing now.

[Shadow_Elf]

The problem with "Yoink!" is that you can steal their basic attack, thus rendering them incapable of attacks of opportunity. In addition, monster abilities range widely in scope - for example, the Impossible Thief Yoink!s Orcus' Touch of Death, or a Bodak's Death Gaze. All of a sudden he has a rechargeable insta-kill. This is not good.

My suggestion for the utility (because currently, the two halves of this mixture don't quite get along yet):

Arcane Sneak Attack
"You thought I had to stab you with a dagger? Not so much."
At-Will * Arcane
Free Action Personal
Requirement: You must not have used sneak attack yet this round
Trigger: You hit an enemy with an arcane attack power
Effect: You apply your sneak attack bonus damage to the successful attack

[Shoes]

Ahem.

This isn't a question of 'halves' here. This is about a thief that multiclassed some arcane class to gain some extra power for stealing. Not particularly focused on combat, but decent at some crowd control and good at rendering opponents less dangerous.

That being said, while your suggestion is apreciated, it does not go well with the 'theme' for the class. However, your suggestion for Yoink! is altogether true. Basic attacks should not be able to be stolen, and the power of some of the stuff that could be Yoink!ed is insane. Thus, maybe the number of times the Yoink!ed ability could be used should be limited to one.

[Shadow_Elf]

Ahem.

This isn't a question of 'halves' here. This is about a thief that multiclassed some arcane class to gain some extra power for stealing. Not particularly focused on combat, but decent at some crowd control and good at rendering opponents less dangerous.

That being said, while your suggestion is apreciated, it does not go well with the 'theme' for the class. However, your suggestion for Yoink! is altogether true. Basic attacks should not be able to be stolen, and the power of some of the stuff that could be Yoink!ed is insane. Thus, maybe the number of times the Yoink!ed ability could be used should be limited to one.
My case, spoilered for length:

However - Rogues, as a class, have no use for INT, which makes Wizard and Artificer sub-par options for multiclassing. Artful Dodgers will have CHA, which leaves Bards as the only truly viable option; Warlocks or Sorcerers at the cost of an extra feat (Arcane Implement Proficiency: Wand).
Next, you now need to keep an extra enhancement bonus current (your wand) in order to benefit, at most, 4 powers (possibly more with Eternal Seeker). If you are spending a portion of your treasure parcels to keep an enhancement current for four (max!) powers, you should at least be able to somehow sneak attack with those powers, because to sacrifice a current enhancement and four power slots for the ability to not sneak attack something, it starts to look like a penalty.

I know that Sneak Attacking with spells is not the focus of the path - and it doesn't have to be. But the path should accommodate at least somewhat what is currently a penalty. In addition, even if you put a cap on Yoinked powers of 1/encounter, you are still yoinking things such as:

Orcus's Touch of Death (kill Orcus in a single vs. Fortitude attack? Yes please.)
The Phoenix's Reincarnation (stop it from coming back to life *and* save your own life, simultaneously? Nice)
A Dragon's Breath Weapon (Not so much the single use of the breath, but locking out the dragon's breath for the entire encounter is crippling)
Any creature with a class template's daily attack powers, which is especially a problem because you are stealing a daily power, a huge load of power, and also preventing its use against you.

In addition, you come up with issues of how the Rogue can pull off a "Voracious Bite Assault" with no significant jaws, or a "Lightning Whip Whirlwind" without a lightning whip, or all sorts of similar things (note: these are not actual abilities, just examples).
And you cannot impose a "you cannot Yoink abilities you do not have the weapons or appendages to use" clause, because this basically becomes a "Dm's discretion" clause, which should be avoided at all costs in crunch. You'll get into arguments about whether "Double Strike" requires two claws as it suggests, or is simply the use of a melee attack twice with no other requirements.

tl;dr: You do not need to add a way for the Impossible Thief to sneak attack with a wand - but I do not think you can afford to keep Yoink.

Apart from the issue of the utility power, this is a very solid paragon path. Good work.

[Shoes]

Those are devastatingly correct points there...
But, interestingly enough, I have immediately thought of a new solution.
Yoink! can only target Daily and Encounter powers, and instead of gaining the use of that power, you regain the use of one Daily or Encounter (depending on what was Yoink!ed) besides Yoink! In this way, all problems with deciding what can and can't be Yoink!ed are eliminated, and the gaining the use of those powers is removed. Perhaps, any ability with Recharge still gets to recharge as normal.