Catullus64
2022-07-06, 11:08 AM
I love the Thief's Fast Hands feature. It makes nearly every combat into a playground in which to pull creative tricks at good action economy. It's been quite a while since I've had the chance to play a Thief, but I am finally getting the chance next week in a friend's game. I thought I'd use the occasion to talk about the feature, some uses for it, and collect additional ideas from others.
A note on rulings: The DM and I have come to an agreement on how the feature is to be ruled, specifically regarding the Use an Object part of the feature. Any object which is not a magic item which stipulates that it requires an action to use is fair game, even if that item requires an attack roll (so acid, alchemist's fire, oil, holy water, etc are all useable). Donning and doffing a shield is fair game, as is anything that would normally fall under interacting with the environment, such as stowing or retrieving an item. Other improvised actions involving an item, or feasibly using the Sleight-of-Hand skill, may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
That having been established, here are my staple tricks and exploits which have worked in the past; some of these are well-established, others less so. I'm sure that for plenty of these there are DMs who would object, but my DM happens to share my enthusiasm for the feature, and as long as I keep things mixed up and don't spam any one exploit, he's generally willing to allow most of these contingent on a successful ability check. Note that I would probably allow any character to do a lot of these things with their full action.
Spread caltrops, ball bearings, hunting traps, oil to control terrain and make hazards. Classic stuff. Note that the ball bearings don't need to be spread over an unoccupied area; toss them around a foe to make the movement-impairing more likely. You can spread caltrops and oil in an occupied space as well, but those are contingent upon a creature entering or ending its turn in the space, so those are less reliable.
Direct thrown object attacks for extra damage/valuable damage types; oil, acid, alchemist's fire, holy water.
Against an opponent who is somehow unable to resist (stunned, incapacitated, paralyzed, etc.) tie them with ropes so they'll be restrained when the effect ends.
Emergency stabilize with a healer's kit.
Toss a rope & grappling hook on which to swing, granting momentum on an attack (positioning, elevation, and the dice allowing).
Throw ink, flour, or chalk dust on invisible creatures to make them detectable.
Manacle a creature to a nearby object, or to oneself.
Temporarily blind a creature by throwing a blanket, a cloak, an iron pot, a bucket, or a sack over its head.
Snatch an archer/crossbowman's ammunition.
Tie a length of metal wire to a creature, then connect said wire to an electrified door (this worked once).
Douse a creature with a bucket of water. If this doesn't melt them, it causes them to take a little extra damage from the next instance of cold damage they suffer.
If the creature has a melee weapon they haven't drawn, snatch it. Ditto for component pouches and spellcasting foci.
Plant a familiar object on the creature that a party spellcaster can track with Locate Object.
Help an ally swap between his or her weapons and equipment, saving them from needing to do it on their turn.
Flash a hand mirror in the face of that medusa/basilisk/whatever.
N.B. that a lot of these have good feat synergy. Fast Hands + Healer is a tried-and-true combo, but Tavern Brawler might be a good choice, since many of these come down to attacks with improvised weapons. Mobile is the real ticket, however. Since a lot of these require getting in close to a hostile creature, it's very nifty to be able to make a melee attack, do whatever mischief you intend, and then get out with no opportunity attack. Or get in, manage mischief, and then pop out to make a ranged attack.
What are your favorite tricks for an honest Thief to get ahead in combat with this excellent feature? Let me know.
A note on rulings: The DM and I have come to an agreement on how the feature is to be ruled, specifically regarding the Use an Object part of the feature. Any object which is not a magic item which stipulates that it requires an action to use is fair game, even if that item requires an attack roll (so acid, alchemist's fire, oil, holy water, etc are all useable). Donning and doffing a shield is fair game, as is anything that would normally fall under interacting with the environment, such as stowing or retrieving an item. Other improvised actions involving an item, or feasibly using the Sleight-of-Hand skill, may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
That having been established, here are my staple tricks and exploits which have worked in the past; some of these are well-established, others less so. I'm sure that for plenty of these there are DMs who would object, but my DM happens to share my enthusiasm for the feature, and as long as I keep things mixed up and don't spam any one exploit, he's generally willing to allow most of these contingent on a successful ability check. Note that I would probably allow any character to do a lot of these things with their full action.
Spread caltrops, ball bearings, hunting traps, oil to control terrain and make hazards. Classic stuff. Note that the ball bearings don't need to be spread over an unoccupied area; toss them around a foe to make the movement-impairing more likely. You can spread caltrops and oil in an occupied space as well, but those are contingent upon a creature entering or ending its turn in the space, so those are less reliable.
Direct thrown object attacks for extra damage/valuable damage types; oil, acid, alchemist's fire, holy water.
Against an opponent who is somehow unable to resist (stunned, incapacitated, paralyzed, etc.) tie them with ropes so they'll be restrained when the effect ends.
Emergency stabilize with a healer's kit.
Toss a rope & grappling hook on which to swing, granting momentum on an attack (positioning, elevation, and the dice allowing).
Throw ink, flour, or chalk dust on invisible creatures to make them detectable.
Manacle a creature to a nearby object, or to oneself.
Temporarily blind a creature by throwing a blanket, a cloak, an iron pot, a bucket, or a sack over its head.
Snatch an archer/crossbowman's ammunition.
Tie a length of metal wire to a creature, then connect said wire to an electrified door (this worked once).
Douse a creature with a bucket of water. If this doesn't melt them, it causes them to take a little extra damage from the next instance of cold damage they suffer.
If the creature has a melee weapon they haven't drawn, snatch it. Ditto for component pouches and spellcasting foci.
Plant a familiar object on the creature that a party spellcaster can track with Locate Object.
Help an ally swap between his or her weapons and equipment, saving them from needing to do it on their turn.
Flash a hand mirror in the face of that medusa/basilisk/whatever.
N.B. that a lot of these have good feat synergy. Fast Hands + Healer is a tried-and-true combo, but Tavern Brawler might be a good choice, since many of these come down to attacks with improvised weapons. Mobile is the real ticket, however. Since a lot of these require getting in close to a hostile creature, it's very nifty to be able to make a melee attack, do whatever mischief you intend, and then get out with no opportunity attack. Or get in, manage mischief, and then pop out to make a ranged attack.
What are your favorite tricks for an honest Thief to get ahead in combat with this excellent feature? Let me know.