One of the world's oldest professions, a thief is a master of acquisition, stealth, and precision. He lives not only off of the generosity of others, but rather makes his own "good will" with a deft hand and a sharp edge. Despite the nature of the class being given to the morally questionable, a thief my follow whatever path suits him; from the pettiest of selfishness to championing the poor. A thief is rarely underestimated and often feared, skilled as he is with two daggers.
Skills
| Level | Skill |
|---|---|
| Level 1: | Backstab, Dagger, Hand to Hand, Steal, Sword, Whip |
| Level 2: | Peek |
| Level 3: | Dirt Kicking |
| Level 4: | Dodge, Dual Wield |
| Level 5: | Pick Lock |
| Level 6: | Obscure Evidence |
| Level 7: | Kick |
| Level 8: | Detect Theft, Listen |
| Level 9: | Enhanced Damage |
| Level 10: | Detect Hidden, Second Attack |
| Level 11: | Trip |
| Level 12: | Haggle, Tumbling |
| Level 13: | Fast Healing, Plant |
| Level 14: | Conceal |
| Level 15: | Cower |
| Level 16: | Relock |
| Level 17: | Throw |
| Level 18: | Dash |
| Level 19: | Disarm, Parry |
| Level 20: | Third Attack, Waylay |
| Level 21: | Cutpurse, Trap |
| Level 22: | Meditation |
| Level 23: | Bargain |
| Level 24: | Retreat |
| Level 25: | Slice |
| Level 26: | Sleeve |
| Level 27: | Loot |
| Level 29: | Opportunism |
| Level 30: | Circle Stab |
| Level 31: | Rush |
| Level 32: | Pilfer |
| Level 34: | Final Strike |
| Level 36: | Defensive Roll |
| Level 38: | Dual Backstab |
| Level 40: | Shadow Mastery |
Tips
In most circumstances, a thief is at his best when he is not tanking, but rather leaving that to a more capable class such as fighter, swordmaster, and so on (or in some cases, a loyal retainer). This gives them the ability to use one of their two most popular skills, circle stab, which deals spectacular damage of the thief's weapon's type. Because this attack is saveless and can be of virtually any damage type, it has long been a fan favorite.
Alone, a thief should have a fair bit of survivability, taking some of his defensive cues from the bard, in terms of using sword parry/dodge/tumbling. The addition of tumbling at the expense of shield block should give thieves everywhere a round less of pain when attempting to use backstab, failing a waylay, or any number of other common thief scenarios. While their defenses are reasonably good, it should be noted that against a melee class, the thief's defensive power is not quite as good as that of the assassin.
In-round, a thief will have their choice of attacks, including throw, slice, or kick (and when not at the front, circle stab). This should account for virtually all circumstances in which a thief is attempting to do things; this preparedness theme is also why a thief gains hand to hand. However, a thief often has to make a quick escape. The dash skill removes movement lag on a thief for an ample time, giving him plenty of speed to outrun his pursuers. Hide, and later shadow mastery, allow him to conceal himself from view, while the conceal skill allows him to stash loot off of his person if he fears his imminent death.
Thieves are particularly effective against scholars, as the scholar's limited melee output and generally poor melee defense make them easy targets. Additionally, the opportunism skill combats some of the scholar's (and to a lesser extent, templar's) magic. On the other hand, such skills are of little use against a true melee class, and may be quite difficult for some thieves to overcome.
