"Bluehand" Ajathar, Lone Wolf
This is an example of a "lone wolf" thief, created with the character creation system in Chapter Three of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Ajathar was originally apprenticed to an illusionist. He never completed his formal training, however. His master, Zalabom the Magnificent, was outspoken on a number of religious and political issues. One day his words went too far against the popular grain, and a mob dragged him from his tower, stoned him to death, and set fire to the building after looting it. Young Ajathar narrowly escaped with his life and a couple of texts of illusion magic.
Homeless and hungry, Ajathar had to steal for a living. Assisted by what few illusions he could muster, he became a burglar—and a surprisingly proficient one, considering that he was self-taught. As his burglary skills improved, so did his understanding of the magical arts of deception.
He took as his symbol, his trademark to be left at each "job," an illusionary blue hand. The illusion would fade after a few days—but its discovery came to invariably bring panic to the heart of anyone who discovered it in his house. Sometimes Ajathar would not take a thing, but only leave the hand as a warning, a taunt, a mockery of a house's easily-penetrated defenses.
Eventually Ajathar moved on. His native town, where Zalabom was killed, was neither affluent nor an exciting place for a daring young entrepreneur. "Bluehand" may therefore be found anywhere that the DM should wish to relocate him.
One peculiarity of Ajathar's character is his strict adherence to the alignment of True Neutrality. The lesson he gained from Zalabom's death is that extremism and fanaticism in any form are dangerous and to be avoided. Both the illusionist and the bloodthirsty crowd are, to Ajathar's mind in hindsight, repulsive. Any apprentice that Bluehand might train would have to be True Neutral as well.
Following are the elements of unique class, along with the multiplier of each (see DMG, Tables Eleven to Eighteen): Fight as thief (-1); Saving throws as thief (0); 1d4 hit dice type (+0.5); No armor permitted—interferes with spellcasting as well as thief skills (-1); Weapons: any (0); +1 hp per level beyond 9th (+0.5); 6 initial proficiency slots (+1.5), select as if a normal thief of the cat burglar kit; Climb walls (+1); Find/remove traps (+1); Open locks (+1); Move silently (+1); Hide in shadows (+1); Use Illusion/Phantasm mage spells (+3); Must be of True Neutral alignment (-1); TOTAL MODIFIER: +7.5.
Table 6: AJATHAR'S EXPERIENCE TABLE & SPELLS
Illusion/Phantasm Spells
|
Level |
Experience |
Hit Dice |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
2 |
1,500 |
2d4 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
3 |
3,000 |
3d4 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
4 |
6,000 |
4d4 |
2 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
5 |
15,000 |
5d4 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
6 |
30,000 |
6d4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
7 |
60,000 |
7d4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
8 |
112,500 |
8d4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
9 |
210,000 |
9d4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
|
10 |
435,000 |
9d4+1 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
11 |
660,000 |
9d4+2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
12 |
885,000 |
9d4+3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
+225,000 XP per level thereafter
+1 hp per level thereafter
Spell progression continues with the same pattern, up to a maximum of three spells per level, up to 9th level (if the character's intelligence permits it).
Thief Skills: Bluehand has the skills Climb Walls, Find/Remove Traps, Open Locks, Move Silently and Hide in Shadows. His base chance of success with any of these abilities is determined by Table 19, Thief Average Ability Table, in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Spell Casting: Without a regular mentor, Bluehand's development of his illusionist talent was stunted. He advances in spell use much more slowly than a true mage of comparable level, and may only use spells from the Illusion/Phantasm school of magic. He must check to see if he can learn a spell, and must study spells in order to cast them, just like a mage. He does not receive spells automatically when he gains a new level; he must find or steal books or scrolls with new spells, or must hire an illusionist to share them with him.