You were always a sneaky and crafty one growing up, opting for the shadows and taking things by surprise or out from under peoples noses as prank. Those who you did not like were always watching their back for you if they made you angry at one because you get back at them in some way. Usually appearing out of nowhere you would take down beating up the one you that made you angry and those that tried to fight you with them, often times taking their possessions as your "payment" just to add insult to injury. Eventually others would start paying you to beat up those they did not like or made them angry, and you eventually made a small business out of this and were always improving. As you got older, the jobs got more physical with your contract until eventually you were assassinating people and doing what else was needed on a contract. You were never bothered by killing, especially to those who you did not know or like. The only people you would not take a contract on and would protect would be those extremely close to you, unless they betrayed you. Assassinating someone, especially someone extremely high status and or difficult makes you just a bit excited with a small amount of adrenaline leading up to it, but when it comes time, you may be extremely excited full of adrenaline feeling your high, but you still act and look as cool and calm as ever. Whether you do it for someone, like a bureaucracy or a king, for money, for the rush, or just for your own personal gains in some way, you are one of the best at what you do.
- Skill Proficiencies: Acrobatics, Deception
- Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
- Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch containing 15 gp
There are many kinds of criminals, and within a thieves’ guild or similar criminal organization, individual members have particular specialties. Even criminals who operate outside of such organizations have strong preferences for certain kinds of crimes over others. Choose the role you played in your criminal life, or roll on the table below.
| d8 | Criminal Specialty |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blackmailer |
| 2 | Burglar |
| 3 | Enforcer |
| 4 | Fence |
| 5 | Highway robber |
| 6 | Hired killer |
| 7 | Pickpocket |
| 8 | Smuggler |
You have a life long friend that you grew up with that went into the assassination field like you. However, they aren't as good as you as so they get smaller and easier contracts just to stay in the game and try to improve. Others that are looking for an assassin for a job, and you especially, know that you two have history and can trust each other with anything including your lives, as a result he may pick up a contract for you whenever your not working on one for some extra gold. If a big contract appears that he knows you'll love, he'll claim it for you even if you are still working on a contract. You can only have one active contract at a time, it takes one to three days to get a message to him saying the contract has been completed, and another one to three days to get a new one. Every so often he'll get a big contract and will notify you no matter what and get the message to you within half a day to two days.
Normal contracts can reward 200-1000 gold plus some amenities at times. The big contracts are negotiable but are worth no less than 2500 gold, with 2000 of that gold being in gems, and they can also reward more valuable items or favors in the future, however unless specifically including them into the reward prior to accepting, they can take away from the gold and gems value if added afterwards. After a big contract you can meet the client to collect your reward after notifying them and are able to try a negotiate a better deal if necessary depending on the difficulty of the contract. Due to the cost of big contracts they are fairly rare and only employed by the wealthy and those backed by the wealthy.
Suggested Characteristics
Criminals might seem like villains on the surface, and many of them are villainous to the core. But some have an abundance of endearing, if not redeeming, characteristics. There might be honor among thieves, but criminals rarely show any respect for law or authority.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. |
| 2 | I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. |
| 3 | The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations of everything valuable—or where such things could be hidden. |
| 4 | I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy. |
| 5 | I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. |
| 6 | I don’t pay attention to the risks in a situation. Never tell me the odds. |
| 7 | The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it. |
| 8 | I blow up at the slightest insult. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Honor. I don’t steal from others in the trade. (Lawful) |
| 2 | Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, as are those who would forge them. (Chaotic) |
| 3 | Charity. I steal from the wealthy so that I can help people in need. (Good) |
| 4 | Greed. I will do whatever it takes to become wealthy. (Evil) |
| 5 | People. I’m loyal to my friends, not to any ideals, and everyone else can take a trip down the Styx for all I care. (Neutral) |
| 6 | Redemption. There’s a spark of good in everyone. (Good) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m trying to pay off an old debt I owe to a generous benefactor. |
| 2 | My ill-gotten gains go to support my family. |
| 3 | Something important was taken from me, and I aim to steal it back. |
| 4 | I will become the greatest thief that ever lived. |
| 5 | I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it. |
| 6 | Someone I loved died because of a mistake I made. That will never happen again. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | When I see something valuable, I can’t think about anything but how to steal it. |
| 2 | When faced with a choice between money and my friends, I usually choose the money. |
| 3 | If there’s a plan, I’ll forget it. If I don’t forget it, I’ll ignore it. |
| 4 | I have a “tell” that reveals when I’m lying. |
| 5 | I turn tail and run when things look bad. |
| 6 | An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that. |
Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a very different context: as an espionage agent. You might have been an officially sanctioned agent of the crown, or perhaps you sold the secrets you uncovered to the highest bidder.
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