Phantom Thief

(This is a Fusion of Thief and Arcane Trickster from both 2024 and 2014, and intended to be more like Catwoman or Grimcat, rather than a Phantom Thief from Persona 5.)

Phantom Thieves are legendary master thieves—stealthy outlaws and modern folk heroes who steal not for profit alone, but to challenge corruption, empower the oppressed, and remind the powerful that no one is above justice. Merging the nimble cunning of a thief with a flair for arcane misdirection, Phantom Thieves operate in the shadows of society, leaving behind a calling card that warns:

“Awaken The Phantom At Your Own Peril.” (Inscribed in Sylvan alongside the stylized icon of a rose with a 'P')

This serves as both a warning and a promise—the mark of a Phantom Thief who has struck, leaving their target with a lingering dread that their misdeeds have roused an unstoppable force of retribution.

Role in Society
Phantom Thieves are as infamous as they are revered. To the common people, they are the whisper of hope in a world of exploitation; to the powerful, they are the living nightmare of retribution. Their methods are as elegant as they are precise: a swift, almost balletic infiltration of a corrupt stronghold, followed by the meticulous extraction of secrets or valuables, and always, the definitive message that those who misuse their power will one day be held accountable.

Class Concept & Legacy
Long before mortal legends were born, there was Lirazel, the Blooming Veil—a trickster Archfey who danced between myth and reality. As the first Phantom Thief, Lirazel embodied mischief, rebellion, and poetic justice by stealing from the corrupt and bestowing wealth upon the downtrodden. Tired of her solitary game, Lirazel ensured her legacy would live on by choosing successors among mortals—bestowing the mantle of the Phantom Thief upon those she deemed worthy.
Since then, the Phantom Thief has evolved into a symbol of resistance against oppression, a guardian of the common folk, and a relentless force against corrupt officials, greedy magnates, and tyrannical institutions.

Phantom Thief Archetype Features
While the specific class features, abilities, and spellcasting mechanics are detailed in the subsequent sections, the Phantom Thief is defined by several core themes:

• Stealth & Subterfuge: Utilizing unparalleled agility, lock-picking skills, and deception to infiltrate the most secure locations.
• Arcane Trickery: Combining magical misdirection and illusion with martial prowess, the Phantom Thief uses a limited but potent arsenal of spells to confuse and confound their foes.
• Moral Vigilantism: Bound by a code that demands they only steal from those who abuse power, Phantom Thieves act as clandestine champions of the people.
• Legacy of the Phantom: Each generation of Phantom Thieves carries the memory of Lirazel’s mischief—a reminder that the night hides both beauty and peril.

In-Game Role and Flavor
Playing a Phantom Thief means embracing the duality of a character who is as much a performer as a predator. Whether slipping through the shadows to unearth secrets or leaving a final, poetic calling card on a corrupt vault door, the Phantom Thief is never just a common criminal—they are an agent of change, a living legend whose every move is choreographed to inspire awe and fear in equal measure.

There was no way to impart Lirazel's influence without overloading this class, so its also intended to take a 2-3 level dip in Warlock picking up either Great Old One or Archfey patrons.

Level 3: Spellcasting

You have learned to cast spells.

Cantrips. You know four cantrips: Mage Hand. Minor Illusion and two other cantrips of your choice from the Wizard spell list.

Whenever you gain a Rogue level, you can replace one of your cantrips, except Mage Hand or Minor Illusion with another Wizard cantrip of your choice.

When you reach Rogue level 10, you learn another Wizard cantrip of your choice.

Spell Slots. The Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your level 1+ spells. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a Long Rest.

Phantom Thief Spellcasting

		—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
Rogue Level	Prepared Spells	1	2	3	4
3	3	2	—	—	—
4	4	3	—	—	—
5	4	3	—	—	—
6	4	3	—	—	—
7	5	4	2	—	—
8	6	4	2	—	—
9	6	4	2	—	—
10	7	4	3	—	—
11	8	4	3	—	—
12	8	4	3	—	—
13	9	4	3	2	—
14	10	4	3	2	—
15	10	4	3	2	—
16	11	4	3	3	—
17	11	4	3	3	—
18	11	4	3	3	—
19	12	4	3	3	1
20	13	4	3	3	1

Prepared Spells of Level 1+. You prepare the list of level 1+ spells that are available for you to cast with this feature. To start, choose three level 1 Wizard spells.

The number of spells on your list increases as you gain Rogue levels, as shown in the Prepared Spells column of the Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table. Whenever that number increases, choose additional Wizard spells until the number of spells on your list matches the number in the Arcane Trickster Spellcasting table. The chosen spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you’re a level 7 Rogue, your list of prepared spells can include five Wizard spells of level 1 or 2 in any combination.

Changing Your Prepared Spells. Whenever you gain a Rogue level, you can replace one spell on your list with another Wizard spell for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Wizard spells.

Spellcasting Focus. You can use an Arcane Focus as a Spellcasting Focus for your Wizard spells.

Level 3: Mage Hand Legerdemain

You can cast Minor Illusion or Mage Hand as a Bonus Action. You can also give Mage Hand the Invisible condition and control the hand as a Bonus Action to make Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks through it.

Level 3: Escape Artist

You’ve trained to get into especially hard-to-reach places and mastered the Art of escaping high steaks situations, using the environment and items on your person. Granting you these benefits.

Climber. You gain a Climb Speed equal to your Speed.

Jumper. You can determine your jump distance using your Dexterity rather than your Strength.

Fast Hands. As a Bonus Action, you can either make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to pick a lock or disarm a trap with Thieves’ Tools or to pick a pocket or take the Utilize action, or take the Magic action to use a magic item that requires that action. 

Level 9: Trickster's Cunning

Magical Ambush. If you have the Invisible condition when you cast a spell on a creature, it has Disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell on the same turn.

Additionally, you also gain the ability to distract targets with your Mage Hand. When you use the Trip option of your Cunning Strike on a creature, you can also use that option on another creature within 5 feet of the spectral hand.

You also gain the following Cunning Strike option.

Stealth Attack (Cost: 1d6). If you have the Hide action’s Invisible condition, this attack doesn’t end that condition on you if you end the turn behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover.

 

Level 13: Magical Obsession

Your your experience stealing and using various magical items has gained you the ability to understand magic items to an unparalleled degree and you have learned how to maximize use of magic items, as well as steal the knowledge of how to cast a spell from another spellcaster, granting you the following benefits:

Obsessive Knowledge. You ignore all class and race requirements to use of magic items.

Attunement. You can attune to up to four magic items at once.

Charge Saver. Whenever you use a magic item property that expends charges, roll 1d6. On a roll of 6, you use the property without expending the charges.

Scrolls. You can use any Spell Scroll, using Charisma as your spellcasting ability for the spell. If the spell is a cantrip or a level 1 spell, you can cast it reliably. If the scroll contains a higher-level spell, you must first succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check (DC 10 plus the spell’s level). On a successful check, you cast the spell from the scroll. On a failed check, the scroll disintegrates.

Spell Thief. Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can take a Reaction to force the creature to make an Intelligence saving throw. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell’s effect against you, and if the spell is of a level that you can cast, you can steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least level 1 and of a level you can cast (it doesn’t need to be a Wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you have the spell prepared. The creature can’t cast it until the 8 hours have passed.

Once you steal a spell with this feature, you can’t use this feature again until you finish a Short Rest, But you can only have 1 spell prepared from this feature at a time.

Level 17: Phantom’s Ambush

You are adept at laying ambushes and quickly escaping danger. You can take two turns during the first round of any combat. You take your first turn at your normal Initiative and your second turn at your Initiative minus 10.