The Calling of the Rogue

Practitioners of the skills of stealth and intrigue are known in general parlance as rogues. This vague coverall term hides within it a variety of different behaviours including robbery, burglary, espionage, reconnaissance, sabotage, smuggling, extortion, impersonation, kidnapping and assassination. They often cultivate a public or daytime profession that can get them close to others - anything from acrobat to trader will do.



Rogues can be found in all populations. The skills of stealth and secrecy and the desire for the quick path to wealth and power can be found among Halflings, Humans, Half-Elves, Elves, Dwarves and Half-Orcs. One can speculate that roguish behaviour is partly the product of isolation (so for instance the Halfling thief among Humans is more common than the Halfling thief among Halflings).

Criminally Skillful

Many of the thieving skills utilized in these roles are deemed criminal in most states but the purposes for which they are used can cover the entire gamut of morality. Many rogues are entirely self-serving but some serve particular causes whether for good or ill. Rogues are most commonly found in areas of concentrated population. One can find adults and even youths in the many different roles of the rogue and in all strata of society. They usually work alone but sometimes thieves are known to band together in clandestine gangs. Many are profane but some worship the darkness-bringing goddess Urala who helps in the hiding of secret resentments.

Bards

The term 'bard' is frequently used interchangeably with other words like ‘troubadour’. However correctly the word refers only to the members of a secretive network of rogues who present themselves to the world as storytelling musicians but who have covert motives over-and-above those of garden-variety troubadours. They do look like that as they wander and play on lute or fife or drum. The Bardic movement has members in all nations and city-states. It lacks any formalized structure or written rules but rather is governed by an oral tradition preserved by all members of the movement. Many of its mores are preserved and conveyed in the form of songs and tales and the more experienced a Bard becomes the fuller a sense they will have of the purposes of the movement. One common theme of Bardic songs is the dangers inherent in power. Many tales tell of the exciting but ultimately corrupting days of lost empires which have long since been replaced by a disparate array of nations and city-states. It is speculated that the Bards intention is to preserve the present balance of many small powers.

The Bardic movement originated in the Brethic Hills and as a result today Bards regardless of origin sport some trappings of Brethic culture such as torcs and tartan. More can be known on the origins of Bards by examining the tales of the Brethic Royal Dagger (see in Sage Scrivenings). In addition to thieving skills the more experienced of Bards also use the mnemonics of poetry recital to cast particular spells. This is something other Rogues cannot do (they depend on the haphazard use of spell scrolls). Bards count Humans, Halflings and Half-Elves among them.

Important Groups of Rogues

The tradition of the Bards is so old as to have taken on the status of a distinctive roguish calling. However there are other groups of rogues in The Lands that are also worth noting.

Guild of Acquisitors

Many cities have criminal gangs that describe themselves as 'guilds' or 'clans' or even 'dens' (usually there is only one such group per city but that can be riven with bitter factional rivalry). At one time the most rich and powerful of such gangs was the Guild of Acquisitors in Nartellfar. Recently however the Guild (which incidentally is not recognized as a guild of the city Assembly) has found itself squeezed between two other groups which compete for its secret territory. One is the Ratkin Clan who have taken residence in the sewers and cisterns. The other is a newly formed Sweepers Guild (which is recognized by the Assembly) who actively thwart usage of the pathways over the rooftops of Nartellfar. The Guild of Acquisitors suspects that this new guild is itself just a front for the Tapestry.

The Tapestry

The Tapestry is the secret service of the Sea Cities and is managed by the Council of Eight (the group who determine combined decisions of the league cities of Nartellfar, Delmisar and Orvilia) via its managing Proctor. It draws on persons of thieving skills but puts those skills to use in ensuring the internal and external peace and security of the Sea Cities. It is likely that the Tapestry has agents placed in all key aspects of life in the three cities and knows many secrets.

The Adamantine Network

The power of the Warlord of Port Grazia is such that his government has succeeded in smashing any gangs in the capital. However many former thieves have been rehabilitated by involvement in a new body known as the Adamantine Network – the secret police of the Grazian Confederacy. These operatives employ all the skills associated with thievery including the usage of spell scrolls (particularly important since the Warlord never succeeded in coopting very many mages into the state apparatus when all autononous organizations in Port Grazia were abolished).

Rogue Game Rules

This is a summary of game rules as they apply to rogues in The Lands.

Thieves must have above-average Dexterity.

Bards must have above-average Dexterity, Charisma and Intelligence.

For Life Points they roll the same number of d8 as they have levels till level ten (inclusive). Between levels eleven and twenty they get an extra 2 life points per level. At tenth level a rogue can become a 'master' or 'mistress' of stealth and intrigue but in many cases will take on such titles sooner (if they can be sufficiently convincing).

Rogues need to have both hands free to perform most thieving skills and so cannot use weapons and shields at such times. Also for the sake of freedom-of-movement they cannot wear better than studded leather jerkin.

Rogues start with 1 weapon proficiency point at level 1 then get an extra point at every third additional level (levels 4, 7, 10 etc). Rogues to be pragmatic should first be proficient in a weapon that they can backstab with (any bladed hand-to-hand or thrown weapon of 1d4 or 1d6 damage). Rogues using non-proficient weapons deduct 2 from both hit and damage rolls.

Rogues who have the advantage of surprise and who attack from behind get the following enhancements. At level one they multiply rolled damage by 2. Thereafter they get cumulative +1 to hit and damage bonuses at levels 3 and 5 (for both Thieves and Bards) and also 8 and 10 (for Thieves only).

These bonuses are also applied to Dexterity checks for Surprise.

The employment of toxins combined with backstabbing can be particularly lethal (except that an ancient code prohibits toxin use for Bards).

Only rogues can perform the following talents:

- Picking Pockets or Locks
- Finding Secret Devices
- Setting & Removing Traps

For these three skills rogues gets cumulative +1 bonuses at levels 3 and 5 (both Thieves and Bards) and at 8 and 10 (Thieves only). In many cases they need a spy tool kit.

All rogues get climbing for free. Bards in particular get any two of singing, oratory, musical instrument or dancing for free (and all of them are recommended as they progress).

Between levels six and ten a Bard can cast Illusion, Enchantment and Prognostication spells as if they were level one to five mages. To cast a spell they must be performing in some manner.

Also see Artifacts for information on magical scroll use.