Faerûnian Prestige Class : Shadow Thief of Amn
The organization known as the Shadow Thieves is the largest and most prosperous thieves' guild in all of Faerûn. Its success is derived from its system of interlocking guilds, each dedicated to the twin goals of profit and power. From the organization's stronghold in Amn, this series of guilds controls the lion's share of all criminal operations along the Sword Coast, and it also reaches beyond that area into many other parts of Faerûn. As a member of a Shadow Thieves' guild, a shadow thief of Ann knows only her own minions, her coworkers, and her superior. This web of secrecy preserves the organization, because any members who are captured can sell out only a few others.
Most shadow thieves of Amn were previously rogues, although specialists in some criminal fields are more likely to have backgrounds as fighters or rangers. Clerics of evil deities (particularly Mask and Shar) take up this path to fill certain roles in the field, and sorcerers and wizards also have important roles. Shadow thieves excel at working with others, intimidating common folk, administering punitive beatings, and acquiring important contacts.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Shadow Thief of Amn, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Bluff 3 ranks, Gather Information 3 ranks, Hide 8 ranks, Intimidate 3 ranks, Move Silently 3 ranks
- Feats: Persuasive,
- Special: The candidate must be a member of a Shadow Thieves' guild.
Class Skills
The shadow thief of Amn's class skills are Appraise, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Forgery, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are Class Features of the shadow thief of Amn prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadow thieves of Amn gain proficiency with all simple weapons and with light armor. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble, and double the normal armor check penalty applies to Swim checks.
Doublespeak (Ex): A shadow thief of Amn is adept at talking her way out of tight places. At 1st level, she gains a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Diplomacy checks.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability functions like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by 1d6 points at 1st level, by another 1d6 points at 3rd level, and another 1d6 points at 5th level. If a shadow thief of Amn gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels) the bonuses on damage stack. Furthermore, shadow thief of Amn levels stack with any other appropriate class levels (such as rogue or assassin) for the purpose of overcoming improved uncanny dodge
Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and again at 4th level, a shadow thief of Amn gains a bonus feat of her choice from the following list: Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (hand crossbow or shuriken), Improved Feint, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Negotiator, Nimble Fingers, Persuasive, Track, Skill Focus (any guild thief class skill), Silent Spell, Stealthy, Still Spell, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (any). She must meet any prerequisites for a feat in order to select it.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadow thief of Amn gains the ability to react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to even be aware of it. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (She still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.) If a shadow thief of Amn already has the uncanny dodge ability from another class, she gains improved uncanny dodge (see the rogue class description.
Reputation (Ex): By the time she reaches 3rd level, a shadow thief's infamy grants her a +1 bonus to her Leadership score (see the Leadership feat. This bonus increases to +2 at 4th level and to +3 at 5th level. Usually, a shadow thief of Amn who has an interest in collecting followers maintains a permanent base of operations within a city, which gives her an additional +2 bonus to her Leadership score.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level, a shadow thief of Amn an no longer be flanked, since she can react to opponents on opposite sides of her as easily as she can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the shadow thief of Amn. The exception to this defense is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the shadow thief can flank her (and thus sneak attack her).
If the shadow thief of Amn already has improved uncanny dodge, the levels from any other classes granting uncanny dodge stack for the purpose of determining the minimum rogue level required to flank her.
| Shadow Thief of Amn | Hit Die: d6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Doublespeak, sneak attack +1d6 |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Bonus feat, uncanny dodge |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Reputation +1, sneak attack +2d6 |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Bonus feat, reputation +2 |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Improved uncanny dodge, reputation +3, sneak attack +3d6 |
Source: Player's Guide to Faerûn