Swords & Wizardry: Thieves' Skills For Everyone Else

Many times, during play, there will be times when someone wants to move silently, hide in shadows, or perform another task that directly reflect a thief's skills in-game. Personally I have no problem with this, but I have encountered DMs that either won't allow it (because those are class specific skills), or who will then use a completely different method of determining success than the one already established.

The table below is what I use in my campaign. You'll notice that each skill is slightly reduced (-5%) from those of a first level thief. The only exceptions to this are, Hide in Shadows, and Move Silently, as these two skills are something nearly everyone has experience with. Wearing armor heavier than leather can adjust the percentages of performing certain skills as the DM decides.

Yes, I do allow a very slim chance for non-thieves to perform delicate tasks (pick pockets), deal with traps, and possibly open locks. No, these percentages do not increase as the character levels up.

Level	Climb Walls	Delicate Tasks and Traps	Hear Sounds	Hide in Shadows	Move Silently	Open Locks
-	80%	10%	2 in 6	10%	20%	5%
Race	Climb Walls	Delicate Tasks and Traps	Hear Sounds	Hide in Shadows	Move Silently	Open Locks
Dwarf	-	+10%	-	+5%	+5%	+5%
Elf	-	-	-	+15%	+10%	-
Half-Elf	-	-	-	-	-	-
Halfling	-	+5%	-	+10%	+10%	+10%

(Tables compatible with Swords & Wizardry Complete)

Optional House Rule

This rule is entirely a house ruling used in my personal games, and may not be suitable for everyone's campaign.  Rangers may perform almost all thief skills, as a thief of two levels lower than themselves (much like an Assassin), in a wilderness setting. This allows Rangers to find and deal with traps set in the wild, climb surfaces, and perform all the other logical skills of a wilderness scout. However, Rangers do not get the Delicate Tasks (pick pockets), or Open Locks skills of a thief (though they may still attempt these skills as per the rules above). Nor do Rangers gain Backstab , or any other thief skills outside of those shown above.

Wearing armor heavier than leather can adjust the percentages of performing certain skills as the DM decides.