Where's the Thievery Gone?

[KrazyHades]

I'm a DM, and it's been a LONG time since I've had someone who wanted to play a fun, True Neutral (or chaotic neutral) rogue who will, say, pay the innkeeper's fee for the room and then pocket a few silver goblets when he's not looking. Lately, the player's I've had have avoided anything "immoral" (except for the guy who wants to come across a nice underground village of evil humanoids just so he can test out a widened, extended "earthquake"). Anyone else missing the roguish part of the rogue in their groups!?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Not really.

If the rogue is hunted and wanted, or any of the party members for that matter, while it opens up some new vistas of gaming (ala Prison Break or the Great Escape, etc...), most game masters don't want to deal with players whose characters are jerks. After all, the rogue being thrown in jail might as well equal a death sentence in parties with members who aren't going to break him out.

 

[dagger]

I currently play a rogue who takes a small cut (5-10%) when get can get away with it. He thinks he its only fair since he takes the trap risks (and he fights in combat).

 

[Corsair]

unless the party has some reason they were together before they became adventurers (such as the rogue is the clerics pesky but lovable younger sibling), most groups would rather ditch the nuisance character.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I'm a DM, and it's been a LONG time since I've had someone who wanted to play a fun, True Neutral (or chaotic neutral) rogue who will, say, pay the innkeeper's fee for the room and then pocket a few silver goblets when he's not looking. Lately, the player's I've had have avoided anything "immoral" (except for the guy who wants to come across a nice underground village of evil humanoids just so he can test out a widened, extended "earthquake"). Anyone else missing the roguish part of the rogue in their groups!?

Me!! Next time I get a chance to play I'm playing a thief. The Gord novels inspired me along with Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Me!! Next time I get a chance to play I'm playing a thief. The Gord novels inspired me along with Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser.

For more inspiration, read Vance's Eyes of the Overworld, and Cugel's Saga.

 

[Jubilee]

What's the point of stealing a few silver from an innkeeper? It's easy enough to find people you can kill and take stuff from and make more money than petty theft will get you, and with less consequences.

/ali

 

[kigmatzomat]

Ehh, my party's rogue believes that cities are a great place to get caught. His one "theft" was, ahh, downgrading a tip the fighter was giving a barmaid from a platinum to a silver piece. He made an excellent sleight of hand roll to intercept and replace the coin in mid air.

Besides, at high levels pure thievery isn't worth the risk. For a night's fine dining he'll get himself invited to the local lord's table. His wealth primarily comes from investments scattered across the globe.

His ultimate goal is the ability to levy taxes, since at that point it is theft at the widest scale.

 

[Grymar]

Most of my players are more than willing to steal from others and sometimes each other. But then again, it isn't a "good" game, it's an Eberron game. Here are the alignments of the party:

NG
CG
LN
N
CN

All over the place. And both of the good characters play closer to neutral than good. My problems are more along the lines of them being willing to torture or kill anyone who gets in their way, all in the name of some nebulous greater good.

 

[Victim]

Because the benefits are rather small in compared to the downsides. Why bother with a few silvers worth of petty theft when even low level characters can be making hundreds of GP per adventure? Similarly, embezzling from dangerous and violent probably isn't a good idea, especially in light of the future earnings from continued association.

Also, it can be highly annoying to deal with such characters from an OOC perspective.