Why do we need thieves??

[Olgar Shiverstone]

"I am Subotai! Hyrkanian. Thief and Archer!"

Guess it matters your game system. Are class and vocation the same thing? Do you even have classes or vocations? Does Subotai have one class, a multi-class, or just a particular set of skills?

 

[Tonguez]

So with a great deal of systems, I see a dedicated profession of thief. I would argue the need on the basis that, thieves do not have special powers, just skills. You could play a warrior, and rob people, take advantage of someone you caught off guard, a servant could walk away with important documents, or a locksmith could open locks. Debate me, and if you like thieves, what do you like about them?

none of the other roles you mention are Classes, theyre backgrounds and sure a thief can be any background. But the class is that of Rogue or in more enlightened systems Expert and that tells you what you need to know - they thief/rogue is the Skill expert able to do skillful things that dont need pounding with weapons or use up spell slots.

Of course there are far too many ways for magic to emulate skills and even Experts occasionally have to bash things, but those are artifacts of the game, not a commentary on the utility of Skill Specialist

 

[Tonguez]

Conan was a thief. And a barbarian. So did he multiclass? Or just go "give me all your stuff else I squeeze your head"? I think his backstab was just stabbing through the front to get to the back.

Conan was a thief, Cimmerian Barbarian was his Heritage which game him a Str bonus and indomitable feat

 

[GrimCo]

Thief is relic from olden times. Modern (as in last 25+ years) rogue is more than just a thief. It's class that covers wide range of character archetypes - swashbucklers, pirates, spys, skirmisher fighters, criminals etc. They are (mostly) mundane skill expert class (most skill points/ proficiencies) with some added stuff.

 

[Staffan]

Conan was a thief, Cimmerian Barbarian was his Heritage which game him a Str bonus and indomitable feat

A thief is someone who steals things, who takes what isn't theirs. You can add some nuance to it by dividing them up by method – a burglar is someone who goes where they don't belong and opens doors and storages they aren't supposed to and takes what's there, a grifter is someone who persuades people to give them things by promising things that never appear, a robber is someone who takes things by force, and a conqueror is someone who steals land and temporal power, but they are all thieves. That's not an insult – as Ming Tzu points out in the documentaries, "Every man born to wealth has a good thief amongst his ancestors, somewhere."

That said, the classic D&D thief is more specifically a burglar. They're good at stealth, infiltration, and avoiding traps and opening locks. That is not necessarily where Conan's strengths lie.

 

[Tonguez]

A thief is someone who steals things, who takes what isn't theirs. You can add some nuance to it by dividing them up by method – a burglar is someone who goes where they don't belong and opens doors and storages they aren't supposed to and takes what's there, a grifter is someone who persuades people to give them things by promising things that never appear, a robber is someone who takes things by force, and a conqueror is someone who steals land and temporal power, but they are all thieves. That's not an insult – as Ming Tzu points out in the documentaries, "Every man born to wealth has a good thief amongst his ancestors, somewhere."

That said, the classic D&D thief is more specifically a burglar. They're good at stealth, infiltration, and avoiding traps and opening locks. That is not necessarily where Conan's strengths lie.

Howard consistently portrays Conan as a cunning, resourceful rogue who can move unseen, bypass guards, climb sheer walls, and navigate deadly traps through agility, stealth and instinctive cunning. He is said to move with the supple ease of a great jungle cat.

So while he may not be a technical lock picker; Tower of the Elephant, Rogues in the House and God in the Bowl all portray him as a stealthy, quick thinking, agile, climbing burglar, who is also a formidable swordsman

 

[Bill Zebub]

But the class is that of Rogue or in more enlightened systems Expert...

That made me chuckle.

 

[Reynard]

Howard consistently portrays Conan as a cunning, resourceful rogue who can move unseen, bypass guards, climb sheer walls, and navigate deadly traps through agility, stealth and instinctive cunning. He is said to move with the supple ease of a great jungle cat.

So while he may not be a technical lock picker; Tower of the Elephant, Rogues in the House and God in the Bowl all portray him as a stealthy, quick thinking, agile, climbing burglar, who is also a formidable swordsman

Conan was not a D&D character. Trying to use him to define what either a thief or a barbarian is works about as well as using Aragorn to define what a ranger is.

All classes, specialties or whatever your system of choice calls them are mechanical package of play-roles designed to enforce niche protection in a game designed to be cooperative with close to equal spotlight time among the players.

Don't overthink it.