New Class - Outlaw
There are a few reasons why I created this class. First, I've never quite been satisfied with the "Thief" class. Sure, there are thieves out there, sure, it might be fun to try and play one. But the Thief class presented in D&D seems to try to be many types of thieves at once. The cut-purse. The cat-burglar. The double-crosser (aka back-stabber). The safe-cracker. The eves-dropper. The code-breaker (read languages). Even someone who can cast spells from a scroll.
Seems like a really cool character, but at the same time a bit of an identity crisis being pulled in so many directions. Plus there's things left out. The thief is often portrayed as a sort of street-wise urban thief who's got his ear to the ground on any potential rumors. Yet what ability does he have related to this concept? And what if I don't want to play an urban thief. Damnit, my party keeps getting robbed after adventures by a gang of roadside bandits. What if I want to be one of them? That could also double as the archetype for a "Robin Hood" character. Because by piling that onto the Ranger class has given Rangers a sort of identity crisis as revealed by how they evolved post-1st Ed.
So, that's what this is here. The outlaw. Most likely on the lamb, so city-living isn't an option. He must be rugged to survive the country side and yet still crafty as a thief. As an NPC, I just assume an illegally multi-classed Thief/Ranger, with the Ranger level at about half the Thief level. This gives me a great short-hand to use so I can effectively communicate the sorts of skills this guy has without having a blown-up stat block. But for PCs, we need something laid out a little more neatly, in detail, and without preferably without defying the rules. So here's the new Outlaw class.
The Outlaw is considered a Thief sub-class, and as such uses the Thiefs attack charts and Saving Throws.
Requirements:
The Outlaw must have a minimum of 13 in Strength and Dexterity, and 14 in Constitution. An Outlaw may be of any non-Lawful alignment.
Arms & Armor:
The Outlaw may use the following weapons: bow (any), club, crossbow (any), dagger, dart, hammer, scimitar, sling, spear, staff, sword (short, broad, or long). When using a missile weapon, the Missile Attack adjustment listed above applies to both "to hit" and damage rolls.
The only armor the Outlaw is permitted is Leather armor and Shield (any)
Abilities:
The Outlaw is able to employ the following Thief abilities as a Thief of the same level: Open Locks, Find/Remove Traps, Hear Noise, Climb Walls, and Backstab. In addition, the Outlaw is able to Track like a Ranger, is only surprised 1 in 6, and surprises foes 3 in 6. Being more physically robust than an ordinary Thief, upon reaching name level (10th), the Outlaw gains a +2 bonus on Saving Throws vs Poison, Death, and Breath Weapon.
A parting note for all the DMs out there who just like to crush anything that looks like it might be fun. Remember, you can always get the character concept just by multi-classing a Thief/Ranger. So you don't have to buy into new classes or new rules to have the idea of roadside bandits being different from urban thieves. In fact, when I went to chart the class out, I asked myself "What would XP progression look like for a Thief/Ranger where the XP was split 1/8 for the ranger, the rest for the thief?" So I don't want to hear any crap about how this is somehow unbalanced. I started with something that is technically already legal by the rules tweaked a couple of things to make it unique and better fit the concept.
Seems like a really cool character, but at the same time a bit of an identity crisis being pulled in so many directions. Plus there's things left out. The thief is often portrayed as a sort of street-wise urban thief who's got his ear to the ground on any potential rumors. Yet what ability does he have related to this concept? And what if I don't want to play an urban thief. Damnit, my party keeps getting robbed after adventures by a gang of roadside bandits. What if I want to be one of them? That could also double as the archetype for a "Robin Hood" character. Because by piling that onto the Ranger class has given Rangers a sort of identity crisis as revealed by how they evolved post-1st Ed.
So, that's what this is here. The outlaw. Most likely on the lamb, so city-living isn't an option. He must be rugged to survive the country side and yet still crafty as a thief. As an NPC, I just assume an illegally multi-classed Thief/Ranger, with the Ranger level at about half the Thief level. This gives me a great short-hand to use so I can effectively communicate the sorts of skills this guy has without having a blown-up stat block. But for PCs, we need something laid out a little more neatly, in detail, and without preferably without defying the rules. So here's the new Outlaw class.
| XP Needed | Level | Hit Dice | Missile Attack |
| 0 | 1 | 1d6 | +1 |
| 1500 | 2 | 2d6 | +1 |
| 3000 | 3 | 3d6 | +1 |
| 6000 | 4 | 4d6 | +1 |
| 12,500 | 5 | 5d6 | +2 |
| 25,000 | 6 | 6d6 | +2 |
| 50,000 | 7 | 7d6 | +2 |
| 90,000 | 8 | 8d6 | +2 |
| 150,000 | 9 | 9d6 | +3 |
| 250,000 | 10 | 10d6 | +3 |
| 500,000 | 11 | 10d6+2 | +3 |
| 750,000 | 12 | 10d6+4 | +3 |
| 1,000,000 | 13 | 10d6+6 | +4 |
| 1,250,000 | 14 | 10d6+8 | +4 |
| 1,500,000 | 15 | 10d6+10 | +4 |
| 1,750,000 | 16 | 10d6+12 | +4 |
| 2,000,000 | 17 | 10d6+14 | +4 |
| 2,250,000 | 18 | 10d6+16 | +4 |
| 2,500,000 | 19 | 10d6+18 | +4 |
| 2,750,000 | 20 | 10d6+20 | +4 |
| 3,000,000 | 21 | 10d6+22 | +4 |
The Outlaw is considered a Thief sub-class, and as such uses the Thiefs attack charts and Saving Throws.
Requirements:
The Outlaw must have a minimum of 13 in Strength and Dexterity, and 14 in Constitution. An Outlaw may be of any non-Lawful alignment.
Arms & Armor:
The Outlaw may use the following weapons: bow (any), club, crossbow (any), dagger, dart, hammer, scimitar, sling, spear, staff, sword (short, broad, or long). When using a missile weapon, the Missile Attack adjustment listed above applies to both "to hit" and damage rolls.
The only armor the Outlaw is permitted is Leather armor and Shield (any)
Abilities:
The Outlaw is able to employ the following Thief abilities as a Thief of the same level: Open Locks, Find/Remove Traps, Hear Noise, Climb Walls, and Backstab. In addition, the Outlaw is able to Track like a Ranger, is only surprised 1 in 6, and surprises foes 3 in 6. Being more physically robust than an ordinary Thief, upon reaching name level (10th), the Outlaw gains a +2 bonus on Saving Throws vs Poison, Death, and Breath Weapon.
A parting note for all the DMs out there who just like to crush anything that looks like it might be fun. Remember, you can always get the character concept just by multi-classing a Thief/Ranger. So you don't have to buy into new classes or new rules to have the idea of roadside bandits being different from urban thieves. In fact, when I went to chart the class out, I asked myself "What would XP progression look like for a Thief/Ranger where the XP was split 1/8 for the ranger, the rest for the thief?" So I don't want to hear any crap about how this is somehow unbalanced. I started with something that is technically already legal by the rules tweaked a couple of things to make it unique and better fit the concept.
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