Wherein your humble scribe, drawing on the “All The Dice” random generator concept (tip of the hat to Grim), presents a random table for your nerdly needs.

My latest obsession/idea is an old school urban crime mini-campaign, something along the lines of the old Gamelords Thieves’ Guild RPG.

My first thought was to use Labyrinth Lord/AEC and break down the thieving skills a bit to turn that subsystem into something that players could customize to reflect their own individual thief’s specialties (sort like AD&D 2e did – but I don’t have those books handy to steal from reference). But when I started doing the math I quickly realized I’d be better off using a different system (one that was already skill-based).

So in rode BRP and the fabulous Classic Fantasy monograph (to be used if I feel the need to retain a degree of D&D style). If I ever make this get off the ground (and given my current levels of gamer ADD and the general scheduling issues with the folks I play with, that’s a dubious proposition) I’m going to need an idea generator for some thiefly adventures & heists. Hence, the tables below. Please feel free to make use of these in any way you see fit. Sharing makes the world go ’round!

Let’s Roll

Grab yourself a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20 and roll ’em. Check against the charts below and let your creativity fill things out as needed.

Location of item(s) to be liberated, 1d4

1. Temple or other religious/ceremonial building
2. Private residence (1d4: 1 lower class, 2 middle class, 3 upper class, 4 nobility)
3. Mercantile building (guildhall, apothecary, etc.)
4. Governmental building (military hq, prison, town hall, etc.)

Complications of the job, 1d6

1. No complications, job as described by the rest of the dice
2. Minor complications, roll for a second guardian for the item (now under double guard)
3. Major complications, roll for a second location (the item has been moved)
4. No complications, job as described by the rest of the dice
5. Serious complications, roll for two more guardians and a second location – the item(s) has been moved to a new location and is under a different kind of protection
6. It’s a setup! A double-cross! A trap! Everything proceeds normally, but something bad happens if the job is successful (not paid, guard alerted, the job is completely fake, etc.)

Method of payment for liberating the item(s), 1d8

1. No payment
2. Keep anything else you can take
3. Coin: ((2d4-1) X 10)% of item’s value
4. Coin: ((1d10+10) X 10)% of item’s value
5. A minor, limited-use magic item (potion of healing, etc.)
6. Information (a treasure map, the name of a spy, etc.)
7. Coins: (3d8 X 10) total gp value
8. Gems: (4d6 X 10) total gp value

Nature of the item(s) to be liberated, 1d10

1. Plain ol’ coin money
2. Magic item (weapon/armor/shield)
3. Religious relic
4. Gems or jewelry
5. Paperwork of significance
6. Object d’Art (statue/painting/etc.)
7. Symbolic item
8. Magic item (non-weapon)
9. Roll again twice using d8s
10. Roll again three times using d8s

Guardian of the item(s) to be liberated, 1d12

1. None
2. Locked chest/safe
3. Trapped & locked chest/safe
4. Magical wards
5. Generic human/demihuman guards
6. Tougher-than-generic human/demihuman guards
7. Natural animal(s)
8. Monster(s)
9. Undead
10. Demon/devil
11. Roll again twice using d10s
12. Roll again three times using d10s

Source of the job, 1d20

1. Professional connection (guild, crime family, etc.)
2. Freelance theft-for-hire (merchant, sailor, etc.)
3. Rumor/Innuendo/Legend
4. Personal Reasons (revenge, matter of honor, thrill seeking, etc.)
5. Religious connection (prelate with a problem, a favor for the god of thieves, etc.)
6. Professional connection (guild, crime family, etc.)
7. Freelance theft-for-hire (merchant, sailor, etc.)
8. Romantic connection (spouse, mistress, etc.)
9. Family connection (no-good brother-in-law, dying aunt, etc.)
10. Political connection (local political faction, foreign government, etc.)
11. Professional connection (guild, crime family, etc.)
12. Freelance theft-for-hire (merchant, sailor, etc.)
13. Rumor/Innuendo/Legend
14. Personal Reasons (revenge, matter of honor, thrill seeking, etc.)
15. Professional connection (guild, crime family, etc.)
16. Freelance theft-for-hire (merchant, sailor, etc.)
17. Military/Police connection (the corrupt sheriff, a questionable general, etc.)
18. Rumor/Innuendo/Legend
19. Professional connection (guild, crime family, etc.)
20. Freelance theft-for-hire (merchant, sailor, etc.)

Some Sample Heists

• Your older brother offers to pay you a lot of money to break into the town armory and steal the enchanted Shield of the Sentinels. Of course, the armory is guarded by a pair of basilisks, but that’s not a problem for someone like you. You know he can afford what he’s offering; you just don’t know what he’s up to, which is planning on double-crossing you by turning you and the shield in for the reward to pay off his gambling debts.
• Old Garril the Stonemason offers you a number of small diamonds he once found in a wall he was repairing to steal the sixteen large sapphires Korath the Bold recently donated to the Temple of Naali. These are locked in a chest stored within the high priest’s chambers.
• You’ve heard a rumor that there’s a woman in Amberton who will pay a nice sum of money for a set of enchanted combs that are currently available in the shop of Forlburt the silversmith. The smith is a paranoid sort, who employs a small number of human guards and trained hounds to stand watch over his shop even as he locks all of his merchandise within a heavy (and trapped!) safe every evening.
• Your guild or crime family needs you to break into the manor house of the Harbormaster and steal the ledgers for the last season’s shipping taxes. Your reward for pulling off this heist is the name and location of the man who killed your family when you were young. Everyone knows that the house is protected by magical wards. Not even your contact knows about the wraith that has been bound to guard the grounds.