Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Sub-Classes: Bard, Lone Wolf, or Shadow Walker¹
• Ability Requirements: Reason 13
• Alignments: Any
• Starting Cash: By class

¹ This kit is also available to Thieves or Spies that dual-class or multi-class as a mage or specialist wizard.

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: none
• Allowed Weapons: By class
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Sorcerous
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Appraising, Arcanology, Disarm Traps, Spellcraft, Tightrope Walking
• Required Proficiencies: Literacy
• Recommended Proficiencies: Ancient History, Arcanology, Artistic Ability, Athletics, Bookbinding, Disguise, Elemental Resistance, Engineering, Evade, Excavations, Forgery, Gem Cutting, Information Gathering, Jumping, Lock Smithing, Looting, Mastery, Psionic Detection, Quick Study, Recharge, Relic Dating, Rope Use, Screed Lore, Spellcraft, Thaumaturgy, Tumbling
• Forbidden Proficiencies: none

Overview: The Spellfilcher is a specialized thief who takes on one of the most dangerous jobs possible-breaking into wizard’s domiciles to purloin magical goods, particularly spellbooks and rare spell components. Spellfilchers have an innate knack for sensing the presence of magical auras and cannot resist the temptation to possess any magical device he sees. Some spellfilchers turn their talents to robbing tombs, ancient ruins, or even archaeological digs when their are obvious magical treasures to be had.

Elves in particular often become spellfilchers. Occasionally, humans will come into possession of items that either aren’t theirs or are “too dangerous” for these short-lived beings to have. Elven spellfilchers make sure these things return to elf hands (especially their own).

Most spellfilchers are retained by thieves’ guilds or similar organizations. While a few people develop the skills of a spellfilcher on their own, most spellfilchers are selected from birth because of an exceptional inborn talent to detect magical auras. In areas where a guild has sufficient influence, infants may be tested for their latent sensitivity to magic. If the infant shows promise, she is taken from her parents (with or without their permission). This talent is then specially nurtured by thieves’ guilds, who invest considerable resources into training these obtainers of rare antiquities.

Description: Spellfilchers, by their very nature, do not want a distinctive appearance. Being recognized as a stealer of magic is a good way to find yourself the target of many an unfriendly fireball. Though they often have considerable wealth at their disposal thanks to their chosen career, they go out of their way to make themselves look like average people, deliberately ridding themselves of any identifying habits. When on the job, spellfilchers make extensive use of specialized burglary equipment such as custom-made lockpicks, housebreakers harnesses, glass cutters, or other tools to aid their work.

Role-Playing:
The Spellfilcher’s role in life is to retrieve things from dangerous places. Whether this item is a stolen suit of elven plate armor or an ancient, unearthed artifact, the Spellfilcher expects to soon have it in her hands. The Spellfilcher is not only a thief, but an archaeologist as well. She uses all her skills to retrieve the magical items from wherever they lie, even deep beneath the earth.

Spellfilchers are extremely useful to any party. When there is a magical trap to be disarmed or magical treasure to be gotten, the Spellfilcher is the one to do it. Trained from her early years, the Spellfilcher uses an innate magical ability to locate and disarm traps that would victimize another.

Spellfilchers also take great pains to disguise themselves because they are hunted by both vengeful wizards and greedy thieves. The wizards desire the return of their property and perhaps revenge on the one audacious enough to steal from them. Conniving thieves wish to find a Spellfilcher to either recruit her into their guild or to get her to work for them. Failing that, they want to discover the secret to the Spellfilcher’s success and to exploit that secret. They will not accept the fact that hers is an inborn talent. Thieves can make a Spellfilcher’s life chaos if she is discovered by their guild.

Special Abilities:

• The Spellfilcher has an innate ability to detect magic, once per day per level.
• Because of their extensive training in magic, thievery, and reasoning skills, Spellfilchers receive a +2 bonus on all Reason-based non-weapon proficiency checks.
• The Spellfilcher learns to identify and circumvent magical traps. Although they cannot remove these traps without a dispel magic spell or similar ability, they can often get around them long enough to remove the items these wards were protecting. Thus, Spellfilchers gain a +1 bonus to their Disarm Traps proficiency when dealing with traps of a magical nature. This chance increases by +1 every four levels. They do not actually remove the traps but disarm them for 1d4 rounds, +1 round per three levels, which should be enough for them to retrieve the item they seek.
• Likewise, the Spellfilcher can find information leading to the discovery of such magical items, which is the main part of her job. By spending 10d100 gp and making successful Knowledge and Leadership checks, the Spellfilcher can usually get a lead on where an item lies. Sometimes the information received is as vague as a general location; sometimes it is as specific as the exact owner and his address.
• Finally, Spellfilchers are rather lucky (they have to be). Once a day, they may add +1 (or +5%) to any one die roll. The modification may be to any roll, including attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, and so forth. The player must declare that a modification is being used before the roll is actually made or the roll is void.

Special Disadvantages:

• The Spellfilcher character has a hard time dealing with wizards. Once they discover who she is and what she does for a living, they simply do not trust her near their precious grimoires and valued items. If the wizard knows, or even suspects, the Spellfilchers profession, all NPC reactions against the wizard are automatically made on the Threatening column. In addition, they have a hard time disguising their greed and suffer a -2 penalty on reaction rolls against any character that possesses one or more magic items (this stacks with the automatic penalty against wizards).
• The Spellfilcher’s first loyalty must always be to her guild. The guild demands total compliance with its rules (especially of Spellfilchers). Unfortunately, this service occasionally requires that the Spellfilcher be called away from whatever she may wish to do. If the Spellfilcher fails to heed the call, the wrath of the guild descends upon her head.
  The Spellfilcher’s Guild will not, on the other hand, call a Spellfilcher away from a mission that the Spellfilcher claims is of extreme importance. Since Spellfilchers operate on an honor system, they trust her. If, however, too many excuses keep her from her duties, the Guild has a right to demand cooperation and will not tolerate excuses.
  To help keep discipline, the Spellfilcher must ask permission of the guildmaster before leaving on adventures. Depending on the Spellfilcher’s past record and loyalty to the guild, the guildmaster may agree or disagree.
• Far more hindering is the fact that Spellfilchers will never knowingly use a magically charged item. They are afraid that the use of such items might deplete its last charge-thereby negating its value. They are cautious around all other magical items unless certain they are not charged or are heavily charged. Furthermore, Spellfilchers will never perform an action that is potentially destructive to a magical item unless it is the only way to save their own lives and the lives of their companions. Even then, they will hesitate, agonizing over the loss to the world. Spellfilchers even have a difficult time destroying sentient, earth-shaking artifacts of utter evil. Although they know the artifact is irredeemably evil, they can barely bring themselves to destroy an item that has plagued the history of the world.
  If she has been persuaded to eliminate an item or after she has destroyed an item to save a life, the Spellfilcher will go into a state of deep depression for 1d4 weeks. During this time, she is not capable of intelligent discussion and her saves and attack rolls are all at –2. If the Spellfilcher destroys more than five items during her career or simply allows five such items to be destroyed, she will lose all of the benefits of this kit.

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