Scoundrel — Thief · Salorras Codex

Salorras Path: Scoundrel · OSE class: Thief The scoundrel is Salorras’s master of guile, stealth, and the precise strike — the spy, thief, duelist, and killer who wins by wit and opportunity rather than brute force or magic. In OSE terms the scoundrel is the Thief class, exactly as printed. The elite traditions (the Katjemeran Assassin, the Marooner) are separate Paragon classes, chosen at character creation with the guild’s initiation woven into the character’s background.

This file is a self-contained OSE reference. Mechanics follow the standard Old-School Essentials Thief; only the framing is Salorras-specific.

Class Overview

Requirements: None Prime requisite: DEX Hit Dice: 1d4 Maximum level: 14 Armour: Leather, no shields Weapons: Any Languages: Alignment, Colloquial

Scoundrels are adventurers who live by their skills of deception and stealth. In Salorras they run contracts for Fatal Contracts, hunt lost things for the Seekers Guild, whisper for The Triangle and the Veiled Thorn, or work the docks and back-alleys of the Free Cities of South on no one’s ledger but their own. Their skill set makes them well suited to sneaking, burglary — and getting the party into, and out of, everything in between.

A prime requisite of DEX 13–15 grants +5% to experience earned; DEX 16–18 grants +10%. (Low Dexterity penalizes experience per the standard prime-requisite rules: DEX 3–5 −20%, DEX 6–8 −10%.)

The Scoundrel (Thief)

Level	XP	Hit Dice (1d4)	THAC0	D	W	P	B	S
1	0	1d4	19 [0]	13	14	13	16	15
2	1,200	2d4	19 [0]	13	14	13	16	15
3	2,400	3d4	19 [0]	13	14	13	16	15
4	4,800	4d4	19 [0]	13	14	13	16	15
5	9,600	5d4	17 [+2]	12	13	11	14	13
6	20,000	6d4	17 [+2]	12	13	11	14	13
7	40,000	7d4	17 [+2]	12	13	11	14	13
8	80,000	8d4	17 [+2]	12	13	11	14	13
9	160,000	9d4	14 [+5]	10	11	9	12	10
10	280,000	9d4+2*	14 [+5]	10	11	9	12	10
11	400,000	9d4+4*	14 [+5]	10	11	9	12	10
12	520,000	9d4+6*	14 [+5]	10	11	9	12	10
13	640,000	9d4+8*	12 [+7]	8	9	7	10	8
14	760,000	9d4+10*	12 [+7]	8	9	7	10	8

* Modifiers from CON no longer apply. — Saving throws: D Death/Poison · W Wands · P Paralysis/Petrify · B Breath Attacks · S Spells/Rods/Staves.

Scoundrel Skills

The scoundrel’s trade-skills improve with level. All are rolled on d% (roll less than or equal to the listed chance), except Hear Noise, rolled on 1d6:

Level	Climb Sheer Surfaces	Find/Remove Treasure Traps	Hear Noise	Hide in Shadows	Move Silently	Open Locks	Pick Pockets
1	87	10	1–2	10	20	15	20
2	88	15	1–2	15	25	20	25
3	89	20	1–3	20	30	25	30
4	90	25	1–3	25	35	30	35
5	91	30	1–3	30	40	35	40
6	92	40	1–3	36	45	45	45
7	93	50	1–4	45	55	55	55
8	94	60	1–4	55	65	65	65
9	95	70	1–4	65	75	75	75
10	96	80	1–4	75	85	85	85
11	97	90	1–5	85	95	95	95
12	98	95	1–5	90	96	96	105
13	99	97	1–5	95	98	97	115
14	99	99	1–5	99	99	99	125

Pick-pocketing a victim of higher than 5th level is harder: the chance is penalized by 5% per level (or Hit Die) of the victim above the 5th — the listed chances above 100 exist to offset this penalty.

Class Abilities

Combat. Scoundrels can use all weapons, but may wear only leather armour and cannot use shields.

Back-Stab. When attacking an unaware opponent from behind, a scoundrel receives a +4 bonus to hit and doubles any damage dealt.

Read Languages. A scoundrel of 4th level or higher can read non-magical text in any language (including dead languages and basic codes) with 80% probability. If the roll fails, the scoundrel may not try to read that text again before gaining an experience level.

Scroll Use. A scoundrel of 10th level or higher can cast arcane spells from scrolls — a stolen taste of the Fabric. There is a 10% chance of error: the spell has an unusual or deleterious effect instead of the expected one.

Hideout — After Reaching 9th Level. A scoundrel may establish a secret hideout — a den in the underways of a Free City, a smuggler’s cove, a “respectable” front-house — attracting 2d6 apprentice scoundrels of 1st level. These apprentices are usually loyal to the character, but are not automatically replaced if killed or arrested.

Paragon Classes (the scoundrel’s elite traditions)

The scoundrel’s Paragons are standalone OSE classes; a player who wants one plays it from 1st level, the guild’s initiation part of the character’s story:

Katjemeran Assassin — the sworn killer of the Fatal Contracts of Katjemeran, master of poison and the lethal opening strike (patron Nerkan Thak’Ar, as with the Murder-Call Apostle).
Marooner — the swashbuckling sword-duelist and corsair of the open archipelago; mobile single-blade fighter and daring skirmisher.