''The Complete Thief's Handbook'' is a supplemental rulebook published in 1989 for the 2nd edition of the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. Accompanying manuals are ''

The Complete Fighter's Handbook ''The Complete Fighter's Handbook'' is a supplemental rulebook published in December 1989 for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Accompanying manuals are '' The Complete Thief's Handbook'', '' Priest' ...

'', '' Priest's Handbook'', and '' Wizard's Handbook''.

''The Complete Thief's Handbook'' is a rules supplement for the 2nd edition ''

Player's Handbook The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...

'' which details the

thief Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

class, including 18 "kit" subclasses. Also included is a section on creating a "Lone Wolf;" essentially a one-character class designed using the class, creation rules in the ''

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

''. A sample Lone Wolf character is included as a demonstration of the process.

Publication history

PHBR2 ''The Complete Thief's Handbook'' was written by

John Nephew John A. Nephew is an American game designer, who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career John Nephew began freelancing for TSR as a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' author in 1986 while he was still in high school, first writing material for ...

Carl Sargent Carl Lynwood Sargent (11 December 1952 – 12 September 2018) was a British parapsychologist and author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels, who used the pen name Keith Martin to write ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks. Early life ...

, and

Douglas Niles Douglas Niles (born December 1, 1954, in Brookfield, Wisconsin) is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, the ''Star Frontiers'' space o ...

, with illustrations by George Barr, and was published by TSR in 1990 as a 128-page book.

Reception

Jolly R. Blackburn Jolly Randall Blackburn is best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Knights of the Dinner Table''. Biography Jolly Blackburn went to Ball State University. Jolly Blackburn majored in anthropology, history, and classical cultures in colleg ...

reviewed ''

'' and ''The Complete Thief's Handbook'' in ''

Shadis ''Shadis'' is an independent gaming magazine that was published in 1990–1998 by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG). It initially focused on role-playing games. Publication history Shadis was conceived and started by Jolly Blackburn as an indepen ...

'' #4 and said that "Both books offer a wealth of information. Are they worth the price? I would have to say it depends on the individual and the campaign he is playing in. If you find yourself playing certain character classes to the exclusion of others, then these books would probably be greatly appreciated."

Stewart Wieck Stewart Douglas Wieck (May 10, 1968 June 22, 2017) was one of the founders of the publishing company, White Wolf, Inc. He was also one of the original writers of Mage: The Ascension. Career Stewart Wieck was born in Freeport, Illinois in 1968. H ...

reviewed the product in a 1990 issue of ''

White Wolf A white wolf or Arctic wolf is a mammal of the ''Canidae'' family and a subspecies of the gray wolf. It may also refer to: Organizations * White Wolf (band), a Canadian heavy metal band * White Wolf (band), white power oi band from the USA * ...

'' along with the ''Fighter's'', ''Priest's'', and ''Wizard's Handbooks''. He highlighted the sections on the Thieves Guilds and the Thief Campaign, noting of the latter that "Of all such sections in any of the Handbooks, the Thief Campaign succeeds most because it presents a number of ideas and approaches that would make the thief a true joy to play."

Reviews

*''

Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one b ...

'' #58

References

Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1989 {{D&D-stub

Contents

Publication history

Reception

Reviews

References