30 Thieve's Items
Over the centuries, the thieves, assassins and secret agents who operate within the underworld have come up with many ingenious devices for stealing and murdering, many of which are disguised well enough to be carried in plain sight.
1-Hairband
On the surface all this seems to be is a hair band for keeping the hair out of the eyes. But hidden inside is a secret pocket containing a wire lock pick. A master lock picker will be able to unlock a door using this within seconds, whilst even a novice lock picker will have the door unlocked within minutes. Only the most through police search will find this little illegal item.
2-Penknife
It looks with the pen top on to be just a ballpoint pen for writing with, something that many people might carry around with them. But when the top is taken off it reveals a short but razor sharp blade, long enough to put out an eye, slit a throat or stab a heart with. Unless the searcher takes off the pen top, he or she will think it is just an ordinary pen, perfectly legal to own and carry around in a public place.
3-Urn
When a mourner dressed in black with a suitably funereal expression hoves into view with an urn, containing the last remains of his or her deceased and cremated relative, who but the most cynical or hard hearted policeman or policewoman would search it? Except the urn contains something else. It's carrying capacity is not large, but it might have a dagger inside it instead, stolen gold or jewels or one of the other items on this list.
4-Metal undershoes
Cities can be filthy places and medieval cities were disgustingly dirty. So these keep the dirt from one's feet. They are also designed to be worn the wrong way so that anyone following the footsteps will be tricked into walking the wrong way. Also they can prevent footprint identification when breaking into a country villa.
5-Enchanted Eye
One for thieves who use magic, this can be slipped through a crack or slightly opened window and will float around, enabling the owner to 'see' through it as if it was their own eye, control where it goes with their mind, and check to see if there are any other people or fierce dogs in the place they want to break into and burgle. It's owner has to handle it carefully-anything sharp will burst and blind it, dust will make it cry and blur the vision that is seen using it, and a dog or cat could easily catch and eat this. It is best hidden in the urn (#3) as unlike most of the items on this list it cannot be explained away if found.
6-Double flask.
On the surface it looks like a normal flask, one that the owner can drink from without harm. In fact it is two small flasks with a hidden join that can be pulled apart quite easily. The top flask allways contains water or something else that is drinkable; the other flask normally contains poison, acid, or something equally illegal.
7-Giant Firecracker
In certain countries, at certain times of the year, firecrackers can be legally owned and set off. This one looks just like a normal firecracker in size, colour and shape but when set off it has the explosive power of a stick of dynamite, enough to kill a person, blow the metal door off a safe or reduce a wooden door to splinters. The noise that it makes is no louder then a normal firecracker so if many firecrackers are going off at the same time during a national celebration or private firework display the noise will be masked.
Â
8-Invisible Ink pen
Whilst it looks just like a normal pen it writes in invisible ink, good for sending secret messages or writing on buildings for another thief or secret agent to find.
9-Torch
When shone on something written by the invisible ink pen, the words light up in blue as long as the light is shining on them.
10-Wooden dagger
Made of ironwood, this has a sharp point and is strong enough to stab someone to death with. Unlike a metal dagger it can be burnt after use on a fire, leaving no trace that it ever existed.
11-Belt Buckle knuckleduster
On the surface this is nothing more then a belt buckle to hold it's owner's trousers up, but it can be detached and used to knock people out and fracture jaws.
12-Warning Amulet
Worn against the skin, this small amulet of a type commonly worn for luck goes cold if it's owner is in danger, enabling him or her to have a chance either to fight or to evade the danger in some other manner rather then be caught by surprise.
13-Enchanted fishing rod.
The rod and twine is much stronger then it seems and when the spell is cast, the owner casts it towards the top of a roof or wall and if he or she keeps a firm grip on the rod then it will pull him or her up to the top.
14-Folder
This leather folder has secret compartments that can contain secret documents and messages, fake IDs, fake passports, police IDs and the like.
15-Voice Changing Pill
For fifteen minutes this pill changes the voice of it's owner, either it's gender in the case of cross-dressing agents or to the voice of someone the secret agent or criminal wishes to impersonate. It looks to the naked eye like a large boiled sweet and is often transported in a jar of genuine boiled sweets to avoid detection.
16-Oddjob Hat
Whilst too heavy for most people to wear in comfort for very long, this bowler hat when thrown can break a human neck if it hits in the right place because of the hidden heavy metal contained inside it.
17-Copy Spell
When a piece of paper is put down next to the document to be copied and the spell is uttered a copy of the document will appear on the piece of paper. Useful for spies.
18- Boots with hidden inner linings
These boots have twistable soles that can be used to smuggle daggers, documents, or drugs. They twist aside, revealing a small hollow in them into which the contraband can be placed; they are twisted back into place to hide it.
19-Water Pistol
Seemingly a gift for a young child and not looking at all like a genuine gun, it contains a powerful acid that burns on contact and blinds at once if it hits the eyes.
20-Magical Key
When placed into a lock this key becomes a copy of the original key used to unlock it, and so can be used to get in with ease, leaving no damage to the lock when it is withdrawn.
21-Chainmail Shirt
On the outside and the inside a shirt of linen, it in fact has a layer of chainmail inside, and is proof against dagger thrusts, long range arrows and all but the strongest sword thrusts. Handy, and covert, personal protection.
22-Wallet with high quality forged money inside.
The money looks genuine unless very closely checked and can be used to pay deposits, buy things and everything else money is used for.
23-Arm Sheath
This way a knife can be hidden strapped to the owner's arms and if the owner's bags and pockets are searched it won't matter although a full body search or an X-ray will still of course uncover the hidden sheath and the weapon it conceals.
24-Poison umbrella
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_umbrella
Used in real life in the killing of a Bulgarian dissident abroad, this looks like a normal umbrella but has a poisoned tip that when stabbed into a person, poisons them. Depending on the poison they can die quickly or slowly over several days.
26-Robber's Credit Card (meant for sci-fi rps)
When put into a cash machine (ATM for you Strolenites in America) it induces the cash machine to give out as much money as the robber wants and the machine has in it, taking the money from other bank accounts instead of the owners. It looks like a normal credit or debit card.
27-Fake I-dents (meant for sci-fi rps)
Looking like normal contact lenses, they make a person's irises resemble those of a VIP. So even eye-scanning machines that check who is who will be fooled using these. Good for getting into high-security areas.
When not activated they can easily be mistaken for fantasy toy soldiers. A code word activates them, another deactivates them and they obey the verbal orders of their owner. The small Ironbones can be used to assassinate sleeping people, unlock doors, spring traps prematurely and if they attacked in large numbers, are a lot more deadly then they seem.
29- Fake Police ID
What it says. A very convincing but fake police ID. When carrying this the owner should either be dressed as a policeman or detective or have it very well hidden, as unlike most of the things on this list it would be hard to explain away if found in a police or customs search.
30-Box of Poisoned Chocolates
Seemingly a gift for someone's love interest, the chocolates are poisoned. Some versions of this contain deadly poison, others a mixture of poisons and drugs, not all of which cause harm. Some may contain healing potions for the owner, if so, he or she should be careful which chocolates he or she chooses to eat.
Not Registered Yet? No problem.
Do you want Strolenati super powers? Registering. That's how you get super powers! These are just a couple powers you receive with more to come as you participate.
- Upvote and give XP to encourage useful comments.
- Work on submissions in private or flag them for assistance.
- Earn XP and gain levels that give you more site abilities (super powers).
- You should register. All your friends are doing it!
? Responses (5)
I am never one for the 30 subs, some of these can be interesting. The prison umbrella is one and the fact it is real gives it an edge. The Copy Spell has its uses as well.
However, I realize that this is an, item of the mundane but they are mundane. The Metal Undershoes don't sit well with me. They are also designed to be worn the wrong way so that anyone following the footsteps will be tricked into walking the wrong way. Also they can prevent footprint identification when breaking into a country villa.
While effective at making it look they go in the other direction, anyone who is actively following said footprints will notice that the pressure is in the wrong place. We walk heal to toe not toe to heal.
I would like to see these items have slightly more description in the item name. You call one of these items "Torch", when in fact, it specifically is a torch that reveals magical coded writing. I can think of a dozen "Torch" items that a thief would want.
A torch that doesn't doesn't have a visible light source.
A heatless torch that produces sparks that follows airflows, for finding hidden cracks and passages.
A torch with hidden explosives or smoke bombs.
A torch with a hidden dagger.
A torch with a hidden compartment for maps and valuables.
A torch with a secret vial of oil thats can be quickly broken, flinging flaming oil into the eyes of unsuspecting enemies.
A torch that has a sparker attached that can be lit instantaneously with one hand.
A torch with a quick release clapper, to snuff it out in a hurry.
All of these are Torches, but plainly, all very different (maybe I should start a list of awesome torches). A list of 30 is not a normal item submission. It isn't designed to be a solo idea for GMs to read through and use in their plot. They are filler material. Something that the GM can scan through quickly, on the fly, to equip and outfit rooms and characters with. For this reason, those numbered titles become extremely important. They need to give a GM, who hasn't read this post in three weeks, a quick clue as to the item's usefullness, when outfitting his dastardly NPCs. Something like "Torch of Coded Writing" would be more useful.
Additionally, if you are mixing magical with mundane, it would be helpful to know quickly which is which. Mundane items are usually easy to aquire, and should be outfitted to far more characters than magical ones. I can't imagine a low level thief or con who wouldn't have a fake id on their person. I can imagine very few who would have a "Warning Amulet". That distinction would be useful.
Separating Genres would also be nice. You mix Fantasy with Sci-Fi here. Your Sci-Fi Items, at the least, should be at the end, probably with some sort of header. At the most, they deserve a separate post.
-Nobody
I like the list. Along with nobody's comment, I could easily see a post for 30 torches, they are so ubiquitous and versatile. The shoes also strike me as being problematic though, as they either need to be a) used by specially trained personnel or b) magical.
The entry about the urn also set off a spark in my head for a creative and quick disguise, so good work on that one too.
Overall good work!
Some of these items could be used by others besides thieves. I was kind of hoping for something a bit more unique though, and a bit more fleshed out. That's the problem with 30s sometimes.
Also, this is a minor thing and I probably wouldn't have remarked on it if it wasn't in the title itself. The apostrophe should come after the s in Thieves.
Mixed bag of things - some good, some not so much. The torch expansions mentioned in the prior comments would be fun. The thing is, some of these items (the wallet, for example) are just things you would expect from people in some settings, and aren't really items in their own right. There is nothing special about the wallet - just the contents.
