Footpads

These useful equipment items have even had a type of robber named after them, of course. Footpads can be improvised from rags or cloth tied to the feet, or built into footwear—the latter obviously negates any risk of cloth falling off!

Footpads are not considered standard equipment worn by the thief because of the disadvantage they have. Their advantage is that they add +5 to the chance for moving silently; the corresponding disadvantage is that footpads reduce traction, and so their use adds a -5 penalty modifier to any climb walls roll the thief has to make while wearing them. Cat burglars are advised to use detachable footpads which can be donned after getting over the wall on the way in!

As an aside, the normal, unmodified move silently chance assumes that the thief is wearing normal, everyday footwear. If for some reason he is wearing hob-nailed boots or the like the DM may readily apply a penalty modifier of -10, -20 or so to any attempt to move silently.