The Thieves' Guild
There is little you can do within the city without the knowledge of the Guild. Anything lost or missing is most often blamed on the Thieves’ Guild.
In order to both keep up appearances and to coexist with law-abiding communities, the Guild maintains a charter. The charter also urges the Thieves’ Guild to rob outsiders, be they merchants or adventurers, and commands them to leave the locals alone, a mandate that is seldom honoured. Fear of robbery allows the guild to extort protection money to supplement the guild’s considerable income. Unlicensed thieves are visited by enforcers who will explain the benefits of membership and threaten with the consequences if they continue unlicensed.
Inside the Domain of Greyhawk, the guild runs many safe houses, including various locations from taverns to barns. A member of the guild knows how to identify these places.
Enforcers have been with the guild longer, hold true to the beliefs and goals of the guild and are often found with several thugs. A group of thugs and enforcers form a gang and their leader is a taskmaster, a low-ranking leader, who have to bring in their weekly quotas or else. Lording over several taskmaster is the Shadow Clerk, a mid-level leader, who answers to a chapter leader. Each quarter of the city is a separate chapter of the guild and lorded over by a Shadow Steward. Membership in a quarter is permanent unless Shadow Stewards decide otherwise, although members will occasionally be temporarily transferred for a joint operation.
In order to both keep up appearances and to coexist with law-abiding communities, the Guild maintains a charter. The charter also urges the Thieves’ Guild to rob outsiders, be they merchants or adventurers, and commands them to leave the locals alone, a mandate that is seldom honoured. Fear of robbery allows the guild to extort protection money to supplement the guild’s considerable income. Unlicensed thieves are visited by enforcers who will explain the benefits of membership and threaten with the consequences if they continue unlicensed.
Inside the Domain of Greyhawk, the guild runs many safe houses, including various locations from taverns to barns. A member of the guild knows how to identify these places.
Core Tenets
The thieves' guild has a code of honor, whatever people might say about it. But the common folk disagree on what is "honorable." They are defined by the following beliefs:- The Guild is your family and when you are there for it, it will watch out for you.
- Take your destiny in your own hands and never be less than what you deserve to be.
- Everything—and everyone—has a price.
- Money is power.
Function
The guild is self-serving, it works for the betterment of itself and its members. They can be hired, but their fees are high. The Guild’s activities are many and varied, but in almost all cases, have a materialistic bent. They seek to amass wealth, and that can mean seeking dirt on enemies, finding new trade routes or deposits of ore and treasure, and so on. Of course, the bulk of the guild's missions involve thievery and extortion.Hierarchy
To gain a rank in the guild, a person needs to pass questioning under a zone of truth spell and must also successfully complete an initiation crime.Enforcers have been with the guild longer, hold true to the beliefs and goals of the guild and are often found with several thugs. A group of thugs and enforcers form a gang and their leader is a taskmaster, a low-ranking leader, who have to bring in their weekly quotas or else. Lording over several taskmaster is the Shadow Clerk, a mid-level leader, who answers to a chapter leader. Each quarter of the city is a separate chapter of the guild and lorded over by a Shadow Steward. Membership in a quarter is permanent unless Shadow Stewards decide otherwise, although members will occasionally be temporarily transferred for a joint operation.
| Renown | Other Requirements | Tattoo | Privileges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thug | 1 | 90% of earnings go to the guild, access to black market | ||
| Enforcer | 5 | Proficiency with Thieves' Cant, pay 100 gp in tribute | Blank Coin | 20% of earnings go to the guild, Black market items valued at 400 gp or less 40% off |
| Taskmaster | 15 | 5th level, pay 200 gp in tribute | Key | Fence goods of less than 100 GP value at 50% value, 10% of the earnings go to the guild. Access to any rogue skill expert within 1d4 hours. Can run a team consisting of 1-2 enforces and 4-5 thugs. |
| Shadow Clerk | 30 | 11th level, pay 250 gp in tribute | Silver coin symbol is added to the blank coin | Fence goods of any value at 65% value, Access to any expert within 1hr, Can command a team led by a Taskmaster. |
| Shadow Steward | 50 | 17th level, pay 500 gp in tribute | Platinum Coin added on opposite side of key | Skeleton keys available to the sewers and most secret doors in the city of Greyhawk, Run a quarter on the town and may draw upon all its resources, but must still answer to the Head of the guild: The Shadow Master. |
Renown
| Catalyst | Renown |
|---|---|
| Native resident of the Free City | +1 |
| At least one Rogue level | +1 |
| Successfully complete a guild mission | +1/+2 |
| Infiltrate another faction, union or noble house | +1 |
| Establish a safe house in the domain | +1 |
| Maintain a safe house for at least 6 months | +1 |
| Pay double the usual monthly guild quota | +1 |
| Fail to pay guild quota for a month | -1 |
| Save the guild from a major setback | +2 |
| Cause a major setback to the guild | -2 |
| Shut down another gang or criminal guild | +1/+2 |
| Make a contribution of at least 500 gp (one time) | +1 |
| Make a contribution of at least 1,000 gp (one time) | +2 |
