Thieves' Cant
Thieves' Cant comes in many forms, verbal and written, simple and advanced. But all systems are more or less understood by rogues of every stripe, those on their own or those part of a syndicate.
Hearts. The location or individual mentioned provides a measure of safety for rogues practicing the varied trades.
Diamonds. The location or individual mentioned serves as a wealthy target for thievery one way or another.
Clubs. The location or individual mentioned is well protected or heavily guarded.
Spades. The location or individual mentioned is a good bet for sourcing dishonest work.
These cards may be combined to form more detailed messages for the information seeker. For example a person may be described using three diamonds and two clubs to indicate that they're attended by personal guards but that things stolen from them fetch a good price.
Not every tavern or city will have a roguish individual willing to stand post and give up their time to others of the varied trades, but the bigger the city, the higher your chances of encountering someone looking to make some easy coin in this way.
While it is common belief among the varied trades that spies operate in a similar manner to other rogues and understand the Cant, if one has ever been approached with the appropriate greeting, they have never revealed it by reciprocating confirmation of the craft.
| Profession | Location |
|---|---|
| Con Artistry | Right Ear |
| Counterfeiting | Left Ear |
| Assassination | Choker |
| Smuggling | Brassard |
| Intimidation | Left Wrist |
| Fencing | Right Wrist |
| Interrogation | Thumb and Pinky |
| Trapfinding | 2nd Finger Ring Left Hand |
| Lockpicking | 3rd Finger Ring Left Hand |
| Kidnapping | Pinky Ring Left Hand |
| Theft | 2nd Finger Ring Right Hand |
| Forgery | 3rd Finger Ring Right Hand |
| Reconnaissance | 4th Finger Ring Right Hand |
| Pocket Picking | Pinky Ring Right Hand |
| Burglary | 2nd & 4th Finger Rings Right Hand |
| Stalking | Anklet |
| Espionage | Unknown |
Lay of the Land
A rogue seeking generally applicable knowledge upon arriving in a city should look for a deck of cards. Any signified individual actively using a deck of cards will respond to a greeting recognised as an appeal for information - so long as they're paid for their trouble.A Card Game
When the character with the Thieves' Cant feature pays into a playing card service, the varied trader dealing the cards will encode a message into each hand. Wherever or whomever they're discussing as the hand is dealt will be the topic to which the cards pertain. A rogue hunting down information can guide conversation to specific intel the dealer might be able to give, but should be subtle about it lest the dealer shut the game down. When the enquiring rogue has had their fill, they exit the game, leaving their contributions to the pot as compensation. The key phrase greeting to win a rogue in the know a place at the information table is "Nice to find a friendly face in an unfamiliar town", or statements to similar effect. Once welcomed to take part, the rogue will need to match the suits of the cards they are dealt in each hand with the seemingly innocuous topics of conversation floated by the dealer during that round. The meanings of the suits are as follows:Hearts. The location or individual mentioned provides a measure of safety for rogues practicing the varied trades.
Diamonds. The location or individual mentioned serves as a wealthy target for thievery one way or another.
Clubs. The location or individual mentioned is well protected or heavily guarded.
Spades. The location or individual mentioned is a good bet for sourcing dishonest work.
These cards may be combined to form more detailed messages for the information seeker. For example a person may be described using three diamonds and two clubs to indicate that they're attended by personal guards but that things stolen from them fetch a good price.
Not every tavern or city will have a roguish individual willing to stand post and give up their time to others of the varied trades, but the bigger the city, the higher your chances of encountering someone looking to make some easy coin in this way.
