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Criminals

Criminals are organized illegal enterprises. Smugglers moving contraband, gangs holding turf, thieves' guilds working the shadows: crews with structure, plans, and skin in the game.

Theme: Smugglers

An enterprise that moves illegal goods through and around a settlement. At a wharf in coastal settlements; alongside caravans and hidden trails inland. Small and tight in a village; a networked operation in a city. Runs on trust, coin, and secrecy.

Scale Creatures Features Locations
Village 1 Ringleader, 4-6 Runners, 1 Enforcer Personality, Contraband, Front, Trouble Front
Town 1 Boss, 1-2 Ringleaders, 8-15 Runners, 2-3 Enforcers, 1 Fence Personality, Contraband, Front, Trouble Front, Safe house
City 1 Boss, 3-4 Ringleaders, 20-30 Runners, 6-8 Enforcers, 2-3 Fences Personality, Contraband, Front, Trouble Front, Safe house, Compound

Theme: Gang

A criminal outfit that considers a piece of the settlement its territory. Protection rackets, gambling, vice, extortionate lending, or hired crime.

Scale Creatures Features Locations
Town 1 Boss, 1-2 Lieutenants, 3-4 Enforcers, 6-10 Heavies, 2-3 Runners, 1 Fixer Personality, Rackets, Turf, Trouble Front, Hangout
City 1 Boss, 3-5 Lieutenants, 4-6 Enforcers, 20-30 Heavies, 5-10 Runners, 2-3 Fixers Personality, Rackets, Turf, Trouble Compound, Front, Hangout, Safe house

Theme: Thieves' Guild

Burglars, pickpockets, safecrackers, and forgers. Produces stolen goods, then its Fences move them.

Scale Creatures Features Locations
Town 1 Boss, 2-3 Masters, 4-6 Cats, 8-12 Cutters, 1 Forger, 1-2 Fences, 1-2 Heavies Personality, Specialty, Rules, Trouble Front, Guildhouse, Safe house
City 1 Boss, 4-6 Masters, 15-25 Cats, 30-50 Cutters, 2-3 Forgers, 3-5 Fences, 4-6 Heavies Personality, Specialty, Rules, Trouble Compound, Front, Guildhouse, Safe house

Theme: Assassins' Guild

Killers who take contracts. Political murder, commercial removal, personal revenge. Contracts come through Fixers or private introduction; Apprentices study the mark and Blades close in.

Scale Creatures Features Locations
Town 1 Hand, 2-4 Blades, 4-6 Apprentices, 1 Poisoner, 1 Fixer Personality, Marks, Rules, Trouble Front, Guildhouse, Safe house
City 1 High Lord, 3-5 Hands, 6-10 Blades, 12-20 Apprentices, 2-3 Poisoners, 2-3 Fixers Personality, Marks, Rules, Trouble Compound, Front, Guildhouse, Safe house

Details

Creatures

Apprentice. Assassin in training. Watches marks, runs messages, learns the craft. Uses the Bandit stat block. Loot: small blade, notebook of observations on the current mark, 1d10 gp coin purse.

Blade. The guild's working assassin. Closes contracts. Uses the Spy stat block. Loot: shortsword, light crossbow, a vial of poison, 2d10 gp coin purse.

Boss. Leader of a Smugglers, Gang, or Thieves' Guild at town or city scale. Town Bosses use the Crime Boss stat block; city Bosses use the Kingpin stat block. Runs the crew from behind the Lieutenants, Masters, or Ringleaders. Assassins' Guilds are led by a Hand (town) or a High Lord (city) instead. See those entries. Loot: ledger of contacts and debts (priceless to a rival or the Watch); signet or codebook; hidden strongbox with 5d100 gp or more.

Cat. The guild's skilled thief. Rooftops, upper windows, and locks are his working ground. Uses the Spy stat block. Loot: climbing kit, thieves' tools (25 gp), lockpicks, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Cutter. Pickpocket, purse-cutter, street-level thief. Works crowds at markets, festivals, and fair days. Uses the Bandit stat block. Loot: small blade, pilfered coins and trinkets, 1d10 gp.

Enforcer. A particularly effective heavy. Uses the Veteran stat block. Loot: blades, armor; 2d10 gp.

Fence. Moves goods for coin. Runs a shop or stall as cover; knows who's buying. Uses the Spy stat block. Loot: 2d100 gp, goods in stock, a ledger of buyers.

Fixer. The gang's business side. Coordinates jobs, bribes officials, manages the crew's dealings with the outside world. Uses the Spy stat block. Loot: signet, coded book of contacts, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Forger. Specialist in forged papers, false seals, counterfeit coin. Uses the Professional stat block with proficiencies in calligrapher's supplies and forgery kit. Loot: forger's kit (50 gp), samples of current forgeries, blank parchments and seals, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Hand. The Assassins' Guild's elite killer and, at town scale, the guild's leader. Runs the guild's most difficult contracts and hands out the easier ones to the Blades. Uses the Assassin stat block. Loot: blade collection (100 gp), a vial or two of prepared poisons, coded contract book, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Heavy. The crew's fighter. Muscle for the deals and problems the crew handles day-to-day. Uses the Thug stat block. Loot: club or short blade; a few silver.

High Lord. The master of a city's Assassins' Guild. Deadly and vastly connected; a name whispered in three languages. Uses the Master Assassin stat block. Loot: guild seal (250 gp), poisoner's kit (100 gp), coded contract archive (blackmail material against some of the city's elite), personal treasury (5d100 gp) hidden in the Guildhouse.

Lieutenant. Mid-tier gang leader. Reports to the Boss or Chief. Uses the Bandit Captain stat block. Loot: signet or token, ledger, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Master. Mid-tier Thieves' Guild leader running a specialty (Master of Locks, Master of Cats, Master of Forgery, Master of Fences). Reports to the Boss. Uses the Bandit Captain stat block. Loot: signet, thieves' tools (25 gp), ledger of the specialty's takes, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Poisoner. The guild's specialist in venoms and paralytics. Brews and doses. Uses the Professional stat block with proficiencies in herbalism kit, poisoner's kit, and alchemist's supplies. Loot: poisoner's kit (50 gp), several vials of prepared poisons (varies, 25-500 gp each), a book of recipes, 5d10 gp coin purse.

Ringleader. Smuggling cell captain. Village Ringleaders use the Ringleader stat block; town and city Ringleaders use the Bandit Captain stat block. Runs the runners, sets meets, greases palms. Loot: signet or token, ledger of active runs, 3d10 gp coin purse.

Runner. Moves the goods, the coin, or the messages. Uses the Bandit stat block. Loot: contraband or a letter on hand (variable); a few coppers.

Features

Contraband. What the Smugglers moves. d6: 1 spices; 2 wine and spirits; 3 weapons; 4 potions and alchemy; 5 silks and finery; 6 people (indentured, hostages, or escapees).

Front. The Smugglers' cover business, chosen to fit the settlement. d6: 1 wharfside warehouse or granary (ports and river settlements); 2 tavern or inn (the cache hides in the cellar); 3 foul-smelling trade such as tannery, dyer, or fishmonger (nobody lingers); 4 stable or wagon yard (goods move under legitimate cover along overland routes); 5 shopkeeper's back room (a retailer with a discreet reputation); 6 fisher's private wharf or trapper's cabin (the smuggler is one of the villagers). Where the settlement blueprint pins the Front (as the Wharf Warehouse at a Fishing village), use that.

Marks. The kinds of contracts the Assassins' Guild takes. d6: 1 political (rival lords, councilors, senators); 2 commercial (merchant princes, guild heads); 3 personal (spousal, familial, dueling honor); 4 religious (heretics, apostates, rival clerics — dangerous ground); 5 mercenary (anyone for the right coin); 6 specialty (only nobility, only guildmasters, only rival mages — the guild has a targeted identity).

Personality. The crew's collective character. Roll d6 by theme.

Smugglers: 1 greedy (skimming even from partners); 2 cautious (weeks between runs); 3 bold (running in daylight); 4 corrupt (a guard officer or ruler in pocket); 5 secretive (compartmentalized; runners don't know each other's routes); 6 brutal (kills witnesses).

Gang: 1 predatory (bleeds the turf dry; brutalizes anyone slow to pay); 2 protective (shields "their people" from other predators; violence turns outward); 3 rising (aggressive expansion into new turf; more Enforcers on the streets); 4 declining (losing turf to rivals; the Boss is spooked); 5 corrupt (Watch officers or councilors in pocket; the gang operates openly); 6 factional (split between old and new leadership; a Lieutenant is positioning to take over).

Thieves' Guild: 1 professional (job is job, no personal); 2 flamboyant (leaves calling cards, courts reputation); 3 secretive (compartmentalized crews; Masters don't know each other's members); 4 corrupt (Watch and officials in pocket; guild operates in the open); 5 factional (schism between old thieves and rising crew); 6 desperate (pressed by a rival guild or by a Watch investigation).

Assassins' Guild: 1 professional (contract is contract, no personal); 2 legendary (a signature kill or method the underworld knows by name); 3 secretive (only the Boss and Masters know the client list); 4 corrupt (nobles or officials in pocket; contracts on their rivals get preferential terms); 5 factional (schism between old Blades and rising crew); 6 desperate (a target's patron is closing in, or a rival guild is contracting the same clients).

Rackets. What the Gang runs. d6: 1 protection (shopkeepers pay a monthly cut); 2 gambling (dice houses, cards, illegal fights); 3 vice (brothels, drugs, other appetites); 4 loans (extortionate lending and violent collection); 5 fencing (moves stolen goods at a lower tier than a proper Fence network); 6 hired crime (mercenary crime: arson, sabotage, kidnapping, contract violence).

Rules. The guild's internal code. Roll d6 by theme.

Thieves' Guild: 1 no murder (kills are forbidden; a guild kill is a guild expulsion); 2 no crossing the Watch (avoid heat; petty thieves who bring down the Watch get punished); 3 pay the tithe (every take shares with the guild; skimming is death); 4 no snitching (informants die); 5 respect turf (don't step on another thief's mark or route); 6 no children (kids off-limits as targets or as crew).

Assassins' Guild: 1 no killing children (kids off-limits, even for coin); 2 no snitching (guild secrets die with the killer); 3 pay the tithe (contract share goes to the guild); 4 no dueling within the guild (Blades don't kill each other); 5 client confidentiality (never reveal who paid, even under torture); 6 clean kills only (no torture, no defilement of the mark — a professional standard).

Specialty. What the Thieves' Guild does best. d6: 1 burglary (breaks into homes and shops); 2 cat work (rooftops and second-story burglary); 3 crowd work (pickpocket rings at markets, festivals, fair days); 4 safe-cracking (locks, safes, vaults); 5 art and gem theft (high-value targeted); 6 forgery (papers, seals, coins).

Trouble. Current threat facing the crew. Roll d6 by theme.

Smugglers: 1 rival cell moving in on the territory; 2 a Runner turned informant; 3 the Boss has disappeared; 4 a big shipment inbound and everyone knows; 5 betrayal in progress inside the cell; 6 the Watch is closing in.

Gang: 1 rival gang moving in on the turf; 2 an Enforcer or Runner turned informant to the Watch; 3 the Boss has disappeared or been killed; 4 a big score being planned and half the underworld knows; 5 betrayal in progress inside the gang; 6 the Watch is closing in.

Thieves' Guild: 1 rival guild moving in on the specialty; 2 a Master turned informant; 3 the Boss has gone missing; 4 a huge score coming and half the underworld knows; 5 betrayal in progress inside the guild; 6 the Watch is closing in.

Assassins' Guild: 1 rival guild taking the same contracts; 2 a Master turned traitor to a former mark's patron; 3 the Boss is missing or dead; 4 a huge contract coming and the target knows; 5 betrayal in progress inside the guild; 6 the Watch or a court is closing in.

Turf. Where the Gang holds. d6: 1 the waterfront (docks, warehouses); 2 the market or trade district; 3 the poor quarter; 4 a specific alley or street (the crew works out of one named strip); 5 a single big building (former warehouse, tenement, brewery); 6 the guilds' shadow (one particular guild's illegal side operations).

Locations

Compound. City crew's home base. A larger building or several adjoining ones. Guarded entrance, back exit, hidden weapons cache, cots for a dozen. Loot: strongbox with 5d100 gp; contraband stores or the gang's take; ledger of past runs or rackets.

Front. The crew's public business, used as cover for illegal work. The settlement blueprint describes the visible shell; the crew adds a false back or a hidden cache inside. See the Front feature for the picker of cover types.

Guildhouse. The headquarters. Access controlled by tokens and passwords. Meeting hall, forge or workshop for forgeries, storeroom for stolen goods, treasury. Often disguised as a legitimate business (an appraiser's, an antiquarian's, a locksmith's). Loot: treasury (5d100 gp); ledger of takes; stolen goods; the Boss's personal strongbox if he keeps one here (5d100 gp).

Hangout. The gang's public gathering spot. A tavern, a gambling den, a former warehouse. The Boss holds court here and the Enforcers drink here. Loot: cashbox with the day's take (2d100 gp); the building's stock and fixtures; the Boss's private strongbox if kept on premises (5d100 gp).

Safe house. A rented residence, separate from the Front or Hangout. Used for stashing goods, holding hostages, or hiding when the law calls. Rented under a false name. Loot: 3d100 gp coin plus recent contraband or stolen goods, depending on activity.

Stat blocks used

Criminals draws on shared blocks.

  • Assassin — SRD.
  • Bandit — SRD.
  • Bandit Captain — SRD.
  • Crime Boss — new. Criminal Boss (CR 6). See livesite/docs/library/bestiary/crime-boss.md.
  • Master Assassin — new. Assassins' Guild master (CR 10). See livesite/docs/library/bestiary/master-assassin.md.
  • Kingpin — new. Criminal Boss (CR 10). See livesite/docs/library/bestiary/kingpin.md.
  • Professional — new. Upgraded Commoner with proficiencies chosen by role.
  • Ringleader — new. Small-time crew leader (CR 1). See livesite/docs/library/bestiary/ringleader.md.
  • Scout — SRD.
  • Spy — SRD.
  • Thug — SRD.
  • Veteran — SRD.