“So You Want to Run a Thieves’ Guild”

A smoky back room. Two shadows in the candlelight. One pair of boots up on the table. A dagger idly spins in the other’s fingers.

Rell: So… you’ve started a thieves’ guild, huh? Bold move. Dangerous too. You got the stomach for it?

Tassa: Don’t scare the poor sod. They’ve got ambition—just need a little guidance before they get all their fingers broken. Or worse.

Rell: Alright then, pull up a chair. We’ll walk you through how it works. Don’t worry, we’ll use small words.

🕯️ The Game We Play

Tassa: You ain’t just stabbing folks in alleyways anymore. You’re building something. Real. Dangerous. Lasting. From a few pickpockets to a full-blown criminal empire.

Rell: Every bit of downtime, you get to make moves. One for each Tier of your operation. The higher you rise, the more strings you can pull in the dark.

📉 Tiers of Trouble

Tassa: Here’s the ladder. Each rung brings more power—and more problems.

Tier 1 – Street crew. Just you and a few cutters.
Tier 2 – Neighbourhood gang. You’ve got turf.
Tier 3 – City-wide pull. People know your name (even if they won’t say it).
Tier 4 – Regional reach. You cast a long shadow.
Tier 5 – Empire in the dark. No place you don’t touch.

Rell: One guild action per Tier. Tier 3? Three moves a week. Use ‘em smart.

🧥 Building Your Crew

Tassa: For each Tier, you get a new specialist crew. Pick what suits your style—or what solves your latest mess.

Footpads – Quick hands. Light fingers. Perfect for petty gold or panicking crowds.
Burglars – Locks? Windows? Fortified vaults? Child’s play.
Fences – You steal, they sell. Turn loot into clean coin.
Fixers – Need a noble compromised? A guard captain to disappear? They know a guy.
Smugglers – Goods, people, info—if it shouldn’t move, they move it.
Saboteurs – Burn, break, and intimidate. Chaos with a cause.
Spies – Eyes and ears in every room. Secrets make kingdoms fall.

Rell: You don’t need all of ‘em right away. Choose the ones you can trust… or at least the ones who fear you enough to stay loyal.

🎲 Actions in the Shadows

Tassa: So here’s how you play your hand each week.

You pick your crew. You give ‘em a job. The DM rolls 1d20 + their bonus behind the screen. You don’t roll. That’s part of the thrill.

Rell: DC’s always 12—unless someone really important is watching.

Tassa: Here’s what you can do:

Action	Description
Heist	Grab gold, magic, or something… useful.
Recruit	Bring in new blood. Expand your roster.
Spy	Dig up dirt. Secrets are sharper than blades.
Expand Turf	Claim more of the city. Push out the competition.
Sabotage	Break stuff. Rival crews, noble plans, city watch…
Fortify	Lock it down. Protect what’s yours. Guard against Heat.
Smuggle	Move what shouldn’t move. Coin follows.
Bribe	Influence someone who matters. Usually to make ‘em not matter.
Lay Low	No dice here. You pay 25 gp × current Heat to reduce it by 1. Disappear for a while. Real quiet-like.

🔥 Heat: The Wrong Kind of Attention

Rell: You ever seen a rat try to look inconspicuous? That’s what you look like with too much Heat.

Heat	Consequence
1–2	Barely a flicker. Nobody’s watching.
3–4	Whispers. Guard patrols sniffing around. Maybe a rival or two.
5–6	Raids. Informants. Paranoia. Hope you’re sleeping light.
7	Not just your guild. The whole adventuring party’s under fire. Public attacks. Streets aren’t safe.
8+	Old allies vanish. Contacts go cold. You’ve got a reputation, and not the good kind.

Tassa: You want it gone? Fortify, Bribe, or Lay Low. Or don’t—and watch the fire spread.

🎖️ Influence & Upgrades

Rell: Influence is power. Spend it to make your guild bigger, sharper, and meaner.

Upgrade	Cost	Benefit
Hidden Vaults (i)	3	Protect (i × 10)% of your take from loss. Guards can’t seize what they can’t find.
Secret Passages	4	Auto-win Fortify in one district each week. Because doors are for honest folk.
Whispers Network (i)	4	+2 × i to all Spy actions. More ears. Fewer lies.
Trained Crews (i)	3	+2 × i to one crew’s rolls. Make ‘em specialists.
Magical Aid	5	Minor spells at your disposal—alarm, disguise, illusions. A little arcane grease.
Blood Price	6	Once a month, name a mark. They don’t see the next one.

🏆 What You Really Win

Tassa: Sure, you’ll make gold. Sure, you’ll find magic. But what you’re really buying?

Fear.
Reputation.
Leverage.

Rell: You’ll unlock:

Hidden guildhouses in multiple cities.
Passive gold while you’re off killing dragons.
Political clout with factions and nobles.
Leads to rare artefacts and forbidden knowledge.
A whisper network that could bring down kingdoms.

Tassa: And if you’re smart? Maybe you’ll live long enough to enjoy it.

Rell: Still in? Or are you thinking of turning yourself in to the Watch and asking for protective custody?

Tassa: Thought so. Welcome to the life. Now shut the door behind you—we’ve got work to do.

🎲 The Mercenaries

Explorer

0. Thieves Guild