I’ve been editing some very thief heavy scenes and was also remembering a few comments over my first book. Basically, I had some people complaining that Nimby the halfling thief was stereotypical and also that he should have been put into the role of a red herring. This was confusing because it meant people wanted him to be unique while working the stereotypical ‘the thief might be the bad guy!’ angle. I didn’t do this. I made him what he is, which is a friendly, helpful, excited ex-thief working as a carpentry teacher. Yet, the reaction to him was amazing from some people.
I think thieves are one of the most common character types, especially since they can span multiple genres and styles. A thief/criminal can be: the assassin, the burglar, the pickpocket, the seducer, the con artist, the blackmailer, or any number of specialties that help with flushing them out. I’ve even read stories where a thief transitions to a warrior or a caster without a problem. It seems thief skills come with a level of adaptability that is unseen in other character types. In fact, I can accept quick learning more from a thief than any other type.
Here is where things get a little sticky: my preferences. I don’t really have any. Unlike warriors and casters, I don’t concern myself with the skills and abilities of a thief character. I’m more concerned with their personality and development. I hate when a thief is blatantly going to betray the others. By the time it happens, I’m usually wondering what took the bastard so long. Another thing is when thieves seem to be infallible and always elude capture. Eventually, I no longer fear them getting caught or hurt, so I lose interest. One finally issue I have with the way thieves are sometimes used is the following scenario:
“A master thief is in the group and handling the traps. Cocky and sure of himself, he clears everything. Except that one simple trap that his arrogance or impatience or something prevented him from noticing. Now he’s dead with an arrow in his face. How utterly ironic that a skilled thief was taken out by a trap.”
Ugh. I’ve read too many stories where this happens. I get it. Thieves get killed by traps and cockiness is their worst enemy. It’s been done so much that I’m more surprised when a thief makes it out a trapped area. Even more surprised if he starts with a speech about trap detection. Why is that the kiss of death?
I do like thieves for their cunning and tools. It’s always more interesting to see thieves in action than a warrior. As an author, I can do more with them and have some very cool stealth scenes that allow me to build tension. A thief can also be a great source of plot movement with spying on enemies, informants, and the simple ‘take the artifact that everyone wants’ maneuver. Thieves get into trouble and trouble makes stories exciting and move along.
So, what do you look for in thief/criminal characters?
Legends of Windemere 
When I try to get inside a thief’s head, I always remember Nyah (Mission Impossible 2) Norddoff-Hall’s comment; ‘Of course I don’t have a conscience – I’m a bloody thief!’ My othe favourite thief is Philippe (Ladyhawke) Gaston who only stole what he needed to survive and was willing to help anyone – as long as it suited him.
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I barely remember the MI:2 stuff. Funny how often thieves are British solely to say ‘bloody thief’. The second one I’ve heard about and those are probably the easiest way to make a hero thief. A thief can be noble and trustworthy, but readers seem to think a thief has to always lie.
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Thieves are, by their very nature manipulative, sly and selfish (to a degree – I mean, they steal, right?). That is the core requirement to be a thief. All else (reason, morals, code) is applied on top of that. So they would lie as part of their trade, but could be honourable in love, or happily save small kittens. They can lie to one person, but to another demonstrate unswerving loyalty. It’s my thought that their trustworthiness would vary according to need.
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I’m not certain on that. A thief to me is more of a career path. There are thieves (Robin Hood) who robbed for noble reasons. He was sly, but not selfish and manipulative. Traditionally, thieves lie, cheat, steal, and act like they’re going to betray everyone at some point. I can see the trustworthiness varying, but I’ve read that in warriors too. Knights have that ‘loyal to their Lord’ mentality and there are stories where they side with their Lord over their friends. I guess the difference is that the thief is independent and would do it for themselves.
I guess I’m wondering if you can have a thief that isn’t selfish or manipulative. I assume you can and people will simply yell at you for it.
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As long as their motivations are sound – then there’s no reason why not. Robin Hobb’s Assassin series managed to create a sympathetic killer – as did Ryan Casey’s ‘Killing Freedom’. If it’s possible to make a killer likeable and believable, why not a thief?
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I’d actually think the thief is easier to make likeable than a killer. It is odd how thieves and assassins tend to merge or have their lines blurred. I know people who see assassins as a type of thief because they ‘steal life’.
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Robin Hood qualities. Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor. Or at least trying to make good use of their talents. 🙂
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Can’t go wrong with the classics.
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Reblogged this on The Ranting Papizilla and commented:
Charles has a question for all of you to answer. What do you look for in a thief character?
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I like the art-thieves because they prepare a complete set-up to carry out their mischievous acts. The thrill of getting through all the security and the false trails, make quite an interesting read. That is why I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sidney Sheldon’s If Tomorrow Comes.
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The high-security heists are always a lot of fun. I like the bank robber gangs or stuff like Oceans Eleven.
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I’ve been thinking of expanding on the idea of my two short stories in the fantasy genre. So far and the world I’ve built (though I have yet to say it) has thievery as a common practice. I make mention to pirates and a corrupt Baron, but I’ve yet to introduce a true thief class character. If these short stories bloom into an Epic Fantasy I will have to tackle the class so you’ve got me thinking with this article how I might do that without being too cliché. but I would say if there is a guild then there would be a code by which they adhere to on most occasions… oh great, something else I forgot all about…guilds…
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Thieves have the benefit of being more varied. Guilds are useful, but not really necessary for all thieves. I have a city run by a guild, but most thieves that I use are independent. In fact, they tend to clash with guilds because those organizations tend to be greedier and more manipulative than solo thieves. That’s just a personal take.
The variation can even boil down to the type of crime. I played a burglar who looked down on pickpockets, so he refused to sink to that level. I played a jewelry thief vampire who would get so offended by fake jewelry that he would go into a rage if it was offered to him. Nothing says a thief can’t be a specialist even though most thieves in fantasy are Jack of All Trades.
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I’ve got a lot to think about and I will be revisiting this post before I tackle the class in a character….
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I’ll be touching on thieves all week (except Poetry Tuesday). Though, I think ‘how do you write thieves’ might be repetitive this time. Unless I find a twist.
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Fantasy is one of my favorite genres. I hope your stories do bloom into Epic Fantasy!
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They do fit the mold. 🙂
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did this reply randomly go under your post or did go under TJ’s comment…I can’t tell! lol
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I can’t tell from here either.
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I am learning Fantasy is a difficult genre to write in…
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You’ve got a great imagination so I know your fantasy stories will be wonderful 🙂
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Thanks. Hope that’s enough to get popular.
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Charles, I’m laughing my behind off over here! I was trying to comment on TJ’s thread (on your blog) about trying his hand at writing fantasy. You are already a fabulous fantasy writer and your fantasy stories ARE already wonderful!! And popular to boot!
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Oops. I get all comments, so I probably jumped the gun. Sorry, TJ!
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I figured you were sitting there going, “Ummm…doesn’t she know that I already write fantasy books?” lmbo
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It’s been a long day, so it never clicked in my head.
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I’m smiling because I know the feeling! Just so you know…I do know you write fantasy books!! And darn good ones I might add!!!
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Thanks. Now if only I could get more Amazon reviews (positive preferred) for my second book. 😉
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Not really difficult, but people are very picky and opinionated in the genre.
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There is honor among thieves. That is a cornerstone within that caste. Most thieves, you would agree, are “forced” somewhat to take up this course. But, like most people, they are hooked on the adrenaline from the act of theft itself, or eluding capture. A hero or high born person that cannot fight their compulsion towards kleptomania, despite the consequences. Now that’s a thought.
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It is an interesting thought. A thief in the trade because he’s really an adrenaline junkie. That could give him an odd honor code and make one wonder what he does with his loot.
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How about a thief that cannot control it because he is possessed by a dragon spirit? Everyone knows how much dragons love treasure. Only problem is the humans concept of treasure is different from the dragons (I’m starting to reach now…ain’t me?)
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The fun part about fantasy is that such a thing is possible. You can go dragon spirit, greed demon, ghost of a dead thief, or so many other angles for something like that.
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I also like a thief who provides a sense of comic relief. There is something utterly engaging about a thief with a sarcastic (sometimes acerbic) sense of humor. I tend to enjoy the thief in stories 🙂
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Thieves are fun. I get a kick out of the seductive thief that likes making the uptight heroes nervous.
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HeeHee! Those are fun 🙂
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