The Thief
This Trainer steals, lies, and cheats their way through life, and Pokémon training is no exception. Grunts in criminal Teams make up the majority of those who represent this Archetype, though it’s perfectly possible to be a career criminal without being tied to a larger organization.
Notable Examples: Jessie and James, Bounty Hunter J
Key Skills: Perception, Guile, Stealth
How to Build: Start with Ninja, Rogue, Hunter or Capture Specialist The most important part of stealing is not to be caught, and all of the recommended starting CLASSES can be excellent at this task even early on with their extra Skill Edges or direct bonuses to Stealth Checks. The Ninja adds a number of additional tools that can be helpful to a Thief, such as the ability to use Illusions or create Smoke Bombs for quick escapes. Capture Specialists may eventually aspire to own a Snag Machine which would let them put their capturing skills to use stealing other Trainers’ Pokémon directly. A Hunter is also adept at this task and ensuring foes cannot escape them. The Rogue providing tricky Dark-Typed attacks. From there, a Thief often must decide if they’re more focused on getting the job done by themselves or with the help of their Pokémon. Speed Aces can raise a team of quick and stealthy Pokémon that make pulling off a complex heist that much easier and quicker. On the other hand, Martial Artists can forgo the stealth route altogether and simply punch out anyone who gets in the way of their larcenous lifestyle. Roughneck is another great choice for the less subtle Thieves, making use of scare tactics to make their muggings easier to pull off. Those seeking more of a typical anime Team Rocket approach to thievery with complex machinery and gadgets may wish to take a look at the Engineer branch of Researcher in the Do Porygon Dream of Mareep? supplement. It specializes in building the type of robots that were often used for crazy thievery shenanigans. Finally, Classes that specialize in Perception are handy to a Thief as well. For example, a Chronicler can more easily scope out a potential mark and be aware of their surroundings during the heist.
Key Skills: Perception, Guile, Stealth
How to Build: Start with Ninja, Rogue, Hunter or Capture Specialist The most important part of stealing is not to be caught, and all of the recommended starting CLASSES can be excellent at this task even early on with their extra Skill Edges or direct bonuses to Stealth Checks. The Ninja adds a number of additional tools that can be helpful to a Thief, such as the ability to use Illusions or create Smoke Bombs for quick escapes. Capture Specialists may eventually aspire to own a Snag Machine which would let them put their capturing skills to use stealing other Trainers’ Pokémon directly. A Hunter is also adept at this task and ensuring foes cannot escape them. The Rogue providing tricky Dark-Typed attacks. From there, a Thief often must decide if they’re more focused on getting the job done by themselves or with the help of their Pokémon. Speed Aces can raise a team of quick and stealthy Pokémon that make pulling off a complex heist that much easier and quicker. On the other hand, Martial Artists can forgo the stealth route altogether and simply punch out anyone who gets in the way of their larcenous lifestyle. Roughneck is another great choice for the less subtle Thieves, making use of scare tactics to make their muggings easier to pull off. Those seeking more of a typical anime Team Rocket approach to thievery with complex machinery and gadgets may wish to take a look at the Engineer branch of Researcher in the Do Porygon Dream of Mareep? supplement. It specializes in building the type of robots that were often used for crazy thievery shenanigans. Finally, Classes that specialize in Perception are handy to a Thief as well. For example, a Chronicler can more easily scope out a potential mark and be aware of their surroundings during the heist.