The Thief - Comm 344

Zidane with his signature twin daggers

Rikku is definitely showing a lot of skin in her costume.
Let's... just say that it helps with her agility.

               The thief is a sneaky and tricky character that uses their sticky fingers to pilfer items, money, and loot from opponents.  The core ability of the thief class is the “steal” ability, which proves useful early in a game as a means of obtaining treasure for free.  Having a way to cheaply have access to basic healing items like potions is how the thief can make their niche in the party a useful one from the start.  This character is usually introduces relatively early for this reason, and on few occasions has even been featured as the main character.  The thief is usually a perky, fast-talking, street-wise, young individual which can make for an all-around fun character in combat as well as travelling around the world.  So just how does this delinquent utilize their five-fingered discount to the fullest?
                The thief is almost always seen using lightweight, agile and dexterous weapons such as daggers, claws, and throwing knives.  Long ranged weapons like bows are sometimes an option as well in games like Skyrim where the thief is by themselves in their quest, which sounds ideal.  But the thief can really shine within a group of fighters as the player to not necessarily deal a ton of damage, but to annoy the hell out of their enemies for sure.  Twin daggers are definitely the most popular weapon set, but in games like Final Fantasy 9 (where the main character is a thief named Zidane) we see the use of “thief-swords” which is two blades connected by the hilts.  Think a bladed version of Darth Vader’s lightsaber.  Apparently this is a lightweight weapon that allows for a decent attack power while leaving a hand free for doing what the thief does best. 
                Thieves, due to their agile playstyle, are usually seen donning lightweight armor, and often will find accessories that enhance their stealing abilities.  “Thief’s Gloves” are a common accessory in RPG’s as an equipable item that increases the odds of successfully stealing loot from enemies.  Other accessories like boots that muffle footsteps or scarves that supply invisibility seem to be present in games where thieves are staple characters.  All of these clothing items resemble the attire of a real life thief from medieval times.  They definitely set themselves apart from Ninjas, which are an entirely different class that I will touch on at a later date. 
                In battle, the thief has had many different roles.  As far as stealing goes, games like Final Fantasy X-2 have given thieves somewhat magical or supernatural qualities to their pilfering abilities.  Rikku (the young, bubbly thief from both Final Fantasy X and X-2) can steal items, money, and even time from her enemies.  That’s right.  By stealing “time” from the enemy she puts them in a sort of stasis that freezes the enemy in place.  She also has abilities for stealing specifically rare items from enemies should they have any.  She can steal the enemy’s “spirit” which puts them in a berserk like state of fury.  So we can see that developers have gotten very creative with simple stealing.  She can even simply steal health or magic points from the enemy.  I mean, stealing is stealing, right?  Her signature quote “There ain’t nothin’ I can’t steal!” couldn’t be truer.  In Final Fantasy X Rikku can use the items she’s stolen and combine them together to make a more powerful, usually devastating attack that, depending on the items used, can deal various types of damage or support the party.  So this iteration of a thief is also an alchemist of sorts.  Zidane’s attacks moreso go along the lines of gambling, with an ability called “Lucky 7’s” that does damage based on how many “7’s” are in his current hit points.  He also has an ability called “Thievery” that does more damage depending on how many times he has successfully stolen.  In instances like this the thief is rewarded in a more damaging attack for doing well at what they are designed to do, a great balance In the thief’s playstyle which allows for the thief to have another motive for liberating their enemy’s wallets.  Following closer to the ninja route, thieves can usually inflict negative status effects on enemies with poison daggers and various traps. 

                Thieves haven’t really seen a dominance of one particular sex, though a young, lithe, street-wise individual with a lot of personality usually fills the shoes.  Both sexes tend to wear tight fitting clothing and have snappy comebacks for any occasion, suitable for someone who makes a living by taking what they want from society (and not in a “Robin Hood” way, mind you).  These individuals do their best to convenience their team, and mostly themselves, in any situation.