Guttersnipes are only found in a few of the bigger cities in Antaron where organized crime has become an issue - Davnor, Bayris, and Relegas are excellent examples. The inevitable product of war, they are orphans who have been brought, by whatever means, to one of the great city orphanages. The orphanages in question are owned and operated by the Thieves Guild's many reputable houses and are funded by generous donations from the various merchant and trade guilds who recruit promising apprentices from among the wards.

The infants and toddlers are very well cared for and educated in their letters and numbers. Once they reach the age of seven, and on until about eleven, both boys and girls become guttersnipes. They inhabit every nook and cranny of the city and become a giant "information gathering machine" for hire.

Conversations are overheard from beneath grates, behind walls, under beds, or anywhere a small child can squirm into. Guttersnipes can hear and report about any potentially lucrative cargo or person coming into or out of the city. They can discover secrets of all kinds, provided the proper incentive is offered to the Thieves Guild. These kids inhabit the underground and the rooftops, the back alleys and the markets, often bearing news or messages from one guild house to another while quietly keeping outside the normal channels of open commerce.

Guttersnipes also provide the Guild with pickpocket revenue. Here, they operate in small groups, with one distracting the victim, two fleecing the mark, and a fourth stationed at a sewer cover for a quick escape if necessary. The Guild is fined by the city for every guttersnipe caught, and the prowess of the guttersnipe is judged by the number of times he or she has been apprehended. Those who have never been caught are groomed within the Thieves Guild proper, whereupon their professional life begins in earnest.


Game Terms:

Guttersnipes are treated as first level thieves, but because they act as a group, this level is more a reflection of the group's overall skill. A guttersnipe's career is exactly five years in duration, and as they grow older their level of ability grows, as well. They possess all of the thief abilities, but only as a group, and their percentage chance of successfully using of any of these abilities depends upon their age. Realize that success merely indicated that a skill is used successfully; a normal check must still be made. It would hardly make sense for an eleven year old child to be a better pickpocket, for instance, than a seasoned thief.

When guttersnipes turn twelve years old, those who will remain thieves are treated as level two. Those who have shown other aptitudes during the four years of schooling they receive at the orphanage will then be sent off to their respective "legal" guild houses to begin their careers.

Thanks to Athelstan for this contribution!