Thief

If you become a thief, you'll be able to steal your enemy's belongings. You will also be able to tell how much treasure is in the vicinity. --Description in Dragon Quest VII

The Thief (盗賊, Touzoku) is a class in the Dragon Quest series. True to the vocation's name, it focuses on acts of Thievery to half-inch a monster's possessions.

Characteristics

Thieves have high agility and deftness, but are below average in other attributes. What makes them vital to a party is their ability to steal items from the last monster defeated at the end of a fight. Outside of this pilfering, a thief contributes to the party by utilizing their stealth to lower encounters with enemies with the Padfoot ability, exploration skills such as Eye for Distance that allow the player to locate villages and nearby towns, and using Nose for Treasure to see how many chests remain on a dungeon's floor.

Appearances

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

Thieves were added in the 16-bit remake and may steal from a random enemy vanquished in an encounter, with the success probability being calculated thus: (Level/16 + 1) x item drop rate for the Super Famicom and Android/iOS version. In the Game Boy Color version, the formula is (level/8 + 1) x item drop rate, and will only work for the final enemy defeated. Unlike later games in the series III's thieves do not have their success rate limited to 1/8th and can effectively reach 100% for most items with a party of pilferers.

Thieves are depicted as cat burglars wearing black body suits with differing accessories, but both wear yellow vests and have bleached white hair. The female thief is based on Japanese Gal culture, hence her deep tan, lipstick, and oversized jewelry.

Due to a character's natural defence being based off of the agility stat in all versions of III, thieves are significantly more durable than in other titles. Furthermore, they can equip the newly added whips and boomerangs that allow them to aid in crowd control despite their low strength.

Equipment

Dragon Quest III (All)
Weapon	Modifier(s)
Cypress Stick	Attack +2
Falcon Blade	Attack +5
Bronze Knife	Attack +8
Poison Needle	Attack +10
Divine Dagger	Attack +14
Chain Sickle	Attack +16
Thorn Whip	Attack +18
Boomerang	Attack +19
Edged Boomerang	Attack +24
Assassin's Dagger	Attack +25
Chain Whip	Attack +27
Knuckledusters	Attack +40
Spiked Steel Whip	Attack +40
Flametang Boomerang	Attack +42
Siren Sword♥	Attack +50
Dragontail Whip	Attack +54
Dragon Claws	Attack +85
Beast Claws	Attack +95
Gringham Whip	Attack +105
Destructiball	Attack +135

Dragon Quest III (All)
Helmet	Modifier(s)
Leather hat	Defense +2
King's crown	Defense +6
Hardwood headwear	Defense +6
Mad cap	Defense +8
Fur hood♥	Defense +10
Black bandana	Defense +18
Silver tiara♥	Defense +20
Mythril helm	Defense +38
Mask of Implacability	Defense +255

Dragon Quest III (All)
Armor	Modifier(s)
Scandalous Swimsuit♥	Defense+1
Plain Clothes	Defense+4
Wayfarer's Clothes	Defense+8
Boxer Shorts	Defense+10
Leather Armor	Defense+12
Leather Dress♥	Defense+15
Silk Robe♥	Defense+20
Cloak of Evasion	Defense+23
Magical Skirt♥	Defense+25
Black Pyjamas	Defense+29
Glombolero	Defense+30
Cat Suit	Defense+35
Party Dress♥	Defense+40
Smart Suit	Defense+42
Stealth Suit	Attack +58
Magic Bikini♥	Defense+65
Dark Robe	Attack +78
Blessed Bikini♥	Defense+88
Shimmering Dress♥	Defense+90

Dragon Quest III (All)
Shields	Modifier(s)
Pot Lid	Defense+2
Leather Shield	Defense+4
Bronze Shield	Attack +7
Scale Shield	Defense+12
Magic Shield	Defense+25
Dragon Shield	Attack +32
Tempest Shield	Defense+35
Silver Shield	Attack +40

Dragon Quest III (All)
Accessories	Modifier(s)
Strength Ring	Strength+7
Tough Guy Tattoo	Strength+8
Mighty Armlet	Strength+15
Doh-Hican	Defence+3
Garter♥	Defence+3
Gold Rosary	Defence+4
Leg Warmers♥	Defence+5
Ten Ton Toupee	Defence+15
Cower Ring	Agility+7
Skull Ring	Agility+10
Agility Ring	Agility+`5
Mercury's Bandana	Agility+30
Meteorite Bracer	Agilityx2
Restless Heart	Resilience+10
Gold Chain	Resilience+10
Weightlifter's Belt	Resilience+15
Recovery Ring	Resilience+25
Care Ring	Wisdom+15
Scholar's Specs	Wisdom+15
Goddess Ring♥	Wisdom+33
Bunny Tail♥	Luck+8
Golden Tiara♥	Luck+13
Hen's Tooth	Luck+20
Sacred Amulet	Luck+30
Elevating Shoes	Luck+50
Dummy
Slime Earrings
Ruby wristband

• ♥ denotes ladies only.

Skills & spells

Dragon Quest III (SNES,GBC, Mobile Phone)
Spell	Level Learned
Eye for Distance	8
Storeyteller	10
Nose for Treasure	13
Padfoot	17
Snoop	20

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake

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Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

The thief is one of the prerequisites for the Ranger vocation (along with Monster Master and Merchant).

Vocation trait

The calculation for post-battle stealing is Drop rate x (Rank+1) x 0.25, doubling the base rate at Rank 8. This means a party of thieves will have an 8 times higher chance to nab an item. Note that the chance to steal any item has a hard limit of 12.5% (¹⁄₈) regardless of vocation rank.

Stat Changes

Statistics	Change
Battles to Master	140
Strength	-10%
Agility	+20%
Resilience	-30%
Wisdom	-10%
Style	-20%
Max HP	-10%
Max MP	-40%
Trait	Auto-Steal

Abilities

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Pickpocket	Sandstorm	1	One group	Summons a sandstorm that blinds enemies.	0
2	Purse Snatcher	Eye for Distance	8	Self	Locates nearby settlements.	0
3	Pilferer	Stone's Throw	17	One group	Hurls rocks at a single group of enemies.	0
4	Henchman	Shove	30	One enemy	A powerful push that propels enemies out of the picture.	0
5	Cat Burglar	Storeyteller	48	Self	Reveals which level of a building or dungeon the user is currently on.	2
6	Criminal Genius	Padfoot	66	Self	Lowers the risk of being detected by monsters for a while.	0
7	Crime Boss	Nose for Treasure	110	Self	Reports the number of nearby treasures.	0
8	Kingpin	Snoop	140	Self	Locates hidden curiosities through the power of magic.	2

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

The thief is one of the basic vocations available at Alltrades Abbey. It is one of the prerequisites for both the Pirate (along with Sailor) and the Monster Masher vocation (along with Shepherd). In the 3DS remake thieves are depicted as cat burglars once more, incorporating bandanas and goggles into the familiar black and yellow outfits.

Vocation trait

The MOD / (Drop Rate * 4) equation for both versions of VII is slightly different from the previous Heartbeat title, but functions similarly and also has the enforced limit of a 1/8th success rate when the party consists of thieves.

Rank	Modifier
1	4
2	16
3	16
4	16
5	25
6	25
7	25
8	32

Stat Changes

Statistics	Change
Battles to Master	140 (PS1)
	68 (3DS)
Strength	-10%
Agility	+20%
Resilience	-30%
Wisdom	-10%
Style	-20%
Max HP	-10%
Max MP	-40%

PSX Abilities

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Beginner	Nothing	0
2	Novice	Sandstorm	8	One Group	Reduces accuracy of one group of enemies	0
3	Cut Purse	Shove	17	One Enemy	Removes a single enemy from battle. (Works like Poof)	0
4	Pilferer	Stone's Throw	30	One Group	Throws rocks at one group of enemies, causing ~17HP damage.	0
5	Brigand	Muster Strength	48	Self	Takes one turn. Next turn, physical attack will do double damage	0
6	Rogue	Storeyteller	70	Field	Tells player where the party is and what floor they are on	2
7	Scoundrel	Padfoot	110	Field	Allows party to avoid weaker monsters	0
8	Big Boss	Nose for Treasure	140	Field	Tells the player how many treasure chests are in an area. (Only works in dungeons and caves)	0

3DS Abilities

Level	Title	Learns	Battles Needed	Target	Info	MP
1	Pickpocket	Muster Strength	1	User	Deals 200%~250% damage on the users their next attack.	0
		Sandstorm		One Group	Summons a sandstorm that blinds enemies.	0
2	Purse Snatcher	Shove	4	One Enemy	A powerful push that propels enemies out of the picture.	0
		Safe Passage		Self	Allows the party to pass unscathed over potentially perilous ground.	2
3	Pilferer	Stone's Throw	9	One group	Throws rocks at one group of enemies, causing ~17HP damage.	0
4	Henchman	Peep	15	Self	Reveals the nature of the treasure in a chest.	2
5	Cat Burglar	Snoop	23	Self	Locates hidden curiosities.	2
		Nose for Treasure		Self	Reports the number of nearby treasures.	0
6	Criminal Genius	Storeyteller	33	Field	Reveals which level of a building or dungeon the user is on.	2
7	Crime Boss	Holy Protection	43	Field	A holy aura that keeps weaker monsters away.	4
8	Kingpin	Klepto Clobber	68	One enemy	Adds insult to injury by pilfering a damaged target's possessions.	0

PSX Hybrid Abilities

Hybrid	Learns	Target	Info	MP
Dancer	Tap Dance	One Enemy	Steals MP from one enemy	0
Martial Artist	Pressure Pointer	One Enemy	Has the chance of killing a single enemy	0
Jester	Weird Leer	Self	Does nothing	0
Mage	Drain Magic	One Enemy	Steals ~25MP from one enemy	0
Warrior	Klepto Clobber	One Enemy	Attacks the enemy and has a chance of stealing its item	0

Usefulness

The Thief's best skill is Nose for Treasure which allows treasure hunters to know how much treasure is left on a particular floor. As for hybrid skills, Thief Hit, the hybrid skill of a Warrior and a Thief, is probably one of the useful hybrid skills to learn as it has the chance of taking one item from a monster regardless of whether or not it is defeated. However, the default stealing rate is quite low. To this end, the character must have a high rank in the vocation to steal reliably.

Regarding vocation progression, the Thief can combine a mastered Shepherd class to become a Monster Masher. They will learn all sorts of breath skills and have a chance at taming monsters for the Monster Meadows. The Thief can also combine a mastered Sailor class to become a Pirate. The Pirate learns sea based attacks which is useful as most monsters, save the aquatic ones, don't have resistance to these skills. Plus they are cost effective.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

The Thief vocation is available at the start of the game and has the unique skillset "Acquisitiveness". As all the vocation designs in IX are based on real world cultures, thieves have eschewed the burglar outfits for clothing based on Arabian bandits. Thieves can also use skill points to learn Sword, Knife, Claw, and Fisticuffs skills. Their Coup-de-Grace is "Itemized Kill" which guarantees treasure dropped after the battle. Thieves still possess their unique ability to steal items, but through the newly added skill "Half-Inch".

Thieves are the second fastest vocation in the game, trailing behind the Martial Artist. They also have the second highest Deftness in the game, which allows them to not only steal items at a higher success rate, but land more Critical Hits as the feature now scales off of Deftness.

However, Thieves are thoroughly lacking in other stats, such as MP and Resilience, and aren't great combat-wise. Rangers are commonly agreed to be an upgrade from the Thief, due to their higher Deftness, MP and magic selection and abilities. Despite this, their niche abilities, such as Treasure Eye Land, and their fantastic Agility and Deftness prove useful for grinding and farming, even far into the post-game.

Stats

Attribute	Starting Stats	Maximum Stats
Level	1	99
HP	23	510
MP	6	132
Strength	13	299
Agility	18	410
Resilience	11	241
Magical Might	0	0
Magical Mending	4	81
Deftness	18	402
Charm	3	58

Acquisitiveness

Accolades	Required points	Name	Effects
Secret Seeker	4	Natural Deftness +20	Permanently adds 20 to deftness
Gold Digger	10	Half-Inch	Attempts to steal an item from one enemy
Booty Uprooter	16	Natural Agility +20	Permanently adds 20 to agility
Trovehound	22	Pitfall	Sets a trap for monsters on the field
Treasure Hunter	32	Natural Max HP +20	Permanently adds 20 to Max HP
Recoverer of Riches	42	Nose For Treasure	Detect treasure in the room (red chests only)
Cache Machine	55	Natural Deftness +40	Permanently adds 40 to deftness
Bonanzer	68	Eye for Trouble	Adds extra monster information to Battle Records
Hoard Lord	82	Natural Agility +40	Permanently adds 40 to agility
Bullion Billionaire	100	Treasure Eye Land	Reveal treasure (red chests only) and grotto stairs in dungeon maps

Spells

Name	Level	MP	Description
Squelch	4	2	Cures a single ally of the effects of poison.
Heal	9	2	Restores at least 30 HP to a single ally.
Evac	12	3	Exit instantly from dungeons, caves, and towers.
Accelerate	16	2	Raises the agility of a single party member.

Revocation Award

• Honour Among Thieves

Dragon Quest X

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Dragon Quest Walk

A warrior changing to a thief in Walk

The thief vocation is available to players from the beginning of the game, and gives access to Boomerangs, Claws, and Knives.

Notable Thieves

• In the remake versions for IV, Torneko Taloon has a few skills from the Thief class.
• Fingers
• Yangus is a former bandit, and can relearn some of his old habits via his Humanity skill tree.
• Red is more akin to a pirate, owning her own ship, but can cut a purse just as well as she can pillage.
• Patty's default vocation is a Thief when she joins the party in IX.
• Erik lived as a petty Thief for several years prior to joining the Luminary.

Gallery

• 

  Chibi artwork of the female Thief meant to mimic the Famicom-era art of the classic vocations from III, circa 1996

• 

  Ditto for the male Thief

• 

  Full-sized art of the female Thief, circa 1996

• 

  Full-sized art of the male Thief, circa 1996

• 

  Female Thief GBC art from DQIII

• 

  Male Thief GBC art from DQIII

• 

  Female Thief, HD-2D artwork

• 

  Male Thief, HD-2D artwork

• 

  Female Thief wearing a Blessed bikini

• 

  Terry showing off the acquisitiveness of the vocation in the official guidebook

• 

  Terry making off with some loot in the V-Jump guidebook for VI

• 

  Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart

• 

  Foiled robbery