Thief

From Dragon Quest Wiki
DQ3 thieves.png
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[edit]

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[edit]

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation[edit]

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[edit]

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) 
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) 
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[edit]

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[edit]

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit]

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

Vocation trait[edit]

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% (18) regardless of vocation rank.

Stat Changes[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

DQVII Thief male.png
DQVII Thief female.png

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

DQIX Thief Male.png
DQIX Thief Female.png

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Dragon Quest X[edit]

Dragon Quest Treasures[edit]

The crooks were depicted as statues with base values of 120,000

Dragon Quest Walk[edit]

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[edit]

  • 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[edit]