The Bounty Hunter/Thief-taker

A Thief-taker is a private individual hired to capture criminals. The City Guard can only do so much and has limited jurisdiction outside of the city, making the need for Thief-takers all that more nessesary. These private individuals also called bounty hunters are usually hired by crime victims, or paid by bondsmen to catch fugitives who escape captivity, or run from the lawbefore capture. They also collect bounties offered by the authorities. Sometimes, thief-takers will act as go-betweens, negotiating the return of stolen goods for a fee. However, they are often corrupt themselves, for example extorting protection money from the crooks they are supposed to catch. Government-funded rewards for the capture of criminals can be a corrupting influence. Streets in the cities are often dark at night, and poorly lit, which allowes the proliferation of criminal activities, since lawbreakers are difficult to spot in the dark. Night watchmen patrolling the streets at night are not a guarantee of security. Often they are inefficient, do not join efforts with others for maintaining the peace, or are corrupt themselves. The Judicial system is not very developed in many Kingdoms which creates the need of a basic organisation for keeping the peace, patrolling the streets at night in turns, hurrying to the “hue and cry”, serving as a parish constable for a period of time, and being armed with suitable objects for intervention in case of necessity. Another reason for such a need is the number of armed ex-soldiers and adventurers wandering the streets and country side, some of who play a part in the rise of violent crime. In some Kingdoms official organisms for law enforcement simply does not exist: chasing and arresting serious offenders is not the duty of the public authority. In fact night watchmen, constables and justices of the peace are not obligated to prosecute felons, but played a marginal role: night watchmen only provide surveillance for petty crimes, make rounds at night as a deterrent, and host those felons on hold to be brought before a justice of the peace the next day; while constables passively arrest people charged with a crime when already apprehended, and take them before a justice of the peace.

As a consequence, law enforcement becomes mainly a private matter. Capture, prosecution and provision of evidence for the conviction of serious offenders in trials are at the expense of the victim. Moreover, all individuals are legally expected to report crimes that come to their notice, and answer any call for help - which usually are widely agreed expressions such as: Stop thief!, Murder!, or Fire! - by becoming involved in running after, detecting and catching felons.

Consequently, victims started to pay private individuals to conduct investigation and provide evidence for conviction. Likewise public authorities began to offer rewards to people actively involved in the conviction of felons or the betrayal accomplices. The practice of hiring thief-takers continues to grow with the growth of the population and better economic conditions. Government have started to be more concerned with, leading them to draw upon thief-takers to a greater degree, and to introduce permanent rewards, which are meant to encourage citizens to participate more actively in bringing serious criminals to the justice.

Several thief-takers are previous criminals who faced the danger of being sentenced to death, but rescued themselves, thanks to the possibility of being pardoned for being instrumental in convicting other criminals, that is to say, for betraying their fellow criminals. Prosecuted felons who manage to save their lives find in collaborating with constables and magistrates a suitable business for them, and a safer option than continuing to risk death penalty for committing serious offences. In fact, convicting perpetrators requires a substantial degree of expertise in the criminal underworld, which administrations have not and will pay for.

Skilled thief-takers gain considerable power and reputation among their legal and illegal acquaintances, they are able to move at the limits of legality by taking personal advantage of their insight into the criminal world as well as of the crucial role they fulfill in active policing for the public institutions.

Statutory rewards are not the only thing responsible for the growth and settlement of such a profession. In addition to this, thief-takers exploit the demand for arranging the return of stolen goods for a fee from the victims of theft, who prefer to have their belongings back than to engage in the costly and uncertain prosecution of their attackers. Furthermore, thief-takers are involved in a series of hidden activities that provide them with further sources of income: indeed acting as intermediates among different worlds offeres plenty of temptation for corruption. Magistrates are aware of the dark side of thief-takers, but concerns with crime and the rise of criminal gangs, and no official active police force outside city environs being available, are some of the causes that oblige them to suffer thief-takers as effective instruments to reach the conviction of felons and to seal the gap in the judiciary system.

Overt and hidden activities

Thief-takers meet the demand for policing that public authority boosted; they also make their skills known at any chance and take advantage of their public role to gain respectability among citizens. This overt conduct also provides thief-takers with a safe front for illegal activities. In fact, their expertise in the criminal world attracts and satisfies miscellaneous needs, ranging from magistrates to victims, and even to criminals, generating a new series of hidden illegal activities that increase profits and corruption. They are able to manage opposite necessities by acting as intermediary figures, while profiting off a well built set of intricate relationships.

Thief-takers provide services of active policing and law enforcement for a gratuity, and are hired by both private citizens and institutions, which lack in an organised police force. Thief-takers are usually paid for: revealing crucial information about felons that could lead to their apprehension and prosecution, investigating on felonies, detecting and apprehending criminals, providing instrumental evidence against the accused, which could lead to the conviction and to the desired reward. Thief-takers also work along with the city guard in searching suspects for the goods stolen, and arresting them. They also offer mediation services between victims and criminals, arranging the return of stolen goods for a fee. The law system has been strengthen, but it does not guarantee the return of stolen goods to the victims in case offenders are convicted, hence, especially for traders, it provokes a loss to their business. Furthermore, in some cases victims are not very willing to prosecute and be responsible for the death of their attackers: first, because in many cases, the death penalty is the only kind of punishment available for felonies, it is felt to be too harsh sometimes; second, because the victim can undergo public humiliation for the immoral circumstances in which the theft took place. Therefore, they prefer to advertise the “loss and compound with thieves, than to engage in unworthy prosecutions. This is why many resolve to use the services of an intermediary.

On the other side, thieves need to sell the property they stole. Receivers are thought to be a major cause for the increasing number of thefts: in fact, without receivers, there is no other possibility for thieves to sell the goods they robbed with no questions asked. When dealing with receivers becomes more dangerous due to more severe punishments for those suspected of compounding a felony, thieves realise that it is less risky and of bigger profit to return what they took unlawfully. For these reasons, thief-takers are a valuable resource to them. Yet thief-takers become notorious to the public because of corruption and that they are involved in more serious concealed activities, which put them in a bad light; sometimes they are offensively called “informers”. Since negotiating with clients is dangerous as well, because in the case of being perceived as a receiver or to be compounding they could have been accused of felony. To gain more profits, thief-takers sometimes control, and direct criminals moves, thus converting into thief-makers. They induce people to commit felonies with the objective of later arrest and prosecute them to obtain the reward. Other activities include blackmailing felons to extort money for not prosecuting; using them in trials to give testimony against fellow criminals, or protecting criminals for a fee by informing them on unexpected visits of constables or other officers coming to arrest them. Some even attempt to extort money even from owners of taverns to prevent them being robbed by criminals, but they seldom succeed.

Earnings and other benefits

Thief-takers can count on several types of income and advantages from their legal and illegal activities, which allow them to establish a lucrative business:

Private rewards: victims promised financial rewards to those who are able to catch criminals and lead to their conviction. They also advertise their stolen goods as “lost” offering to pay a sum of money to those who can find and bring their belongings back.
Public rewards: Thief-takers claim reimbursement for the operational costs incurred from public officers.] Furthermore, a reward paid for information leading to a conviction.
Statutory rewards: Exemptions and permanent financial rewards to encourage the prosecution of felons, which are given in case of conviction. Amounts vary.
- 40 gp for the conviction of highwaymen.
- 40 gp for the conviction of counterfeiters and clippers (Clipping is the act of shaving off a small portion of a precious metal coin for profit)
- 80gp for the conviction of horse-thieves
- 20 gp for the conviction of shoplifters.
- 40 gp for the conviction of burglars and house breakers.
- 100 gp extra were offered in addition to the 40gp already paid for the conviction of serious offenders.

Public attitude toward thief-takers

For the authorities, thief-takers play a dual role: they are extremely important for apprehending felons, but at the same time a negative influence on the entire process of enforcing the law. For criminals, thief-takers are useful for protection as well as arrangement of the return of stolen goods to the victim to obtain the advertised reward, which is a better bargain than dealing with receivers. This is one reason why thief-takers have a great knowledge of criminal networks. The dark side is that the protectors have the information and power to blackmail felons to extort money, or to prosecute them for the reward, which they actually do to sustain their own credibility to the authority. For private citizens, thief-takers play a valuable role in managing to return the stolen goods for a fee, by negotiating or prosecuting the thief. This is why they are not perceived so negatively as informers are. But the news of misconduct provokes the rage of the public. In trials, thief-takers fill several roles:

prosecutor: thief-takers are difficult to find in cases of highway robbery, burglary or horse theft.
witness: thief-takers seldom appear as witnesses in trials of theft, but more frequently in those of coining, for which they are essential for providing effective evidence against the accused felons.
victim: they could fake to be the victim of a theft. In order to gain the reward of the prosecution, they persuade a young inexperienced thief to commit a theft on a fellow Thief-taker, while the others hurry at the hue and cry to apprehend the thief. They also accuse innocent people: perfect strangers that witnessed a theft came to help the victim, who in reality was thief-taker; in a second moment, thanks to the involvement of a corrupt constable, the charge of theft is shifted to the passer-by.
defendant: authorities know thief-takers are acting at the limits of legality, and attempt to prosecute them when possible

Not all thief takers are corrupt and in many cases form Guilds that try to police the activities of all Thief takers. These Bounty hunters, a name they have adopted to separate them from the stigma of the theif taker name, strictly follow a Code. They refer to themselves as "the Brotherhood”, and gain a certain presence that sets them apart from others. They are at the same time more focused and less attached to the world around them. They take many chances others would think foolhardy, yet more often than not, they beat impossible odds and emerge with their quarry. Bounty hunters consider it a failure to not capture their quarry alive. The Code of Honor and Justice established is one of the guiding principles for Bounty hunters as they are not assassins, mercenaries, or soldiers. Assassins kill without honor and sell their allegiance dearly. Members of the Guild keep justice, not vengeance, as their goal. They prefer to return their quarry alive

The Code

These are the Eight Principles. It is a source of pride that the Bounty Hunter is skilled enough to bring in captives, not corpses. Nonetheless, bounty hunting is a dangerous profession, and death waits at every turn. The members learn to consider death part of the life cycle. They are prepared to die any time, for loyalty, duty, or honor.

LOYALTY: Followers of the Bounty Hunter's Code are loyal to their family Clan team, and to the Clan itself. The blood relation of Clan membership is one that can outweigh the relationship of siblings. If a brother betrays the Clan, duty to the Clan will come first. The Bounty Hunters are seen as blood relatives of the same Clan.
DUTY: When a Bounty Hunter accepts a mission, his duty to his client comes first. To act against the client's best interest of is betrayal that stains the 's Clans honor. This is why the Clan evaluates missions before assigning them, to ensure the guild will not ask the bounty hunter to dishonor himself or his team members.
HONOUR: The Bounty Hunter's Code's notion of honor dictates that a bounty hunter should never bring disgrace to himself or to his brothers and sisters. To foolishly pursue a course of action is to bring dishonor. Related is the idea that the mission is a personal affair between the client and the hunted, with the code as a tool. There is great dishonor in harming innocent parties. The interaction of loyalty, duty, and honor puts an immense value on vengeance. The Clan will go to any length to avenge the wrongful death of a guild member. No malice is held against a person who kills a bounty hunter in open combat, but those who use treachery will be punished.
DEATH: The Bounty Hunter's Code teaches that death is not sought or feared, but respected. Death should never be a goal of a bounty hunter. The guild is hired to bring people to justice, and this is best done while they are alive. warrior caste. It consists of several concepts that each bounty hunter must study and define for him or herself
READINESS: Years of training create a hunter who is a predatory animal. Followers of the Bounty Hunter's Code should be in a constant state of readiness. No matter what activity, part of the Bounty Hunter's mind should be on alert. The Bounty Hunter's Code training includes mental and physical martial arts which give a bounty hunter snap reflexes for any situation.
POWER: Training gives skills that set a Bounty Hunter apart from others. This power should never be abused. To use one's knowledge and strength against the weak is to dishonor the Bounty Hunter's Code. A bounty hunter should never start a fight and in defense should seek only to disarm. However, on a mission anyone who allies himself in defense of the hunted may be dealt with accordingly.
BALANCE: Properly practiced, the Bounty Hunter's Code teaches balance in all things. The bounty hunter will try to avoid excessive force as well as excessive caution. He will balance loyalty to the and duty to the client, and personal honor.

VISUALIZATION: Bounty hunters fight most battles in their minds long before they come in reality. Bounty hunters practice not only physical training, but mental training as well. They must weigh and analyze each action and its consequences.

The Bounty Hunter/Thieftaker O.C.C.

Attribute Requirements: I.Q.: 9, P.S.: 12, P.P.: 12, P.E.: 12
Alignment: Any, but typically Principled or Aberrant
Gender: Male or Female
Race: Any

O.C.C. Skills:

Language: Native tongue at 98%
Diplomacy (+10%)
Heraldry
Court Etiquette
Military Etiquette
Law (+10%)
Interrogation (+10%)
Lie Detection (+5%)
Surveillance (+5%)
Horsemanship: General
Land Navigation (+10%)
W.P. 2 of choice
W.P. Spear
W.P. Unarmed
W.P. Sword
Hand to Hand: Basic(Hand to hand: basic can be changed to hand to hand: expert for the cost of one "other" skill, or martial arts (or assassin, if evil) for the cost of two "other" skill selections.)

O.C.C. Related Skills: Select 6 other skills at level one, plus 1 per level starting at level 2. All new skills start at Lvl. one proficiency.

Communications: Any (+7%)
Domestic: Any (+5%)
Espionage: Any (+5%)
Horsemanship: General or Exotic only (+5%)
Labour: Any
Medical: First Aid only (+5%)
Military: Any (+15%)
Naval Skills: Any (+15%)
Performing Arts: Any (+5%)
Physical: Any (+5% Where Applicable)
Rogue: Any
Science: Math only.
Scholar/Noble/Technical: Any (+10%)
Weapon Proficiencies: Any
Wilderness: Any

Secondary Skills: Choose 4 at level 1, plus 1 per level starting at level 2. All new skills start at Lvl. one proficiency. These are additional areas of knowledge that don't get the O.C.C. bonus.

Starting Equipment: Backpack, Belt with 2 Pouches, Boots, two sets of Clothing, a Uniform, Cape or Cloak, Grooming Utensils, Small Dwelling, Tinder Box, 2 Large Sacks, 2 Small Sacks, Horse, Tack and Barding, Any other equipment can be bought at the guard’s expense.

Armour: Studded Leather, Chain mail, Plate and Chain.

Weapons: Starts with Crossbow, Sword, and Weapons to match W.P.s (excellent quality).

Money: At 1st level begins with 500 gp, which can be used immediately to purchase more equipment or saved. Additional money will come from payment for jobs.

Experiance Table:
Level Experience
1 0-2,400
2 2,401-4,800
3 4,801-9,600
4 9,601-17,000
5 17,001-25,000
6 5,001-35,000
7 35,001-50,000
8 50,001-70,000
9 70,001-95,000
10 95,001-135,000
11 135,001-177,000
12 177,001-227,000
13 227,001-277,000
14 277,001-327,000
15 327,001-377,000

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