Aquiring Sleight of Hand skill for my character

Hey all.

Our party is taking some downtime in Waterdeep right now. I'm playing an Arcane Trickster that has yet to acquire the "Sleight of Hand" skill. I would like to change this during our downtime period. When I told the DM this, he said he wasn't quite sure how my character could do it. I told him I would do some research and let him know what I found. So ... are there any trusted D&D resources that can share with him?

Is it as simple as thinking outside the box and being creative? Can the "Sleight of Hand" be acquired thru some sort of apprenticeship? Should I follow some expert thieves around and take note of how they successfully use the skill? Do I need to spend a few months on the road with a traveling magician? How has this issue been handled in your games? Any help would be appreciated. TIA

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Hey all.

Our party is taking some downtime in Waterdeep right now. I'm playing an Arcane Trickster that has yet to acquire the "Sleight of Hand" skill. I would like to change this during our downtime period. When I told the DM this, he said he wasn't quite sure how my character could do it. I told him I would do some research and let him know what I found. So ... are there any trusted D&D resources that can share with him?

Is it as simple as thinking outside the box and being creative? Can the "Sleight of Hand" be acquired thru some sort of apprenticeship? Should I follow some expert thieves around and take note of how they successfully use the skill? Do I need to spend a few months on the road with a traveling magician? How has this issue been handled in your games? Any help would be appreciated. TIA

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By RAW from any book, you cannot acquire a skill outside of multiclassing into some classes, gaining a class feature that grants you a skill, taking a feat that grants a skill, or DM fiat.

If your DM is stingy, ask about retraining an existing skill into Sleight of Hand.
If your DM is a bit more generous, work with them on what an appropriate cost would be.

AFAIK there is no RAW way to gain new skills. Like, there's probably mention of it somewhere in the DMG in an offhand "you can also reward your players with new skill proficiencies," but I don't think there's any explicit mechanic for it.

At the table I play at, it's fairly accepted to do little changes to characters during downtime. In this case, dropping one of your current proficiencies to pick up Slight of Hand would very straightforward and the easiest way to handle this.

If I were DM'ing, I'd ask the player to make a little narration out of it - how do they gain this proficiency? In the case of a rogue, maybe they fall in with a crew for one job, and there's some delicate operation they have to do that involves slight of hand. I would then call for a couple of skill checks to determine success (get some gold, maybe get arrested briefly xD). And at the end you have your slight of hand proficiency.

I mean there's guidelines in the player handbook regarding learning languages or proficiency in tools so I don't see how a skill proficiency would be any different.

I don't recall the page number but I do know it's in the adventuring section in part 2.

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Originally Posted by stoutstien

I mean there's guidelines in the player handbook regarding learning languages or proficiency in tools so I don't see how a skill proficiency would be any different.

I don't recall the page number but I do know it's in the adventuring section in part 2.

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Languages and tools are generally considered ribbons.
Skills are not.

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Originally Posted by JNAProductions

Languages and tools are generally considered ribbons.
Skills are not.

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Hard disagree. Tools and languages come up in my game just as often as any other kind of ability check.

I actually don't think there's ribbons at all. That's just a word for a failed opportunity to make the game more engaging.

As has been said the PHB has training tools and languages as a downtime activity, taking 250 days and gold. The DM can also give additional options.

Xanathar's revise these rules (but Xanathar's is optional), to 10 work weeks, still 250 gold. So only 50 days basically (or 70, depending on how the DM defines a work week in their campaign). RAW it's up to the DM.

An actual skill is worth more than a language or tool. So IMO it should cost more. OR if you are retraining a skill, IE changing from one skill to another, it should cost less. Maybe only 7-8 work weeks?

Another option is to ask the DM if you could craft or buy a customized magic item, the only thing the magic item does is grant proficiency in sleight of hand. Maybe some kind of lesser variant thief's gloves (basically a magic item with a specific minor boon from the artifact list, and nothing else). There are rules for crafting/buying magic items in Xanathar's.
This option is more expensive, and perhaps more dangerous/fun, the DM has IMO more chances to turn this into a mini-adventure.

My ex-DM let us train skills (and even feats) during downtime. You gained the skill by succeeding at a couple of checks: One in the skill desired (in this case SOH) and one in a supporting skill (maybe a Dexterity-based skill). Success in both meant you gained the skill. Failure meant you needed more time.

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Hey all.

Our party is taking some downtime in Waterdeep right now. I'm playing an Arcane Trickster that has yet to acquire the "Sleight of Hand" skill. I would like to change this during our downtime period. When I told the DM this, he said he wasn't quite sure how my character could do it. I told him I would do some research and let him know what I found. So ... are there any trusted D&D resources that can share with him?

Is it as simple as thinking outside the box and being creative? Can the "Sleight of Hand" be acquired thru some sort of apprenticeship? Should I follow some expert thieves around and take note of how they successfully use the skill? Do I need to spend a few months on the road with a traveling magician? How has this issue been handled in your games? Any help would be appreciated. TIA

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Training

A character might be offered special training in lieu of a financial reward. This kind of training isn't widely available and thus is highly desirable. It presumes the existence of a skilled trainer-perhaps a retired adventurer or champion who is willing to serve as a mentor. The trainer might be a reclusive wizard or haughty sorcerer who owes the queen a favor, the knight-commander of the King's Guard, the leader of a powerful druid circle, a quirky monk who lives in a remote mountaintop pagoda, a barbarian chieftain, a warlock living among nomads as a fortune-teller, or an absentminded bard whose plays and poetry are known throughout the land.

A character who agrees to training as a reward must spend downtime with the trainer (see chapter 6 for more information on downtime activities). In exchange, the character is guaranteed to receive a special benefit. Possible training benefits include the following:

-The character gains inspiration daily at dawn for 1d4 + 6 days.
-The character gains proficiency in a skill.
-The character gains a feat.

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DMG, p.231.

Waterdeep should have at least a few of such skilled trainers, for Sleight of Hand. And even more people who have said trainer in their contacts.

As other's have mentioned the DMG offers training to get skills as a quest reward. In Tasha's they present an option for swapping a skill. Adventure league I think lets you make any kind of change at low levels.

In addition to joining a thieves guild or apprenticing at a travelling magic show/circus you could even make a pact with a devil or archfey (Not everyone who makes a pact has warlock class levels). Honestly even just spending everyday practising in front of a mirror or with friends could work.

My suggestion would be training with a thieves guild with the pitch being that it ends up with more then just a gold cost for the training. For example maybe you have to join the guild and from now on will occasionally get orders to do certain things that won't be directly at odds with whatever quest your on but would complicate/sink it if you get discovered doing whatever the task is. Maybe it's a single quest/task that you have to do before getting trained. Maybe it's a way of introducing an NPC that is basically treated as a "Bond" from the background section, ie you and the DM agree that during the training you fall in love with a guild member who then serves as a plot hook for several quests, or the opposite you upset someone in the guild and now have a reoccurring rival that will try to covertly sabotage your future quests. It kind of all depends on what the DM wants to do, but the thieves guild provides the most opportunity for them to be creative since it can go in any direction whether it's plot hooks or adding complications or just introducing a cool NPC.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I truly appreciate the help. My DM and I have had some good communication about this. Alas ... it is not in the cards for my character. At least, not right now.

Trying to acquire the skill would take quite a bit more downtime than our party has planned. Additionally, Waterdeep doesn't appear to be the best environment to develop my Level 7 rogue's pickpocketing skills.

... very appreciative of your time, your thoughts, and your quick responses.

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Trying to acquire the skill would take quite a bit more downtime than our party has planned. Additionally, Waterdeep doesn't appear to be the best environment to develop my Level 7 rogue's pickpocketing skills.

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I get the "not enough time" part, but not the "Waterdeep isn't a good place for it". Would xou mind explaining?

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Originally Posted by Unoriginal

I get the "not enough time" part, but not the "Waterdeep isn't a good place for it". Would xou mind explaining?

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Initially, I though it would be a decent city to pickpocket in. But, the DM disagreed. I found that all of the information he shared can be found on the Forgotten Realms Fandom Wiki although we were texting so I'm not sure if this was the exact source he used.

Not only do they have both a City Watch and a City Guard, he said many entrepreneurs in the city look out for each other and members of the justice system can be tough on crime. I'd love to develop this story arc for my character but I'll hold off for now.

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Initially, I though it would be a decent city to pickpocket in. But, the DM disagreed. I found that all of the information he shared can be found on the Forgotten Realms Fandom Wiki although we were texting so I'm not sure if this was the exact source he used.

Not only do they have both a City Watch and a City Guard, he said many entrepreneurs in the city look out for each other and members of the justice system can be tough on crime. I'd love to develop this story arc for my character but I'll hold off for now.

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Look into skullport

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Initially, I though it would be a decent city to pickpocket in. But, the DM disagreed. I found that all of the information he shared can be found on the Forgotten Realms Fandom Wiki although we were texting so I'm not sure if this was the exact source he used.

Not only do they have both a City Watch and a City Guard, he said many entrepreneurs in the city look out for each other and members of the justice system can be tough on crime. I'd love to develop this story arc for my character but I'll hold off for now.

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Apprentice with a magician's group and 'It's all part of the show'. the 'bumbling' (failing) can be part of a comedy act

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Originally Posted by Cptn Whoopass

Initially, I though it would be a decent city to pickpocket in. But, the DM disagreed. I found that all of the information he shared can be found on the Forgotten Realms Fandom Wiki although we were texting so I'm not sure if this was the exact source he used.

Not only do they have both a City Watch and a City Guard, he said many entrepreneurs in the city look out for each other and members of the justice system can be tough on crime. I'd love to develop this story arc for my character but I'll hold off for now.

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The City Watch is no joke (the City Guard only concerns itself with guarding the walls), and the justice system is pretty immediate, but that doesn't mean the city is bereft of crime by any means.

As stoutstien mentions, there is Skullport, the town-under-the-city that's a well known den for all sort of criminals, clandestine agents and ne'er-do-wells. The Xanathar's Guild is an active and powerful group of mobsters, and the Zentharim criminal syndicate has been muscling its way into the city too. There's also the legendary rich-people-robber called the Black Viper, devil cults, savvy street urchins, and the like.


Even if you go with factions who aren't outlaws, you have the Harpers and the Force Grey agents, both of which would have more than one member who can boast about being a big name in the Sleight of Hand business.

If the DMG 231 Training Reward rule doesn't work for your DM, there's also the Tasha's rule for swapping out one of your existing skills:

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Originally Posted by TCoE pg. 8

CHANGING A SKILL

Sometimes you pick a skill proficiency that ends up not being very useful in the campaign or that no longer fits your character’s story. In those cases, talk to your DM about replacing that skill proficiency with another skill proficiency offered by your class at 1st level. A convenient time for such a change is when you reach a level that grants you the Ability Score Increase feature, representing that your character has spent a level or two studying the new skill and letting the old one atrophy.

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Note that the ASI guideline is just "convenient" meaning you could theoretically do this swap whenever.

But if your DM is dead set against it right now then it doesn't really matter what you show them; just something to keep in mind for the future instead.

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Originally Posted by Psyren

If the DMG 231 Training Reward rule doesn't work for your DM, there's also the Tasha's rule for swapping out one of your existing skills:



Note that the ASI guideline is just "convenient" meaning you could theoretically do this swap whenever.

But if your DM is dead set against it right now then it doesn't really matter what you show them; just something to keep in mind for the future instead.

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I came here to say the same thing about the rule in Tasha's.

But also, if you have downtime, use that time to practice refining your fine motor dexterity skills. Tell your DM that you want to hire an expert pickpocket to train you, and practice pickpocketing things from your party members (who know you are practicing this and are willing to play along).

Spend hours practicing things that improve fine-motor coordination: Buttoning and unbuttoning various garments. Picking up coins and concealing them in your hand. Close-up magician's card tricks. Sewing garments. learn to play a new musical instrument. Show the DM this video and tell them that you spend time each day doing exercises like these: https://youtu.be/zKYPawvcTS4

At level 8 take the Skill Expert feat.

It gives you +1 to any ability score
It gives you 1 more skill
It gives your Expertise in 1 skill.

You are level 7 now, so this isn't too far away.

A one level dip in either Bard or Rogue gets you an additional proficiency. SoH is on both class lists. So take a Bard level, pick SoH, and get the other level one Bard stuff.

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Originally Posted by JLandan

A one level dip in either Bard or Rogue gets you an additional proficiency. SoH is on both class lists.

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They're already a Rogue, though! :P

I realized that. Please see edit.