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Anyone can bust out a window and steal some stuff, but if you want to rob someone blind without drawing too much unwanted attention, you need a cat burglar. Cat burglars have the experience, skills, and (most importantly) style to get the goods and get away without arousing any suspicion. The really good ones have already fenced the merchandise before the victim even realizes it’s gone.
Likely Stories
For as long as people have had stuff, there have been people who wanted to steal said stuff, so a cat burglar can appear in any genre that includes private ownership of goods. The only real variables across genres are the items being stolen, the technology used to guard them, and the technology used to get around the technology doing the guarding. Cat Burglars are most commonly found in modern crime stories, but also show up frequently in espionage, cyberpunk, and fantasy tales.
The Name Game
There are two main categories of cat burglars: the working stiffs and the artists. Working stiffs are your average petty criminals who aren’t terribly ambitious. They break into houses and businesses, steal whatever they can find, and sell it off at a pawn shop. These characters tend to have names that make them sound like someone you’d meet in a strip joint that serves breakfast. Nicknames involving bodily functions and missing body parts are also popular among this crowd. At the other end of the spectrum is the artist, who is as (or more) concerned with the challenge presented by the heist than the monetary payoff. Such characters often have very European sounding names, usually British or French, and may even be European. These burglars also use aliases, but theirs usually sound much cooler.
The Numbers
Body is the cat burglar’s most important Number, but Brain is also important for those whose targets are protected by high-tech security measures. Nerve is useful for information gathering and other pre-heist preparations, as well as for negotiating a good price for the ill-gotten goods.
Suggested Jobs: Acquisitions Specialist, Angel, Art Thief, Bank Robber, Cat Burglar, Countersecurity Expert, Housebreaker, Home Invader, Jewel Thief, Looter, Picklock, Porch Climber, Prowler, Robber, Safecracker, Second-Story Man, Secret Agent, Smash and Grabber, Sneak Thief
Suggested Gimmicks: Citizen of the World, Danger Sense, Duct Tape & Chicken Wire, Gun Fu, Hide In Plain Sight, Knows a Guy, Ninja Stealth, Photographic Memory, Quick As A Cat, Reputation, Smooth Talker, Unlock Anything, Wonderful Toys,
Suggested Weaknesses: Compulsion (Calling Card), Danger Junkie, Easy Come Easy Go, Enemies, Getting Too Old For This Shit, Master of Disguise, Phobia, Superstitious, Wanted Man, Wrong Place/Wrong Time
Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Appraisal, Art Appreciation, Breaking & Entering, Climbing, Contacts, Demolitions, Dodge, Electronics, Escape Artist, Fencing, Firearms, Fast Talk, Forgery, Lockpicking, Negotiation, Security Systems, Self Defense, Sleight of Hand, Snappy Dresser, Stealth, Surveillance
WWPHITM? Danny Aeillo, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan, George Clooney, James Coburn, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Eliza Dushku, Shannon Elizabeth, Ali Larter, Lucy Liu, William H. Macy, Edward Norton, Robert Redford, Renee Russo, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Tag Line: “Robbin’ the freakin’ Vatican? The nuns at St. Agnes predicted this.”—Eddie “Hudson Hawk” Hawkins, Hudson Hawk
Tools of the Trade: Low-end house burglars can get buy with a crowbar, basic lockpicking kit, or, in a pinch, a heavy rock. More high tech thieves will need all sorts of electronic gadgets to foil security devices, grappling hooks, and a can of aerosol spray to reveal the intricate network of laser eye beams that protect any truly juicy bit of loot. Black clothing is traditional for all burglars. Robbing the Vatican requires a grapple, biker’s bottle, pocket fisherman, olive oil, and 100 stamps.
Where You’ll Find Him: Working stiff burglars will hang out in places where you normally find the criminal element: seedy bars, pool hauls, and strip joints. They usually live in crappy apartments. Artists tend to prefer a more high-rent crowd, frequenting gallery openings, museum exhibits, and trendy nightspots. They live in penthouse apartments, on tropical islands, or in castles in the French countryside.
Social Circle: Working stiff burglars will know other thieves as well as the usual bartenders, pawn brokers, parole officers, and so on. Artists will cultivate a worldwide network of jet-setters, fences, and criminal specialists. Most artists also have a nemesis in the law enforcement community.
Sample Character
Eddie “Hudson Hawk” Hawkins
Body: 13
Brain: 13
Nerve: 13
Job: Singing Cat Burglar (15)
Gimmick: Aura of Cartoon Physics (13)
Weakness: Elaborate Conspiracy Magnet (13)
Skills: Music Trivia (Song Lengths) +3; Escape Artist +2; Cappuccino Appreciation +1
WWPHITM? Bruce Willis
Dumb Fact: Part-owner of the Five Tone Bar & Grill
Tag Line: “But I want to do community service; I want to teach the handicapped how to yodel.”
HP: 13
YY: 4
Inspirational Materials
Books and Comics
Catwoman
Fahrd & the Gray Mouser series
Thieves’ World series
Music
“Hudson Hawk,” Dr. John
“Pink Panther Theme,” Henry Mancini
“Mission Impossible Theme,” Megadeth (cover)
“Side By Side,” Danny Aiello & Bruce Willis (cover)
“Swingin’ on a Star,” Danny Aiello & Bruce Willis (cover)
TV & Movies
After the Sunset
Charlie’s Angels
Dark Angel
Entrapment
The Great Muppet Caper
Home Alone
Hudson Hawk
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Ocean’s Eleven
The Score
Sneakers
The Thomas Crown Affair
Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers
