Thieves often have reason to evade detection or pursuit. Some of their skills (hiding in shadows, moving silently) are tailored toward this end. Equipment detailed here includes further aids to evasion, items to assist in avoiding detection, and even an item or two to enable the thief to whistle innocently if he is found and apprehended at the scene of the crime.
Aniseed[]
Aniseed is a simple plant-derived natural flavoring. A small quantity of aniseed extract can be used by a thief to ruin any effort to have dogs track his scent, if bloodhounds (or similar) are used by pursuers. Dropping a vial of aniseed down at a suitable place (e.g., by the bank of a stream the thief crosses, by the base of a wall he traverses, even at a crossroads) will ensure that the dogs' sense of smell is utterly ruined for 1d4+1 hours if they reach the spot where the aniseed has been dropped. A saving throw vs. poison will enable a trained dog to evade the aniseed to some extent, but the sense of smell is still lost for 1d4+1 turns. A spell such as neutralize poison or slow poison cast on an affected dog will eliminate the effect but the dog will still have to pick up the trail further along, somehow, to continue tracking. The effect of aniseed on any other kind of trained tracking animal is up to the DM, but aniseed should have a detrimental effect on almost anything's sense of smell.
Caltrops[]
These actually come in different shapes and sizes, but the basic form is that of a metal ball with four to six spikes or prongs set into it. When a caltrop is thrown to the ground it always lands with one spike standing more or less upright. A thief may throw small caltrops to the ground to slow down pursuers. Caltrops cannot be used as missile weapons, however.
The effect of caltrops depends on how many are thrown down by the thief. The base number is 10 thrown down in an area of 25 square feet. Anyone entering the area must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation. A successful save means that the character has stepped on one, suffering 1d4 points of damage, and must halt movement. If half the number of caltrops is used (only five in a 25-foot area), the save is made at +4; for every extra five dropped in such an area, the save is made at an additional -2 (up to -6 in total). A character moving at less than one-third his normal movement rate doesn't need to make a save. A fresh saving throw must be made for each 5-foot section entered in which caltrops have been dropped.
If a pursuer steps on a caltrop, it must be removed before the pursuer can continue. This takes one round. Also, the pursuer must make a second save vs. paralyzation to see if he is temporarily lamed. If the save is made, pursuit can continue normally. If the save is failed, the pursuer can only move at one-third normal rate for 24 hours (or until the damage is magically healed).
An ingenious thief can even improvise caltrops—in one infamous instance, from a sack of potatoes found in the kitchen of a house being burgled and a small bag of nails carried by the thief in question. Modifiers to the saving throws of potential victims can be allowed for such improvised versions!
Note: For players and DMs with Unearthed Arcana, the rules above are based on the entry for tetsu-bishi in Oriental Adventures, which has somewhat superior rules to those in the Unearthed Arcana entry for caltrops.
Catstink[]
Even the best-trained dog (watchdog or tracking dog) finds it impossible to avoid being distracted when there are cats about. This is exploited by the few alchemists who have the recipe for the manufacture of catstink. These few are well-paid by thieves' guilds for their work, blending various liquids obtained from diverse parts of cats with a few secret ingredients to produce a thick, foul-smelling, brown-yellow liquid, catstink.
Catstink is specifically blended to drive any dog to distraction, allowing the thief to get past watchdogs as they frantically try to locate the cat which they can smell so pungently. Dogs who can smell catstink will not do anything other than try to get at the source of the smell, no matter how highly trained. Spells (slow, neutralize poison) are only useful if the dog is wholly removed from the smell. Even then the effect of the spell will not be evident until one turn has elapsed and the dog returns to normal.
Catstink can also be used to delay dogs tracking a thief as he attempts to make an escape, in much the same way as aniseed is used, albeit much more effectively (and much more expensively). The smell of catstink can be picked up by dogs up to 200 yards away, or even as far as half a mile if they are downwind of it.
Dog Pepper[]
This may be dropped on the floor, like aniseed, to put dogs off the scent when pursuing a thief. It is less effective than aniseed, however, the pursuing dog being allowed a saving throw vs. poison to avoid the effect of the dog pepper absolutely. If the save is failed, though, the dog is unable to continue pursuit for 1d4+1 turns.
Dog pepper may more usefully be scattered into the air, a small packet holding enough to fill a 10-foot cube. The pepper will hang in the air for 1d4 rounds after being flung into it. A dog entering the area during this time gets no saving throw to avoid the effect of the pepper. If dog pepper is thrown right into a dog's face, the unfortunate animal gets no saving throw and becomes hysterical for an hour, during which time it is totally uncontrollable.
Hand Lamp[]
This is usually a small metal pot about the size of a night-light candle. It has a hinged flip-up lid with a mirror on the inside; a silver mirror is often used, so the item is not cheap. The mirror directs the light, and the lid also works as a snuffer when closed. The lamp provides enough light for the thief to work by (e.g., when trying to pick a lock in a dark place), while not shedding enough to give the thief away (hopefully). Certainly, the dim, focused light is unlikely to be visible at all further than some 20 feet from the thief, and even within this range it is very, very dim.
Hollow Boots[]
These come in various forms, but a common design is one with swivelling heels. The heel of the boot is grasped and twisted firmly toward the inside surface. The heel swivels and reveals a small, hollow compartment within the boot. These compartments are very small, and will typically only hold one gem of moderate size or up to four small ones. The design of the boot is such that there is not an externally visible built-up heel, but nonetheless a thief wearing these boots suffers a -5 penalty to any move silently rolls he has to make.
Marbles[]
The use of these is an old chestnut, but perennially popular with thieves, not least because of their effectiveness. A small bag of marbles (a general term for small spheres of glass, metal, etc.) unleashed over a stone floor to roll around forces any pursuers to slow to half normal movement rate or be forced to make a Dexterity test. If this test is failed the pursuer slips up and has to spend a full round getting up again. Because marbles roll around a lot, a small bag (30 or so) will cover a 10' x 30' (or equivalent) area. Small stones and pebbles can only be substituted for marbles if they have been polished, filed, etc., so that they are almost perfectly round—a time-consuming business.