Burglar

Burglar

Class	Occupations
Type	Occupation
Points	-6
Skill Boosts	Nimble: +2 Sneaking: +2 Lightfooted: +2
Free Traits	Burglar

The Burglar brings a quiet, stealthy start and the ability to hot-wire any vehicle. It suits a survivor who prefers to slip past zombies rather than fight them.

The occupation costs 6 points from the trait budget. In return, it starts with two levels each in Nimble, Sneaking and Lightfooted. It also grants the Burglar trait for free. That trait allows hot-wiring cars and lowers the chance of breaking a window lock. The Burglar also knows a set of crafting recipes from the start, from shivs to improvised armour and copied keys.

All three starting skills point the same way. The Burglar moves quietly, stays unseen and leaves before a crowd can gather. A working car from the first days turns that quiet style into a fast one. The Burglar spawns in ordinary residential housing, so the first night is usually spent in a house rather than a special location.

Burglar Skills

Two levels of Sneaking lower the distance at which zombies notice a crouching character. Crouched movement already starts far quieter than walking, and each level cuts the noise further. Each level also lowers the chance that a zombie spots the sneaking character.

Two levels of Lightfooted quieten every footstep, whether walking, running or crouching. The skill shrinks the radius in which zombies can hear a step. It also raises the chance that zombies ignore a footstep while the character sneaks.

Two levels of Nimble speed up movement in the combat stance. A Burglar can back away from a crowd while still swinging. The same skill also reduces footstep noise, stacking with Lightfooted. Together, the three skills make crouched movement past a group far safer.

All three skills serve stealth and movement. The Burglar relies on avoiding fights, choosing them carefully and leaving fast. Each of the three skills is quick to train early, so the head start pays off most in the first weeks.

The skills also train well together. Crouching near zombies without being spotted trains both Sneaking and Lightfooted. A larger crowd gives more Lightfooted experience for each moment. Walking laps in the combat stance trains Nimble anywhere, with or without zombies nearby.

A new Burglar starts with these skill levels.

Skill	Levels	Skill Group
Nimble	+2	Physical
Sneaking	+2	Physical
Lightfooted	+2	Physical

Burglar Free Traits

The Burglar trait allows hot-wiring vehicles without the usual Electrical 1 and Mechanics 2. A found car with no key can still be started. Hot-wiring is still an attempt, so it can fail. The trait also lowers the chance of breaking a window lock when forcing a window open.

Hot-wiring starts from the driver's seat. A failed attempt can set off the car alarm, which draws every zombie nearby. Clearing the area first makes each attempt much safer. A busy parking lot is the worst place to try.

A hot-wired car still needs fuel, a working battery and a working engine. Checking those parts before the attempt saves wasted time.

A Burglar gets these traits for free.

Name	Image	Type
Burglar		Occupation Trait

Burglar Recipes

The Burglar knows how to make the Shiv, Glass Shiv, Toothbrush Shiv and Improvised Screwdriver. These are simple weapons and tools from common junk. Magazine Limb Armor and Magazine Body Armor give cheap protection early on. Bulletproof forearm, shin and thigh armour recipes turn a vest into limb protection.

The shivs and the screwdriver do more than arm the character. Each of these recipes gives a good chunk of Maintenance experience for little effort. A Burglar can build up Maintenance early just by crafting them from easy loot.

The bulletproof limb armour recipes still need Tailoring level 5. They become a goal for later, once the skill has grown.

Other recipes suit the criminal theme. The Burglar can copy a building key, hollow out a book, make a blank ID and make an improvised lighter. The hemp growing season is known too.

A Burglar knows these recipes from the start, with no book or magazine needed.

Name	Recipe	Crafting Materials	Tools	Skill	Station	Learned	Spawn ID
Key	Copy Building Key	1x Blank Key	Small File Set Key	None	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.Key1`
Leatherbound Book	Hollow Out Book	1x Book 5x Glue	Straight Razor or Scalpel Small Brush	None	In Hand	Yes	`/additem Base.HollowFancyBook`
ID Card - Blank	Make Blank ID	2x ID Card 1x Correction Fluid 1x Adhesive Tape	Pen - Black Scalpel or Straight Razor	None	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.IDcard_Blank`
Lighter - Improvised Battery	Make Improvised Lighter	1x Electrical Wire 1x Battery 1x Adhesive Tape or Duct Tape	-	Electrical: 0	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.Lighter_Battery`
Magazine Limb Armor	Make Magazine Limb Armor	1x Magazine 2x Duct Tape	-	None	In Hand	No	`/additem Base.GreaveMagazine_Right`
Glass Shiv	Make Glass Shiv	1x Broken Glass 1x Rag	-	Maintenance: 1	In Hand	Yes	`/additem Base.GlassShiv`
Improvised Screwdriver	Make Improvised Screwdriver	1x Steel Bar Quarter or similar 1x Rag	Whetstone	Maintenance: 1	In Hand	Yes	`/additem Base.Screwdriver_Improvised`
Magazine Body Armor	Make Magazine Body Armor	8x Magazine 4x Duct Tape	-	Tailoring: 1	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.Cuirass_Magazine`
Shiv	Make Shiv	1x Steel Bar Quarter or similar 1x Rag	Whetstone	Maintenance: 1	In Hand	Yes	`/additem Base.KnifeShiv`
Toothbrush Shiv	Make Toothbrush Shiv	1x Toothbrush 1x Lighter 1x Rag	Whetstone	Maintenance: 1	In Hand	Yes	`/additem Base.Toothbrush_Shiv`
Bulletproof Vest Forearm Armor	Make Bulletproof Forearm Armor	1x Bulletproof Vest - Military or similar 2x Duct Tape 5x Sinew Thread	Needle Scissors Awl	Tailoring: 5	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.Vambrace_BodyArmour_Right`
Bulletproof Vest Shin Armor	Make Bulletproof Shin Armor	1x Bulletproof Vest - Military or similar 2x Duct Tape 5x Sinew Thread	Needle Scissors Awl	Tailoring: 5	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.GreaveBodyArmour_Right`
Bulletproof Vest Thigh Armor	Make Bulletproof Thigh Armor	1x Bulletproof Vest - Military or similar 2x Duct Tape 5x Sinew Thread	Needle Scissors Awl	Tailoring: 5	Any Surface	Yes	`/additem Base.ThighBodyArmour_R`

A Burglar also knows the growing season of these crops.

Crop
Hemp

How to Play Burglar

A Burglar plays best as a stealthy looter. Crouching through houses and stores, the character can clear supplies without drawing a crowd. Hot-wiring gives a vehicle early, which opens up long supply runs and fast escapes. A car also makes moving to a new safehouse quick and easy.

The high point cost leaves less room for positive traits. The trait budget usually needs a few negative traits to balance. Traits that sharpen stealth fit the style well. Inconspicuous halves the chance of being spotted by a zombie. Graceful cuts footstep noise and pairs well with it. Together they make a survivor who is hard to notice by sight or by sound.

The Burglar is weaker in a straight fight than the combat occupations. Early fights should be short and on the Burglar's terms. The stealth style is less forgiving of mistakes, so a careful player gets the most from it.

Early goals are simple. Find a working car, gather tools and pick a safehouse. The improvised screwdriver and shivs cover the first tools and weapons from junk. Those same crafts start the Maintenance skill climbing.

The Burglar also has foraging bonuses. Ammunition, junk, junk weapons and trash are easier to spot while searching. Weather hurts the Burglar's foraging a little less than usual.

Notes

Hot-wire any car without Electrical or Mechanics skill.
Clear zombies before hot-wiring, since a failed attempt can trigger the alarm.
Crouch near zombies to train Sneaking and Lightfooted together.
Make shivs and improvised screwdrivers early for quick Maintenance experience.
Backing away in the combat stance keeps a crowd at bay.

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