In the shadows or the dark of night, the burglar plies their trade. With what treasures will they sneak away?
As a protagonist, the burglar provides adventure and possibility. For example, they could find something mysterious — a map or a key — during a heist that sets up a chain of events for your story. Similarly, they could break into the wrong house and wind up in a world of trouble as the unexpected unfolds.
Conversely, as an antagonist or non-player character in roleplay, the burglar offers a confounding obstacle. For instance, they could pilfer a meaningful object from the protagonist as a form of blackmail or just to kick off an incredible chase scene. Or as a side character, they could be a pickpocket with a habit of getting the protagonist in trouble at the most inopportune times.
In this post, we’ve looked at the burglar from a number of angles and brainstormed a range of related content that we hope you find intriguing and useful. Enjoy!
Writing Prompts and Storylines for Burglars
- A burglar takes a gem that has some strange magical qualities, landing them in deep trouble
- Something is stolen from the characters in a narrative, creating a lasting nemesis in a burglar.
Burglar descriptions and attributes
- being small or slight might help out a sneaky burglar; other descriptors include lean, lithe, light
- on the other hand, it may be useful for a burglar to be tough or tanked and muscular, depending on the type of “jobs” they do
- tricky, sneaky, devious, coy, crafty, clever, deceptive,
- loner, aloof, disenfranchised, cast out,
- underprivileged, poor, broke, cash-strapped,
- rough, rugged, tough, resilient,
- street-wise, saavy,
- charming, charismatic, engaged,
- your burglar in a fantasy setting could be of another species: goblin, kobold, brownie, gremlin, hobbit, gnome, dwarf, elf,
- burglars could have some type of vice, such as: phobia, addiction, idiosyncrasy, habit,
Stuff burglars might use
- lock picks, master keys, pins, picks, awls, pliers, cutters, needles,
- dagger, short sword, sap, brass knuckles, knuckle dusters, darts, blowgun, shuriken, throwing knives, stiletto, nunchuks, bola, caltrops, knife, hidden blade, baton, sling and stones, garrote wire,
- poison, elixirs, contact poisons, oil,
- rope, hook, wire, string, grappling hook,
- snare, trap, trip wire,
- Magic Stuff:
- potion of invisibility, robe of shadows, ring of protection, sleep dust, secret door powder, flying carpet, boots of speed,
Actions
Burglars will try most anything to make a score and get rich. We brainstormed a few good words here that may give you some options to try with your character.
- sneak, slither, slide, slip,
- steal, lift, take, pilfer, nick, rob, take, palm, shoplift,
- climb, balance, freeze, crouch, crawl, hide,
- fight, attack, disarm
- threaten, cajole, goad, impose,
- disguise, trick, fool, mimic, swindle,
- charm, impress, negotiate, befriend,
Settings and Environments for Burglars
- thieves dens, secret societies, pickpockets hideouts, guild of burglars
- alleys, dark lanes, snickets, back lane,
- dungeons, treasuries, castles,
- caves, caverns, tunnels, sewers, culverts,
- inn, tavern, pub, diner,
- festival, fair, rally, coronation, celebration, gatherings, anywhere with crowds,
- fences, walls,
- under bridges
- they love to rob places such as: banks, mansions, yachts, stage coaches, parties, crowds, liquor stores, jewellery shops, museums, temples