The Maravo Manual of Subtlety
Collected Street Wisdom for Vex Maravo, Thief of Neverwinter
I. The Silent Partner (The Owl)
“Never fight alone when you can fight with eyes above.”
- Pocket Dimension Trick: Store the owl, then summon it anywhere you can see within 30 feet — even past glass, a barred gate, or magical walls. Perfect for scouting or flanking where mortals can’t reach.
- Help Action Mastery: The owl grants you advantage on attack rolls every turn if positioned right. Sneak Attack loves this.
- Flyby Escape: Unlike most creatures, the owl doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. It can dart in, give Help, and retreat without risk. Think of it as a hit-and-run wingman.
- Scouting Eyes: Darkvision 120 ft. + stealth. In a city of alleys and rooftops, this owl is your spy, your lookout, your shadow’s shadow.
II. The Rogue’s Edge (Tying Familiar to Sneak Attack)
“Steel is faster when the foe’s eyes are elsewhere.”
- An owl distracting an enemy means Sneak Attack triggers without needing an ally adjacent.
- Positioning the owl high lets you attack from range (bow, dart, thrown dagger) while still getting advantage.
- This effectively makes you self-sufficient: you don’t need another rogue or fighter to set up Sneak Attack.
III. The Neverwinter Flair
“A thief without style is just a cutpurse. Neverwinter breeds better.”
- In Neverwinter’s streets, trained familiars were status symbols among the Blacklake gangs. Your owl is both calling card and warning.
- Guildmasters respect rogues who move unseen — use your familiar for dead-drop delivery, flying messages or objects where human hands can’t reach.
- In Realms flavor: tie your owl to Shaundakul (god of travelers) or Mask (god of shadows). Either works as a spiritual patron for why your owl came to you.
IV. Tools of the Trade (Thief 3rd-Level Edge)
- Fast Hands: Use your owl’s distraction, then bonus action Sleight of Hand to disarm or steal mid-fight. Few thieves get to juggle combat and larceny at once.
- Second-Story Work: Owl scouts a ledge, you follow. That’s synergy.
- Pocket Summon: Appear owl onto a chandelier mid-fight, cut the rope, drop chaos.
V. Closing Maxim
“Eyes above, dagger below. A thief who sees in two places strikes in three.”
Fizzwidget’s Margin Notes
Handwritten, smudged with ink and coffee stains — clearly added after a long night of tinkering.
“Maravo, you’re clever, but you’re wasting your bird. Here’s how you ought to be using it if you don’t want me sighing every time you sneak past my shop.”
On Dropping Things That Go Boom
- Your owl can carry tiny objects. That’s just enough for a flask of oil, alchemist’s fire, or one of my grenadi—ahem experimental compounds. Drop them from above, watch the chaos.
- Pro tip: if you pre-score a flask, the owl doesn’t even need to hit hard. Gravity does the work.
On Delivering Aid
- Potions! Gods above, do you know how many rogues die just because they couldn’t reach their healer? Your owl could fly a potion straight to your lips. Imagine that — healing hands without stepping into danger.
- If you don’t want to waste a healing draught, the owl can still drop a smoke pellet or a vial of acid in just the right spot. Precision is half the job.
On Distraction Duty
- You already use the Help action for Sneak Attack, but don’t forget it works on ability checks too. Imagine: the owl hoots, the guard looks up, and suddenly your lockpick job has advantage. Use it!
On the Pocket Dimension Trick
- Remember you can blink your owl into a pocket and back out. 30 feet isn’t far, but it’s enough to get past bars, windows, even magical walls. That’s not just scouting — that’s free infiltration.
On Being Adaptable
- You don’t have to stick with an owl, you know. Rats, spiders, crabs — all have their place. If I catch you casing a noble house without a spider to slip under doors, I’ll be embarrassed for you.
“Oh, and one last thing: if you’re scribbling notes like these, hide the journal better. You never know which gnome might be rifling through your pack for research material.”
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