All Monsters in "Criminal"

Name	Level
Assassin	8
Bandit	2
Bandit Gang	7
Burglar	4
Charlatan	3
Crime Kingpin	12
Fence	5
Flamboyant Thief	15
Grave Robber	1
Legbreaker	6
Loan Shark	2
Master Of Disguise	7
Ruffian	2

Criminal

Source NPC Core pg. 18
In the underbelly of society, the lawless reign supreme.

Corruption For Hire

The criminals in this section don't always have to exist in opposition to the PCs. Characters might make use of a corrupt judge to keep a target of their investigations in town while they go about their business or hire a master of disguise to infiltrate a building and map a floor plan before pulling a job. All it takes is coin and a quiet word in the right ear.

Criminal Scams

Common criminal scams include fake collectors for nonexistent charities for the diseased and downtrodden, rigged games of chance at local fairs offering worthless prizes, flashy street performers concealing the work of pickpockets in the audience, and plants who offer to help travelers find accommodations but lead them to inns with exorbitant prices.

Crossover Ancestry NPCs

Several of the NPCs elsewhere in NPC Core can fit well in this group: Gnome daredevil (level 2), halfling smuggler (level 6), leaping thief (level 3)

Fantasy Crimes

While many crimes in Pathfinder are similar to crimes in the real world, certain crimes are possible only in a world of magic. These include using magic to win a wager, malicious uses of curses, violating autonomy with spells that charm or control others, falsifying fortunes, violating privacy with scrying, or trespassing via teleportation.

Folk Heroes

Real-world bandits exist in folklore and history as champions of the downtrodden, fighting against their oppressors, robbing the rich, and striking at the powerful from secret dens deep in the wilderness. The gang leader could well be a local legend, someone who the PCs can turn to for mutual aid when the going gets tough.

More Scams

• Fraudsters sell fake alchemical items, medicines, charms, talismans, or other minor magics.
• Unscrupulous moneylenders take advantage of lax business regulations to employ predatory repayment terms.
• Phony fortune-tellers and mediums use cold-reading techniques to lull gullible marks.

Protection Rackets

Criminal organizations often find it easier to demand protection money from locals than go to the trouble of stealing it. “Protection” includes an implicit assumption that those who pay up are safe from those criminals, and some groups also promise retribution should those who pay them fall afoul of other criminals.

Sanctuary

Adventurers or those they rescue might be able to find sanctuary in sacred places to buy time against pursuers or disappear from those hunting them. These institutions range from simple rural shrines to monasteries to larger estates. The churches of Asmodeus, Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, Irori, Sarenrae, and Shelyn are the most likely to grant sanctuary—though some of these ask much in exchange for their protections.

Walking The Walk

Traveling devotees, such as the pilgrim and traveling priest, are both well-traveled and more than willing to speak to new people. This makes these voyagers a trove of rumors, stories of fabled lands, and wise words for those most in need. Yet, they're also far from home, so their reliance on the largesse of others means they're frequently willing to trade information, travel alongside others, share lodgings, or find other beneficial arrangements. Their companions' patience with the traveler's proselytizing can be another matter...