Fagin — Master of the London Street Gang
Fagin does not need to pick a purse himself. His trade is people: hungry children who know alleys better than constables do, thieves who need stolen goods moved quietly, household servants willing to sell a key, and respectable buyers who prefer never to ask where a silver cup came from.
In the London of the campaign, Fagin runs a loose school of theft from rented rooms that change whenever the watch becomes interested. He teaches observation before stealing, retreat before bravery and silence before loyalty. Adventurers can find him useful because almost nothing crosses a crowded London ward without one of his people seeing it. They can also find him appalling because he treats vulnerable youngsters as assets to be trained, protected when profitable and sacrificed when necessary.
At a Glance
- Name: Fagin
- Species: Human
- Age: Late fifties
- Base: London
- Role: Gangmaster, fence, trainer of pickpockets and information broker
- Alignment: Neutral Evil
- Campaign status: Alive and active
- Campaign use: Underworld patron, information source, criminal antagonist, fence or organiser behind street-level adventures
Game Statistics
5.5e / 2024
Fagin
Medium Humanoid (Human), Neutral Evil
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 (-1) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 15 (+2) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4, Cha +6
Skills Deception +8, Insight +6, Perception +4, Persuasion +6, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +5
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages English, thieves’ cant
Challenge 3 (700 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Eyes Everywhere. In a crowded London district where his network operates, Fagin has Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Charisma checks made to learn who entered or left a street, tavern, market or public building during the previous day.
Never Carry the Evidence. Unless surprised, Fagin carries no single stolen object worth enough to prove a major crime. Valuable goods are divided between caches, runners and fences.
Master of Distraction. Fagin can take the Help action as a Bonus Action when aiding Deception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth or a check made to escape pursuit.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) Piercing damage.
Dirty Trick. One creature within 5 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be Distracted until the end of Fagin’s next turn. While Distracted, the creature cannot make Opportunity Attacks and has Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Signal the Gang (Recharge 5–6). Up to three allies within 60 feet who can see or hear Fagin can each move up to half their Speed. One of them may Hide as part of this movement.
Reactions
Someone Else Takes the Blame. When a creature Fagin can see targets him with an attack while another creature is within 5 feet of him, Fagin moves 5 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks. If this movement puts cover between him and the attacker, he gains +2 AC against the triggering attack.
Fagin — 5e / 2014
Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil
Armor Class 14; Hit Points 52 (8d8 + 16); Speed 30 ft.; Challenge 2 (450 XP; proficiency bonus +2, personal combat only).
STR 9 (−1), DEX 16 (+3), CON 14 (+2), INT 17 (+3), WIS 15 (+2), CHA 18 (+4).
Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4, Cha +6; Skills Deception +8 (expertise), Insight +6 (expertise), Perception +4, Persuasion +6, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5; Senses passive Perception 14; Languages English, thieves’ cant.
Traits
Eyes Everywhere. In neighbourhoods where Fagin employs willing informants, he has advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks to identify who visited a market or street within the past day.
Never Carry the Evidence. Valuable stolen goods are stored with different willing accomplices; the ability does not prevent a successful search or protect against an actual discovery.
Master of Distraction. Fagin can take the Help action as a bonus action when helping an ally make a Deception, Sleight of Hand or Stealth check.
Actions
Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
Dirty Trick (Recharge 5–6). One creature within 5 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be unable to take opportunity attacks and have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks until the end of Fagin’s next turn.
Signal the Gang. Up to three willing allies within 60 feet that can hear him may each use a reaction to move up to half their speeds. One may attempt to Hide at the end of its movement.
Reaction
Someone Else Takes the Blame. When an attacker Fagin can see targets him, Fagin can move 5 feet without provoking opportunity attacks if another creature is within 5 feet; if the move gives him cover, apply the normal cover bonus.
Original 2014 conversion for the Dickens-inspired fictional street-gang organiser. No real-world ancestry, ethnicity or belief is tied to villainy. NPC associates are separate encounter creatures.
Pathfinder 1e
Fagin CR 3; human rogue 4/expert 2; NE Medium humanoid.
AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13; hp 39; Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6.
Melee dagger +6 (1d4/19–20); Special Attacks sneak attack +2d6.
Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 18. Feats Alertness, Deceitful, Skill Focus (Sleight of Hand), Persuasive. Skills Bluff +15, Diplomacy +13, Disable Device +12, Disguise +12, Knowledge (local) +14, Perception +13, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +16, Stealth +12.
Street Network (Ex). In London, Fagin can use Knowledge (local) in place of Diplomacy to gather information concerning petty crime, street children, stolen goods and the movements of watch patrols.
D&D 3.5e
Fagin CR 3; human rogue 4/expert 2; NE Medium humanoid.
AC 17; hp 36; Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6; Melee dagger +6 (1d4/19–20); sneak attack +2d6.
Abilities Str 9, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 18. Feats Alertness, Deceitful, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Sleight of Hand). Skills Bluff +15, Gather Information +15, Hide +12, Knowledge (local) +14, Listen +11, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +16, Spot +11.
What Is Fagin Doing Right Now?
Fagin has discovered that someone is buying stolen seals, signet rings and scraps of official correspondence at prices far above their ordinary value. His first instinct was profit. His second was alarm. A purse can buy food; a stolen seal can hang everyone who touched it.
He has therefore ordered Jack Dawkins and the younger thieves to stop taking official seals until he understands who is collecting them. Bill Sikes, unfortunately, has already been hired to recover one.
Encounters
- Fagin offers the party a stolen key and refuses to say which house it opens until they agree to a favour.
- A child pickpocket steals from the wrong adventurer and leads the party directly into Fagin’s network.
- Fagin knows who bought a stolen seal but wants safe passage for three of his young thieves before naming the buyer.
- The watch raids one of Fagin’s rooms while the party is negotiating with him.
Personality
Fagin is patient, observant and relentlessly transactional. He prefers persuasion to threats because frightened people make unpredictable choices. He remembers hunger, debts, grudges and family ties and uses all four to keep people connected to him.
He can display real affection, particularly toward clever young thieves who remind him of himself, but affection never outranks survival. His worst habit is convincing himself that teaching a child to steal is the same thing as protecting them from the streets.
Relationships
The Artful Dodger: his sharpest young thief and increasingly independent lieutenant.
Bill Sikes: useful muscle Fagin cannot fully control.
Fences and pawnbrokers: the respectable face of his economy. Several would happily betray him if they could do so safely.
Street children: scouts, thieves and runners. Fagin knows their value better than most adults do, which is exactly why his protection is dangerous.
Equipment and Resources
- Two daggers
- Several hidden purses containing low-value coin
- Keys, lock picks and wax impressions
- Ledger written partly in thieves’ marks
- Three rented rooms under different names
- Hidden caches of stolen cloth, cups, buckles and household silver
- A network of child runners, tavern contacts and fences across London
Adventure Hooks
- The Signet Market: someone is paying absurd sums for stolen seals. Fagin wants the buyer identified before the watch blames his network for forged warrants.
- The Empty Cache: one of Fagin’s safest stores has been emptied without breaking the lock.
- Young Witness: a child in Fagin’s gang saw a politically important murder. Three factions now want the witness.
- The Honest Theft: Fagin hires the party to steal back something his own gang should never have taken.
- Sikes Collects: Bill Sikes arrives to settle one of Fagin’s debts just as the adventurers are bargaining with him.
Connected Places and People
Mythical and Historical Context
Fagin is a fictional literary villain introduced in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist, serialised beginning in 1837. The 1454 organiser on this page is an original reimagining of a criminal network and its exploitation of vulnerable people, not an actual fifteenth-century person. See the Dickens character reference. The page does not associate criminal behaviour with ancestry or belief, and this campaign’s underworld characters should be judged by their conduct.
Sources and Rules Notes
Fagin originates in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist. This version retains his role as organiser, trainer and fence while translating the criminal network into fifteenth-century London. It does not use ethnicity or religion as shorthand for criminality. The game statistics are original campaign adaptations.
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