Let's get sneaky, shall we? The rogue kits of Al-Qadim are a diverse bunch, from the gregarious barber to the deadly holy slayer. There are seven kits in total, but not all of them are for thieves; bards are rogues, too. The seven are the sa'luk, the barber, the beggar-thief, the holy slayer, the matrud, merchant-rogue, and rawun.
We start off with the sa'luk, who is basically the adventuring thief of the Arabian lands. It's the 'generic' rogue kit of Zakhara, and includes the outlanders (like the ajami wizard). The difference with these outsiders, though, is that they aren't treated as outsiders the way the wizards are; thieves stick together, even if they are different. They can even take kits from other sources like the Complete Thieves' Handbook, keeping most of their special benefits. The kit is also for local thieves, though; like the outsiders, they are free-roaming adventurers, not tied to any particular location. Bards can take this kit as well as thieves.
The barber, on the other hand, is found in just about any bazaar, and most of them are quite gregarious and friendly. But they are skilled with their razors, skilled enough that some of them double as surgeons and doctors. This kit is open to thieves and bards, any race or gender. They tend to congregate in cities, not the desert. They get healing and herbalism as bonus proficiencies, which is a pretty sweet deal, since they normally cost two slots apiece. Bards who are barbers also get reading/writing and a modern language for free. The amusing thing about this kit is the description of how barbers are portrayed in folk tales. They talk and talk and talk, going into long-winded nested stories that go on forever, driving customers crazy. That is actually taken directly from the Arabian Nights, where there is indeed a barber who does exactly that, telling ridiculous stories about his seven brothers that ultimately has no point.
All barbers have the bard's ability to discern the general use and purpose of a magical item; bards get 5% per level, thieves get 3%. They get less regular thieving skill points than they otherwise would at first level, since so much of their training involves learning how to barber (and heal people).
Next up is the beggar-thief. Hi, Aladdin! This is exactly what it looks like: thieves who are also beggars. Again, these are more of a city dweller; there aren't too many opportunities to fleece passers-by in the middle of a desert. This is a thief-only kit, and western beggar-thieves (from the Complete Thieves' Handbook) are considered sa'luks in Zakhara, not beggars. Don't ask me why; I didn't write the book.
Obviously, beggars get begging as a bonus proficiency. They can have other marketable skills such as weaving or tailoring, but beggars don't generally want people to know they could work for a living; it cuts into their profits. Their starting equipment is...a bowl. Nothing like reinforcing the stereotype, is there? They also don't tend to wear armor, since it interferes with their begging. Magic items are even worse, since they're a flat -5 to the begging proficiency check. They're great at disappearing in crowds, but they are treated as having the lowest of stations (because they do). Any race or gender can be a beggar-thief, of course.
Fun fact: Dragon 22 was the first (and only, prior to Al-Qadim's launch) magazine to include an article about the holy slayers, the original assassins. And unlike the 1st edition assassins, these guys are religious zealots who kill not for money, but for paradise. Well, here they are, in all their hidden glory. The holy slayers are fanatics who serve their own particular fellowship and its leadership. They are described as 'ghosts of the desert.' They tend to live in remote locations where their recruits are brought and trained. In Zakhara, there are several of these fellowships, including the Soft Whisper (all females), the Wind of Fate (all males), the Wrath of the Old, the Storm Which Destroys, and Grey Fire; there are probably others as well.
Holy slayers have a simple life: live your life as normal until the call comes, at which time you drop everything and do whatever your master commands. Word of advice: Don't ignore the call, unless you want to spend the rest of you (likely short) life dodging the people who trained you. If you really screw the pooch, the Grandfather (or Grandmother) might come after you personally.
Holy slayers get to specialize in a weapon, just as fighters do; each fellowship has their signature weapon (all one-handed). They have superior stealth abilities compared to other thieves, but lower pickpocket and read languages skill. They get Disguise as a bonus proficiency, which enables them to hide in between suicide missions Elves, gnomes and halflings are rarely holy slayers, although dwarves are more common (especially among moralist dwarves). Bards can't be holy slayers.
The fifth kit is the matrud; these are the desert thieves (no bards), rejected by their tribes and living on the edges of what they think of as civilization. Another thief-only kit, these guys can be found everywhere from the sea to the desert; they're outcast, as well-respected as beggars. In fact, they eke out a living by doing things even the beggars don't want to do. They're very transient, usually one step ahead of the local law. They travel light, and can be of any race and gender; non-human matruds are sometimes branded or otherwise marked.
Merchant-rogues are the stereotype for all merchants; not all merchants are thieves, but enough of them are that the label sticks. That and their notorious haggling practices convinces most people that none of them can be trusted to be honest. This reputation makes it easier for merchant-rogues to operate; everyone expects you to be a thief anyway, so why disappoint them? This is another thief-only class. Needless to say, they get haggling as a bonus proficiency, and often improve it to obscenely high levels. Their special abilities revolve around money: They can buy in bulk at low prices from other merchants, and they can set up a profitable company. I mean, any character could do that, but these guys are really good at it. Of course, they have to pay taxes on their profits, because even fantasy worlds can't escape the taxman.
Finally, there are the rawuns, the bards of the desert (no thieves allowed). Like their western counterparts, rawuns are the tale-tellers, the walking Wikipedias, and party animals. Most of them are members of desert tribes; they might appear in the cities as well. Desert rawuns are often advisers to shieks and tribal leaders, while in the cities they can be street entertaininers all the way up to grand viziers. They can all sing (bonus proficiency) and can recite epic poems from memory; they love to collect books and scrolls to add to their knowledge. They get a bonus to their legend lore ability, and have the terrifying ability to call down the evil eye upon someone once a day. They can also remove it from someone else instead.
And that's Zakhara's rogues. One more set of kits to go: the priests.
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