Conclusion
What sort of conclusion can we draw from all this? That theft is an ideal tool for a villain to use? Well, yeah, but it seems that heroes can get good use out of it too. One thing that seems pretty apparent is that the only difference between a good thief and an evil thief is the motive behind the theft. In the case of heroes, it's a means used to right wrongs, whereas the more enterprising (and generally more successful) larcenists simply use theft as a means to line their pockets and screw their enemies over.
Well, there's a surprise.
We've also seen that there is no 'ultimate thief' per se, unless you want to start creating god-level characters. In order to be the greatest thief of all time, you need to be able to max out all the skills in the Player's Handbook. Not an easy thing to do: there are 45 of them, not counting the permutations of the Craft, Perform and Profession skills! Theft is a specialised profession -- far more specialised than I can outline in 6,000 words or so -- but the four examples you've seen should help point you in the right direction. There are three questions you should ask yourself when considering a larcenous career:
- What do I want to steal?
- How do I want to steal it?
- From whom do I want to steal it?
When creating a character whose primary motive is to help themselves to other people's wealth, remember that, like most robberies, a little planning can go a long way.
Oh, and of course, if you get caught, I don't know who you are. Right? We've never met.