"If mortal man could have stolen the gem, be sure it would have been filched long ago."

-The Tower of the Elephant

This was a rare term for Howard, as it is a derisive appellation for taking, something that his characters usually did from the moral high ground, very much achieved by taking risks rather than sneaking. However, his story The Tower of the Elephant was so influential in the formation of the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons—including the all important concept of burglarizing dreadful precincts as a profession—that the medieval-style thieves guilds in the game included this as a rank. [1]

filch

(fĭlch)

tr.v. filched, filch·ing, filch·es

To take (something, especially something of little value) in a furtive manner; snitch. See Synonyms at steal.

[Middle English filchen.]

filch′er n.

The children's fantasy by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, was the primary influence on this concept. However, the standard adventure template was modeled far more along the lines of the chief secondary influence, Howard's Depression Era Gangster-inspired Conan tales, particularly the thieves tavern as a feature of the setting, where characters were often generated.