Pick'n Pockets

So I gots this thief.


I go on the Lich quest from the Homlet Capt. of the Guards.


I try to pick the pockets of the:

Lich

Goblin

and

the Kolbold

The Rolls History box indicates success.

The blue text on the main screen ~98% of the time says failure.

The other ~2% says success.

In neither case does my inventory change.

I'm at a bit of loss as to what's happening, mind this is the first time I've tried the picketty pockets type of thing.

Gentleman, Ladies, your thoughts please?

Tomthenotsoverygoodthiefthefighter

 

Hmmm.....


Tried picking Elmo's pocket in the Inn.

Rolled a 19+13 (+4 dex, +3 feat Pick Pockets, +6 Initial Val ) =32 vs dc of 20.

Text in Rolls Windows says success.

Blue text in main screen says "failure".

No change in my inventory.

 

Have you checked your cash before and after?

 

I thought they did something with the "lich" to prevent people from picking his pockets, so that behavior may be as intended. I'm less sure about Elmo.

 

Yep - no change.

Executed a large number of pick pocket attempts an the Inn.

At rough guess, I had maybe 6 attempts where-in "success" was printed in both the main screen and the Roll's box. I'd say for every 10 - 15 "successes" listed in the Roll's Box, I'd get 1 printed in the main screen.

Out of those 6, I actually obtained 2 items ( cash on hand didn't appear to have changed ) a dagger and a head band.

Color me befuddled. If the game is functioning correctly, I can't imagine for the life of me why anyone would engage in such risky behavior.

Tomthefighter

 

Yeah, I often put zero points into sleight of hand. Doesn't seem useful imo.

 

Well, you'd think it'd have some value. Heck, I've had the platemail stripped right off a fighter's body just walking in to the hotel in Nulb!

Tomtheonceuponatimenakedasajaybirdfighter

 

It is useful if you metagame a lot. And reload a lot. Some chars have valuable items that can be obtained early on. (like a wand of magic missiles 5th level at level 1 from a famous mage)

But money is rarely an issue in ToEE and unless you are actively avoiding confrontation but for some reason still want to obtain some specific item, I found that there is little reason to put points into it.

Shame, as in Baldur's Gate, I found it really fun to max out pick pockets. It actually gave you an edge in a certain portion of the game. Specially since potions were a lot more powerful (and abundant) in those games.

 

Sometimes it's easy to mistake a success for a spot from the attempted target for a success at actually stealing from them.

You probably already know that the target has to fail a spot in order for you to succeed at getting anything.

 

Ah good SirChet !

While I was not aware of that, be assured that I am accurately describing the behavior that I'm observing. The Rolls Window reports successful slight of hand and failure to spot by the target and the main screen has blue text indicating failure at slight of hand.

It really is not making any sense. I don't understand why I'm not robbing these guys blind. I mean if the slight of hand roll is something like a 29 vs a target's dc of 20 and the Rolls Window reports that the spotting attempt is failure I ought to get something.

Perhaps your fearless companion has some insight into my dilemma?

Tomthemaybeishouldsticktoslayingthingsfighter

 

It definitely works for me. The lich never drops anything, as far as I know, so he probably doesn't have anything you can steal either, but here's what I got from stealing from the other guys:

1. Money at start: 52/55/117/10
2. Kobold sergeant:
1st attempts: 52/55/117/15 (5 copper!)
Further attempts yield nothing.
3. Goblin leader:
1st attempt: 1 magic potion
2nd attempt: 52/55/120/15 (3 silver)
Further attempts yield nothing.
4. Gnoll:
1st attempt: 52/55/120/21 (6 copper)
2nd attempt: 52/55/135/21 (15 silver)
The rest fails

So while not exactly a goldmine it does work.

Next up is the Inn in Hommlet:
Random woman:
Nothing

Sage:
1st attempt: 52/55/142/21 (7 silver)
2nd attempt: 3 blue jasper
3rd attempt: 63/55/142/21 (11 platinum)
4th attempt: 63/64/142/21 (9 gold)
That's all, I think

Innkeeper:
1st: 63/64/142/82 (61 copper)
2nd: 174/64/142/82 (111 platinum!)
3rd: 174/64/175/82 (33 gold)
4th: 174/520/175/82 (456 gold)
Nothing more.

I am only listing successful attempts here. It's true that sometimes the rolls are successful, but it says "Pick Pocket Failed" anyway, so I often had to make several attempts. I assumed I was done when I got lots of "Picket Pocket Failed" in a row. My theory is that each character has a certain number of "slots" (or pockets, if you will) and if your sleigh of hand roll is successful you take from one of them, but the slots/pockets can be empty. And as you take more items from him, he has more empty slots and less slots with items you can steal. This appeared to be the case, because it seemed like I had to make more and more tries to get the 2nd, 3rd and 4th item. Anyway, this theory could easily be wrong, but when it comes to actually stealing things it seems to work mostly as expected. I interpret the times when you succeed at using the skill, but fail to get an item as attempts where you successfully get your hand down his pocket, but the pocket is empty.

 

Just so you know about pickpocket skill

you can palm and take a coin size object with a DC 10
you need to succeed in a dc 20 skill check just to palm a dagger off of someones pocket or light small sized object like a key.

the NPC getting picked makes a SPOT check, (maybe why you see in blue Failure; SPOT CHECk?). this check is opposed by you making the sleight of hand check.


you would need like DC 50 to take platemail off of a character, seems a bit obsurd.

 

Hehe... I have fun imagining such absurd situations like taking someone's armor off without them noticing.

But if I was DMing I would allow it for an epic rogue with a very high DC because this is dungeons and dragons and epic means.... epic!

 

I have experienced my fighter having his armor stolen as he enters a certain tavern in a seedy Boardwalk town and the thief had the audacity to actually wear the armor as soon as she took it.

 

Once I lost my equipped greathammer there and didn't notice until I was getting pounded by the Hag in Imeryds Run LOL


*fighter swings invisible hammer at Hag...


... it's not very effective.*