Skill Idea:Distract

[LauraMars]

I dunno, not too terribly long ago I was sitting in the barrel at peek times, behaving suspiciously...hands twitching, squirming, eyeing the desired object, and so forth.

Kept this up for about ten minutes as I was interacting with everyone...and eventually I noticed all eyes in the tavern were on me (not that this is anything unusual, of course).  I observed that all were watching me.  So either I hit a vein of good rpers or people do use the command regularily, or I was just behaving suspiciously enough to warrant it.

Either way, I say BRAVO for watch.

[Cuusardo]

I don't feel that a coded skill is needed in order to do this.  It can easily be done without.

[Anonymous]

Can be RPed.

Get five of your best buddies, go into the inn together and spam the shit out of everyone with juggling, dancing, singing, what the heck ever.

Then steal like a little bitch.

[spawnloser]

I don't feel that a coded skill is needed in order to do this.  It can easily be done without.

...but a distraction should make it easier to nab something from someone.  That wouldn't be represented by code.

[Folker]

Can be RPed.

Get five of your best buddies, go into the inn together and spam the shit out of everyone with juggling, dancing, singing, what the heck ever.

Then steal like a little bitch.

Well, if you got five best buddies, then you can aswell just cut the whole tavern into ribbons, militia included and loot the bodies.

Heh, anyway, I find the discussion in itself more or less productive. Some got it, some got it but disagree, some didnt get it. Still, damn shame that in totality the idea proved unwelcome It's all mansa's fault ofcourse.

[Jooce]

I like the idea myself.

[Cenghiz]

Me two pickpockets.. Then let one play the distracter, the other the thief.. The distracter cannot distract? Let him become the thief.. We do have ways to see if someone's watching us and we do know they can watch only one person at a time..

Or... Ask a noone from 'rinth head to the bar with his dark, hooded cloak. Let him speak, then 'peek'. Who will keep on watching 'you' instead of him? Pay him with a bit of coins.

Please please please... I don't believe the Arm playerbase is incapable of forcing other PC's get distracted without codewise help.

As a last note about one or two months before.... Dark, hooded cloaks are fine to show where you're from. In nine of ten instances, they're also flashing neon signs 'WATCH ME!', specially if the wearer was seen sneaking before. Don't you have any other less crowded place to train it? After seeing you fail leaving Bard's Barrel sneakily for the nineteenth time, sorrily it's totally IC to watch you all the time, one time I even wished the Gods of Armageddon that I had had a pickpocket instead.. Alien people would become the distraction for me.

[Folker]

Heh, something similar was already posted earlier on. And as the author of the thread, I'll repost my argument

In the description of your distraction, you mention cloaks, sneaking, peeking, etc. Yes, being suspicious does work well in the role of a distracter. The problem there is that this is the 'only' role, the 'only' method that in most times, will you be able to distract someone. So in other words, no you cant use a pretty woman to distract your marks, you cannot keep your mark lax and relaxed, focused on something else that's pleasing him. In order to keep him distracted, you're forced to keep him on your toes by having your partner scare the mark for his life or pouch. In short, generally speaking, this is the most unprofessional type of distraction a pickpocket is capable of, but unfortunately ... he is limited to that only.

Simply because a great deal of people will 'not' shift their watch on something less threatening, no matter how distracting, how flashy, how pleasing, or just ... how much more 'in your face' is the distraction, compared to some cloaked figure on the other side of the tavern. Not because people are twinks, but because emoting out a reaction towards the flashy, pleasing, loud, in your face distracter is so much more natural, then shifting their watch to them for some reason, even though realistically ... you would.

If it was 'only' for the sake of escaping watch, there's plenty of other coded ways of doing it, as Morgenes mentioned. The suggestion though involves more then that. Not only does it 'force' your watch codedly, it also (if you fall for it) lowers your awareness, making you vulnerable to shady things more, or making you less proeffecient in guarding, etc. Think of it as the 'other side' of watch. If the gods thundered and gave you ability to focus your attention on someone, let the demons snicker and give you the flaw of drifting attention. Granted, that might already be done via watch command itself, but I dont think it's enough, because other people cannot control who you watch, while realistically ... people 'do' have 'some' amount of control on where you're looking. If you dont think so, then why are you reading this, your character's being killed, and I'm distracting you: )

This suggestion will also give pickpockets ability to be useful in gangs. Their skills generally revolve around non lethal people operations. Give them and the bards this distraction thing also, so they would be able to participate in illegal clan operations, without expertly stealing stuff from an already cut down corpse inside an expertly broken into apartment.

edit:

A small addition. Being attacked also breakes your watch, is that unfair too ? Forcing you to stop watching the person you were watching?

[mansa]

Has anybody said this?

NINJA SMOKE !

>use powder

>flee self