Thief,Thief

[phatpasco]

Im new to the game and i have a question..when you are caught trying to steal and an NPC starts yelling THIEF,THIEF...Is there a timer or something..before the heat has cleared so to speak? How long before i could go back into that area without that NPC reconizing me?  I have been avoiding all the areas Ive been caught in and soon Ill be stuck in 1 room forever

[mansa]

There's a timer.

[Quani]

There is a -wanted- timer, if you're talking about hiding from them virtually remembering you (A very good sign for a new player) If you are dodging them so they don't recognize you just use common sense, also try wearing something with a hood or a veil or something.

Codewise though yes there is a wanted timer that will end eventually so the guards aren't after you.

[Cuusardo]

So you're playing a thief.  Be sure to read your bible!

http://www.armageddon.org/rp/bible.html

[Flaming Ocotillo]

If you steal from an NPC/PC in a law-enforced area (usually it's a room description with VNPCs in the area, but not always), and you fail to steal, you'll be given a wanted flag on your PC, which is a coded thing that makes soldiers try to arrest you and drag you to jail (they may kill you in some cases or some cities/villages). The flag does have a timer and will run out after a period of time. You can see if you are flagged in this way by typing "stat". If you get something in your stat list that says "You are wanted in: Allanak" or whatever city, then the flag is active. You should also note that you can't see the wanted flag in your stat listing if you leave the city area you're wanted in, even though you may still have the flag. The code hides that information from you, to help kill off PCs that try to get info on their wanted status by entering the area. Trial and error will teach you a lot about the criminal code, but be prepared to lose a lot of PCs while experimenting. Keep in mind that the crim code was originally designed to be unforgiving and dish out instant death, but Morgenes has improved many aspects of the crim code very recently (NPCs getting movement lag, and PCs being able to move while hidden). There are still some harsh aspects to it, but then it has to be harsh to keep some kind of order in the city.

As for whether or not a NPC recognizes you after you steal from them, if they attacked you after you stole from them, they will hunt you until you log out. There's no timer, they will just hate you forever until you quit out of the game.

[Nao]

Also, remember to turn on 'nosafe arrest' if you want to surrender to soldiers that might be after you and spend some time in jail instead of getting beat to pulp when they catch you.

That can safe a lot of character's lives...