Pickpockets

[Lavalamps]

I just had some questions. about Pickpockets.

Pickpockets are, IMO, the hardest sneaky class to be.
It is HARD to steal stuff.
And when you're just starting out, you fail most of the time.
You spend alot of time in jail.

So, how do you survive as a starting pickpocket?

And, how do you get good if you fail everytime?

Do your skills improve even if you fail?

How do you get practice if you always end up in jail?

Basically, just what are some general tips on playing a Pickpocket (or any sneaky?)

[Tlaloc]

Read the Thieves Bible, and live by it.

[cyberpatrol_735]

1. Read the thieves bible, and live by it, also find more players like you, watch them and learn, young grasshoppah.

2. You learn from your mistakes, don't you? (okay, some of you don't)

3. While I wouldn't call this IC info, it is a code thing we shouldn't talk about I think.

4. Learn to be sneaky, make use of the flee skill and route your escape path before you make a hit.

Or you could just move to tuluk where if you do land in jail, you get a slap on the wrist.

All joking aside, think smart before you steal, don't just whack a random joe unless you're -desperate-.

I played an elven pick-pocket a while back, I was -very- successful with him, stealing from PCs and NPCs alike. They get good, I'd say around 5-6 days playtime, I was rolling along smoothly.

[Northlander]

It takes time to get good enough to survive. Unless you get food through your subguild or something other than skills (feel free to join the army or Byn or any other house regardless of your guild), my hot tip for surviving is prison cuisine.

[Hymwen]

If you're in Allanak, try find a place where stealing won't get you thrown in jail. If you find yourself arrested regularly, it's only a matter of time until you're fighting (and losing) in the arena.

Steal small stuff when you're new. Coins, daggers, tickets etc., and try to avoid things that would seem hard (such as the inner pocket of a closed aba).

Don't give people a reason to watch you. When the very tall figure in a dark, hooded cloak sneaks into the bar, their eyes are on you. When the smiling slick-haired fella swaggers into the bar and strikes up a conversation, they're probably not suspecting anything right away.

Don't steal when there's guards nearby. Tektolnes/Muk Utep teaches them to fly, move with the speed of light, and they have cellphones.

As soon as you can, carry a good amount of cash to bribe with.

[WWYD]

Mmm..cockroach souffle. My one tip as a pick-pocket is NEVER overestimate your skill. If you can barely steal the dagger off his belt, you're not going to get the shield he's got in his invetory.

EDIT: It's also good to learn the best hiding spots and places where you can hide in either city and not get swamped with soldiers. They exist.

[EvilRoeSlade]

And when you're just starting out, you fail most of the time.
You spend alot of time in jail.

The last pickpocket I played lasted 9 months, spent the majority of her career stealing things, and was never sent to jail.

Learn how to not get caught.  That's all I have to say.

However, I do believe that pickpockets are seriously underpowered and I've sent E-mails to the staff on more than one occasion asking for changes to the steal skill that I feel are needed.

[Sarcastic Kank]

Learn how to not get caught. That's all I have to say.

Nice.

[Guido]

Are you people kidding me? Getting caught it half the fun of playing a criminal.

[Lavalamps]

Not when you get caught 80 percent of the time, when you're just starting out...

[Hymwen]

Yeah, I had the same problem with one of my pick-pockets. I ended up spending 3-4 hours a day in jail, which is really quite boring after the first couple of times. "Don't get caught" is very easy to say when guards are superhuman mind-readers.

[Lavalamps]

No kidding.

[Manhattan]

my PC stopped getting caught at 2 days playing time... or maybe im just a twink.

but in all honesty, pickpocket is pretty easy to play. even in tuluk. you just gotta know the tricks.

[Angela Christine]

Find a target, but don't go for it right away.  Leave the target and work backwards to a "safe" place, trying to find a path where you will never need to be in the same room or within one room of a soldier.  If you can find a path where you never have to be within 2 or 3 rooms of a soldier all the better, because that will help protect you in case the soldier moves, but it isn't essential.  Go back to the target location, again checking on soldier positions as you go.  Make your attempt.  If you succeed and are not fingered as a thief, great, go on with your day.  If you are marked as a criminal, make your way along your safe path as quickly as possible.  Many times this will allow you to make a clean getaway.  Not every time, but many times.  Then you just have to wait for the criminal flag to wear off -- that can take a while, perhaps even as long as your sentence would have been if you had gone to jail, but at least you get to wait it out in a place of your choosing rather than a dank cell.




Survival is only an issue if you make it an issue.  As a city character a pickpocket can survive for a long time on your starting money.  A pickpocket doesn't need a mount, armor, expensive weapons (like bows), jewelry or much of anything that costs a lot of money.  If you have a deep dislike of newbie clothes you can find an acceptable set of cheap "commoner" clothes for a couple hundred 'sids.  Throw in a dagger or two, and a waterskin and you are good to go  Even if you want a more elaborate set of clothing and maybe a tattoo you should be able to look presentable for less than half of your starting money.  Keep all but 100 sids worth in the bank and it could keep you alive for months.  If you buy water in bulk and cheap food from grocers rather than prepared meals at taverns, then a few hundred sids can keep you alive for a very long time.  It can certainly keep you alive long enough for you to develop your skills and connections to a useful level.


AC

[jhunter]

Listen to AC, that way of working it has done very well for me. My last couple of criminal pcs never got arrested once. Watch the routes of the patrols...etc...

Take your time and be aware of your surroundings.

[Akaramu]

Remember, you don't have to practice on PCs or NPCs when you are just starting out. Ever watched a movie where kid pickpockets are being trained by their gang?  :wink:

You could also find some buddies and practice on each other. Just be careful with elves.

Either way, it will seem sloooooow to improve and you'll need a lot of patience.

[Lavalamps]

I guess to do this you just have to go somewhere where guards arent gonna find you?

[Ghost]

Remember, you don't have to practice on PCs or NPCs when you are just starting out.

[Lavalamps]

Wait... what do you mean?
If you don't practice, then...?

[Delirium]

Remember that you can steal things on the ground as well as on people.

[Ghost]

As Akaramu and Delirium pointed out already.

Check out "help steal".

[growingall]

I must just say that I've been in jail, not link-dead and shouting a lot. No PCs.

[Cale_Knight]

I must just say that I've been in jail, not link-dead and shouting a lot. No PCs.

PCs are very unlikely to randomly wander in on you when you're in jail. However, you can always wish up and let whoever's up there know that you're in jail and would like some interaction. They might let a PC know or they might animate an NPC.

[psionic fungus]

[Deleted because it's a stupid double post with a typo fix]

[psionic fungus]

Actually, using the techniques mentioned above, I think people may find that playing a pick-pocket is surprisingly easy to start out, and ridiculously easy once you have been playing for a few days.