Well, an event comes around and I start to get excited about actually using the pickpocket skill that is usually found so useless and guess what happens? Just about the entire Spitfire is sancted. Should we all just forget this skill even exists?

I dont think the Treasure Hunt area should permit stealing. Also the room where the random wands are sold should also be exempt.

I could probably find another 3-4 rooms where stealing shouldn't be allowed if I went through the ship with a fine-tooth comb. But beyond that, it should be permitted. So should consequences if you are caught.

Maynist

IMO, the best hope for pickpocketing is that it is seen as a rogue profession priority and given Dev. There have been countless excellent suggestions for how to improve the system BEYOND CvC, and yes, they can include that too as a legacy function.

It all boils down to..What would you rather have? Stealth based group mechanics playing nice, or more options for pickpocketing? Self-spelled, lightly armored stealth based hunting improvements (such as many we have already had), or more options for pickpocketing? And so on, and so on.

Truly, though, I would love to see pickpocketing's main benefit come into play at festivals, but not being wielded against other players. A well trained thief should be able to steal from nearly any shop with increasing risks, weighing the value of a high-silver pull versus being caught and ejected from the festival until they pay a nasty fine.

This type of mechanic has been around in various forms in the past. It could be considered a festival "Game", and coded as such, like many at the EG. It would also require updates to shops mechanics, but in my opinion it would be well worth it.

TLDR...Stealing from characters at festivals is meh. It SHOULDN'T be meh, as Festival-specific dev should be comitted to give thieves a chance to steal things worth stealing.

A simple but awesome fix would be to allow a second modified LOOT roll to sentient creatures looking for hidden compartments on their person.

So, You loot the Ithzir Seer
It had 435 coins.
It also had an uncut diamond!
A quick scan for a hidden stash reveals 203 coins.
You discard the remainder of the Ithzir Seer's useless equipment.

Only gems, coins, alchemy drops, and random Magic items/scrolls, or just restrict it to coins if you're worried abut inflation.

If I wanted to play a Disney game, I'd play a Disney game. The fact that Pickpocketing skill is getting blocked in more and more places, and an entire festival was "protected" from it is total crap. I don't post here too often because when I speak my mind my posts get pulled because... frankly, I pull no punches. I'll stop before this post comes to that. Just let it be known, the skill is a joke, and the players who aren't too lazy to whine and complain, but are too lazy to close their containers and hit the bank... and the fact that the GMs cater to THEM, not the skills in the game is the problem here.

Simutronics, removing fun to their games with every update.

<The flip side to that argument is that the complaining pickpockets are too lazy and inept to properly ply their trade.>

That's not a 100 per cent fair statement. You can only ply the trade and learn how to do it properly in a handful of rooms nowadays if you want to do it properely (i.e. in a crowd). There is very, very little opportunity to actually learn how to do it properly... the action and the RP of being caught. If you learn by doing and the places where you can actually ply the trade properly are heavily reduced and restricted, then it is a pointless skill.

But, developing or revamping Pickpocketing is in the same boat as being Grouped as an Ambusher. It will probably never happen because it takes too much time to make it happen.

It wasn't the entire festival completely, I did manage to entertain myself in a couple of rooms (shush you). Definitely the large majority of it, though.

I'm kinda split on the idea of stealing from other players at festivals though. Raffles require coins (do they still actually?) - I'd could be a real jerk in a room without a sanct and with a raffle table. Festivals in general are a bit more OOC too, regardless of whether that's intentional, which inches it towards PvP more....

All in all I'd love some updates to PP. I'm not holding my breath, but I am still accumulating enhancives (I want those tonis gloves sooooooooo bad).

-Keleborrn.

While pick pocketing indeed needs revamped, I also agree that I'd like to see ambush mechanics worked on..or benefits to lighter armor for ambushing and such over and above the armor maneuver system.

However, there are two things that I think would be helpful. One of them is not having so many pickpocket-proof rooms. If all the major areas end up being pick pocket proof, then there's no need for the skill. Having a skill that gives no benefit is just a tease and causes people to waste TPs for some perceived benefit that isn't there. (Thrown and Archery was like this for awhile.. although some would argue that except for a few special weapons it might still be.)

The other is taking a look at the success rate mechanics and how crowded rooms are factors into this. That being said, Oscuro did look into this and did decrease the amount needed. I'm unsure if anyone has done any research into this to see just how much it has decreased. I haven't done much pick pocketing since this happened, so I can't really say much on this one way or the other.

Does anyone have an idea of how much Oscuro tweaked this? I'm guessing that it's considered one of those hidden mechanics things so a GM can't comment too much, but it would be nice to get a rough 'it requires 30% less people now' estimate.

I lied. A third thing that I think would be cool is to be able to steal items again from shops. Not in the whole stealing sharp vultite falchions from a merchant event sense, but more like being able to steal milk from the grocers. (Of course, I guess the current ordering system kinda negates this.) Also, being able to steal from the guards outside the icemule gates was nice. Any idea why this was changed?