3. Pick Pocket System

Pick Pocket System


  • Pick Pocket System in Narfell

    Narfell automatically sets a -40 penalty to every person’s pick-pocket skill. This is because the server uses a custom scripted “pick-pocket tool” which is an OOC item that allows a would be thief to use the skill. The -40 skill penalty exists only to prevent players from using the skill through the normal NWN means. When using the pick-pocket tool, the penalty is not counted.

    The primary purpose of the pick-pocket tool is to enforce the Narfell server rules concerning pick pocketing. These rules are:

    1. No thief shall attempt to pick the pocket of the same PC more than once per 24 hours.

    2. A successful pick-pocket attempt can only take gold or small items.

    3. If the victim detects the thief, the thief must be prepared to RP the situation.

    The pick-pocket tool strictly enforces rules 1 and 2. It also tries to provide a context within which rule 3 is naturally enforced. It provides the victim with the opportunity to grab the thief and recover their belongings, beat-up the thief and grab some of the thief's belongings, or hand them over to the law. While none of these are inevitable, a thief should be aware that there are consequences to being caught.

    Usage

    The pick-pocket tool is used like most other custom items and when used it activates a conversation with the thief. One may also activate the script through the RestMenu. It results in the usual low-casting animation which it has not been possible to suppress. Consequently the tool has been designed with a view to allowing the thief to plan a pick-pocket attempt from a distance.

    When first used, it requires the thief to define a default reaction for when an attempt is detected. The justification for this is that the thief will react with little thought, either according to his/her nature or according to a carefully considered plan. The latter case is supported by allowing the thief to change the default reaction at any time. Thus a thief might, by nature, try to bluff their way out of trouble, but when planning a particular theft might decide that escape is the safer option. The four possibilities open to the thief are:

    1. Run.
    2. Drop the stolen item and run.
    3. Try and appease the victim.
    4. Try and intimidate the victim.

    The significance of the different choices is explained later.

    Having chosen the default reaction, the thief is presented with a number of options:

    1. Plan a pick-pocket attempt or abort one.
    2. Publicly display the thief's pick-pocket history
    3. Change the default reaction.

    This is the menu that the thief normally sees when activating the pick-pocket tool. Option 3 is the same as that which appears when the tool is first used. Option 2 gives a public listing of the thief's activities and is intended to resolve disputes by providing a clear record of success/failure, detection, the item taken and whether it was returned.

    The pick-pocket option leads to a list of the nine closest victim candidates. They are listed with closest first and the name of the victim is displayed, together with an indication of their degree of alertness. It is useful to remember that the list is order of distance from the thief because the names of NPCs are not always different and it can be difficult to identify a particular one, e.g. commoner or guard.

    Having chosen the victim, the thief must choose the type of object to be targeted. This is may currently only be a small random object, but the conversation step is included for future enhancements.

    Once the item type has been selected, a timer begins to count down. Every couple of seconds a check is made to see if the thief is close enough to the victim for the theft to be attempted. The thief does not need to be stationary, but running past the victim will rarely result in a pick-pocket attempt. It is best to walk up to the victim or walk past them. If the timer expires the attempt is aborted. The aborted attempt is not recorded in the thief's history and the same victim may be chosen at a later time.

    The pick-pocket attempt

    The basic rules for arbitrating the pick-pocket attempt are taken from the PnP rule. The attempt has two parts, the theft attempt and the detection check.

    The DC for the theft attempt is 20 and the theft is successful if a d20 roll adjusted by the appropriate modifiers is greater than or equal to this. In addition to the standard modifiers such as the thief's pick-pocket skill and dexterity, additional modifiers are taken into account for special cases. For example, if the victim is sleeping. If the theft attempt is successful, the item is transferred to the thief.

    The victim has the opportunity to detect the attempt. The basic DC for this is the d20 result from the theft attempt, modified by the thief's pick-pocket skill and dexterity modifier. There is also a modifier if the victim is sleeping, is alert or is suspicious of the thief. The thief is detected if the victim makes a spot roll that is greater than or equal to this value.

    The alert and suspicion modifiers are Narfell adjustments. The former arises if the victim has active search and has more than 5 points in the search skill (a synergy bonus). The latter allows for a single thief to be identified by the victim as the target of suspicion and only applies if the victim is facing the thief (the mechanism by which the victim does this has not yet been implemented).

    If the thief fails in the theft attempt, but is not detected, only the thief receives notification of the results. If the thief is succesful, but is not detected, then the (PC, not NPC) victim is informed asked to ignore the theft. If the victim's spot roll came close to succeeding they are informed that they may in the future be able to think back and guess the probable thief, remembering race and sex in future RP (e.g. "I reckon it was that half-orc woman that brushed me as we left the inn"). Otherwise the victim is asked to behave as if the thief is completely unknown.

    The thief detected (by a PC victim)

    The thief is frozen. A conversation is started for the victim, describing the thief and the thief's attitude (turning to run, flinging item at victim, offering it apologetically or looking threatening). If the thief's default action is either "drop and run" or "appease" the stolen item is returned to the victim.

    The victim is offered the chance to grab the thief or let them go. If the thief is turning to run this decision must be taken quickly because the thief is released after a short interval. If the thief has chosen to appease or intimidate the victim it is not necessary to make an immediate choice. By leaving the conversation open and RPing using the chat-line, the victim is able to defer the decision. The grab attempt will be made as long as the thief is in range.

    If the grab attempt is made, but fails or the thief later escapes from the victim's hold (see Grappling, below), the victim is requested not to chase the thief. However a degree of revenge may be extracted through spreading the thief's description around town and generally ruining their reputation with the townsfolk. The victim success depends on a spot roll (how well the victim observed the thief, always a 20 if the thief held for any time), a perform roll (how well the thief victim describes their observations) and a persuade roll (how convinving the victim is). These are combined into a maximum loss to the thieves reputation, however the victim may choose to what extent they wish to ruin the thief's reputation. (Ideally the victim would proceed to RP the appropriate reaction.)

    If the grab attempt is successful, the victim has a number of options:

    1. If the thief still has the victim's property it may be retrieved at no risk.
    2. Some item of the thief's may be taken. This obeys the same rules as pick pocketing in terms of the item taken. However the thief has opprotunity to escape and if they fail the item is taken.
    3. The thief may be beaten. The thief has an opportunity to escape, but if they fail the victim will inflict unarmed damage if an opposed grapple roll succeeeds.
    4. The thief may be handed over to the local law for imprisonment and fining.

    Unless the thief escapes, they remain in the victims power and options 2 and 3 may be repeated, culminating with very poor and battered thief being handed over to the law. At any point the victim may choose to let the victim go, but if the thief escapes the victim may choose to ruin their reputation, as described above.

    The thief detected (by an NPC victim)

    Esentially the NPC victim has the same options as a PC. The decision to grab the thief is governed by the percieved strength of the thief (by build and size, not by level) and the number of allies the victim has nearby.

    The NPC victim will choose to beat up the thief or steal from the thief or hand the thief over to the law according to their law/chaos alignment. A neutral NPC may end up doing all three. A lawful one is likely to only hand the thief over to the law, but a chaotic one may administer a severe beating.

    The NPC victim will always spread the thief's description around town, doing their utmost to ruin the thief's reputation.

    Grappling

    The rules for this are taken from the PnP rules, but are simplified to exclude attacks-of-opportunity etc.

    To grab the defender, an attacker must make a successful melee touch attack. If this succeeds an opposed grapple attempt is made. This consists of the defender setting a DC based on an attack roll modified by their BAB, strength modifier and a special size modifier. The attacker must equal or exceed it with a similar attack roll.

    If the attacker succeeds in both the melee touch attack and the opposed grapple, then the defender is held.

    If the attacker then wishes toi inflict damage on the defender, the defender gets a chance to escape. This too is an opposed grapple check. If the defender is still held then the attacker may make another opposed grapple check to see if they can harm the defender. The damage is always unarmed damage, 1d4 for a large, 1d3 for a medium and 1d2 for a small attacker (plus strength modifiers). A monk deals normal attack damage.