Mechanics of stealing?

[crine]

I am curious how stealing in this game works. I noticed some containers have a sort of mask icon which I assume indicates you are stealing instead of the regular gauntlet icon. My questions are what stats/skills go into determining stealing's success (I would assume stealth but it seems you need mechanics to pick locks) and if you fail does the game indicate it with a visible warning of reputation loss or the NPCs protesting or attacking? Does line of sight matter or can they see you even if they are facing away from the object? Also if something to steal is locked can you use mechanics to open it for XP and to see what is in it without taking anything and not get reputation drop or other consequences?

[HoopleDoople]

The only relevant skill for stealing is stealth. Mechanics is needed to open locked containers, but unlocking a container you can steal from does not count as stealing. You are also welcome to look inside these containers - only once you take something does it count as stealing.

 

To steal without producing a response you need to not be seen while you are doing so. If you are in scouting mode any character without a red circle can get away with stealing. This is why stealth matters - the higher your stealth the closer you can approach enemies/NPCs without being detected.

 

If you are spotted stealing you still take the items, but whoever spotted you will typically go hostile. There is at least one case where you'll be called out but not attacked (a container upstairs in the Black Hound Inn), but I'm not sure if this is the case anywhere else. My guess is that Gilded Vale is so early in the game they didn't want players who didn't yet understand the mechanics inadvertently turning NPCs hostile.

 

I am not aware that stealing results in any reputation loss or disposition gain, but I could not say this is definitively the case.

[crine]

To steal without producing a response you need to not be seen while you are doing so. If you are in scouting mode any character without a red circle can get away with stealing. This is why stealth matters - the higher your stealth the closer you can approach enemies/NPCs without being detected.

 

It was my understanding that with the current system if your party is in scouting mode and any individual is detected with the yellow or red circle that your entire party was then detected (not sure if it was supposed to be changed/fixed in 2.0). Is this or is this not correct?

 

If the whole party is scouting and some are in view of the NPCs and thus have yellow or red circles but I have one or more without a colored circle then are you saying they can go ahead and steal without consequence even with partial party detection? Or does it function that if a single party member is detected then everyone's circles would be showing yellow or red?

[HoopleDoople]

 

To steal without producing a response you need to not be seen while you are doing so. If you are in scouting mode any character without a red circle can get away with stealing. This is why stealth matters - the higher your stealth the closer you can approach enemies/NPCs without being detected.

 

It was my understanding that with the current system if your party is in scouting mode and any individual is detected with the yellow or red circle that your entire party was then detected (not sure if it was supposed to be changed/fixed in 2.0). Is this or is this not correct?

 

If the whole party is scouting and some are in view of the NPCs and thus have yellow or red circles but I have one or more without a colored circle then are you saying they can go ahead and steal without consequence even with partial party detection? Or does it function that if a single party member is detected then everyone's circles would be showing yellow or red?

 

 

Detection works differently with enemies and NPCs. Once enemies detect one of your characters combat starts and your entire party is pulled out of stealth. With NPCs around you can remain in scouting mode regardless of whether or not you are detected. Because of this you can have the majority of your party detected but a character without a red circle could still steal successfully. Just make sure you select them specifically or by default the closest character to the container will steal from it.

[AshenPlanet]

There are 2 important factors in stealing, stealth and speed.

Nothing else applies...

 

As the posters above stated, when your circle is yellow, you can steal without losing reputation.

When your circle is red, you will be caught.

This means the npcs may attack you, or you may lose reputation with them, or nothing will happen (sometimes happens if the npc has no faction to lose reputation with).

 

What stealth does is affect how fast the circle turns from plain to yellow and from yellow to red - the higher the stealth, the slower the change.

What stealth does not do is help you hide from an npc - if you are seen when you enter stealth, you are seen, plain and simple.

 

So how do you steal those containers that are close to people?

That's where speed comes into play.

If you have high speed, you can go far enough away, hide, and then run to the container to open it before your circle turns red.

Boots of speed are great for this with their +3 speed.

 

So, a combination of high stealth to slow down the change to red circle, and high speed to run to the container before your crcle turns red, is how you steal successfully without any repercussions.

 

 

[Nobear]

This is all good info. I'd like to stress that you can still steal without being caught if your circle is beginning to turn red, just not if it's entirely red, so when it's close you are taking a risk.