Basically, as a DM, one has total control over the environment. So, one can allow for potions that increase things to over 100% success rate with ease (and potions are a great way to do this, for they are "one shot items", which are NOT overbalancing, unless they are available in unlimited numbers). Serves as a sort of "gold sink" for the Players to bleed off gold into.
There is a much better way to deal with the "steal from shopkeepers" syndrome in PnP. Most shopkeepers are going to have magical protections in place to prevent this, of course (because those that do not, will have long gone out of business). A few wards and magic mouths, etc, from the local Mage (who, of course, has to make a living, and such jobs pay well, indeed!) and there you have it. Not to mention the one or two magical servants, or bodyguards...invisible, of course, or perhaps that statue over there is really not a statue, but a golem, who of course never sleeps, never blinks, and never gets bored...ever watchful, ever waiting for that one action to occur that will trigger it...
Of course, Baldur's Gate is just a computer program. A fun one, and a pretty good D&D simulation, but as it is a computer game, it has limitations on what it can offer, because one does not have a DM Client ala NWN for it. I suppose one could do a MP session of BG, and one is the DM - would be a pretty cool idea, actually, with the DM "character" being made invis and immune to everything, full console support so that it can RP everything else. I mean, after all, one can text one another in the chat bar, so that would have to do in light of the lack of a possession possibility.
Barring that, one just has that which is programmed as possibilities, and being that Players are oh so clever in coming up with unexpected ways of doing things, that it is practically impossible to predict such behavior and account for it, let alone dedicate the number of zots necessary to deal with such.
Besides, this is really a SP game that the OP is discussing. So, let the OP have fun!
I pretty much gave up on pickpocketing altogether before I abandoned BG back when NWN2 came out (picking BG up again with BGEE release)
The reasons are I don't like the use of potions which I think OPs it and don't like the often excessive consequences when it fails used under normal conditions since I quit reloading to change results years ago and now either play No Reload or Minimal reloads (only on character death with no suicides allowed).
I think the option is broken myself - IMO you either have to bolster your PP to make it more or less impossible to fail or be ready to reload your way to success if needed due to often dire consequence of failure neither of which suit my playstyle.
I'm certain my opinion on PP is way down the scale in the minority categories and as such I doubt this will ever be on the list to be "fixed" which I think might be done by toning down the failure consequences so you can fail and not be forced to reload and maybe make the potions a bit more scarce and limited in number.
You have a GEM bag. You can only put non-magical jewelry and gems in it.
There are also a potion-specific and scroll-specific bags of holding, but no general purpose ones.
There is no container you can throw over a full plate, large weapon or shield. The containers you have would only work for items so small that they would also fit under a cloak or in a pocket. It would probably draw more attention if you pulled out a bag and put a necklace or something in it, than just slipping a necklace under your shirt.
As for what I do with high pickpocket charnames/NPCs... Getting the rewards that NPCs aren't giving me due to low rep, being evil or low charisma; pickpocketing named NPCs to see if I missed something in previous runs. Rarely to steal quest items back if I accidentally sold them (main offender: Perdue's Short Sword - it's not worth buying back since the reward is really small, but if I have the quest in my journal, I feel urged to have it marked as 'done').
You have a GEM bag. You can only put non-magical jewelry and gems in it.
There are also a potion-specific and scroll-specific bags of holding, but no general purpose ones.
There is no container you can throw over a full plate, large weapon or shield. The containers you have would only work for items so small that they would also fit under a cloak or in a pocket. It would probably draw more attention if you pulled out a bag and put a necklace or something in it, than just slipping a necklace under your shirt.
As for what I do with high pickpocket charnames/NPCs... Getting the rewards that NPCs aren't giving me due to low rep, being evil or low charisma; pickpocketing named NPCs to see if I missed something in previous runs. Rarely to steal quest items back if I accidentally sold them (main offender: Perdue's Short Sword - it's not worth buying back since the reward is really small, but if I have the quest in my journal, I feel urged to have it marked as 'done').
Selling Prism's Emeralds, stealing them back, giving them to Oublek, then stealing them back again to sell later at Black Lilly's can be a fun sequence... :-)
But from what you're saying, you don't really shoplift?
Maybe impose a limit of gold each merchant carries. This way, you only steal what you need and dont make infinite gold. The merchants can replenish gold every 1 game week.
That doesn't really make sense, as you can't steal gold from them directly anyway...
Well, the idea is to limit you from stealing items and selling them for profit. You steal what you need at the moment.
I frequently do the Oublek sequence, but yeah, I mostly don't use pickpocket to shoplift.
Okay, think I may just limit my shoplifting to a few items, to prevent things getting too unbalanced - Prism's emeralds, maybe the odd diamond and sapphire to sell later at Black Lilly's, and for recharging some (not all) amulets, rings and wands (there's one place on Baldur's Gate city that will buy wands that "allows" stealing. At least when you use potions in Nashkel there are some NPCs worth pickpocketing at the same time - Volo, the Great Gazib, Zeke etc.
?? I have a bag of holding, and I didn't "cheat" it in!! It holds Plate Armor, Shields, Greatswords, etc. Won't hold certain items, though (strangely enough). Can't remember where I got it...did it come with someone?
Are you talking about BG2? Or BG1 modded via tutu or BGT? We're talking about BG:EE.
Unless a thread specifies that it's about BG2 you can assume folks on this forum are referring to BG:EE (which is BG1 Enhanced). Otherwise there's a serious bug somewhere, lol.
Assume that even where Stealing is possible, such as Nashkel Store, there is always Special Protected Section for all items costing more than 500GP, where stealing is not allowed.
Anything that you have just sold to the Shopkeeper however has not been included in that Specially Protected category...
I dunno, seems like the Alignment/Utility of a Trap-finding, Backstabbing, Stealthy Rogue is something more different than a Pick-Pocketing, Stealing, Opening Locks Thief than the Game [and D&D overall] readily admits....
What does everyone else here do when playing Bards and Thieves with decent pickpockets skill?
I generally only pick pocket rare treasure, but it hardly comes up because any quest that can be solved via pick pocketing can be solved just as easily another way, and I tend to avoid the skill entirely because it doesn't have the use of Lock picking, or the essential nature of disarm traps (which would otherwise be skippable if not for repeating traps). Plus, I dislike reloading due to failure, so I'd rather not risk turning unnnecasary NPCs hostile.
I don't shoplift much because it seems like most of the GOOD shops the option isn't available, and the fences tend to be idiotic in that you can steal everything and sell it right back. The only item I've been in desperate need of recharging has been a shield amulet, and those things are still common enough to not need it. Wands are freaking everywhere as it is.
Comments
Basically, as a DM, one has total control over the environment. So, one can allow for potions that increase things to over 100% success rate with ease (and potions are a great way to do this, for they are "one shot items", which are NOT overbalancing, unless they are available in unlimited numbers). Serves as a sort of "gold sink" for the Players to bleed off gold into.
There is a much better way to deal with the "steal from shopkeepers" syndrome in PnP. Most shopkeepers are going to have magical protections in place to prevent this, of course (because those that do not, will have long gone out of business). A few wards and magic mouths, etc, from the local Mage (who, of course, has to make a living, and such jobs pay well, indeed!) and there you have it. Not to mention the one or two magical servants, or bodyguards...invisible, of course, or perhaps that statue over there is really not a statue, but a golem, who of course never sleeps, never blinks, and never gets bored...ever watchful, ever waiting for that one action to occur that will trigger it...
Of course, Baldur's Gate is just a computer program. A fun one, and a pretty good D&D simulation, but as it is a computer game, it has limitations on what it can offer, because one does not have a DM Client ala NWN for it. I suppose one could do a MP session of BG, and one is the DM - would be a pretty cool idea, actually, with the DM "character" being made invis and immune to everything, full console support so that it can RP everything else. I mean, after all, one can text one another in the chat bar, so that would have to do in light of the lack of a possession possibility.
Barring that, one just has that which is programmed as possibilities, and being that Players are oh so clever in coming up with unexpected ways of doing things, that it is practically impossible to predict such behavior and account for it, let alone dedicate the number of zots necessary to deal with such.
Besides, this is really a SP game that the OP is discussing. So, let the OP have fun!
The reasons are I don't like the use of potions which I think OPs it and don't like the often excessive consequences when it fails used under normal conditions since I quit reloading to change results years ago and now either play No Reload or Minimal reloads (only on character death with no suicides allowed).
I think the option is broken myself - IMO you either have to bolster your PP to make it more or less impossible to fail or be ready to reload your way to success if needed due to often dire consequence of failure neither of which suit my playstyle.
I'm certain my opinion on PP is way down the scale in the minority categories and as such I doubt this will ever be on the list to be "fixed" which I think might be done by toning down the failure consequences so you can fail and not be forced to reload and maybe make the potions a bit more scarce and limited in number.
As for what I do with high pickpocket charnames/NPCs... Getting the rewards that NPCs aren't giving me due to low rep, being evil or low charisma; pickpocketing named NPCs to see if I missed something in previous runs. Rarely to steal quest items back if I accidentally sold them (main offender: Perdue's Short Sword - it's not worth buying back since the reward is really small, but if I have the quest in my journal, I feel urged to have it marked as 'done').
But from what you're saying, you don't really shoplift?
Unless a thread specifies that it's about BG2 you can assume folks on this forum are referring to BG:EE (which is BG1 Enhanced). Otherwise there's a serious bug somewhere, lol.
It is a blue little bag, my has it now, along with the gem bag.
I may have consoled it in back when one was supposed to be able to get a bag, and it was bugged so one could not get it?
I have no idea o_O
I suppose one could put the Shopkeeper into the magical bag...I don't know how long he/she would survive in there, however.
Anything that you have just sold to the Shopkeeper however has not been included in that Specially Protected category...
I dunno, seems like the Alignment/Utility of a Trap-finding, Backstabbing, Stealthy Rogue is something more different than a Pick-Pocketing, Stealing, Opening Locks Thief than the Game [and D&D overall] readily admits....
I don't shoplift much because it seems like most of the GOOD shops the option isn't available, and the fences tend to be idiotic in that you can steal everything and sell it right back. The only item I've been in desperate need of recharging has been a shield amulet, and those things are still common enough to not need it. Wands are freaking everywhere as it is.