Thieving penalties?

OperativeNL

Playing my Cleric/Thief and at the lower levels I don't really use my thieving skills yet, except Detect Illusion (I'm going to max that first). Usually he walks up to things to hit them with his magical staff, so plate mail armour would be best for my half-orc. However does the armour give him a penalty on his Detect Illusions? Or any of his other thieving skills, for that matter? Should I stick with leather armour despite only using Detect Illusions?

JuliusBorisov

I don't always play a cleric/thief, but when I do, I put on the heaviest plate, buff, click attack on a foe and then click a find traps button (that is used for the Detect Illusion skill as well).

Voila! My character attacks the enemy dispelling any illusions in the same time. Works like a charm.

So, any heavy plate doesn't give any penalties to the Detect Illusion skill.

When you have put on an armor a thief cannot use, you can still search for traps and dispel illusions without any penalties.

In order to use any other thieving skill (disarm a trap, open locks, set a trap, hide in shadows), you should put a heavy armor off.

Southpaw

Depends on, what do you want to use the Thief for. If it's only for dispelling illusions and detecting traps, just keep being steel-clad toe to ears and whack the moles with your Holy Cudgel of Bludgeoning. There should be no penalties to Detect Ilusion and Detect Trap.

If you plan to steal, hide in shadows, back-whack or set traps, you'll have to strip down to some leathery kinkiness. Heavy armour prevents stealth.

OperativeNL

So the answer is that all thieving abilities are hindered (or prevented altogether) by armour above leather, but Detecting Traps and Illusions are unaffected? Great, thanks!

Moomintroll

elminster

Drizzt drops some good armor that would be of use to you (since it doesn't disable thieving skill buttons or provide any penalties). That is if you are willing to take it from him >:D

artificial_sunlight

Elven chain also? Or not?

elminster

Elven chain will also let you use those buttons but it gives you thieving penalties and its AC isn't as good.

lunar

You can keep full plate on yourself the whole time, and just take it off when you need to disarm a trap/pick a lock or pocket. Tedious, but works. Detect illusions skill and trap detection work fine with heavy armor.

But if I was the DM I would set a penalty to detect illusions/traps skill if you have a helmet equipped. (it makes hearing/seeing a bit harder)