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Ghost knights in Firewine no longer pickpocketable?

If memory serves me right, one of the Ghost Knights in the Firewine ruins carries a certain enchanted longbow. In past games, I've been able to pickpocket him/her, but this no longer seems to be the case (trying with Imoen @ 125 pick pockets.)

Is it just me or was this changed in a patch?

Comments

  • PingwinPingwin Member Posts: 262
    No idea if it is true, but according to a comment on this https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/The_Dead_Shot Imoen can't pickpocket the ghost at all anymore. Do the enhanced editions still have the bug where thief skills greater than 255 overflow so pickpockets of 280 is actually the same as 25 which might explain the problem that guy had?
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    No, the overflow has been fixed for some time. My guess is that the ghosts are simply no longer pickpocketable. At the very least, haven't been able to since the pickpocket overhaul.
  • BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
    edited July 2019
    @Pingwin, I'm assuming you're referring to this comment:
    Enhanced Edition 2.5.17.0; Imoen is incapable of picking this bow off of the ghost in the Firewine dungeon, no matter how high her pickpocket stat (tested at 280). If your PC is not a rogue type and you want the bow early in the game you will need to collect Safana and feed her a couple of potions to raise her stat to 100 for a guaranteed result... 95 has been the lowest score to succeed at picking the bow from the ghost with PC for me to date.

    I playtested this, to no avail. I tried with two different thieves, Safana and Shar-Teel (dualled), at four different levels of PP (60, 100, 125 and 260) and I kept getting the same message "Target has no items that can be stolen by a cutpurse of your skill."

    I wonder if the commenter actually succeeded in picking the bow in 2.5.17.0 (which I'm running) or if he's just talking out of his ass.
  • DreadKhanDreadKhan Member Posts: 3,857
    I stole it one game actually, really made my archers very effective, but that was Tutu.
  • kjeronkjeron Member Posts: 2,368
    It's a very weird restriction - you cannot pickpocket an equipped launcher (bow/xbow/sling) if you have that same launcher type (w/ammo) in one of your quick-weapon slots.
    Un-equip your bow or all arrows then try again.
  • BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
    @kjeron , have you tested this in 2.5.17.0? I tried what you said and still no luck.

  • ConjurerDragonConjurerDragon Member Posts: 110
    Ballad wrote: »
    If memory serves me right, one of the Ghost Knights in the Firewine ruins carries a certain enchanted longbow. In past games, I've been able to pickpocket him/her, but this no longer seems to be the case (trying with Imoen @ 125 pick pockets.)

    Is it just me or was this changed in a patch?

    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/75133/thieving-abilities-explained

  • kjeronkjeron Member Posts: 2,368
    edited July 2019
    Ballad wrote: »
    @kjeron , have you tested this in 2.5.17.0? I tried what you said and still no luck.
    Yes, v2.5.17.0.
    Imoen with 95 PP with no bow or arrows in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with bow but no arrows in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with arrows but no bow in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with shortbow and arrows in quick-weapon slots could not steal the Dead Shot +2 from the Ghostly Knight - "Target has no items that can be stolen by a cutpurse of your skill."

    I get similar results trying to steal the other launcher types (sling/xbow) with them equipped.
  • BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
    edited July 2019
    kjeron wrote: »
    Ballad wrote: »
    @kjeron , have you tested this in 2.5.17.0? I tried what you said and still no luck.
    Yes, v2.5.17.0.
    Imoen with 95 PP with no bow or arrows in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with bow but no arrows in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with arrows but no bow in quick-weapon slots could steal The Dead Shot +2 from Ghostly Knight.
    Imoen with 95 PP with shortbow and arrows in quick-weapon slots could not steal the Dead Shot +2 from the Ghostly Knight - "Target has no items that can be stolen by a cutpurse of your skill."

    I get similar results trying to steal the other launcher types (sling/xbow) with them equipped.

    Huh. Are you running any mods that might impact pickpocketing? I'm not doubting the validity of what you're saying - all I know is that it doesn't work on my end.

    I tried all those combinations, yet I get the "no items" message every time.

    gm8d3hqkjrlt.png
  • kjeronkjeron Member Posts: 2,368
    Are you pickpocketing the correct Ghost Knight? (It looks like you're targeting the one with a shield in the image)
  • BalladBallad Member Posts: 205
    kjeron wrote: »
    Are you pickpocketing the correct Ghost Knight? (It looks like you're targeting the one with a shield in the image)

    Which one has the bow? Anyway, I've tried every single one multiple times, on different playthroughs and different characters. :/

    I can live without an extra Deadshot +2. It's the mystery that bugs me.

  • kjeronkjeron Member Posts: 2,368
    Ballad wrote: »
    Which one has the bow?
    Top-most Knight. If you look closely you can see it in their hand.
  • ikonomovikonomov Member Posts: 13
    edited July 2020
    For some reason in my current playthough (original BG1 + TotSC) the Ghost Knight that I've always been able to pickpocket for the bow did not have it this time.  I've tried multiple times with 95 points in pickpocket.  None of the other Ghost Knights have anything that can be pickpocketed either.
    Post edited by ikonomov on
  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,881
    Vanilla 2.5: No ghost knights have any equipment in pickpocketable slots. None of their stuff is flagged undroppable, but they're absurdly hard to kill with 100% magic resistance and immunity to all damage except magic.

    Presumably, the pickpocketable bow comes from some mod giving that knight a melee weapon it switches to.
  • ikonomovikonomov Member Posts: 13
    jmerry wrote: »
    Vanilla 2.5: No ghost knights have any equipment in pickpocketable slots. None of their stuff is flagged undroppable, but they're absurdly hard to kill with 100% magic resistance and immunity to all damage except magic.

    Presumably, the pickpocketable bow comes from some mod giving that knight a melee weapon it switches to.

    I've edited my post above. That's what I thought, but I just checked a few old saves that I have from the original BG1+ TotSC and I have two of those bows in all of my saves. I've played the game multiple times with BGT, BG Tutu and Vanilla BG1+TotSC and I don't remember ever not being able to pickpocket the bow from those Ghost Knights. I don't use any mods that can make that change and actually there are very few mods available for the original BG1 and TotSC anyways.
  • RidcullyRidcully Member Posts: 177
    edited July 2020
    Just tried it. V2.5.17.0
    Coran with pp @ 90 doesn't work. With pp @ 130 it does, even with a bow already equipped

  • noleafcloverxnoleafcloverx Member Posts: 1
    I have confirmed this is still working as of 09-2023. It is the middle top most knight. If you look closely he is carrying the bow. Screenshot for evidence. Did it with Imoen with 205 PP. Potions used.

    2u6ranzkcps9.png


    7rnjsae6r6xd.png


  • SixOfSpadesSixOfSpades Member Posts: 44
    Did it with Imoen with 205 PP. Potions used.
    Potions aren't even required--I'm using version 2.6.6.0 and I did it using a PC with no more than 100% Pockets. I wasn't even trying, I just wanted to check if the old exploit was still possible in EE.

    As for whether pickpocketing (or looting) the bow should be possible . . . obviously, it's quite ridiculous to think that an immaterial being could carry material objects, so the question becomes whether or not the Firewine ghosts are completely immaterial. But, in the end, the debate becomes moot: The fact remains that BioWare put the bow there (and Beamdog let it remain there) either as a sheer oversight, or as a problem that solves itself: Players who want the bow are free to take it, while players who think it's dumb (such as myself) can just pretend the bow isn't there, and it will never affect them.

  • jmerryjmerry Member Posts: 3,881
    Actively equipped weapons are supposed to be impossible to pickpocket, too. But apparently there's a weird bug that exempts bows (and other launchers) from this under certain circumstances.

    More than 100 points in Pick Pockets only helps when you're trying to pick the pockets of someone with actual defenses - shoplifting, or stealing from someone that has the Pick Pockets skill. If you want to steal the documents from Slythe, you'll want something like 185 PP to reliably beat his 60+25 skill in an opposed roll. The ghost knights are non-thieves, so they have no defenses; 100 or more PP will only fail 1% of the time, and will steal from any slot that can be stolen from at all.

    Any less than 95 skill in Pick Pockets, and you have no chance at the bow; you need 95 to have a chance at a weapon (in a weapon slot, not selected).
  • AerakarAerakar Member Posts: 1,049
    Interesting. Will try it in my current run for entertainment))
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