Skyrim talk:Pickpocket

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Archive 1: Oct 2011 - Feb 2012

Free Arrows using Perfect Touch

With the Perfect touch perk it is possible to pickpocket a guards arrows while they practice target shooting. If you give the guard 1 arrow (works with any: glass, Ebony, Daedric, etc) they will begin shooting that type of arrow at the target.

So you essentially have unlimited arrows once you get the perfect touch perk. Well worth it in my opinion for an archery based character

I've done this (in Solitude), and recently there's been a bit of an issue. It's been several in-game days (I have no idea how many), and now for some reason the guard(s) will occasionally be equipped with and shooting their Steel Arrows again. I've even gone back into their sleeping chambers at night and stolen every single guards Steel Arrows and made sure they all had at least one Daedric Arrow. They were back to shooting Daedric Arrows for a couple of days, and again they're back to occasionally shooting Steel ones. And it will flip-flop. One day they'll have Daedric equipped, and the next it'll be Steel. I don't know if this has to do with the 1.4 patch or if it's just a random glitch, but it's definitely weird. ~Naberios (on PS3) 14 February 2012

I've experienced the same problem, though, with the Thieves Guild. In the Ragged Flagon Cistern you can reverse pickpocket one arrow onto certain members who practice Archery and use this in a similar fashion. Once in a while, however, while collecting arrows I too notice members that I specifically gave a high quality arrow to will shoot steel arrows out of nowhere. Inventory check shows no steel arrows. I have no solution in particular, I usually just go on about my business (fencing, turning in quests) and when I come back for arrows mine has resolved all by itself. The G00D Job 11:12, 5 April 2012 (UTC)

You can do this without perfect touch, wait until nighttime and they will go into castle dour and equiq their swords for an unknown reason. Maybe its more comfy to sleep with a sword?,anyways follow the archer guy so you know who they are. Pickpocket the steel arrows of them and pickpocket in a daedric/glass/ebony/whatever arrow, wait until morning and they'll shoot the arrows of your choise. This was on the ps3. — Unsigned comment by 90.233.206.2 (talk) on 17 March 2012

What the heck?

The first five perks say "Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds." What in the world does that mean? I don't want perks that reduce my odds. What does this actually do to the calculation? Varus2319 02:50, 18 April 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't decrease the odds, it's simply a note stating that your chance of successfully stealing an object decreases if it's heavier and worth more. The perk doesn't do that. While I don't know what exactly the perk does, that was the intent with that note. --AKB ^{Talk Cont Mail} 02:54, 18 April 2012 (UTC)

The perk is a % increase of your chance to successfully pickpocket(or plant) an item from/into an NPC's inventory. The formula is roughly calculable from the table shown in the Skill Usage section. Throe 19:59, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

I think that when you fail an attempt to pickpocket, if its not so heavy / not so valuable, the target will take the item back and you will not get a bounty on your head. WeeziMonkey (talk) 11:10, 19 February 2013 (GMT)

No, that's wrong. Any time you fail an attempt to pickpocket, the target keeps the item (doesn't take it back), and usually reports the crime and you get a fixed-size bounty which has nothing to do with how valuable the thing you tried to steal was. --Morrolan (talk) 20:56, 12 April 2013 (GMT)

Stops working after committing bigger crimes?!

It may be just me and probably this has been fixed in a patch, but every time I commit some serious crimes like murder, all NPCs in that town cannot be pickpocketed any longer. This is especially annoying in Markarth where I always get huge bounties after some time no matter what I do (I just hate those guards way too much which means they always have to die, every single one of them), but if I try to pickpocket a normal NPC in Markarth afterwards, I always get the message telling me they caught me already, even when they did not. That means it's impossible to do the Thieves Guild radiant quest requiring me to pickpocket Ogmund in Markarth... --Nv4dispbluescreen 10:54, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

edit: Leaving the hold and returning later makes pickpocketing work again, as I found out now, but getting arrested by a guard or starting a fight in that hold will return it to a "combat state". At least that's what I'd call it - if a hold is in this "combat state", any aggressive NPCs like Jaree-Ra will attack the player, and (almost) nobody can be pickpocketed any more. Going to jail or paying the bounty may solve this but I never do either of these since I made it a rule not to defy my sense of judgement with corruption-loving city guards. That said, resisting arrest and clearing a hold of all guards, then leaving for some in-game days and returning (prior to the guards' respawn) has always re-enabled pickpocketing for me in that hold. --Nv4dispbluescreen 10:28, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

Unable to pickpocket ("failed attempt" bug) on PC

I'm not sure if this is a mod conflict or not, but I'll add it to the bugs list just in case. On my PC version of Skyrim, I was unable to pickpocket anyone in the inn in Falkreath when I booted up a save one day. I exited the inn and waited 48 hours, and it started working as intended again.

96.240.170.96 22:48, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

Pickpocket Leveling

Is it just me, or is pickpocketing extremely easy to level? I made a new character yesterday, and already my level is 75. I'm doing Fishing Jobs for Delvin, and have probably done 14 or so. I'm not complaining, but now pickpocketing two or three wealthy NPCs will increase my level. --Grim765 07:34, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Yes, pickpocketing is fairly easy to level, though it sounds like you're finding it even easier than most. If you're pickpocketing random NPCs as well as the 14, then that's normal; if those are the only people you're pickpocketing, that sounds a little unusual. I suppose if they're all really expensive items, that might be a realistic number...sounds a little high off-hand, though. – Robin Hood↝talk 14:41, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

Reverse-pickpocket(Change to "plant")

It's always kind of bothered me that the term "reverse pickpocket" has been used when describing this particular action in the various TES forums, guides, FAQs, and wikis. There's a much simpler word to use for it, and I propose that all instances of the term be replaced with the more concise word. It just makes sense. A separate page could even be created simply to explain the change, which could easily be included with a hyperlink embedded in every occurrence of the word, "plant".

This is the word which always comes to mind when I read about the action in an article and I see the term "reverse pickpocket". Both of these definitions could be used, at times, depending on the circumstances.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plant

verb. 26. to say or place (something) in order to obtain a desired result, especially one that will seem spontaneous: The police planted the story in the newspaper in order to trap the thief. 29. Slang . to hide or conceal, as stolen goods.

In examples pertinent to gameplay, a scapegoat could be implicated by the *planting* of evidence in the person's pocket. Also, stolen property can be *planted* in a vendor's inventory and then purchased back, making it seem as though a legitimate purchase has taken place, rather than the purposeful laundering of a stolen item.

Similarly, although the in-game description uses the word, "place", poisons can be *planted* in the pockets of those the player wishes to harm using the "Poisoned" perk. Throe 19:56, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

It's an appropriate word for the action, as is plant. Replacing each mention of the word would be unnecessary work. The term is used on multiple wikis, including a Fallout wiki, so it's kept a wonderful consistency in that manner. The page where it would probably go is UESPWiki:Spelling, if it went anywhere.

If, when adding content to a page, you would prefer to use the term plant, that should be fine. But changing it all across the wiki would be a hassle.

The issue may gain more attention on the Community Portal, if you would like to bring it there; it would get more opinions and ideas. I don't think it's particularly important, though. Vely^{►Talk►Email} 20:11, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

pickpocket chance cap?

If I invest all chance increasing perks in the skill tree, does it make sense to wear armor with +15% pickpocket chance? afair, all things are 90% to steal.. is there a hidden value? MriDar 10:39, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

You'll be able to pickpocket more gold at the same risk. And you'll presumably have a better chance to steal particularly heavy items. But there is a law of diminishing returns as your skill goes up - increasing amounts of stuff reach the maximum 90% chance to steal. There's some benefit to wearing the armour - whether or not it makes sense to do so depends on your playstyle (for example, armour factor isn't very important to my rogue because he almost never gets hit) as well as what other armours you have to choose from.--Irrevenant (talk) 21:12, 2 January 2013 (GMT)

Changing NPC Clothes

With Perfect Touch, is it possible to pickpocket an NPC's clothes and give them something different to wear? As I understand it, NPCs will typically equip the highest quality/value items in their inventory. Theoretically, this would be a good way to give a specific set of clothes to your spouse, assuming he or she is not a follower. SonGoharotto (talk) 15:44, 3 October 2012 (GMT)

No. This is true for weapons: NPCs will always (in theory) use the best weapon in their inventory, but the same is not true for clothes/armor. NPCs have what they wear coded into them, so if you remove whatever armor they "like" they'll simply wear nothing rather than equip the armor you give them. -Phil — Unsigned comment by 184.166.85.25 (talk) at 05:59 on 7 October 2012‎

Another way for free houses

I made a potion of paralyze and got the poision perk, spoke to Proventus Avenicci about buying a house and the second I agreed to buy the house I exited the conversation by backing out using circle on the ps3 (B on Xbox) before he had a chance to take the money I crouched and pickpocketed him (once I entered the pickpocket menu I noticed the gold wasn't removed unlike if you try to use a cupboard, dresser etc.) I then dropped 2500 gold follow by 2 lots of 1250 gold (my pickpocket is 50 I found this the easiest way) he gave me the key and I had no gold to be removed. now to get it back make sure you cant be seen ("hidden") and reverse pickpocket the paralyze poison as the poison wares off and he starts getting up make sure you cant be seen ("hidden") you can still take back the 5000 gold even is the pickpocket chance is 0%

enjoy :) — Unsigned comment by 217.43.105.249 (talk) at 20:41 on 10 February 2013

Pickpocket item may not been seen as "stolen"

What i mean with that is the following: I was in Whiterun and i planted 280 iron arrows on Anoriath. When i tried to steal it back, the word saying "Iron Arrow" was white instead of red. White letters indicate you can "take" something. White or not, after taking it back several times, i still got a bounty on my head. Should be reported / verified for bugs? WeeziMonkey (talk) 11:13, 19 February 2013 (GMT)

Some items not pickable?

With all pickpocket perks I was not able to pick some pieces from NPCs somehow involved with me (follower, personal steward, spouse ...). They Show a chance of 0%. This concerns especially "body coverings" as armour, robes, gowns. It seems Bethesda does not want those characters to run around in the nude :-). The clothes of Eilisif are not shown in the pickpocket menu at all. And since we are in Solitude: I picked the robe from Sibylle Stentor while she was sleeping and she never again left the bed. Happens on XBOX 360 with latest patch and Hearthfire. --Romulus (talk) 20:26, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

I think those are just part of Elisif's character model, not items as such. There was some controversy about nude character models in Oblivion a while back, so your hypothesis on BethSoft's reasoning probably isn't all that far off... ThuumofReason (talk) 20:46, 28 February 2013 (GMT)

All essential characters seem to be immune to Perfect Touch. Obviously that includes Ellisif (and all of the jarls.) --Morrolan (talk) 21:03, 12 April 2013 (GMT)

A new way to level?

OK, so honestly, the biggest problem with leveling Pickpocket is finding people with stuff to steal and then waiting for it to respawn so you can steal it again normally. This is partly why trainers are so useful when leveling Pickpocket; you give them some money to train a skill, then steal it back. However I seem to have hit upon an interesting wrinkle. When you invest with merchants, they put the 500 gold you give them in their inventory, and you can steal it back with pickpocket. It looks like, at least for some merchants, when you do this, the investment doesn't take and you can invest in them again. Either I'm just finding bugged merchants that don't handle the investment correctly, or this is a repeatable method of leveling Pickpocket for people with high Speech. --Morrolan (talk) 14:31, 16 April 2013 (GMT)

It is interesting enough to try but if it is repeatable it is most likely a glitch, not something that is working as intended. I would imagine the investment simply being a permanent change, not something you can toggle on and off. -Kharay (talk) 14:36, 16 April 2013 (GMT)

The working theory I'm going on is that the investment actually becomes permanent when you trade with the merchant and the investment gold is in the merchant's inventory. What seems to be happening is that if I don't trade with the merchant, just steal back the 500 gold, then the next time I come visit the merchant allows me to invest again and start the process all over again. It is possible that it's just that I've found a bugged merchant or two, the investment feature is notoriously buggy. --Morrolan (talk) 20:10, 16 April 2013 (GMT)

Planting items with the stolen flag may be easier

This has been marked as a question that needs to be answered.

I recently noticed that it seems easier to reverse-pickpocket items with the stolen flag. For instance, I have two magic rings, both valued at over 2000 gp. One has 0% chance to place, and the other (more valuable) ring with the stolen flag has a 90% chance to place. My character has 96 in pickpocket, 4 ranks in light fingers, and is wearing magic items that boost the skill by 55%. And the victim was conscious. Has anyone else encountered this?--149.160.118.51 19:59, 27 April 2013 (GMT)

How much over 2000 gp? At around 2000 gp you should have a chance to place with a 96 skill and +135% pickpocket. Is it possible that the time you were at 0% you were being observed? If the intended target of the pickpocket attempt can see you your odds drop way down. --Morrolan (talk) 20:03, 27 April 2013 (GMT)

A lot. IIRC, the 0% ring was about 2100, & the 90% ring was about 3100. And yes, I was being observed, but that still doesn't explain why the stolen ring had a 90% placement chance. And note that these chances were observed during the same occasion.--149.160.118.51 20:29, 27 April 2013 (GMT) (edit: changed values of rings--overstated initially)--149.160.118.51 18:32, 28 April 2013 (GMT)

I'll test this sometime. I'm not playing Skyrim at the moment but when I get back to it I'll try one of my high-pickpocket characters and test this theory out, unless someone else gets here first. --Morrolan (talk) 00:01, 28 April 2013 (GMT)

Your edit changes this situation. At 2100 gp with +135% pickpocket (+80% for your perks and +55% for your enchantments) and a 96 skill you should absolutely have a good chance to place, I would expect it to be displayed as 90%. Something was definitely interfering. What were the specific items? Were they custom-enchanted items, or something you'd found? --Morrolan (talk) 23:37, 29 April 2013 (GMT)

They were custom-enchanted items. I later discovered that the +55% was not actually helping me but hindering me (per the bug), so I removed it. However, while the chances to plant some of my other gear improved, the chances remained the same on the two items in question - 0% for the 2100 ring, & 90% for the 3100 ring with the stolen flag.--149.160.118.50 00:08, 9 May 2013 (GMT)

It would be good if you could test this with other items. It looks to me a bit like you might have found (another) bug in Pickpocket, sigh. I'll try a pickpocket test sometime in the next week or so myself, but I have very few characters that have any stolen-flag items, I normally launder everything right away. --Morrolan (talk) 00:50, 11 May 2013 (GMT)

Pickpocket levelling without crime

When playing a law-abiding character, is there a way to level the pickpocket skill (to gain level-ups) without stealing from people, besides spending all your money on training?Norowane (talk) 06:56, 4 May 2013 (GMT)

No. There is no way (that I can think of) to level pickpocketing without committing a crime in the process. Jeancey (talk) 07:29, 4 May 2013 (GMT)

You can pickpocket outlaw NPCs if you are trying to avoid having a bounty; if you steal items from bandits and so on, you won't get a bounty if caught. However the items will still be marked as stolen and can only be sold to a fence. --Morrolan (talk) 19:29, 5 May 2013 (GMT)

Also, on the issue of training pickpocket - if you do not join the Thieves Guild then the highest pickpocket trainer available is Silda the Unseen, and she is an expert trainer. Of course she will train you to 75, after which you can level pickpocket by skill books. --Morrolan (talk) 19:31, 5 May 2013 (GMT)

Pickpocketing from people found in The Ragged Flagon won't give you a bounty. I tend to pickpocket everyone in the Flagon, until they've all caught me, then go to the Cistern and do the same, and then go back to the Flagon and repeat.Jazstar (talk) 02:33, 12 June 2013 (GMT)