Pick pocket (Draw Steel)
Skills
Definition
Pick Pocket covers taking a coin pouch in a crowd, slipping a key ring off a guard's belt, palming a signet ring during a handshake, and planting an object on someone. The whole art is fast, light hands. It comes up in markets, cities, and social events where the party needs something a person is carrying. It is high risk: a caught thief loses far more than the item. It also covers sleight of hand such as swapping a document.
How it works
**Characteristic**: Agility. **Skill group**: Agility skills. **Test**: 2d10 + Agility; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. **How it is used**: Tier 3 takes the item with no one the wiser. Tier 2 succeeds but the mark notices later or a bystander saw. Tier 1 means you are caught in the act. **Edges and banes**: A crowd, a distraction, or a drunk or distracted mark grants an edge (+2). A watchful guard, a tightly held item, or an empty room imposes a bane (-2).
Tips
**Best for**: Urban infiltrators and heroes who take the key instead of fighting for it. **Character concepts**: Criminal career cutpurse, polder market thief, Entertainer stage magician. **Synergies**: Deceive or Flirt to create the distraction, Read Person to pick a mark who will not notice, Hide for where you go once the pouch is yours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pick a pocket during combat?
The Director may allow it as a maneuver against an adjacent enemy, usually with a bane because everyone is alert.
What happens if I fail?
Tier 2 might mean suspicion; tier 1 means you are caught and the target reacts as anyone would.