Pick Pocket

Key facts

Characteristic

Agility

Overview

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 and playstyle

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