Thieving skills above 100% needed?

Remove all ads!

Is there anywhere in the game where you need more than 100% for any thieving ability?
Maybe harder traps to find? harder locks? Harder pockets to pick? etc.

 

I remember pickpockting some times took more then 100% especially if your wearing armor.

 

Stealth is basically (Move Silently + Hide in Shadows)/2 and you get penalties depending on situation, so yes.

Pickpocketing applies a penalty according to the slot the item is in, but with 100% you can probably eventually steal any item if you keep reloading.

For set trap and find trap, I'm gonna say no. Likewise, I don't think there are any traps or locks in the core game that require more than 100% to pick/disarm.

I also don't think Detect Illusion above 100% has any benefits unless something gives you a penalty.

Oh yeah, and armors give you penalties to certain skills. Good point.

 

As far as i know Detect Illusion is a flat % chance, and not influenced by wearing armor.
One thing to note is that a character gets a bonus to their thieving skills dependant on their total dex score - this bonus increases if you increase your dex as well.
For example, at 18 dex you get +15% to open locks, but at 20 dex you get +25%.

This is important to keep in mind if you raise your skills before you acquire the various stat bousts throughout the games - if you start with 18 dex but will end up with 20 total from the BG1 tome & BG2 machine of lum the mad, plan accordingly and only raise your open locks to 90% so you'll end up sitting on 100% total after the stat increases.

 

I don't think you need to plan anything. You'll have more than enough points for whatever you need either way.

 

It's not a hard requirement, no - but i don't think it's useless to do either. Planning ahead makes sure you don't spend those thieving skill points in a way that doesn't benefit you at all.
In the end the benefit might be small, but i personally feel it's worth keeping it into account.

 

D&D is already a full time accounting job. The last thing you need is worrying about a few stray skill points.

 

What is worth pocketing? I know there's the ring of regen on Ribald but what else?

 

The list of NPC's with guaranteed unique loot to pickpocket is actually not that large. Most NPC's only have at least some randomized items in their inventory, varying in value depending on the type of character - peasants might carry a few loose coins or a mundane weapon, guards usually carry a bit more gold and sometimes even a spell scroll or two, whereas a noble might carry larger sums of gold and some gemstones.
Amnish guards can be a surprising good source of money, since they often carry a scroll, ranging from 5th to 8th level - these sell for a tidy sum each.

As far as unique targets/items go :
Obviously there is Ribald in the adventurers mart, with his Ring of regeneration.
Taquee, the genie guard outside the tent in Trademeet carries a bottle of efreeti (basically allows you to cast Summon Efreeti once per day.)
Treya, one of the monks involved in Rasaad's personal quest can be pickpocketed for the Cloak of Unerring Strikes (+2 Thac0 for your offhand while worn) note that the game gives you the option of killing her and her friends, which will also give you the cloak, and some other loot as well - but pickpocketing is still a good option if you want the cloak without killing the sun soul monks.
The mage Tolgerias in the government district can be pickpocketed for his ring of the ram. Again, if you complete the planar sphere quest you will get this ring anyway.
Telwyn in the temple of helm can be pickpocketed for the Helm of Glory. This helm will normally be given as a quest reward.
Villynaty the sahuagin prince carries the blade of the Wave halberd. If you decid to help the king instead you will have to kill the prince anyway, also giving you the item.
Captain Dennis in delosar's inn in the bridge district can be relieved of his boomerang dagger +2.

 

In BG2, I don't think you need more than 95% in open locks and disarm trap for anything. If you want to do Durlag's tower, however, especially the lower levels, I think 100% may be required for some traps at least.

I know the manual says that armours give different penalties on thieving skills (depending on the type of armour), but I've never noticed much of that. I'm pretty sure disarming and lock picking is unaffected, not so sure about hiding in shadows and such, but then the latter is at least subject to other penalties already (how much light is definitely a factor).

As for pick pocketing, you could get Kangaxx ring off of him as well with pick pocketing. They fixed it in one of the G3 fixpacks, but before it was apparently possible to pick pocket the ring of Gaxx, then kill him and get another one.

I wouldn't put too many points into pick pocketing until you have points to spare, though. Just chug a few potions of thieving and you're all set.

 

The enhanced editions definitely clamped down on the duplicate items you could gain this way - you used to be able to get a second ring of the ram from tolgerias as well in much the same manner, as well as a duplicate ring of acuity from lavok.
I don't particularly mind them removing this cheese, having two of these items is really overpowered in some cases. (2xGaxx rings especially.)

 

2x Gaxx ring is not that overpowered, I think. Extra regen, sure, but still nothing that would save you in a fight. Aside from that, perhaps the AC bonuses stack? But AC is not that great in BG2, and completely obsolete in ToB. I tend to prefer to use another ring in the other slot, depending on class and such.

 

It's not a huge problem since you are unlikely to get them very early in the game, but having two rings gets you +4 to AC (+2 for each ring), +4 bonus to saving throws (again +2 for each ring), 20% magical resistance and 2hp regen every 3 seconds - as well as 2 castings of invisibility and 6 castings of improved haste per day.
the impact of these buffs does drop off as you progress the story, but especially early game their impact can be huge.

 

After doing the Sir Sarles quest, and giving him the ore he needs for his sculpture, I think you can pickpocket it back from him and go make the Mace of Disruption +2, but I'm not 100% sure. Last run through, I was tired of his snooty attitude, so I summoned a Pit Fiend inside his hangout after I'd given him his ore. I didn't feel bad looting his corpse and going to make the +2 mace. He'd have been glad to help Athkatla, I assume.

 

I get the pure ore for the mace, and also get the alloy for the sculpture. No specific need for pick pocketing or some such. Unless you want to, of course.