Pick Pocket at the early stage of the game

Remove all ads!

What can I get off of someone that's worth any coin? I need to buy that buckler at the FAI and I don't have nearly enough cash

 

If your pickpocket skill isn't high enough, you won't be able to steal anything remotely good yet, you'll just get the message there is nothing to pick for a cutpurse of your skill.
you're better off doing some of the easier quests, like killing basillius for 5000 GP, or just pick up some off the hidden items (like the ring of wizardry hidden on the FAI map) and sell them if you don't need them for your own characters.

 

so you can successfully pick pocket someone but if you're skill isn't high enough you still get nothing?

 

I'm not sure how this will work (so save first) but you could try to sell something valuable to a shopkeeper you can steal from, and then just steal the item back. You will no longer be able to sell that item (except to a fence, and the one in BG:EE only shows up in late game) but it might be a nice way to get cash early on.

 

Yes, the Enhanced Edition of the game enforces a minimum amount of points needed in the pickpocket thieving skill to be able to steal from shops and characters.
If you fail completely, the game just tells you you were noticed, the person you attempted to steal from goes hostile, and guards will appear to apprehend you.
If you succeed but lack the amount of skill in pickpocketing, the game will flash you the 'this target has nothing that can be pickpocketed by a cut-purse of your skill' to let you know that the target is holding an item that you cannot get at yet. the attempt still counts as a success, going unnoticed otherwise.

For example, you'll need roughly 65% or more to get at algernon's cloak, and at least 90% to be able to steal drizzt's swords.

 

You could get/solve the Prism and Greywolf quest in Nashkel, and then pickpocket the emeralds back from Oublek. Or you can just charm him and kill him away from prying eyes. Then again, perhaps that trick won't work in EE as it does in the original.

 

I was looking for something closer to the FAI but I already have it. Thanks anyway

 

I discovered that the fence is Black Lily but at this point in the game I really don't need to sell those things or do I?

 

That ring is an end-game item for an arcane caster, and unless you are soloing you WILL want a mage or a bard in the party. I would never sell it unless I was trying to do a run without a mage in the party.

That said, the "this target has nothing that can be pickpocketed by a cut-purse of your skill' to let you know that the target is holding an item that you cannot get at yet." is new for EE, that did not exist in the original as you could conceivably steal Algernon's Cloak right away with enough save scumming. You had a very low chance of success at level 2 even if you put an entire level-up's worth of points into Imoen's pick pockets, but it was possible. Although at 6th level Gherrick could pick pocket the cloak.
I suspect it was put in solely to keep people from stealing Algernon's Cloak until the quest to do so comes around, as it was the most powerful item in the original game given that it could cast the 4th level spell Charm Monster at will (meaning it could charm almost every monster that wasn't undead or a golem). The Nymph's cloak was similar, but it was effectively a touch attack with Charm Person.

I'm kinda miffed at the nerfing of pick pocketing, given how hazardous it was to begin with with everybody turning hostile if you failed.