Pick-pocket + Disguise Self, Reliable Talent, and Lucky Feat

[Xero Alpha]

I'm playing as a rouge Astarion, and I don't have access to these abilities currently, and I also can't find reliable information online about how they work. Wanted to know before I commit to certain paths and avoid having to respec a bunch of times.

For pick-pocketing:

1. Does disguise self do anything to help me? I know NPC's will aggro after a 30 seconds or so, and a lot of guides just say to run away until they de-aggro. But does disguise self cast off all suspicion if I cast it before pick-pocketing? After pick-pocketing? This is assuming I stole what I wanted and ended the pick-pocket successfully.

2. Obviously Astarion isn't a halfing so I can't benefit from the Lucky race feature halfing's get. But does the Lucky feat (the one where you get 3 luck points) work outside of combat? Essentially trying to avoid the pick-pocket session auto-failing from rolling a 1.

3. I know this is a long way off (I'm only level 4 currently) but I read that level 11 I'll be able to get the Reliable Talent class feature, which is any roll less than 10 is counted as 10. In pick-pocketing terms, does this eliminate the auto-fail chance as well from potentially rolling a 1?

All these questions I've found either no info on or mixed answers. I'd appreciate the clarity.

[dnelson135]

I use the disguise self with Ast and I've amassed a great deal of wealth and Items that are not easily attainable without PP. I believe DS helps in that regard but have no real way to quantify beyond my personal experience. 1 is always a fail no matter what bonuses you have.

[in]

There is a ring which increases rolls when disguised so it can be helpful I guess (shapeshifter's boon). Also pro tip. Initiate dialogue with trader using another character, swap to pickpocketer and loot away without need to run after successful pickpockets. After you're done, warp to camp/run, end dialogue with your char and you will be able to get away as "innocent" easily.

[ToucanSafari]

Originally posted by Xero Alpha:

I'm playing as a rouge Astarion, and I don't have access to these abilities currently, and I also can't find reliable information online about how they work. Wanted to know before I commit to certain paths and avoid having to respec a bunch of times.

For pick-pocketing:

1. Does disguise self do anything to help me? I know NPC's will aggro after a 30 seconds or so, and a lot of guides just say to run away until they de-aggro. But does disguise self cast off all suspicion if I cast it before pick-pocketing? After pick-pocketing? This is assuming I stole what I wanted and ended the pick-pocket successfully.

No, it does not help you. Just ungroup your thief and send them back to camp individually and let the vendor run his course.

Originally posted by Xero Alpha:

2. Obviously Astarion isn't a halfing so I can't benefit from the Lucky race feature halfing's get. But does the Lucky feat (the one where you get 3 luck points) work outside of combat? Essentially trying to avoid the pick-pocket session auto-failing from rolling a 1.

I'm unsure of that one, but a good work around where you don't need to use lucky is to get the gauntlets of thievery from the zhentarim hideout vendor in act 1 which gives you advantage on pickpocketing, reducing the chance of you rolling a 1 to 1/400 or something inane like that. Keep astarion as your main PP due to his bloodsucking talent imo.
[/quote]

Originally posted by Xero Alpha:

3. I know this is a long way off (I'm only level 4 currently) but I read that level 11 I'll be able to get the Reliable Talent class feature, which is any roll less than 10 is counted as 10. In pick-pocketing terms, does this eliminate the auto-fail chance as well from potentially rolling a 1?

Unsure, but I do know that by the time you're level 10, if you've been pickpocketing, you'll have so much extra money you won't need to rely on pickpocketing anymore. I think the last time you should be pickpocketing would be the middle of Act 2, although you could reliably stop without any issue around the githyanki creche in act 1.

Originally posted by Xero Alpha:

All these questions I've found either no info on or mixed answers. I'd appreciate the clarity.

Guide to pickpocketing:
1. Use Astarion, stack dexterity to 18 (using cats grace armor to push dex to 20)
2. Acquire https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Gloves_of_Thievery
3. Pre-cast guidance
4. Smuggler's Ring
5. Have Astarion suck someones blood (no ♥♥♥♥).

You now have a ridiculously high chance of pickpocketing under 12 skill. If you really want to cheese, give the vendor you want to steal from around 3000 gold with Gale or some other wizard/cleric with feign death so they get friendly attitude, and then have them cast feign death on the vendor, making it so you can pickpocket literally everything without having to worry about failures.

[dolby]

disguise self is useless if you have https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Mask+of+the+Shapeshifter

pickpocketing can be buffed to sky high heights... lucky is as is but more a combat thing but problem with pickpocketing is you can't use rerolls like inspirations... so those 1 rolls are always a thing until you get Reliable Talent that's one of few things that are any good problem is it's so late that i wouldn't even call it an option.

Basically pure rogues need a buff something extra. like buffing crit range if you attack from the back and something dual wielding related that in itself need a bit of tweaking in vanilla game.
Like extra damage on chain attacks if both attack hit or something like that... as is i would avoid going beyond level 7 and even that's questionable.. Probably level 3. 4 or 5 depending on what the other classes are.

[Metallicus]

I usually hire the hireling Brianna Brightsong and respec her to thief to do my pick pocketing. The halfling gets to reroll natural ‘1’s and it takes your chance of failure from 1 in 20 to 1 in 400. You can steal most stuff with a minuscule failure chance.