Stealing is an ability that enables a hero to steal items from shops. Stealing is trained at the Rogues Guild. Artifice heroes (Cultist, Elf, and Rogue) begin with this ability at 10%.
Overview[]
Stealing is considered to be most useful in the beginning stages of a game for artifice-based heroes that begin with this ability. Specifically, stealing provides a reliable source of gold, items, and experience early on. Stolen items can be sold for gold, which can then be used on important early-game purchases, such as armor, armor enchantment, spells, and the ring of protection. After the beginning stages of the game, stealing is generally not considered to be an efficient use of turns.
The exact formula for success in stealing is unknown, but is believed to be based on the following factors: artifice, skill level in stealing, a hidden "shop difficulty" value, and the value of the item that is to be stolen. If the stealing attempt is unsuccessful, the hero is penalized with the loss of turns.
The basic experience for an attempt at stealing, regardless of the result, is 200. This amount is scaled with the hero's level in the same manner as all other XP gain.
Test data[]
Characters were created and spent the initially allotted 250 turns attempting stealing a certain item. Please note that the total number of attempts does not equal 250 due to turn loss resulting from an unsuccessful stealing attempt.
| Class | Artifice | Shop | Item | Item cost | Successful Attempts | Total Attempts | Success Rate | XP | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue | 26 | Marketplace | Healing Potion | 25 | 200 | 214 | 93.46% | 4420 | 3750 |
| Rogue | 29 | Blacksmith | Steel Dagger | 40 | 224 | 231 | 96.97% | 4616 | 6720 |
| Rogue | 28 | Blacksmith | Wooden Staff | 100 | 147 | 177 | 83.05% | 4184 | 11025 |
Notes[]
- The "Gold" field is the total gold value of stolen items assuming that every stolen item can be sold at 75% of its original shop price.
- The above experiment include gains in Artifice as a result of leveling up to level 2 and level 4 due to the XP gains. Artifice affects success in stealing.