Items that can't be stolen?

I had this pretty awesome plan to go around pickpocketing gear that I needed to become a master of Prowl. I was easily able to steal most quest rewards like the Ring of Concealment or Chapeau of Magnetic Inversion, however I could not steal Master Quest rewards like the Trapmaker Spectacles or Ring of Silence. Is this normal? Or are the items stored somewhere I didn't look - chests or something of the sort?

Do you only need 18 prowl or 20 for mastery? I know the dialogue for dodge requires 19 or 20, because even with 4 CP's in Dodge my beat with an ugly stick halfling with +2/4 dodge couldn't get past it.

Edit: I've also read there is a trick to using the unlocking cantrip, can someone please give a detailed explanation of how to use it? I've just been using lock picking, but since I plan to make a Temporal Magic Master of backstabbing doom - it would be easier to use magic and not get the tech points.

 

Nope, I meant 18 Prowl. The skills in the game seem to be 1-20, character points just add 4 points. So 2 CP's is 8/20. However, Halfling gives +2, creep armor +2, medallion of silence +2, ring of concealment +2, and/or Moordinal's Blessing +4. (Ring of Silence +2, but cannot be stolen in patch.)

Appretince is 1, Expert is 9, and Mastery is 18 - except for dodge which takes 20 to get past the dialogue options.

Had I been able to steal the ring of silence, the prowl mastery quest reward, I could have gotten to 18-22 prowl using only 2 CP's into the skill, requiring only 9 PE. Easily taken care of by 8 default PE + Trapmaker Spectacles!

The spectacles also give +2 dex, which would let me hit 20 DX without spending a single CP in DX! 8 +4(race/bg) +4(agility of fire) +2(gloves) +2(spectacles).

That said, since I can't steal the Trapmake Spectecles anyways, the 5 CP's spend on the skill aren't worth the 3 CP's I'd be needing from the item. Especially since this character is also going to utilize magical items and needs to have a decent magical aptitude. Pick Locks is already bad enough!

Now what helmet to wear instead! Eye Gear is a tech item and takes 4 in mechanical to make, or surrounded by lvl 20 golems... Helmet of Yzar's Cost is cursed, and also surrounded by lvl 30 bears... Or just dump 1 point into PE and call it a day.

The only other question is how are skill calculations made? It it better to actually raise PE to 18-20, max out Prowl, and wear all the +prowl gear? My goal is mostly to get prowl high early, and try and get mastery ASAP and then do stuff solo.

Related to the above, does having 5 CP's into backstab, and then wearing items with backstab bonuses grant you more extra damage? For example 20 skill does 100 damage, does 30 skill do 150?

 

Yeah I agree with vorak.

 

Perception didn't work for me either. Like you said, not really important except its helpful in that one quest.

 

I disagree with Vorak, for it is possible to steal the Ring of Silence and the Trapmaker Spectacles.

Pointless gravedig is pointless, though.

 

There is a second, magical Ring of Silence in Roseborough (the master reward's ring of silence is Mag/Tech Neutral). The mother of the PickLock Master is wearing it.

Oiled Thieves Leathers (Neutral) gives a +1 bonus while Robes of Prowling (did I get that name correct?) gives a +2.

To translate the different systems: 4.5 out of 5 = 18 out of 20.
I read somewhere (probably the manual or the official site) that they initially was going to use a base 20 system for skills, but they changed the interface to a base 5 but left the underlying base 20 engine in place. And while most backgrounds describe their bonuses in base 20, some do not (Mad Scientist's Heal bonus says +1 and gives 1 out of 5 or 4 out of 20). Just another glitch in a long list of glitches.

If base attribute<6, corrosponding skill is maxed at 0.75 out of 5 (3 out of 20)
If base attribute<9, corrosponding skill is maxed at 1.75 out of 5 (7 out of 20)
If base attribute<12, corrosponding skill is maxed at 2.75 out of 5 (11 out of 20)
If base attribute<15, corrosponding skill is maxed at 3.75 out of 5 (15 out of 20)
If base attribute<18, corrosponding skill is maxed at 4.75 out of 5 (19 out of 20)

Therefore Mastery in any skill (except Dodge) requires a Min 15 in its base attribute with the Base Attribute of Prowling being PE.

 

I would ask that you don't gravedig threads more than two months old, unless you've something relevant to donate to the conversation. The above does not qualify.