Pick Pocket mastery quest

Is it worth of doing it? I mean, a lot of guides writes that it is useless, because it didn't change your Pick Pocketing skill, and just gives you a bad reputation. But this is what I've found:

Apprentice: the Character is ONLY caught on a critical failure
Expert: the item size penalty is halved
Master: the Character cannot be caught when planting an item

So, which one of the theories is right?

 

Well one is an opinion and the other is what it does for you, so both...

So its like this, a lot of guide writers feel that the bonus you get from mastery is useless.

 

No critical failure when planting items for running around naked in the most populous city on the world. HURR DURR

 

I say it's pickpocket mastery for running around naked in the most populous city on the world. The bonus doesn't matter, the prestige and satisfaction is what counts. But it one cares only about functionality than yeah, the mastery sucks. How often does one plant items anyway.

 

You could plant the Bangellian Scrouge on guards, steal their normal weapon, wait for them to auto-equip it, and see who attacks them?

 

Would planting dynamite on a mark have messy consequences a la The Monster Squad?

 

True, planting items indeed may be good for a giggle or two, forcing people to wear silly hats and so, yet it's more of a curiosity than real deal pickpocketing.

 

Considering they will pick up and equip any item they find on the street, this use is quite useless as well.

 

They will pick up pretty much everything, but they are quite moody when it comes to equiping. Still, if a NPC won't equip it himself, forcing will do nothing. As DE mentioned, it may be good when we want to speed up the situation, since sometimes NPC take their time before they pick up the damn thing. Not that it's something worth being called a balanced mastery.

 

Planting is not particularly useful, strategically. (Haven't tried dynamite, but really now, there's better ways to go about assassinating people...)

Of course, pickpocket is not the most useful of skills by and large, so if you're playing a pocket, you can certainly go for it.

 

"I say good sir, What ARE you doing?"
"Uhm, nothing. I just bumped into you. Sorry."
"Why is my coat making a hissing* noise? Sir come back here!"
*boom*


*fuse burning

 

Can you even plant dynamite? If you try and use it it just gives you the use icon to place it, and if you pickpocket it onto them it's just an inert item. Right?

 

Yea, I'm pretty sure that's how it works in game, I was just amused by the idea.

 

Fallout dealed with this situation so much better.

 

True that. I remember killing the president by planting a bomb on him. Result was I could run around the Enclave without anyone attacking me.

Still, having an excuse to run around naked in the greatest city of Arcanum is nice. Also is the fact that you can give cursed items to people (like that glove which wiped out fatigue and dealt poison - killing Bates with it was nice)

The experience is also nice and... did I mention you get to have a reason to be naked? =o

 

You need a reason? *Has played through with completely naked characters before*

 

This pretty much seals the deal. Although people actually giving something to you for being naked (no, not "that" something - something as in reward) is always nice =p

I'm curious though, isn't it hard to play Arcanum without any resistances whatsoever? An Ore Golem would one-hit you in turn based and there are a few other things too

 

Yeah I died a lot, went through nearly all of the possible followers in the game and developed a compulsive saving disorder, but it is possible, but most people would get sick and tired of it before they found that out. It was very, very repetitive with the dying. It actually forced me to completely rethink how to level the character up