Thievery
Quest implemented: ?? January 2003
Aquiring Thievery adds a new link behind any vampire name in the city after (drink). This link is labelled (rob), and depending on what level of Thievery you have, you can steal a certain amount of coins off vampires using this link.
It has been said many times - and no one will argue with you if you say that - that getting all levels of Thievery before any other power is the smartest thing to do. This means this should be your first acquired power... level one, then level two, then level three. In that order, with no skips to the side.
Success Rates
Thievery(1): 25%
Thievery(2): 50%
Thievery(3): 75%
Maximum Thieved Amount
Thievery(1): 25%
Thievery(2): 50%
Thievery(3): 75%
Example figures
Assume 4 000 coins spread over four vampires. You rob them all. You have a certain chance of successfully robbing them and let's assume you get lucky and thieve the full possible amount for your level of thievery:
Thievery(1): 250 coins (6.25%)
Thievery(2): 1 000 coins (25%)
Thievery(3): 2 250 coins (56.25%)
If you're more lucky, you may end up successfully stealing from more vampires, upping your total gain. If you're less lucky during that run, you can either fail on all, or get fewer coins on those you do manage to steal from.
In effect, Thievery(1) is considered to be mostly useless, and it really does waste action points more than your regular acquired power. It will only accelerate your money earning for Thievery(2) by perhaps 100 coins a day, if you are lucky.
Thievery(2) shows great improvement towards Thievery(1). At this point you may think Thievery(3) is redundant, filled with glee due to your new aquisition, but lo behold, nothing says robbing as much as Thievery(3).
Cormorant's Perch Daily Reapings
(as reported, mean)
Cormorant's Perch is the top left corner of the city and used to be the area that the first Thieves Guild was stuck in - it would move around within that area, but never move beyond it. As such, it was a fabled hunting ground for veterans to pick off the pockets of new players who'd find themselves stranded outside a full Thieves Guild with their money on them.
Thievery(1): 800
Thievery(2): 1 300
Thievery(3): 2 000
Of course these numbers still depended on luck, and there is no such area in the city anymore, but the benefits of Thievery(3) speak for themselves. This is the most essential power to have for any vampire who wishes to get anywhere in the city.
Of course, that being said, I gathered 30 000 coins merely from humans before I went to get any power at all (I didn't want to get powers because they all seemed offensive to me, and my vampire was and still is a pacifist), which was then more than enough to get all levels of Thievery in one go. Happy Neike.
Prices
Thievery(1): 2 000 coins
Thievery(2): 5 000 coins
Thievery(3): 10 000 coins
There are no quests you need to do for Thievery.
Warning
If you are a new vampire and you are wanting to go for Thievery(1), may god help you, because it is likely that Thieves Guild 1 will be wedged near the western and northern city limits, a region affectionately called "Cormorant's Perch" because of being a repetitive Thieves Guild 1 magnet. If this is the case, make sure you take along at least two Scrolls of Turning, or a veteran willing to help you cross to the banks and over to the Guild, as without Surprise, you are doomed to fail with a chance that is so screamingly high it will make you wonder where your coins went when you refresh to check whether the Guild is no longer blocked.
It is newbie hell up there, in both ways - hell for the newbies, because of the newbies. Worse yet, veterans have caught on to this developement and called Cormorant's Perch great hunting grounds - which is what it is for a vampire with Surprise, who will glide over squares, to you, pickpocket you as you are stranded with the coins for the Guild, and deposit it all back in the nearest (likely blocked) bank.
Unless you are suicidal, do not attempt it alone, or, as said before, without at least two Scrolls of Turning.
Summary
Price: 2 000, 5 000 and 10 000 coins: 17 000 coins.
Benefits:
- ahoy, money
- ahoy, prestige
Contras:
- none- aquiring the first level is one of the hardest things you will encounter