Sleight of Hand vs wands, potions and spell component pouches

[true_shinken]

All of those are usually unattended items. This means that, as a DC 40 Sleight of Hand check, you can take them from your enemies... as a free action. "Goodbye, Blastificer, you're just out of luck, I got all your stuff."
This sounds really awesome. I mean, that's even a point for Rogues x Wizards. Take their spell component pouch and then stab'em in the guts. Of course, even spells without material components can still be game breakers and there is always Eschew Materials (though most 'optimized wizard builds' we see around here have no room for it, only when they try to make silly stuff like antimatter from Major Creation).

So... is this really OK? A DC 40 Sleight of Hand allows you to steal any unattended item?

[WarKitty]

I thought anything on the character's person qualified as attended?

[Merk]

I think it's fine. I mean, if the rogue's consistently hitting DC 40 Sleight of Hand, they're probably at high enough levels that approaching the wizard to get in that range is the more pressing challenge. Plus at that rate he could just shank the wizard with sneak attacks.

[Toliudar]

I also thought that any item carried by a creature counted as attended. It doesn't have to be in your hand/tentacle/mouth.

[A Ladder]

Where's the "unattended clause"? is it in another book? (can only get access to SRD right now).

according to SRD:

If you try to take something from another creature, you must make a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check to obtain it. The opponent makes a Spot check to detect the attempt, opposed by the same Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when you tried to grab the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the attempt, regardless of whether you got the item.

looks like you can take anything from someone with just that. (although I am in more of favor of unattended objects).

but why would WotC make a rule to take objects if you couldn't. seems here you can jack anyhting if they don't have thier hands on it. (and they can't stop you)

[Kelb_Panthera]

An object on a creature is considered attended for the purposes of spells. Sleight of hand doesn't care if the object is attended or not. It is opposed by a spot-check, and if you're spotted it will almost certainly be taken as a hostile action. As for using it in combat, that requires you get close enough to a hostile creature to actually do it. Good luck.

[WarKitty]

An object on a creature is considered attended for the purposes of spells. Sleight of hand doesn't care if the object is attended or not. It is opposed by a spot-check, and if you're spotted it will almost certainly be taken as a hostile action. As for using it in combat, that requires you get close enough to a hostile creature to actually do it. Good luck.

This is a good point. Any caster who lets you get that close deserves what they get.

[Toliudar]

I apologize. I think you're right, Kelb. I can't see anywhere that taking a pouch etc, attended or otherwise, is anything other than a DC 40 free action. I'd probably modify that to a 1/round free action, for the sake of sanity, but...another fun thing for skillmonkeys to do in combat. Yay!

[Curmudgeon]

You're getting way ahead of things. Sure, you might be able to filch small items as a free action. But you've got to Spot them first.

The Spot DC to notice a Large item in plain sight, within 10', is 0. Adjust the DC upward by +4 for each size category below Large. That means the DC to Spot a Fine object like a potion vial is 20, and you've still got to factor in distance penalties.

Oh, and did you make that Spot check the very first time you had line of sight to the item (possibly from hundreds of feet away)? If not, you'll never see it without taking time for a recheck:
Trying to spot something you failed to see previously is a move action.