How does sleight of hand works?

[Trandir]

So if you manage to get a mere 20 you can steal from another creature. That creature is allowed to do a spot check opposed by the sleight of hand check and if it succeded it realized the attempt but doesn't prevent it.

There is any modifier if the creature is aware of the thief?
There is any modifier if the thief is invisible?
If the spot check succed it provides the notion that the stolen thing has been stolen, does it also makes the victim aware of the thief (if you are in a croud you could notice that your wallet is missing but notice who took it is far more difficult)?
Can you reverse pickpocket (put things on the person rather than take them)?
There are other things that you can do with sleight of hand beside: stealing, hide small objects or light weapons, use it in place of perform to juggle and do nonmagical magic tricks?
Drawing the hidden weapon is considered a sleight of hand check and as suck could become a free action with a successful check with the -20 check penality?
The feat Master Pickpocket states that "you can take anything that the character has on his or her person provided it is not held in hand" so are boots, pants, plate armor, ecc... fair game (probably every DM will limit what can be taken but RAW)?


Bonus: is it possible to increase the sleight of hand bonus so muck that basically nothing can notice you? If not how can a thief improve the sleight of hand bonus?

[Segev]

So if you manage to get a mere 20 you can steal from another creature. That creature is allowed to do a spot check opposed by the sleight of hand check and if it succeded it realized the attempt but doesn't prevent it.Yep.


There is any modifier if the creature is aware of the thief?No, though the DM could add a +2 circumstance bonus to the spot check if he feels it appropriate.

There is any modifier if the thief is invisible?No; the "spot" check isn't strictly visual. This is as much about feeling the theft occur as seeing it happen. In fact, moreso.

If the spot check succed it provides the notion that the stolen thing has been stolen, does it also makes the victim aware of the thief (if you are in a croud you could notice that your wallet is missing but notice who took it is far more difficult)?If the target already is aware of the thief and knows his position, then he probably knows it was that particular creature that performed the theft. If the thief is successfully hidden, then no; that requires a separate spot check. A DM would not be unreasonable to compare the DC for this spot check to the thief's score on his earlier stealth check, though, rather than asking for another roll.

Can you reverse pickpocket (put things on the person rather than take them)?The rules are silent here; most DMs probably would let you, however. I know I would.

There are other things that you can do with sleight of hand beside: stealing, hide small objects or light weapons, use it in place of perform to juggle and do nonmagical magic tricks?Not by the default rules. There are some feats, I'm sure, that expand it, and you can talk to your DM about other options.

Drawing the hidden weapon is considered a sleight of hand check and as suck could become a free action with a successful check with the -20 check penality? Not without Quick Draw.

The feat Master Pickpocket states that "you can take anything that the character has on his or her person as long as it is not held in hand" so are boots, pants, plate armor, ecc... fair game (probably every DM will limit what can be taken but RAW)?Assuming that's the complete quote, it sounds like it.



Bonus: is it possible to increase the sleight of hand bonus so muck that basically nothing can notice you? If yes how is it possible?No, because anything you can do with Sleight of Hand, an equally-determined creature can do with Perception.

[Mato]

fyi, the Rules Compendium updated sleight of hand's entry twelve years ago. You cannot steal secured items and if a creature becomes aware of what you're doing they can resist which requires you to make a disarm or grapple check instead of slight of hand's rules depending on what you're doing. It also doesn't say anything about about making a check as a free action by accepting a penalty either.

[Trandir]

fyi, the Rules Compendium updated sleight of hand's entry twelve years ago. You cannot steal secured items and if a creature becomes aware of what you're doing they can resist which requires you to make a disarm or grapple check instead of slight of hand's rules depending on what you're doing. It also doesn't say anything about about making a check as a free action by accepting a penalty either.

Oh thanks for the info. The rule compendium updated also the penality now it's -20 on the check to do it as a move action rather than free action.

[Darrin]

Oh thanks for the info. The rule compendium updated also the penality now it's -20 on the check to do it as a move action rather than free action.

Text trumps table. There is no indication in the text about changing a free action check into a move action.

[Trandir]

Text trumps table. There is no indication in the text about changing a free action check into a move action.
In the PHB it says: "Any Sleight of Hand check normally is a standard action.
However, you may perform a Sleight of Hand check as a free action by taking a –20 penalty on the check" and the rules compendium says that a sleight of hand check is usually a standard action, and the table shows a -20 condition modifier for a sleight of hand made as a move action.
So now you can do it as either a move action or standard action, right?

[Jowgen]

Important note: City of Stormreach was published after Rules Compendium, so the Master Pickpocket feat's wording for allowing Free action Sleight of Hand over-rules the move-action amendments in both specificity and recent-ness.

[Trandir]

Important note: City of Stormreach was published after Rules Compendium, so the Master Pickpocket feat's wording for allowing Free action Sleight of Hand over-rules the move-action amendments in both specificity and recent-ness.
OK, good to know, but whitout the feat you can't move steal an item and then use the standard action to move again. Well this makes that feat a little more intresting.