All %’s are added or subtracted before multiplication occurs. So, for example, Jimmy has a +0 to his pick pockets check, which pays out $150. He decides to do double-RP requirement for an additional 10% payout. He rolls a natural 19. He’ll get 90% of a payout for the modified roll, +50% for the natural 19 roll, +10% for the double-RP bonus. So, that’s 150% of $150, or $225.

Accomplices:When pulling off a con-job or knocking off a bank, having a buddy never hurts. When RPing out a theft or con with multiple people, the total number of paragraphs RPed are determined by the summed number of paragraphs from each participant for a final payout. One roll is made by the person actually performing the final con/heist maneuver (e.g. the person asking for the old lady’s money for the ‘charity’ or the person taking the businessman’s wallet).

Additionally, all restrictions on additional +’s and payout is doubled... so for extra RP, you can get up to +100% payout, or up to +6 to the roll.

For example, Jimmy and Sally want to pick Jonny’s pocket. The paragraph requirement is 6 paragraphs for $150. They decide they want the extra 10% payout and an additional +2. So, the total paragraph requirement will be 4x the original paragraph requirement, or 24 paragraphs. So, between them, they must RP out 24 paragraphs... that could be 12 and 12, 14 and 10, or 23 and 1.

Jimmy is performing the actual pocket picking, and so he rolls with a +2. He winds up rolling a modified 19, giving a total payout of $165 (90% + 20% = 110% of payout). Now, they have $165 to split between them, which is dealt with between the characters, typically in-character and roleplayed out between them. As a default, whoever received the cash in-character has the money initially. This occasionally results in some backstabbing, double-crossing, and taking off with the money without sharing it. That's the typical fare in New Reno.

Thievery: Anything ranging from petty theft to full-scale cat burgling.

Pick Pockets: (Requires Be the Thief) Almost every thief gets his start with simple lifting, whether it be their purse, their moneyclip, or that shiny wedding band that the person probably isn't even using anyway.

This thievery requires a minimum of 6 paragraphs of RP and an Agility/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full payout for a Pick Pockets attempt is $150, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 1 day while you recover. Pick Pockets can be attempted twice per week.

Petty Theft: (Requires Be the Thief) This is basic, plain old stealing... smash and grab jobs, grabbing some loot while the store owner isn't looking, and sneaking into the old man's house to grab his wad of money in his oh-so-safe cache under the sofa's cusions.

This thievery requires a minimum of 15 paragraphs of RP and an Agility/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full payout for a Petty Theft attempt is $400, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 4 days while you recover. Petty Thefts can be attempted once per week.

Heist: (Requires Thievery II) This is your larger-scale heist like breaking into a slightly more secured store and trying to break into the safe. The GM may throw in one or two small variable obstacles... a locked door or a guard dog, for instance, that you would need to get around through strategic RP or additional, secondary rolls.

This thievery requires a minimum of 20 paragraphs of RP and an Agility/Level/Luck and Int/Level/Luck roll at the end. Such heists require both skilled stealth and careful planning. Full payout for a Heist attempt is $1000, treated as $500 for the Int roll and $500 for the Agility roll. If either roll fails, the Heist attempt fails, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 1 week while you recover. Heists can be attempted once per week.

Conning:Using your wits and talents of deception to trick others into handing over their money, free and willingly.

Street Con: (Requires Con-Man) This is a basic con... telling the newcomer to the neighborhood that you’re a collector for the new fusion cell plant coming in down the road. The basic con-man performs his act here, often approaching total strangers and smooth talking their way into cash. There are many ways to do it, but only one way to do it right: deception.

This conning attempt requires a minimum of 10 paragraphs of RP and an Intelligence/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full payout for a Street Con attempt is $250, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 2 days while you recover. Street Cons can be attempted twice per week.

Scam: (Requires Con-Man) This is a more in-depth scam that involves a little preparation, a little finessing, and a little more thought than just showing up, ad libbing everything, and hoping for the best.

This conning attempt requires a minimum of 20 paragraphs of RP and an Intelligence/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full payout for a Scam attempt is $600, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 4 days while you recover. Scams can be attempted once per week.

Shop Con: (Requires Con-Artist) This is the ultimate test of a con-artist. This involves walking right up to somebody who's selling something, and talking your way into a discount. You go into a store and try to weasel a little discount from the store owner. You’re part of the local Family and need a little good faith from the owner... you’re a long lost cousin and should get the family employee discount... anything like that.

This conning attempt requires a minimum of 17 paragraphs of RP and an Intelligence/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full reward for a Shop Con attempt is a 25% discount on any one item (not including Enhancements or Custom Weapons), and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 1 week while you recover. Shop Cons can be attempted once per two weeks.

Pawn Shop Con: (Requires Con-Artist) This is right along the lines of a Shop Con, except instead of trying to knock down the price of an item, you're trying to up the price of an item you're selling back. Brahmin salesmen are noted for using these types of tricks, making the two-headed beast seem that much more of a bargain for the price he's asking.

This conning attempt requires a minimum of 12 paragraphs of RP and an Intelligence/Level/Luck roll at the end. Full reward for a Pawn Shop Con attempt is getting back 100% of the price of one item, and the penalty for failing is being unable to quest or duel for 4 days while you recover. Pawn Shop Cons can be attempted once per week.

Stealing/Conning Quests

In any thief or conman's life, he might want to rise above petty theft and small-time jobs. Getting $100 from a hooker's purse just doesn't have that thrill. They want to do more, bigger, better, grander.

A Steal Quest is a special form of thievery or conning that is almost entirely freeform and is essentially a player-driven quest. It will have many elements to it that will have to be overcome through RP and at times through dice rolls... alarms, locked windows, guards, etc. It is not limited only to people who have the Be the Thief skill, but at least one person in the Quest must have it. You're free to bring along your meatshield gun-toting partner for backup if things go wrong.

When a player wishes to go on a Steal Quest, he/she should approach a GM about it. There are two ways this can be done. The player approaches a GM and either says he/she wants to hit a particular location (e.g., Mordino house with a safe containing particular documents that the PC wants) or a general location (e.g, random gun store A meeting these general standards). In the first instance, the GM will determine how difficult this is going to be (just a general feeling of "wow, this is going to be tough" or "this will be a piece of cake") and let the player know. In the second case, the player can have the PC go after any level of difficulty of a place or a job; they wouldn't go after a Bishop safehouse if they didn't feel confident enough to do so. The exact "level of difficulty" can be worked out between the GM and the player.

The player/PC will know little to nothing about this locale to begin with. He can then work out with the GM what he could do to RP scouting out the place, watching it for guard location/rotations, go heist some blueprints... a separate mini-quest or other thieveries/cons might be used or might be necessary for this part.

Note that this is entirely proactively PC-driven. If the PC does not actively go out and try to prepare for the Quest, then the GM is not going to give them any freebie information, preparation, or even any ideas on how to prepare for it. If you approach the GM and say "What can I do to prepare for this?", your answer will be, "Be creative." It is not the GM's job to give you ideas on how to overcome the obstacles. If you say "I want to roleplay out purchasing a set of blueprints on the layout of this building, and then I want to pretend to be a homeless bum and scout out the outside of the building, can I do that?", then you are in business.

The actual layout of the building and any guards, alarms, locks, and anything else to that effect will be prepared by the GM in a timely fashion. You should then work out a time with the GM that you both, and anyone else who might be an accomplice, will be available for the Quest. The GM will try to prepare everything as quickly as he can, but you should give the GM a few days to prepare, since GMs have other schedules that often conflict with getting anything prepared in detail in a quick amount of time.

There is no goal number of paragraphs of RP. You must perform a minimum 25 paragraphs of RP, but often many more will be needed to get through everything. This is just like a typical quest where everything is free-form roleplayed unless a roll is required... and almost always, rolls will be required. There is also no overall roll for a Steal/Con Quest. Success is dependent on how the free-form roleplay goes. If you mess up and are spotted at the beginning of the Quest, things might be over right there. Also, just like in a quest, there are varying consequences for your actions. If you get caught by a dozen Mordino guards in the Desperado's safe, there is next to no chance that you will come out of it alive, or with all your limbs attached.

Payout is also more freeform. The GM may reward XP/SXP as per a regular quest in addition to the physical loot you get. If the Quest was an attempt to get particular documents from a Mordino safe, then if you were able to get them in the quest, you now have them. Steal/Con quests are ideal for attempting to gain non-money, non-shop items within the game, like documents, data files, rare and unique items ("I think I'll just put this one-of-a-kind computer chip that runs the new Horseman mech we've made into my little safe here..."). If all you wished to grab was money, the payout would be the same as a typical quest for all those who participated.

The more preparation you do, the more smoothly the Quest will go. Knowing exactly how many guards are in the building and where they will be at any time will make it that much less likely that you'll get caught by one. If you know where you are going, that will save the time of peeking around corners and opening doors to rooms that might or might not be the correct ones.