Pickpocket

From TheKolWiki

The Logic of Pickpocketing

• 1: For each potential dropped item, pick a random number between 0 and 100.
• 2: See if that number is below its base drop rate. If so, it qualifies.
• 3.1: If no item qualifies, pickpocket fails.
• 3.2: If one item qualifies, that item is stolen.
• 3.3: If more than one item qualifies, randomly choose between all qualified items with equal likeliness.

The Math of Pickpocketing

If a monster can drop n different items with associated base drop rates p₁, p₂, ..., p_n, then the probability that item #1 will be obtained from a single pickpocket is given by the formula

• The probabilities of pickpocketing the other items can be found by permuting the variables.

• Another, possibly easier formula, where A is the base chance of the wanted item dropping, B is the base chance of another dropping, and C is the chance of a third item dropping, is:
  • If the monster can drop 2 items, Pickpocketing Chance = A(1-B)+AB/2
  • If the monster can drop 3 items, Pickpocketing Chance = A(1-B)(1-C)+[(AB)(1-C)]/2+(AC)(1-B)/2+ABC/3
  • The total chance of getting an item from a monster if you Pickpocket it and kill it is:

    Base Chance (1+ Item Drop Modifiers)(1- Pickpocketing Chance) + Pickpocketing Chance

Special Pockets For Picking

The following areas/monsters have items that can only be gained through Pickpocketing:

List of Monsters this skill doesn't work on

• The monsters in the Wine Racks
• Your nemesis in the Chamber of Epic Conflict
• Ultra-Rare monsters (due to them always getting initiative)
• All monsters found in Fernswarthy's Basement (they don't drop anything anyway)
• The DoD mimic, due to a bug that initially allowed you to get more than one wand
• The mimics in The Barrel full of Barrels
• Your shadow
• Skelter Butleton, the Butler Skeleton
• Feast of Boris monsters
• El Dia de Los Muertos Borrachos monsters
• Most monsters in The Sea cannot be successfully pickpocketed. Exceptions include the bazookafish (bazookafish bubble gum) and patrons of The Dive Bar (all booze drops).
• The gnarly gnome and the gnasty gnome cannot have their clockwork keys stolen, though their other drops are yoinkable.

Notes

• Equipping the Elvish sunglasses give a 25% pickpocket bonus.
• El Tango de la Maldita Suegra gives a 20% pickpocket bonus.
• A non-skill-based version of pickpocketing is implemented via the divine cracker item. However, pickpocket-only items cannot be stolen in this way.
• This ability was added to the game as a Tuesday update on January 9, 2007.
• If you successfully pickpocket something, you won't get it as a normal drop after killing the monster. However, if the monster can drop more than one of a certain item (for example, monsters in The Hole in the Sky that can drop multiple stars or lines), the other instances of that item can still drop normally.
• Quest items and conditional drops can not be pickpocketed, even if you meet the conditions for them to drop normally. For example, a bunch of square grapes is a conditional drop because it will only drop if you are level 11 or higher. Shirts drop conditionally based on whether you have Torso Awaregness and also cannot be pickpocketed.
• Even if a monster has no item drops, you may still pick its pocket if you get initiative.
• Item drop modifiers do not affect pickpocketing probability.
• If you click on a different link or log out of KoL when you get the initiative to get to the "You twiddle your thumbs" message, when you click on the Pick its Pocket button, you are still able to pickpocket.
• It is possible to pickpocket an item, and then successfully run away from the monster.
• See this forum thread for more information.

See Also

• Conditional Drops