manual

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15
LOCKPICKING
Use
C
to rotate the lock and
L
to rotate the lockpick. When the lockpick is rotated, the closer it is to the correct
position, the more the lock will rotate before the lockpick breaks. Only when the lockpick is in the correct position will
the lock fully rotate and open.
SNEAKING, PICKPOCKETING
AND LOCKPICKING
SNEAKING
Toggle sneaking by holding down
j
. Sneaking allows you to pickpocket, as well as carry out stealthy and
powerful attacks. Your stealth state is displayed when you crouch:
When the sneaking reticle is fully open, you can be detected.
When the sneaking reticle is halfway open, you are in danger
of being detected.
When the sneaking reticle is fully closed, you are hidden.
When the eye opens fully and the reticle displays “DETECTED” it means that a nearby enemy has detected you and is
about to attack. When the eye closes fully and the reticle displays “HIDDEN” it means that all nearby enemies have
lost track of you and will stop searching.
How stealthy you are is affected by many factors:
• Your Sneak skill only helps you when you are crouching. The higher your Sneak skill, the easier
it is to remain undetected. Increase your Sneak skill by staging successful stealth attacks, or by sneaking
within range of a target. There are a number of Sneak perks that grant additional stealth bonuses.
• Line of sight: An enemy is much less likely to detect you if he can’t see you.
• Darkness: You are harder to see in darker areas.
• Movement: You are hardest to detect when motionless, and easiest to detect when running.
• Sound: Two-handed weapons make the most noise. One-handed weapons are quieter; daggers and bows are
silent. Casting spells makes both sound and light. Heavier armor makes more noise when moving.
Attacking an enemy that has not detected you grants a damage bonus, the amount of which depends on the weapon
and can be increased through perks.
Enemies will react to sounds in the environment, like arrow impacts or traps. You can sometimes use this to your
advantage to lure an enemy out of position.
PICKPOCKETING
You must be sneaking to pickpocket. Approach the target and activate them to bring up their inventory. Select an item
to steal it, or an item from you inventory to plant it on them. If you are successful, the item will be added to your
inventory. If you are detected while pickpocketing, a crime will be reported and you will not take the item.
The higher your Pickpocket skill, the lower the chance you’ll be caught. Just looking at a character’s inventory is not a crime.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
CRIMES, BOUNTIES AND JAIL
The following actions are considered crimes and are reported if you are detected: Stealing items or horses,
pickpocketing an item, picking a lock, trespassing, starting a ght (defending yourself is not a crime), or killing a
non-aggressive character.
When a crime is reported, a Bounty is placed on your head for the city or town you are in. The amount of the Bounty
depends on the seriousness of the crime you commit.
Anyone that sees you commit a crime will become a witness. If you manage to eliminate all witnesses to a crime
shortly after it has been committed, the Bounty will not take effect.
With a Bounty, guards will approach and arrest you. If you run, they’ll come after you. If you escape to a different city
or town where you do not have a Bounty, the guards there will ignore you.
If you are caught by the guards, you typically have the following options:
• Pay off your Bounty and avoid jail. Any stolen items in your inventory will be removed, including
items you stole while undetected.
• Resist arrest. Guards will attack you if you resist. If you escape, the Bounty will remain on your head
in that city or town, and guards will try to arrest you if you return. If you yield by sheathing your sword,
the guards may stop attacking you depending on your reputation, though they will still arrest you.
• Go to jail and avoid the ne. If you go to jail, you can attempt to pick the lock of your jail cell and
escape undetected. To serve your time, activate the bed in your cell and you will appear outside when your
time is served. Your progress towards skill increases is lost depending on how long your sentence is.