Pickpockets Table I: Potential Victims	Table IA: Special Items	Encounter Explanations	Pickpockets Table II: General Content	Pickpockets Table III: Odds & Ends
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons	Dragon magazine	-	Classes	Dragon

The picking of pockets is a skill that most
thieves love to exercise, and rightly so.
However, even the most prescient DM
cannot always foresee the situations
in which a thief will use this ability, and on
some occasions the DM may not be as
prepared to judge the results of a random
pickpocketing attempt as he would like to
be. The system described in this article is
for use in precisely those circumstances.

The DM's first task is to ascertain what
targets are available for the thief to pickpocket.
Assuming that the general surroundings
have been established, potential
victim density is then determined. This
defines the number of people within a 15'
radius of the thief, representing those persons
whom the thief would have a reasonable
chance to examine briefly and
approach in one round. Conditions may
indicate a sparse distribution (e.g., a side
street at mid-morning) -- d4 persons; dense
(such as a tavern, early evening) -- 2d4
persons; or crowded (perhaps a marketplace
at noon) -- 3d4 persons.

The DM then rolls percentile dice for
each person indicated, referencing the result
on Pickpockets Table I below. A fair (but
veiled) description of each one is then given
to the thief. (If the character insists on a
detailed description, this will require a
longer examination of the potential victim,
incurring a 10% cumulative chance per
round after the initial round of observation
for the NPC to notice this scrutiny and
either move off or confront the thief.)

The PC thief then selects a victim from
among those available and makes the actual
attempt to pick a pocket. At this point, any
modifiers to the base chance for success that
the DM feels are warranted should be applied.
If the pocket is successfully picked,
the DM next rolls percentile dice and refers
to Pickpockets Table II; this accounts for the
fact that any given victim will have several
pockets, and no thief is infallible or lucky
enough to hit on the most profitable pocket
every time.

Depending on the results of the above
roll, the DM then consults either the encounter
explanations which accompany
Table I, or he is referred to Pickpockets
Table III. If the attempt to pickpocket is
unsuccessful, the thief should, of course, be
prepared to use smooth tongue, feet, or
dagger to deal with the probably unpleasant
repercussions.

Pickpockets Table I: Potential Victims
Except for those marked (1), (2) and (3),
all encounters are with humans; duplicate
results are acceptable, with varying physical
details; there is a 20% chance at night for
any given Potential Victim (PV) to be
drunk (DM's discretion as to degree). Notes
and Encounter Explanations follow the
table, which otherwise conforms to the
descriptions in the DMG on pp. 191-194.
 
 

Day	Night	Potential Victim	Notes
01	01-03	Assassin	1
02	04-05	Barbarian	1
03-12	06-08	Beggar	-
13	09-10	Brigand	-
14-18	11-13	City guard	-
19-21	14	City official	-
22-23	15-23	City watchman	-
24-25	24	Cleric	1
-	25	Demon	2
-	26	Devil	2
-	27	Doppleganger	2
26	28	Druid	1
27	29-36	Drunk	-
28-29	37-38	Fighter	1
30-33	39-40	Gentleman	-
-	41	Ghoul	3
34-38	42-43	Goodwife	-
39-40	44-50	Harlot	-
41	51	Illusionist	1
42-45	52	Laborer	-
46	53	Magic-user	1
47-50	54-58	Mercenary	-
51-58	59-60	Merchant	-
59	61	Monk or bard	1
-	62	Night hag	2
60-61	63-64	Noble	-
62	65	Paladin	1
63-66	66	Peddler	-
67-69	67	Pilgrim	-
70	68	Press gangster	-
71-72	69-72	Rake	-
-	73	Rakshasa	2
73	74	Ranger	1
74-78	75-82	Ruffian	-
79-82	83-89	Thief	1
83-97	90-92	Tradesman	-
98	93	Werebear	2
-	94	Wereboar	2
99	95-96	Wererat	2
00	97	Weretiger	2
-	98	Werewolf	2
-	99	Wight	3
-	00	Vampire	3

Notes: 
(1): These encounters are with a single
character of 6th-11th level (d6 + 5). It is
suggested that the DM have "generic"
NPC personalities prepared in advance,
suitably equipped with wealth, magic items,
etc. Otherwise, the Character Subtable in
the DMG, pp. 175-176, contains information <Magic Items for Everyone>
relevant to this sort of random encounter.
It is further suggested that these
characters be holding only 50-200 gp in
?pocket money,? or 1-3 items of value (100-
1000 gp each), perhaps from the Jewelry
and Items Typically Bejeweled Table in the
DMG, p. 219. Finally, the DM may wish to
flesh out the pocket contents of these victims
as follows: if the initial roll on Pickpockets
Table II indicates 2 rolls on Table III, substitute
for the second a d10 roll on the following
subtable, which reflects a selection of
the distinctive items carried by members of
some character classes. Note that no special
items are indicated for certain types of
characters (such as barbarians and fighters).
If one of these types is indicated as a Potential
Victim, simply ignore this subtable and
make two rolls on Table III as usual.

Table IA: Special items
 

Victim	Die Roll	Result
Assassin	1	Vial of Type A ingestive poison
-	2	Dagger, normal
-	3-5	Garrotting wire
-	6-10	False moustache
Barbarian	-	-
Cleric	1	Silver holy symbol
-	2-4	Small holy text
-	5-10	Material spell component
Druid	1	Gold sickle
-	2-3	Holly/oak leaves
-	4-5	Mistletoe, lesser
-	6-10	Mistletoe, greater
Fighter	-	-
Illusionist	1-2	Travelling spell book
-	3-10	Material spell component
Monk/bard	-	-
Paladin	1-3	Holy symbol
-	4-10	Prayer book
Ranger	-	-
Thief	1-3	Thieves' tools
-	4-7	Brass cesti
-	8-10	Dictionary, thieves' cant

(2): One monster of the sort indicated.
While it is highly unlikely that any of these creatures would have anything worthwhile in their pockets (assuming they have any pockets at all), it is important to note that all of the creatures designated (excepting some types of devils and demons) have some method of appearing in human form (such as shapechange, illusion, lycanthropy, etc.) and will be so disguised.
A failed pocket-picking attempt here could well result in the thief's becoming painfully aware of his "victim's" true nature!
Also, bear in mind that the DMG's strictures on the rarity and placement of such beings. <page=x>

(3): There will be only one visible, although others might be lurking nearby.
As these are undead creatures with corporeal, humanoid bodies, often clothed (albeit in rags), there is a 25% chance that the thief will be unaware of just exactly what he or she is creeping up on until within 5' of it'; the darkness and mist that these creatures prefer is also a factor in the chance of mistaking them for "real" people.
Again, these should be rare and suitably placed.

Encounter explanations
These explanations deal mainly with the
money carried by the victim. All other
information is as per the DMG pp. 191-
194. Encounters will be with just one individual,
but any henchmen or companions
indicated by the DMG will be somewhere
within earshot of the victim and will certainly
come running if called for.

Beggar: 2-8 cp

Brigand: 2-8 gp

City Guard: 1-10 sp, plus a set of iron
manacles (can be snapped on successful
attempt to bend bars/lift gates)

City Official: 10-100 gp, plus a damaged
gold ring of office, worth 75 gp

City Watchman: as city guard

Drunk: A wine-sodden bum, 1-20 cp

Gentleman: Fop/fighter, 50-200 gp; Gentlewoman,
1-4 jewels worth 50-200 gp each

Goodwife: 1-4 sp

Harlot: Slovenly trull, 1-10 cp; Expensive
doxy, 10-100 gp; Brazen strumpet, 2-20 cp;
Haughty courtesan, 20-200 gp; Cheap
trollop, 3-30 cp; Aged madam, 30-300 gp;
Typical streetwalker, 1-10 sp; Wealthy
procuress, 40-400 gp; Saucy tart, 2-20 sp;
Sly pimp, 10-60 pp; Wanton wench, 3-30
sp; Rich panderer, 10-100 pp

Laborer: 5-20 cp

Mercenary: 50-200 gp

Merchant: 10% have 10-200 pp, all others have 50-500 gp

Noble: Nobleman, 10-200 pp; Noblewoman,
1-6 items of jewelry worth 200-800 gp each

Peddler: 10-40 sp

Pilgrim: 3-24 cp

Press gangster: 2-12 sp

Rake: 10-100 gp

Ruffian: 5-20 cp

Tradesman: 5-20 gp (to determine type,
use Secondary Skills Table, DMG p. 12)
 

Pickpockets Table II: General Content

Dice roll	Result
01-30	Empty pocket
31-48	Money (consult descriptions from Table I)
49-86	One roll on Table III
87-00	Two rolls on Table III

Pickpockets Table III: Odds & Ends
The items on this table are for the most
part of little practical or monetary value,
but there are certain minor surprises and
hazards. Should any of the items seem too
strange, frivolous, or unlikely to your taste,
feel free to replace them with those of your
own design. A standard market value for
items is given where applicable; items with
values marked by an asterisk are "black
market" merchandise; such items cannot be
purchased through normal, public outlets.
 

01	Long, straight pin (50% chance of pricking finger sufficiently to elicit cry of pain)
02	Platinum piece (counterfeit -- actually lead covered with a thin layer of platinum.  Shopkeepers and merchant-types have a 20% chance of recognizing it as ersatz.  A moneychanger will certainly know!); Value 1 sp
03	Ball of string
04	1-4 dried herrings (edible)
05	Wooden snuff box, 3 pinches of snuff remaining (induces sneezing for 1 round if sniffed); Value 3 cp
06	Ornate iron key to a "Members Only" club; Value 1-10 gp
07	Silver-plated neck chain with broken clasp; Value 4 sp
08	Pair of bone dice (30% chance of being "loaded"); Value 12 cp
09	12 oz. clay flask of grain alcohol; Value 8 sp
10	1-10 thistleburrs
11	Folded sheet of ragged parchment with various foodstuffs listed
12	Onion (10% chance it is rotten)
13	2-12 rusty iron nails (5% chance of receiving a small nick, in which case there is a 1% possibility of a tetanus infection)
14	2-8 colored glass spheres, each 3/4 inch in diameter; Value 1 cp ea.
15	Deck of ordinary, battered playing cards (35% chance of being "marked")
16	Small book containing the definitions of common words and phrases in the country's official language: Value 5 sp
17	Plain wooden comb
18	Cowhide wallet containing identity papers appropriate to the encounter; Value 2-20 gp*
19	Clod of dirt
20	Small speckled frog, live
21	Mousetrap (set; 75% chance of springing on contact; no damage, but painful enough to provoke a loud "Ouch!"); Value 10 cp
22	Glass inkpot (loose cork will dislodge on contact, spattering the thief's fingers with indelible black ink)
23	Promissory note to the local moneychanger: "Pay the Bearer on demand the sum of 50 gp," signed by a wealthy local figure (5% chance per turn, cumulative, of the victim discovering the theft and alerting the money-changer and/or the city watch); Value variable
24	Cloth bag containing about 1/2 oz. of exotic crushed herbs, along with a wooden pipe; Value variable
25	Sewing-thimble of silver with embossed family-crest pattern (a thatuth thymbol?); Value 1 sp
26	4-inch-long wooden wind instrument that produces "raspberry"-like sound when blown; Value 15 cp
27	A 2-by-3 inch portrait of a woman or man comely enough to cause the viewer to react as if in the presence of a person with 18 charisma; Value 4 gp
28	Fleas (1 turn after contact, the thief will experience uncontrollable itching until he or she bathes)
29	An embarrassingly explicit love letter to a well-known woman of easy virtue from a prominent (and married!) local politician
30	8-inch-diameter coil of fine copper wire; Value 14 sp
31	Ring of Visibility (A simple copper band with a non-magical rune engraved on it; when worn the wearer will be plainly visible to anyone in sight, exactly as before donning the ring!); Value 6 cp
32	Sixteen 3-by-5-inch cards of stiff parchment, numbered consecutively, written in an unfamiliar language which translates as notes on "The Fascinating Permutations of Economics in an Agrarian Society"
33	An egg (40% chance of breaking when grasped)
34	A bent copper piece; Value 1 cp
35	A large hole, directly underneath which is the victim's skin (50% chance of the victim feeling the touch of the thief's hand)
36	Cold beef sandwich on thick black bread, wrapped in dirty cloth (hot mustard optional)
37	Vial of vile perfume; Value 2 cp
38	Silk handkerchief (with the DM's monogram); Value 5 cp
39	Leather bag containing a 25mm lead figurine of the victim, dressed outlandishly (describe modern 3-piece suit) and 6 oddly shaped bone dice; Value 15 cp
40	Two engraved invitations (generic) to a Ball at the Palace/Manor House/Castle etc., the following week; formal dress (75% chance the former owner will simply assume them lost)
41	A dead bug (of whatever sort the player hates the most)
42	2-8 interesting but completely valueless stones
43	Tattered map (DM's determination of contents, i.e., city, ocean, etc.; it should be missing information or be partially inaccurate); Value variable
44	Silver ring with partially legible elvish script on the inner surface: ". . .to bring them all, and in the . . ." (cheap facsimile, silver-plated lead); Value 1 sp
45	One-quarter pound of cheese (DM's option as to type and condition)
46	Quill pen, broken nib
47	Feather of Lightness (when tossed into the air, this pigeon-feather will float lazily to the ground)
48	Vial of mild poison, sufficient to induce vomiting for 1-4 rounds; Value 1 gp
49	White mouse, live (trained and friendly); Value 1 sp
50	Pouch of 20 wooden "5 cp coins"
51	Lump of coal
52	Tinderbox; Value 1 gp
53	Small lodestone attached to leather thong, with a runic "N" chiseled into one end (indicates magnetic north); Value 1 gp
54	12 oz. flask of very cheap wine, labeled "Old Wyvern Breath."  It has a heavy, overpowering bouquet that can knock a buzzard off a dung-wagon; Value 1 cp
55	Set of 2-8 iron keys (DM's choice as to where the keys may be used, if anywhere); Value variable
56	Small, black leather book containing 5-20 names and addresses (DM's discretion as to contents)
57	Orange peels
58	1-4 cheap cigars, with a pungent aroma reminscent of a stable; Value 2 cp/doz.
59	One-quarter pound sack of oats
60	Wooden wrist sundial, broken strap; Value 15 sp
61	Small slip of parchment indicating that (fill in name) owes the city 10 cp for leaving his horse in a proscribed area, one week overdue; Value -10 cp
62	Stiff parchment card containing the name and address of the town's best taverns and a message indicating that the card is good for "one on the house"; Value 1 sp
63	One-inch cube constructed of smaller interlocking moveable colored cubes (any one who shifts the positions of the smaller cubes must save vs. spell at +3 or be confused for 1-4 rounds); Value 1 sp
64	1-inch-diameter ball of hard, red rubber; Value 15 cp
65	A notice on crumbled parchment, dated to that day, to the effect that the bearer is not to be found in taverns, inns, brothels or in the company of known criminals, for a period of 1-6 months; signed by the Captain of the City Watch
66	Wooden vial of spice (cinammon, oregano, nutmeg, etc.); Value 1 sp
67	Wad of gum arabic, sticky and lint-covered
68	Bag of beans (usually ordinary, but a 5% chance that it is the magic item of the same name)
69	1-4 potatoes
70	Pair of cloth men's gloves, knitted so as to leave the thumb and fingers exposed; Value 1sp
71	Small knife (3-inch blade, bone handle, 1 hp damage) and a half-whittled chunk of wood; Value (of knife) 5 sp
72	Wooden case containing vials of red, black, and white grease paint and a thin stick of dark graphit; Value 1 sp
73	3 darts (damage 1-3/1-2) in a leather case; Value 1 gp
74	Wedge of cold cheese and onion pie wrapped in greased brown parchment
75	Sand
76	3-inch-diameter wooden box with "Vote" (DM fills in name) for Grand Vizier" burnt into outer face
77	Blackjack
78	6-inch-long green snake, live (but harmless)
79	Gold necklace inset with rubies and emeralds (gold plate, paste gems -- easily recognizable as costume jewelry); Value 1 gp
80	4-16 brass tacks (25% chance of provoking a cry of pain when grabbed); Value 1 cp
81	Mummified monkey's paw on leather thong (2% chance of enchantment enabling the paw to grant one limited wish)
82	Small silver holy symbol of a lawful good religion, fastened on a broken chain; Value 10 gp
83	Half-eaten head of cabbage
84	Deck of brand-new, non-magical playing cards decorated with the same images found on a deck of many things
85	Silver arrowhead (50% chance of grasping point for 1 hp damage and loud "ouch"); Value 1 sp
86	Vial of camphor-menthol unguent (will ease headache and clear clogged nasal passages); Value 2 sp
87	Crude bearclaw and rawhide necklace
88	Book containing religious hymns, psalms, etc., with the inscription "Gidyon" on the flyleaf (alignment of religion is DM's choice)
89	Peddler's license; grants the licensee permission to sell wine in the marketplace
90	Set of wooden teeth, two or three of which are cracked
91	Parchment signed by the Chief of the City Watch, giving the designated bearer safe passage anywhere in the city or therefrom (bearer's signature may be altered by a scribe for 5 gp); Value 10 gp*
92	Heel from lady's shoe
93	Personal diary (contents determined by encounter; owner may not desire its return); Value variable
94	Jar of adhesive paste of sufficient strength to bind parchment or small bits of wood; Value 1 sp
95	2-8 nuggets of iron pyrites (fool's gold)
96	Small pouch containing 3 nutshells and a pea
97	2-12 wooden "arrows," each 3 inches long, for stirring drinks
98	Rolled-up pair of used black silk stockings; Value 6 sp
99	A 3-by-5 inch card of stiff parchment identifying the bearer as having a highly contagious skin disease (which may or may not be true)
00	Magic item

Magic item: the relatively low-power items on the following subtable are culled from those in the DMG which are usable by any class, and pocket-size.
For the purposes of this system it may be assumed that in many cases the bearer is unaware of the item's magical qualities (i.e., it may have been stolen, found, etc.).
If any item comes up which seems totally inappropriate, roll until a suitable result is obtained.
 
 

1	Dagger +1
2	Eversmoking bottle
3	Flask of curses
4	Iron flask
5	Keogthom's ointment
6	Medallion of thought projection
7	Necklace of strangulation
8	Periapt of health
9	Periapt of wound closure
10	Philtre of love
11	Potion of healing
12	Potion of speed
13	Potion of sweet water
14	Quall's feather token, 1 only
15	Ring of contrariness
16	Ring of free action
17	Ring of swimming
18	Ring of warmth
19	Ring of weakness
20	Scarab of insanity

Note that those characters designated by
note (1) on Table I are not eligible for any
of these items, as it is assumed that the DM
has already made provisions for any such
items they might be carrying.