Draft:Magic Castle DS:Stealing From Shops

This guide will help you become a master thief. Shopkeepers won't even know what hit them!

Basics

Anytime you exit a shop while carrying unpaid items, you are marked a thief. While in this state, the Shopkeeper becomes hostile if you hadn't attacked him before, and all monster spawns will be replaced with Sheriffs and Guard Dogs. To successfully escape from them, you must proceed to the next floor of the dungeon.

Before you ever attempt to steal something, you must answer these questions:

• Are the items I want to steal worth the risk?
  • If you want to steal, say, two Strengthening Jars, it's probably worth the risk. However, common items like riceballs or staves aren't worth risking your current run and items.
• Do I have enough money to buy them?
  • If you can buy what you want, why should you risk your life trying to steal it? Of course, you can save up a lot of money by stealing, and probably make even more money by selling all your loot and stealing it back.
• Do I have a way, or preferably several ways to exit the shop safely?
  • If your plan is to simply use a Pickaxe to dig your way to the exit, you're very likely going to die. More intelligent plans involve using items like Great Hall Scrolls or a Leaping Staff.
• If I fail, can I afford losing what I have on hand?
  • The more valuable items you have in your inventory, the less you should attempt to steal new items.
• Is the staircase nearby?
  • 10 squares is good, 100 squares is bad. Sometimes you can even use a single charge of a Staff of Postpone on the Shopkeeper and then switch places with him because the staircase was in a convenient location.

Stealing

Stealing while marked a thief

Though most of these methods are very dangerous, succeeding at it will mark your adventure log with a successful theft.

#1: Postponing and switching

What you need:

• One Staff of Postpone
• One Switching Staff
• A straight hallway from the shop to the staircase

Stealing this way is actually very safe, you just have to swing the Staff of Postpone at the Shopkeeper, then swing the Switching Staff at him when he has been warped and paralyzed on the stairs. You will be marked a thief, but since you're directly standing on the staircase, no enemy will have a chance to hit you. Just be careful not to use thrown staves because they can miss.

#2: Dig your way to the exit

What you need:

• One Pickaxe, preferably many of them, or an Adamant Pickaxe
• One Staff of Paralysis or a Sanctuary Scroll
• An Armband of Sight or a Scroll of Light can be very helpful

This method is quite risky, especially if you are using normal Pickaxes, but it's still a viable way to steal. First pick up what you want to steal, and dig a wall to get out of the shop. The Shopkeeper will try to get you, of course. Paralyze him on the entrance to your tunnel, or put the Sanctuary Scroll so neither him or the Guard Dogs and Sheriffs can get in. Afterwards, simply dig a tunnel to the room with the staircase. This is where it gets dangerous because you don't know if there is a Sheriff or Guard Dog lurking near the exit you are about to make. For this reason, I heavily recommend using items like the Armband of Sight or the Scroll of Light so you know there isn't anything dangerous nearby. Once you get to the room alive, don't get distracted by anything, and exit the floor. You have succeeded.

#3: Leaping thief

What you need:

• A Leaping Staff
• A staircase that is conveniently near the staff's target

Take your loot, swing the Leaping Staff to a place near the stairs and get out. Easy.

Stealing without being marked a thief

These strategies are less risky and have a higher chance to succeed, but you won't get a successful theft mark this way.

#1: Pitfall to freedom

What you need:

• A Pitfall Trap in your inventory
• Trap Armband

This is a completely safe way to steal, you don't have to deal with the Shopkeeper. Just pick up everything in the shop, put the Pitfall Trap somewhere (inside the shop) and step on it. Success is completely guaranteed, though you won't get a successful theft in the Adventure Log.