Stealing
an Item
“Stealing an item” refers only to the in-game stealing of
in-game items.
You must be very careful when attempting to steal anything
in-game. You are never allowed to destroy anything in order to steal something
(no cutting purse strings, no breaking windows to get into a home, no harming
real property). If you can somehow manage to open someone’s pouch and take the
game items within without that person noticing, then that is fine.
There are special rules for each type of in-game item and you
are required to know them. If you are caught stealing something incorrectly,
then you are cheating—and ignorance of the rules is no excuse!
Note that all tags and physical representations for magic
weapons, magic items, and formal components are the property of NERO.
Game Money,
Magic Items, and Jewelry: You are always allowed to take whatever game money you
can find in-game. When taking jewelry or an item, always check to make sure
there is a number scratched into it. If there is a number, then the item is now
yours. If there is no number, then the item is personal property and not a NERO
game item. If you are unsure, you may find a marshal with a game item list who
can check to make sure that it really is a game item. The major guilds will
usually have this list. In addition, you may want to have someone cast a Detect Magic on the item to see if it’s
magical (go to the Mages’ Guild out-of-game to find out). You may also try to
sell it to another player or merchant in-game (or the Thieves’ Guild once you
find out where it is).
If you have a magic weapon or item stolen, you must
immediately head to the Mages’ Guild and turn over the magic item tag. You can
go to the guild out-of-game.
If you have a piece of jewelry or other game item that you
wish to make into a stealable item, you must contact your chapter before the
event begins. They will assign a number to the item and figure out its monetary
value. You will then be required to pay the in-game amount that the item is
worth (we’re not going to give you something for nothing!).
Weapons: You must
actually take the weapon you are stealing. And be reasonable about it—if these
weapons were real, they would weigh quite a bit. You cannot grab ten weapons
and walk through town with them.
Once you have stolen a weapon, you should then head
immediately to the designated area for stolen weapons (usually the NPC camp or
an NPC Weaponsmith shop). You cannot actually keep that particular weapon phys
rep since it is the personal property of the player from whom you stole it, but
the marshal in charge will give you the tag from that weapon which you can then
attach to your own weapon phys rep or attempt to sell in-game.
If your weapon is stolen, you should head to the designated
area. That is why it is so important for you to write your name on your weapon!
(In some chapters, you do not steal the weapon, but only the tag.)
Some monsters will have weapons that are stealable. However,
for logistical reasons, these monsters will simply hand you a tag instead of
the actual weapon.
In some NERO chapters, magic weapons are covered with white
duct tape or white cloth, and you are not allowed to have a white weapon that
is non-magical. Magic weapons are easily identifiable by anyone looking at them
and are treated as magic items. They are NERO property. If you steal one, you
do not have to turn the phys rep in.
If your character can afford to have the Mages’ Guild make a
magic weapon, NERO may provide you with one. If you wish to make your own, you
must have it approved by a weapon marshal. When it goes into game, it will
become NERO property and thus stealable.
Spell Books
and Recipe Books: In order to steal a spell book or an alchemical recipe
book, you should take the card that is attached to the book. The actual book is
the private property of the player. Some players will mark their spell books
with a note saying “this spell book is stealable.” In that case, you must take
the actual book itself and not just the card.
Other
in-game items: NERO often provides props such as maps, notes, books,
and other informational items. If you find these in a module or on an NPC,
they’re yours. If you steal them from another player, you should either contact
the person you stole it from out-of-game and make sure that they were
stealable, or alternatively see a marshal to make sure. You don’t want to take
someone’s personal notes that have absolutely nothing to do with NERO and then
waste your time on them, do you?
Searching
a Person
If you waylay, kill, or control a person or monster through a
spell, you may search that being. Simply say “I search you.” All game items
must be turned over at that point.
Note that it is impossible to completely hide something on
your body. If you are searched, you cannot claim that something was “really,
really hidden.”
If you are searched, you also have the option of saying, “Go
ahead and describe your search and I will tell you the results step by step.”
This is not only to help you to hide items, but it also takes up the time that
the search should take. You must really have the item hidden where you say it
is. In other words, you can’t say “I’m pretending to have a secret compartment
in my shoe, and he didn’t search for secret compartments!”
If someone steals your magic item, do not give them the tag
that describes your magic item. Immediately go to the appropriate logistical
site (usually the Mages’ Guild in most chapters) and turn over the tag. It is
up to the person who stole the item to find out what the item is and how it
works. This applies to magical weapons as well.
Searching
a Cabin
In order to search a cabin, you must have a marshal present (unless the cabin is occupied!). We
cannot overemphasize this point! If you enter a cabin without a marshal, you
are really breaking and entering and NERO may be forced to bring legal action
against you!
The marshal does not have to actually be right next to you
(after all, how can you sneak with someone else tagging along beside?), but the
marshal must be within sight somewhere.
Once you have managed to successfully open the door, the
marshal will then check the marshal’s notes that will be affixed to the inside
of the door. The list will include any items that are in-game, any magic spells
that may be active in the cabin, and what damage the thief may have just taken
from traps on the door.
You must actually search the cabin yourself. The marshal will
not simply look at the notes and go and retrieve items for you.
Do not take any items marked “personal” or any items stored
under a bed. In-game items may not be put under a bed. When you leave the
cabin, you must show all items you have taken to the marshal. Only game items
can be stolen! The marshal will return non-stealable items.
The marshal is also there to make sure that you properly
disarm any traps that may be on the door or window. Destroying property such as
window screens or door hinges is not allowed.
Remember: you can search anywhere in a cabin except for bags
marked personal or behind dividing curtains or under beds. However, not
everything in gameplay is stealable. Make sure there is a number on the item
you want to steal.
For example: Sneeki the
Thief wants to break into Darleena the Mage’s cabin. (A marshal is nearby of
course.) Sneeki picks the lock on the cabin door but, not having searched for
traps, did not notice the trip wire on the trap until it goes off. The marshal
reads the note left by the trap setter and tells Sneeki how much damage was
taken. Sneeki then enters.
There is a tapestry dividing
the room, behind which there is a bed and personal property belonging to the
player who plays Darleena. Sneeki cannot go there. On a table in front of the
tapestry is a wand, a ring, two books, and a box.
Sneeki looks at the wand and
notices that it has a NERO number on it, so he takes it. The ring does not have
a number, so he leaves it. The box does not have a number so he cannot steal it
but he can try to open it. He picks the lock on the box and takes the NERO money
and NERO potions inside and any other items that have numbers.
The books do not have
numbers, but Sneeki can still search them. He opens the first book and notices
that it has the player’s notes about NERO rules in it. It is obviously an
out-of-game book, so Sneeki leaves it where it is. The second book has
Darleena’s notes about an adventure she knows about. Since this is all in-game
material, Sneeki can steal the book.
Securing
your Cabin
Tyrra can be an unsafe place, so it’s always a wise idea to
guard your valuables. There may be places in-game where you can buy or rent a
lock for your cabin. Some of these places will also install it for you for a
small fee. Of course, these locks can be picked by a good thief, but at least
it will slow the rascal down.
You can also buy or make traps for your cabin. Each trap must
be accompanied by a trap card (see the section on traps).
It is a smart idea to take your personal items and put them
under your bed. Any items placed under the bed are considered to be out of
play, so don’t cheat and put game items there. If you like, put a dividing
curtain up in your cabin, and place all the beds and your personal items behind
it. Put any game items in front of the divider.
If you are sleeping in-game during the night, make sure that
your bed is in front of any dividing curtain or barrier you have put up.
Any special security precautions you take must be entered on
the marshal’s notes sheet in the holder on your cabin door. Make any appropriate
entries there, with the spell labels and/or trap cards necessary. That way
anyone marshaling a thief through your cabin can dole out any damage that the
villain may take. If no precautions have been entered on the marshal’s notes,
then there is nothing protecting the cabin in-game!
Anyone
who does not reside in a particular cabin caught reading the marshal’s notes
will be subject to disciplinary action. These notes are for marshals only, and
only when marshaling a thief into the cabin.