Kleptomania
Deranged Grimoire • The Serial • Compulsivity
Branch • Physical • Passive • Continuity • Character Flaw • Craft
Granted by Species: Mescrit
How’d did that get there? Kleptomaniacs steal random things without thinking about it. Well, sometimes they do it consciously, but there is still the true wonder of how some random item ended up in their pack or pockets.
Mescrit are known Kleptomaniacs, but most shop keepers look the other way since they have a tendency to be major shopaholics and are sometimes easy to gouge.
Every once in a while when reaching into a pocket or a pack, a Kleptomaniac will pull an item out which wasn’t there before instead of the item they were looking for. To determine if this happens, the Story Guide will make a decision or roll a chance variable each time the character goes to pull out an item.
Normally when drawing an item from a pocket, backpack, or other personal storage, it takes 1 Action Slot or 2 Action Slots depending on the item’s size and weight. These Action Slots are still consumed, but the item they pull out will be something not currently in their inventory.
In most cases the item should make sense based on the places the character has recently visited. The item will never be something in another player’s character inventory or stashes. It may be a duplicate copy of an item.
Chance Variable
A Kleptomaniac has a 10% chance of pulling a random item. This is determined by a (v:10@10) Check.
The Story Guide may make this check any time the character goes looking for something in their inventory.
The character may initiate this variable check no more than once per day.
Item Determination
In most cases the item should make sense for the places the character has recently visited. A pen they took from a hospital, or even a clump of pens. Somebody’s lighter, especially if they barrowed one. Even if they describe returning the item. Finding a few extra lighters in the pocket isn’t unheard of after a night at a tavern.
Sometimes it might be an item from a shop. If they were at an apothecary they might have a random ingredient or a potion. At a weapons shop they may have accidentally stolen a knife or sharpening stone. When visiting a noble’s house they may have an extra ration of biscuits or even a stolen wash cloth from a kitchen.
The items found with Kleptomaniac should make sense for the environment, but it is entirely up to the Story Guide if items “Found” this way are worth anything. In the majority of instances it should be nearly worthless junk.
Notes: Abuse. Characters who use low itemization shouldn’t be digging in their pockets or packs excessively to intentionally cause this effect to activate.
This effect is exceptional for characters with high itemization and have Packs, Pockets, or Inventory to activate their effects. This gives them a failure chance of 1/10. If a Pack or Pocket effect is the trigger for this effect, all but 1 Action Slot is refunded from the Action they took.
Continuity Impact
Kleptomania has very little influence on Continuity, it neither directly exposes an event nor does it alter a major decision. There is the possibility of a Kleptomaniac having stolen something valuable, and was literally seen doing it in the process, and left the people around them in such a shocked stupor, nobody said a word to them. There may be a detective or guard looking for you… for something you don’t even know you’ve stolen, yet.
“I didn’t even know I did that? No, surely not me.”
