Kleptomaniac Hero: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

When gaming began, and pretty much every game was [[Dungeon Crawling]], this made sense. The hero was typically at least tangentially a treasure hunter, so looting ancient caverns was part of the job description.

 

See also [[Ninja Looting]], [[Sticky Fingers]], and [[Video Game Stealing]].

 

* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap|The Legend of Zelda the Minish Cap]]'', a Wind Tribe lady tells you she has so many Kinstones she wishes somebody would take some, explaining why you can go through ''her'' house, at least. Doesn't explain how you got away with all the thieving and vandalism you will have inevitably done already though...

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess]]'' does try to break Link's habit of taking anything that isn't nailed down and guarded by Hyrule's entire army. You can walk up to the stand selling apples and take one, but Link will say he sees better looking apples at another stand and put the one he has back. If you go to the other stand he'll say the other ones look better, so you'll never actually get an apple. Of course he still destroys every pot and loots every treasure chest he can get his hands on.

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]'' tries to break this habit as well. You can open the cabinet in your Knight Academy dorm room for a free blue Rupee, but opening other people's cabinets rewards you with the message "You really shouldn't look through other people's things..." Since the surface has been going through an apocalypse for a few thousand years at this point in the timeline, there are no houses to vandalize, but you ''can'' break the pots in an ancient temple holding something very, very important and plot-related (protip: one of them always contains a fairy). There are hardly any pots in the residential quarters of Skyloft. Even sitting in other people's chairs gets you called out (Gortram scolds you for sitting in his chair, Fi says that [[Deadpan Snarker|you really should find that thing you were looking for before you take a rest]]). Most notably, breaking the chandelier with the heart piece on it in the Lumpy Pumpkin gets you a hilarious facial expression from the owner, a good talking-to, and [[Sidequest|unpaid work until you pay the thing off.]]

{{quote|'''''[[Crowning Moment of Funny|WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?]]'''''}}

* Lampshaded in the PS2/Xbox "remake" of ''[[The Bard's Tale]]'', right towards the beginning. After opening his first chest, the narrator will comment on how horrible it is that The Bard is stealing, and the two will engage in a brief argument over it. Helpfully, all of the "junk" that The Bard finds (wanted posters of himself, animal hides, etc) will be automatically converted into silver, since the game understands that most... okay, ''all'' players would just sell those items at the store for money.

** The Bard from ''[[The Bard's Tale]]'' insists that he is not this trope, but that he takes items for safekeeping against others of this trope. The narrator doesn't buy it.

* ''[[Solatorobo]]'' normally allows Red to poke about unmolested anywhere he likes, including at an orphanage. However, searching Vanille's bed will result in [[Kleptomaniac Hero, Found Underwear|him finding some underwear]], and his sister Chocolat telling him to not stare at it.

 

* Most works of [[Interactive Fiction]], though a game as early as the wordplay-themed ''Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It'' (from [[Infocom]]) subverted this in one section: Given a six-pack and a list of "pretenses" (such as "The world is flat" and "2+ 2=5") in a lawful town, the player must "TAKE BEER UNDER FALSE PRETENSES".

** In the game ''Trinity'' (also from [[Infocom]]) you actually have to steal a gnomon off a sundial in the middle of a crowded Kensington Gardens.

** In ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]]'' this is lampshaded by Guybrush asking someone if he can take an empty bucket. She asks him what he's going to do with it, and he says he doesn't know. She asks him why he would want to take it, then, and his response is "Because it's there, I guess."

* [[Lampshade Hanging]] in one of the new ''[[Sam and Max]]'' games, ''Reality 2.0''. Sam goes to steal some binoculars, on the grounds he needs them more than the owner. Max remarks that that's a pretty flimsy justification for stealing, and Sam agrees. After a pause, they decide to steal them anyway.

* The "take everything that isn't nailed down" comment is parodied in the ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' text adventure game "Thy Dungeonman", in which there's a flask in a room which IS nailed down, and if you forcefully attempt to take it, the game tells you it was a [[Load-Bearing Boss|load-bearing flask]], and the dungeon collapses on you.

* Lampshaded in the first ''[[Discworld]]'' CD ROM game. Rincewind needs to help himself to virtually everything that can be moved in every location he visits as most of them will prove useful later on. If you speak to Nobby the City Watchman at the gate during Act I, he mentions there's been a few strange thefts around town recently.

* In ''[[Mystery Case Files]]: Dire Grove'', you need to break into several buildings as you search for the missing students. However, at one point you crack open a safe containing a key (which you need) and a stack of cash. Clicking on the cash will cause the game to scold you.

* Lampshaded in ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (the game), when a steward on the train remarks that lots of things have mysteriously gone missing. The Player Character, whose inventory is filled with everything from handkerchiefs to a large bowl of orange juice, responds by suggesting that "maybe someone had a good reason for taking it?"

* Total aversion in ''[[Below the Root]]''. Unless it is on a public walkway, you need to find the owner and ask nicely. You also had limits on what you could carry, dictated by the character's strength stat. Pomma couldn't carry much at all.

* Played with in ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]'', where one of the puzzles involves getting your hands on a six-pack of canned mead, which is protected by the burglar alarm at a store. To get the mead, you have to turn up the volume on a nearby [[Canned Orders Over Loudspeaker|propaganda-spouting speaker]] until it drowns out the burglar alarm.

* In ''[[Lost Pig]]'', the custodian of the Place Underground has [[Discussed Trope|several grumpy things to say about earlier encounters with the type]], and {{spoiler|the [[Last Lousy Point]] is awarded for [[Averted Trope|''not'' acting like one]], and putting stuff back how it was when you're done with it}}.

* ''[[Fantasy Quest]]'' takes this to near-[[Deconstruction]] levels. As with many adventure games, you take anything not nailed down. Newspapers reveal that the world's inhabitants interpret this as a crime spree and start exchanging tips for safeguarding their homes. ("Does your house have a door? Can you lock it?")

 

 

 

 

** The only places in the game where this isn't true is Paris, where breaking into a house while the police or civilians are there to see you will invoke the wrath of the police and alert the {{spoiler|1=MJ12 troops}} in the area. Using lock picks in front of certain people, such as the MJ12 troops in Versalife during your first visit will cause them to attack you.

** Averted in its mod, [[The Nameless Mod]]; stealing in front of NPCs will cause them to sound alarms or attack you.

* In ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]'', the player character is the head of security for his company. You can run around breaking into offices and stealing all manner of things, but you'll start receiving e-mails concerning the break-ins and eventually realize that you've created a huge web of paranoia and nobody suspects you because you're the head of security who they trust to find the culprit.

** After you visit the police station, you'll eventually run into a few cops freaking out about the same thing. They're more worried some gangbanger knows where their families live.

*** At one point you are in a ruthless mob boss' lair and he has a [[BFG|Laser Rifle]] lying next to him. You can "borrow" the weapon while he is staring right at you and he doesn't even bat an eye. It makes logical sense that he ''might'' lend it to you for your next task, but there's no dialog or anything. It might as well be yours.

** Also, you can loot just about any dead body (whether you kill it or it was room temperature) and their weapons, as well as any container, from crates, suitcases, handbags, cabinets, shelves, safes, cash registers... makes you wonder exactly what memories your character had {{spoiler|"tattooed into his mind" when he was administered the mental programming plasmid.}}

*** Taken to new extremes when you can loot a corpse that is presumably ''{{spoiler|your own mother.}}''

 

 

* In ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Online]]'', you now can steal from bookshelves, dead adventurers, mushrooms, cabinets, and the standard breakables. You get bonus XP for breaking crates and barrels.

** A good strategy for cash strapped new players is *Smash everything in sight*. Along with getting a Vandal XP bonus, smashed crates and barrels often hide potions, money, and ranged ammunition or throwing weapons.

** The again, there's a thieving SKILL, but it doesn't help in that case, and for example, trying to steal from a stall while the owner of said stall is right in front of you will only result in him screaming for guards, and you have to wait before you can sell what you stole. It's a great skill to have in general, though.

 

 

 

 

* The ''[[Gothic]]'' series has a simple rule. If you weren't seen or the item in question is not in an area where anyone has claimed ownership (like a dungeon), if you take it, its yours. However, if you are seen, you will get your ass kicked by the aggrieved party and almost certainly every guard in the area.

* Subverted at the beginning of in ''[[Chrono Trigger]]''. The game doesn't stop you from picking up Marle's pendant before talking to her or eating an old man's lunch right off the table (which you probably will do without thinking twice about it if you're grinding for Silver Points), but these actions come back to haunt you as points against your character when you are put on trial for "kidnapping" Marle.

** They attempted to justify it in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' : ''[[Crisis Core]]'' by saying that all those treasure chests contained Shinra Property, so as a SOLDIER, it is your job to take them back.

*** A small mission in ''[[Crisis Core]]'' made Zack get the keys from monsters he accidently set loose ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]) and he can take all the loot in the prison cells. There is the option to check the toilets, but Zack refuses, saying "no way is he going to check there".

** Don't be silly. In ''[[Ultima VII]]: The Black Gate'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT7bHFKDkLM Iolo was the thief].

** The guards summoned were easily the toughest enemies in the game, too. Which [[Fridge Logic|raises the question]], why wasn't Lord British sending them off to save the world instead of you?

**** One of the thief quests in Ald-Ruhn requires you to steal an item from the local Mage's Guild. When the quest is active, all the residents of the place vanish until the quest is completed. Meaning that you can steal everything in the place without even pretending to use any thief skills. The only one around is a badly equipped guard who attacks you as soon as you step inside, and you can kill him (''in self defense!!'') without any repercussions at all. When the locals return, they don't even comment on the break-in or the dead guard or the fact that all their stuff is missing.

** If you take an "owned" item (PC players can use the console command "togglefullhelp" to display any owners or scripts attached to an object), ''all'' items that share the same engine ID as that item will be flagged as stolen. Including ones that you might pick up later. So, go ahead and steal that soul gem. Just don't be surprised the next time you're stopped by a guard and he confiscates all your soul gems, including ones you legitimately bought.

** The game tries to make stealing in shops harder than in ''Morrowind'' by making shopkeepers walk around in order to keep you in sight at all times. Note the word used is ''walk'' - not ''run''; the shopkeepers are all very slow, so the player can just time thefts carefully and the shopkeeper will be none the wiser.

*** This can in fact be abused in larger shops with staircases or other natural barriers - you can lead the merchant away from their items to a spot where they can't see them, then run back quickly and steal it all.

* Lampshaded in ''[[Golden Sun]],'' where two actual thieves said that the townsfolk were asking for it because [[Your Door Was Open|they'd left their doors wide open]].

** Also parodied with [[Kleptomaniac Hero, Found Underwear|a lady's silk negligee]]. Which Isaac then [[Crowning Moment of Funny|attempts to steal]].

** You could overcome this by knocking the entire household unconscious with unarmed attacks. You could then loot to your hearts content, and even come back later and the recovered inhabitants wouldn't show any signs of remembering you beating them unconscious and them waking up with all their valuables stolen- cranial trauma induced amnesia perhaps.

* In ''[[Kingdom Hearts]] II'', Goofy mentions "Adventuring Rule #8 - check every corner of a new place!"

* Games in the ''[[Exile]]'' series by Spiderweb Software (and their remakes by the same company, the ''[[Avernum]]'' series) allow you to pick up virtually everything, but some items are labeled as "not yours". Taking these items hurts your reputation and can instantly make the town's guards hostile to you even if you're not seen. ([[Good Is Dumb|The guards also have a special stat that instantly makes them three times more dangerous when they're hostile to YOU than when they're defending townsfolk from monsters]]!) Except in ''Avernum'' where you can safely pick up the stuff after overriding the warning if no non-hostile NPC is in line of sight. After a while players learn to reflexively close doors they've gone through out of habit, on the off-chance there may be any useful "not yours" items they want.

* In the original ''[[Breath of Fire]]'', there was a chest in Auria that, when opened, caused the homeowner to call the cops on you. You could never take the contents.

** There's nothing stopping you from looting the chests AFTER you got the reward, however.

** A variation occurs in ''[[Cave Story]]'', where you're required to steal an old man's gun very early on to be able to continue the game. Since you have to steal it, the being-nice reward is given when you return the gun near the end of the game, instead of trading it earlier in the game. If you trade it, you get an upgraded weapon, but if you don't trade and later return it, you get what is either the best or second-best (depending on opinion) weapon in the game.

*** You need, point of fact, a dead woman, a dead man, and a dead cat. The boss will (rightfully so) consider you to be utterly deranged and let you pass without incident. The cat is also used in an early conversation near the start of the game:

{{quote|'''Anson:''' Eh, what the hells are ye carrying a dead cat around for, then?

'''Anson:''' If I were you -- thank the Gods I'm not -- I'd get out of the cold before your brain freezes anymore than it has. When a fool goes to carrying a dead cat around, that's when you need to start asking yourself some serious questions. }}

*** He's wrong about that last part, of course: you can take this subplot further and eventually get some XP for your cat carcass carrying.

'''Conrad''': Hey, don't say it like that! I talk to people, y'know? Ask them if they have big problems that only I can solve. You'd be surprised how many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them. ''(looks around)'' Sometimes I poke through crates. You know, for extra credits. }}

** On a related note, ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' research activities require mining planets and collecting the metals necessary to buy the upgrades, which you do by scanning planets and firing off probes—regardless of whether the worlds are colonized or who actually owns the mining rights.

** Also lampshaded in ''Earthbound''. Cookies are healing items; a character sitting in a room full of gift-wrapped boxes informs you that he made cookies for everybody. Take the cookies from the boxes and he asks, reasonably enough, "How could you?"

** There's also an NPC in Summers who talks about how it weird it is that people "on important adventures" break into people's houses and check their furniture for valuables.

** ''Mother 3'' goes as far as placing presents out in the open that... fart. If you're lucky they might play some new music or launch some fireworks.

*** It also subverts this on two occasions, but both with the same item. In Chapters 2 and 3, one of the Tazmily Village residents is given a big bag of money by Fassad, which he then puts in the well. You can then walk up to the well and take it...only for the game to tell you that you put it right back. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in that at that particular part of the game, in Chapter 2, you live in a society where money is pretty much nonexistent, and in Chapter 3, you're being controlled by Fassad who would probably shock you into next Tuesday if you took it before he was ready.

* The game ''Sacred'' follows this trope - you can open any container in any area with no consequences. Add in the fact that the contents value increases as your level does and can be further boosted by certain abilities and items that increase your chance of finding more valuable loot you can end up with a barrel inside a peasant's hovel containing hundreds or thousands of gold pieces or a valuable magic item worth thousands. When you factor in quest rewards can include magic items as well, finding a farmer's sheep can result in being given XP, 2000 gold pieces and a magic sword as a common result - never mind the ludicrous nature of that.

* The ''[[Gothic]]'' series certainly ''allows'' [[The Hero]] to act on his thieving tendencies, but the owner of the house will hear the rummaging and come running in (no matter how far away he or she initially was) and attack if you refuse to stand down. The fact that every NPC in the vicinity - including those you have to avoid killing - chips in is an extra deterrent.

* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''[[Robopon]]''. A townsman actually says: "You can even go into someone's house without permission and take things! Here we have a law called what's mine is yours! I really don't have an opinion on the law, but it's strange!"

* The ''[[Lufia]]'' games have always had the protagonist able to check people's property, such as pots and drawers, for items. ''Ruins of Lore'' takes it to a new level however by having the protagonist take three bags of 10 gold from bushes he cut down. Why is this notable? Because the three bags were in a graveyard for three people.

* During a funeral in ''Cosmic Fantasy 2'', you can walk up to the coffin and take the heirloom sword meant to be buried with the guy. While his family is standing right there. They don't notice.

* In ''[[Dragon Age]]'', it's more prevalent if you're a rogue, but there are still plenty of chests and dead bodies to loot. It's mostly played straight, but you're occasionally called on it. If you fail a pickpocketing save you may be confronted by the authorities, and the mad hermit in the forest will attack if you try to steal from him. And if you steal in Haven {{spoiler|the town turns hostile}}.

** Bonus points for picking the locked chest in the estate of Arl Eamon (a nobleman you're staying with) ''while he silently watches.''

* In ''[[Glory of Heracles]]'' for the DS you can find some items in cupboards, but taking them decreases your luck stat.

* ''[[Might and Magic]]'' has items stashed in all manner of chests, crates, boxes, sewer drains, and corpse-pockets. It's all lootable. There's only one time, in the 4th game, when an NPC will stop you from looting his chest. If you persist, he spawns as a monster and very likely kills you.

* ''[[Atelier Annie]]'' actually ''inverts'' this trope. Your friends will drop by your workshop to chat and request things of you, and many of them visit by breaking in while you're out or busy and often raid your pantry for snacks in the process. Kyle is the greatest B&E offender, while Beaux holds the theft of food crown.

* In the town Louran in ''[[Terranigma]]'' you can give a man the advice to take his money with him, when he dies, then rob his grave when the town turns out {{spoiler|to be a zombie town}}.

 

* In ''[[Assassin's Creed|Assassin's Creed 2]]'', Ezio can empty the pockets of an entire crowd by just walking through them. However, this will increase the [[Karma Meter|Notoriety Meter]], which will cause [[Video Game Cruelty Punishment|guards to be more vigilant]].

** There is even an Achievement/Trophy for pickpocketing called, would you believe, "Kleptomaniac"

 

 

* Unlike its predecessor, there are no more items that are actually attended by an NPC in ''[[Jagged Alliance]] Back in action'', so you can loot everything. The text description for an item called 'Family Heirloom' found in a locked house reads "[[Lampshade Hanging|A bunch of valuables that was obviously hidden with the purpose of you finding it so you can sell it and raise some money for the good cause]]"

* ''[[RHDE]]'' is about kleptomania the way ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' is about guitars.

 

* ''[[Resident Evil]]'' is literally built around this trope. In this series, a key has the exact same potential for unlocking a new area as, say, a bag of fertilizer.

* ''[[Silent Hill]]'' does this as well. Survival Horror Rule: If it [[Conspicuously Light Patch|ain't pre-rendered]], it's important. Good thing the protagonists have a [[Hyperspace Arsenal]] (bar a few glaring exceptions).

 

 

** This is parodied in the first game in case 3, when Phoenix grabs a copy of a map for Global Studios and Wendy Oldbag demands 50 cents for the map. Phoenix ignores her.

*** Maya steals the map, but Nick still doesn't pay for it. Maya also steals a vital poster in the second game, and the key card later in 1-3 - it's Lampshaded at that point: "Let's steal it!" "Borrow. You mean borrow." Ema also persuades Phoenix to steal evidence, except that stealing stuff while Ema's around is ''scientific''.

** Godot shares this trait; he thinks the "safest place for crucial evidence" is his pocket.

*** As does Edgeworth; his satchel is the safest place he knows. {{spoiler|Godot is present when Edgeworth says this line chronologically prior to Godot's use, meaning that Godot probably stole the trope, and line, from Edgeworth.}}

** Averted in the ''[[Ace Attorney Investigations]]'' series, as whenever Edgeworth finds something, he will often jot it down in his organizer rather than take it, possibly because some of the pieces of evidence are part of crime scenes.

** Lampshaded in the ''Miles Edgeworth Case Files'' manga. Franziska asks Edgeworth for the criminal record of a defendant she's prosecuting. Edgeworth suggests that she could just have taken it, but she says she "would never imitate the foolishness of a certain sham defense lawyer".

{{quote|'''Alice''': Walk into people's houses and take things...? Are you a thief or something?

'''Luka''': There have been some who have abused that privilege. I don't think someone like that is a true hero, though. }}

 

* ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' allows you to loot dead bodies for money. In fact, one side mission has you chasing down a bandit for stealing from the general store in Armadillo: if you choose to kill him, you search the man's body and return the stolen money to the owner. Also, you may open chests and drawers pretty much anywhere they're present (yielding you money and ammo), but if you do so outside of your safe houses, you get a wanted level for stealing, no matter if someone saw you or not.

* ''[[Borderlands]]'' has chests/safes/boxes/lockers you can open and loot the ammo/gun(s)/money stored inside. Given the influences from ''Diablo'' and ''Fallout'', this isn't surprising (although you can't loot stores (except for any of the aforementioned containers that happen to be inside stores), as the stores are vending machines). Then there's the ammo in the refrigerators, mailboxes, washing machines...and toilets (giving a new meaning to the term "ammo dump"!)...

** In fact, ''Claptrap's New Robot Revolution'' happens because the Vault Hunters' constant looting and selling have ruined Pandora's economy, thus leading Hyperion to hire the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap to take care of the problem.

* ''[[Terraria]]'' lets you take this [[Up to Eleven]]. Found a shrine made of golden bricks containing a treasure chest inside a jungle? You can take the treasure inside the chest, then use your hammer to take the chest itself, then take out your pickaxe and ''take the shrine itself''.

 

== Web Comics ==

{{quote|'''Black Mage''': ''"Didn't the pirates take everything already?"''

'''Thief''': ''"They left everything that was nailed down. I did not."'' }}

* Used for humorous effect in [http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/darthsanddroids/episodes/0071.html this] ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' strip.

* The eponymous character of ''[[Sarab]]'' loots his kill in an [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPG]].

* Naturally, appears in ''[[Adventurers!]]!'' The homeowner's lack of objection is justified:

* Encouraged in the video game-like sections of [[Homestuck]], even though you usually don't have an inventory. Occasionally explanations are offered:

{{quote|"Chests are everywhere in this lab, and people find it all too tempting to sneak their personal belongings into them for safe keeping. That is, until the goods are stolen shortly after by those who can't resist looting every chest they encounter, which is everybody."}}

 

== Web Original ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Steal This Index]]

[[Category:Video Game Items and Inventory]]