Shoplift and Die: Difference between revisions

In some games, the player is [[Kleptomaniac Hero|expected to grab everything not bolted down]], in other games, if you have the option of not paying for wares, doing so makes a shopkeeper attack you or [[I Fought the Law And The Law Won|send powerful]] [[Mooks]] [[I Fought the Law And The Law Won|against you]]. Often, the attacker will be an [[Invincible Minor Minion]] that you have no choice but to outrun. [[Lightning Bruiser|Good luck with that.]] Other times, they'll just be brutally overpowered, to the point that they could probably tackle the dungeon themselves and conquer it without even breaking a sweat. Either way, you'll probably be wondering why you're even allowed to ''try'' to shoplift, seeing as it [[Video Game Cruelty Punishment|near-inevitably]] results in suffering [[Yet Another Stupid Death]].

* ''[[Nethack]]'''s shopkeepers. The trope was [[Trope Namer|formerly called]] Izchak's Wrath for a reason <ref>Izchak is the only shopkeeper guaranteed to be in [[Randomly Generated Levels|any playthrough.]]</ref>. They get indignant if the player tries to steal, trying to kill the player themselves or sending the police - which happen to be the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone%20Cops Keystone Kops] - after the player. The shopkeepers will also charge you for damaged or eaten merchandise. They tend to be well armed (with the occasional Wand of Death); the Keystone Kops would be predictably ineffective but for their overwhelming numbers.<br />[[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything|There's a delightful variety of complications:]] they're killable but that counts as murder for the non-chaotic, they can grab the character's backpack if they try to tunnel through the floor while standing too close, characters with uncontrolled teleportitis should be very careful indeed... On the other hand, a trained housepet ''can'' steal items and somehow avoid attracting any attention.

** ''Any'' monster besides the player can steal from Nethack shops without penalty. Only a few 'greedy' monsters will actually do so. Drop all your gold in the shop (for store credit). Lead a greedy monster in (a dwarf will do), then back out. Kill them for your money, while keeping the store credit. Much more reliable than pets.

** In the ''[[Pokémon]]'' version, it's the Kecleon shopkeepers themselves that swarm the characters if you shoplift. Ironically, this is the only way to recruit one to your team. Said Kecleon also have a recruit rate of ''negative'' 33.9%, thus to even have the tiniest chance of recruiting them you need to be at least Level 90 if not 100, the level cap, due to the fact that the recruitment rates are highest at those levels, and be equipped with the Friend Bow. Even with the bonuses, the chance is 0.1%, as the highest bonus to recruit rate you can achieve is 34%. Have we mentioned that these Kecleon are superpowered, are at level 91, call reinforcements, and move at double speed?

** ''[[Chocobos Dungeon]] 2'' has the ''[[The Grim Reaper|Grim Freaking Reaper]]'' attack you. With multiple bodies. In higher levels, each body is stronger than the endboss, and ''respawns'' if "killed."

** ''[[Shiren the Wanderer]]'' has a rather elaborate system to prevent shoplifting. First, upon picking up any item, the shopkeeper blocks the only exit until the player pays. If the player tries to attack the shopkeeper, he moves at double speed to eviscerate the player with powers rivaling the final boss. Finally, if the player manages to paralyse or otherwise subdue the shopkeeper, upon leaving the store the game will declare "Thief!" and then sic double-speed Guard Dogs and incredibly powerful Sheriffs on you until you somehow manage to leave the town or dungeon floor. To add insult to injury, if you actually are able to kill any of these creatures, you gain neither experience nor items. Small wonder the stats screen has entries for both times you stole items and times you ''successfully'' stole items.

** In ''Torneko'', if you get something and leave the room without paying, or attack the gargoyle shopkeeper, many other gargoyles will come after you. And they're quick and kill you with a single blow.

* Been doing a little gambling in a casino in ''[[Grand Theft Auto San Andreas]]'', and you're a bit in the red? No problem, they'll give you time to pay them back...about two days. After that, the casino owner will send a hit squad of four guys with SMG's after you. Even if you happen to be the casino owner...

** And when you kill them, they drop a ''lot'' of money. An interesting way to pay off your debt.

** In an earlier ''Legend of Zelda'' game, ''[[The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening|Link's Awakening]]'', if you're quick enough to steal from the shop in Mabe Village, you get a little message asking you if you're proud of yourself. Your save file is also renamed to "THIEF," causing everyone to call you that. And the next time you attempt to enter the shop, the shopkeeper kills you with [[Shock and Awe|Force Lightning]] for an instant [[Game Over]]. Mind, this is the best way to achieve [[One Hundred Percent Completion]], as the Bow costs an exorbitant 980 Rupees.

*** It's required for [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] in ''Link's Awakening DX''; stealing an item gets you one of the photographs. But going back into the shop means you die, which disqualifies you for the [[Good Ending]]. This means that, in order to obtain both [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] AND the [[Good Ending]], you have to steal from the shop at the end of the game and NEVER GO BACK.

** ''Police Quest: SWAT'' has an early mission where the team is called out to a Korean 7-11, after robbers enter and gunshots are heard. The mission can have the gunmen shooting the store owners or holding them hostage, or it can work the other way around with the store owners waving guns about, requiring an interpreter.

* In ''[[Space Quest]] II: Vohaul's Revenge'', Roger Wilco orders a whistle via mail required to solve a later puzzle. In both ''[[Space Quest]] III'' and ''[[Space Quest]] V'', the owners of the mail-order company dispatch Terminator-like androids to collect the debt or kill him (but mostly kill him).

* In ''[[Way of the Samurai]] 2'', it is possible to run off with items before paying. They won't chase you or harm you directly, but it does decrease your standing in the [[Karma Meter]]. You usually have two chances before the shopkeepers all over Amahara refuses to sell you anything. You then have to work for the townspeople to raise your standing all over again. If you're particularly unlucky, some random ronin will spot you as trouble and will try to take justice into his own hands...

** In the original ''[[Way of the Samurai]]'' however, there is only one shopkeeper in the game (the Blacksmith) who you can choose not to pay and will be attacked by. What makes him different from most games though is you can kill him, but will deprive yourself of a vendor for the rest of the game. You do get a unique weapon though.

[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]

[[Category:Shoplift And Die]]