10.17 Lockpicking kits; creation and evolution.
Lockpicking kits come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the basic kit of the neophyte citizen to the master's kit filled with a toolset honed by the experience/contributions of a dozen legendary locksmiths. Kits gain experience from action in the field and those with sufficient Itemlore can gain a rough idea of a kit's experience using PROBE. Bear in mind experience gain for a kit is always of a delayed type, periodically improving based on the accumulated fieldwork over an Avalon month. It does not happen at the same time for all kits. Kits have, separately, a state-of-repair which affects their potency. This should be kept in check by regular care. There are three broad denominations of lockpicking kit:
1. "basic lockpicking kit" - the simplest of kits.
This kit is created by common labourers, presently using the CITY FASHION command - available to those with appropriate rank in city government - and is the first stage in the process of putting together a kit of genuine worth. The basic kit requires iron, tin, clay and oil commodities for the fashioning (the iron is required but not used up). Although this kit level is the simplest design is still effective when used in conjunction with the various locksmith-related commands. The basic kit cannot be honed, it cannot gain from having the experience of others bestowed upon it and it will only have a limited capacity for improvement by dint of regular use.
2. "intricate lockpicking kit - the most common kit for aspirant locksmiths.
This is the most commonplace kit and is used by both dilletantes and general locksmith types. It is created by taking the basic kit and, together with the commodities gold, silver, bronze and yarriol, issuing the FASHION KIT command with a suitable fixed toolset apparatus nearby (like an alchemical runebench). This can be done only by those of extraordinary Forging ability or individuals advanced in the lore of the thief. The basic kit will need to have been used sufficiently to be 'broken in' - this state being achieved by real lock-related actions - at which point it is ready for develoment into this intricate version. The intricate kit has much potential for improvement by use in the field, can be honed by fellow locksmithers, will be of immediate use when faced with locks of anything above modest complexity and is a necessary precursor to the master's kit detailed below.
3. "master's lockpicking kit" - the kit of the master burglar.
The master kit is the most advanced of the lockpicking kits and reflects an almost limitless potential for improvement. It is always indiviualised to its owner (though it can be used to lesser effect by others) and boasts a unique toolset ever-evolving by workin the field, honing, additions from other kits and fellow locksmiths, etc. Evolving an intricate kit into a master kit requires the creation of a kitbox - an amalgam of four intricate lockpicking kits of suitably developed potency - in addition to a fifth intricate kit (the most developed) to act as the master kit's basis.
Use the FASHION KITBOX command, with a fixed toolset apparatus nearby (an alchemical runebench will suffice), while in posssession of some flint ore. To be most precise, include the four intricate kits to be amalgamated in the command: FASHION KITBOX <first kit> <second kit> <third kit> <fourth kit> being the syntax. Be careful not to use up your proposed fifth kit, the most developed, the basis for the masterkit, when creating the kitbox else you will waste precious experience/tool-subtlety.
Once in possession of the kitbox you can use the FASHION MASTERKIT command. For precision, use the syntax: FASHION MASTERKIT <basis intricate kit> <kitbox> to ensure you utilise the correct items. The intricate kit used as a basis must be a very developed toolset, utilised much in the field and ideally honed by a number of great locksmith masters. Ensuring the basis kit is as potent as possible will exponentially improve the end-result, a newly fashioned master's lockpicking kit; although it will be possible to achieve the heights of advancement with the new master kit regardless of the basis kit, the upper eschelons of tool intricacy (and therefore usefulness) will be faster attained when its starting-point is a top-quality intricate kit. The fashioning of the masterkit must also be done at a significantly developed fixed apparatus (again, the alchemical runebench is the most common compnaion).
Commands applicable to lockpicking kits:
Syntax: WIELD RIGHT <kit> or WIELD LEFT <kit>.
To declare yourself wielding the lockpicking kit in your right or left hand, ensuring that it is used for all advanced lockworking endeavour. Most lockworking requires a kit to be wielded - rather than merely held about your person - else you gain no benefit from its toolset.
Syntax: PROBE <kit>
Probing a lockpicking kit can be done with those of suitable itemlore prowess and will give information on the kit depending on both itemlore and thievery/forging skillsets. You can use this to gain information on the kit's potency, its state-of-repair, its owner and creatore, those who have honed it, the extent of its toolset and (for the more advanced) the intricacy and individualised worth of the kit's combined toolset impact.
Syntax: CARE KIT
This requires either Master Itemlore or Respected Runes/Forging. All kits are worn a little by use in the field and must be regularly cared for, in order that their functionality retains its maximum potential. You will need some oil commodity to complete this endeavour. The more a kit is used in the field, particularly in failed or difficult operations, the more regularly it will need to be cared for. If you allow a kit to fall to complete disrepair it will cease to function or, often more harmfully, even the most innocuous of uses risks permanent damage to the toolset. You can keep caring for a kit almost indefinitely, bolstering it from underperforming but - realistically - if the casing is two inches or more and the toolset is sharp and organised (as shown in PROBE KIT) you do not need to expend any more effort on its upkeep.
Syntax: HONE <kit> or UNHONE <kit>
The initial form of the hone command is to claim a lockpicking kit as your own - familiarising yourself with its toolset, stamping a modicum of your personal preferences on the kit. This is available only to those with master forging and/or master thievery skillworth. Those lucky folks, however, can issue this HONE claim only to kits not already belonging to another individual. Best are new kits, basic kits, kits part of civic or guild stocks, etc. If you decide to UNHONE a kit you will effectively be withdrawing your once-declared affinity to the kit - taking your name and any toolset remnants from the foreground repertoire of the artifact and - if the kit one of your creations, an UNHONE will remove ALL distinctiveness from the toolset, rendering the kit the most template, simple version its type.
Syntax: HONE <kit> <percentage>/SHAM/ABSOLUTE
Syntax: UNHONE <kit> <percentage>/SHAM/ABSOLUTE
The more advanced lockpicking kits can boast up to ten select individuals (only locksmith specialists can initiate this type of honing) who can give a modicum of their own lockworking experience to hone its potency. It is very difficult, for the onlooker, to determine the extent of a honing, but for the person carrying out the honing they are able to decide quite how far they pass on the benefit of their past-experience and their own kit toolset complexity.
Honing or unhoning as a SHAM will peform all the actions as if benefit is being bestowed and will even give the impression, to the kit owner, that his/her property has benefitted ... but in reality there will be no bonus from the honing, merely the impression of tools having been changed for the better. Unhoning removes some or all of the benefits of a previously honing from a specific kit - ensuring the kit and its owner gain lockworking potency of lesser or no benefit in the future. Using ABSOLUTE will ensure the honing is done with total sincierty and as many secrets as possible are passed over.
Syntax: IMBUE <kit> <percentage>/SHAM/ABSOLUTE
Syntax: UNIMBUE <kit> <percentage>/SHAM/ABSOLUTE
Imbuing a lockpicking kit is a more permanent, indelible action. Rather than merely attempting to hone (a version of copycatting) the kit, a real portion of the imbuer's kit toolset will be passed over. The imbuer's kit will be a little weakened by the endeavour but the kit being imbued will gain greatly - and will benefit, perhaps more importantly, from immediate powers over locks bearing the stamp of the individual doing the imbuing. It is possible to make a sham of imbuing, adding in bogus tools yet giving the impression of having bestowed something of worth while an ABSOLUTE imbuing passes over, with total sincerity, as many secrets and tools as possible in any given circumstances.
Unimbuing involves the retraction of tools from the kit, adding the small portion of their worth back to the unimbuer's kit but largely removing benefits to the unlucky kit. SHAM unimbuing gives all the looks of a retraction of tools but without anything actually being removed, while ABSOLUTE performs the unimbuing with total concentration - ensuring the unfortunate kit has no leftover improvements from the unimbuer and no further powers over individualised lock mechanisms bearing his/her creative mark.
Seee also HELP LOCKS, HELP DOORS and HELP LOCKSMITHS for further information relating to doors, lock mechanisms and locksmithing.
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