But honestly, is this because I was trash-talking Oscar Hammerstein II in that other thread?

No. IMO, Hammerstein was a part of an iconic pair, but I don’t have the knowledge necessary to determine what his relative skill/talent was compared to his partner. For all I know, he might actually have been the worst hack in the business. I doubt that would be the case, but I am not able to make that determination.

No, my point was pretty much just the point I raised — I just really cannot stand Jim Carrey or any of his movies. I hate, loathe, and despise the man.

I don’t know why I have such a deep visceral reaction to him, but I do.

I do know that I consider him to be the height of horribly bad over-the-top trying-to-be-slapstick. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Keystone Cops and the Three Stooges, but the difference there is that they are great over-the-top slapstick, whereas Jim Carrey is horribly bad.

But honestly, is this because I was trash-talking Oscar Hammerstein II in that other thread?

No. IMO, Hammerstein was a part of an iconic pair, but I don’t have the knowledge necessary to determine what his relative skill/talent was compared to his partner. For all I know, he might actually have been the worst hack in the business. I doubt that would be the case, but I am not able to make that determination.No, my point was pretty much just the point I raised — I just really cannot stand Jim Carrey or any of his movies. I hate, loathe, and despise the man.I don’t know why I have such a deep visceral reaction to him, but I do.I do know that I consider him to be the height of horribly bad over-the-top trying-to-be-slapstick. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Keystone Cops and the Three Stooges, but the difference there is that they are great over-the-top slapstick, whereas Jim Carrey is horribly bad.

Jim was funny (in a cringe kind of way) the very first time you see one of his movies... but he only ever plays the same character and it's horrible.

What about using skulduggery to reverse pickpocket a grenade into the other guys pockets during a fight?

6 hours ago, IE5-O said:

What about using skulduggery to reverse pickpocket a grenade into the other guys pockets during a fight?

Better be a fast runner.

Or maybe reverse pickpocketing contraband, a tracking device, a poison or something that helps aim a missile fired from a starship 3 minutes later?

What about pickpocketing has sidearm while he tries to shoot with his rifle, or just taking some credits before the rest of the party can loot his body?

If your looking to put evidence on another person? Like putting an illegal item on someone while they are distracted? Skullduggery. Your not so much aiming to hurt someone with it, but to drop them in the preverbal dumper. An exception may be made if you aimed something with a timer of several turns, and is looking to subtly pass it on.

If they are actively trying to kill someone with a grenade, it would either be a ranged light (if they are aware of that person's presence) or a stealth check (if they are unaware.). Additionally, in the case of a stealth check, the PC would have to enter engaged with their intended target. Otherwise, any attack that is short or greater is a ranged light.

It's still ranged light even if the grenade is placed by hand into the pocket of the foe? I can see why it needs to be like this to stop me exploiting but it still doesn't make sense. If I don't need ranged light to take a grenade out of my pocket or to put it in my friends pocket I shouldn't need it to put it in someone else's. I note that CRB p165 states that a frag grenade can be set with a timer to go off up to 3 rounds after being activated. Is it still ranged light if I activate a grenade, place if on the floor and then walk away?

Setting explosives usually uses the mechanics skill, while throwing them uses Ranged Light. I remember reading something about that but I could be wrong. That's how I handle placing explosives, anyways.

Generally, I wouldn't allow pickpocketing during combat, unless it was necessary for plot reasons. If it was to happen, I would be making it very difficult.

I think planting a grenade on somebody during the heat of combat would be a difficult task. I would be inclined to make it a opposed Skullduggery vs Brawl check seen as this is in the heat of combat. This would represent the PC's efforts to plant the grenade, while the NPC tries to smash their face in with a rifle butt. I would also upgrade the difficulty and make sure to add a few setbacks. Putting a grenade in someone's pocket while they are actively fighting you should not be an easy task.

Drawing someone else's sidearm would also be an opposed brawl check. They might be shooting a rifle but that doesn't mean they are distracted enough to just let you take their sidearm off them.

10 hours ago, IE5-O said:

It's still ranged light even if the grenade is placed by hand into the pocket of the foe? I can see why it needs to be like this to stop me exploiting but it still doesn't make sense. If I don't need ranged light to take a grenade out of my pocket or to put it in my friends pocket I shouldn't need it to put it in someone else's. I note that CRB p165 states that a frag grenade can be set with a timer to go off up to 3 rounds after being activated. Is it still ranged light if I activate a grenade, place if on the floor and then walk away?

Read my comment again. I said that doing slight of hand in a social situation would be fine with Skullduggery (where a character, and stealth in a combat situation. Just any other application that involves directly hitting someone with it would be a ranged Light check, because lobbing a grenade is a combat check. I would almost never allow skullduggery in a combat situation, unless that character otherwise had a reason to believe that PC was harmless/on their side.

Planting a grenade as a trap would require a mechanics check, to set it right in the optimal position to exploit it's properties. I very rarely use that for attacking directly, but setting traps is cool and I believe that it's easy to give them sensors e.c.t.

10 hours ago, McHydesinyourpants said:

Generally, I wouldn't allow pickpocketing during combat, unless it was necessary for plot reasons. If it was to happen, I would be making it very difficult.

I agree it should be super difficult. But it's still probably an easier way for me to be effective in combat given I have 1 in Agility but 4 in cunning. I wouldn't look to do it every time, sometimes no pockets or not in range, but sometimes, even with a formidable difficulty it would be awesome to be able to do it.

20 hours ago, IE5-O said:

I agree it should be super difficult. But it's still probably an easier way for me to be effective in combat given I have 1 in Agility but 4 in cunning. I wouldn't look to do it every time, sometimes no pockets or not in range, but sometimes, even with a formidable difficulty it would be awesome to be able to do it.

If being effective in combat is a concern, why not buy up some combat skills?

Just because a lack or ranged combat skill fits with my character concept. Sure I could buy some ranks in brawl or melee but it's not as fun from a narrative perspective as being able to use skulduggery in combat. I would take the pressure point talent but that would cost be able 75xp to get, I'd rather maximise my concept rather than dilute it.

From a narrative perspective, you can just use a combat skill and describe Advantages and Triumphs in a thief-y way.