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Role-Playing Guide: Garrett, The Master Thief

  • September 1, 2015

    His thieving abilities are beyond compare. His accomplishments and deeds, both villainous and heroic, have shaped the face of the world around him. He's lied, cheated, and stolen his way to both fame and infamy, rubbing shoulders with ancient keepers of knowledge and even garnered the attention of ancient gods. His name is Garrett, and though he's been called many things in his life, you probably know him as the world's greatest thief.

    Greetings, all. Been a while since I posted anything in this group -- in fact it's been a while since I've posted much of anything aside from a few drawings and screenshots. (By the way, my sincerest apologies to those who've been kept waiting on the fan fictions; school started again, plus I'm in the middle of adapting Sevria's Travels into a fully original fantasy novel that I intend to publish) So for this post, I wanted to try something a little different than my usual fare of character builds and profiles, and instead tackle an RP guide. And who better to represent this guide than the man who got me into stealth and fantasy at a ripe and early age: Garrett, of the Thief series!

    Now with Garrett being very much a traditional rogue kind of character, this guide won't go into a whole lot of detail regarding gameplay because it's pretty much self-explanatory; Garrett can pick locks, empty pockets, sneak around, and shoot arrows. And each of these skills plays into the usual thief play-style in Skyrim, so to make an entire character build for the guy would be redundant and just plain silly. So instead, we'll be delving into how to see the land of the north through Garrett's eyes; what's his life like? How does he think? What are his standards when it comes to theft? Would he join the obligatory Thieves Guild? Let's get started...

    (Be warned, though, this RP guide is not console-friendly; to really nail a Garrett playthrough, you've gotta have a number of mods to drive it home)

    Now as any Thief fan will tell you, the daily life of our friendly neighborhood taffer is anything but easy: he hasn't got a home to call his own, and instead lives in an apartment with a demanding landlord; despite being one of the best thieves in the business, he's just barely scraping by with the money he makes from his jobs; though the general populace is ignorant to his criminal ways, the local authorities are well aware of Garrett's occupation and will attack him on sight; and just when life seems to be going smooth and simple, just the way he likes it, up pops yet another irritating "destiny" speech from the Keepers as they try their best to draw him into more of their problems. So if we're going to be living out Garrett's life of being on the edge and struggling to survive, we're going to need a few key components to really drive it home.

    1. Only steal the really valuable and reasonable stuff when you're on the job.
    In all three games of the Thief trilogy, never once do we see Garrett break into some blacksmith's shop and stuff 500 tons of iron and steel into his little bag. Instead he settles for jewelry, diamonds, coin purses, candlesticks, and other stuff that he can carry on his person without getting caught or being weighed down. Once in a while he'd come across a particularly rare statue or something, but this would be a rare thing. Likewise, we also never see him stealing every last item that isn't nailed down, such as baskets or clothing or 16 pounds worth of cheese; to really get into Garrett's head, you've got to keep your eyes peeled for stuff that your contacts will actually buy. And speaking of which...

    2. SCREW THE GUILD
    As we see from the Gold edition of Thief: The Dark Project, Garrett has no interest in organized crime or partners on the other side of the law; that would mean sharing his hard-earned money, and no way is he ever gonna do that. So with that in mind, the idea of him joining Riften's local thieves guild is not only out-of-character, but it's just plain silly. If you visit Riften and Brynjolf tries to talk you into doing his dirty work for him, instead of manning up and doing the stupid job himself, just blow him off and leave him to make ends meet at his dead-end job as a snake oil salesman. But this begs the question: if you're not connected to the Guild, how can you possibly sell off all your stolen loot? Well, remember the necessary mods I mentioned earlier?

    3. "I trade in stolen goods, but I've said too much already."
    This is where the Nexus comes in; download Inconsequential NPC's, and you'll find freelance fences all across Skyrim... if you know where to look. And because they're not directly tied to the guild, and are in fact fully independent, you're now able to sell off your plundered haul without having to deal with a bunch of losers in black and brown jumpsuits bossing you around, thinking they can get a share of the profits when all they do is sit around in the sewers while you're out doing all the hard work. Alternatively, you can bump up your speechcraft ability to unlock the "Fence" perk... but all that grinding!

    4. "I've always equated feelings with getting caught: they both get in the way of my money."
    As Garrett, money is the only thing that's on your mind. And no matter whose back you have to stab or whose trust you have to break, you're gonna get your hands on the sweetest deal in the end. So don't be afraid to play Garrett as an unrepentant and selfish jerk, because... well... that's exactly what he is. Don't get attached to anyone, don't get married, don't adopt kids, just let the promise of money lead the way -- even if it means getting yourself involved in questionable positions. Self-preservation is another big part of Garrett's psychology; if there's an easy way out of something, he'll take it. Even if he has to do something horrible in the process.

    5. Life On The Edge
    However, this selfishness has given Garrett quite a nasty reputation with the law; despite keeping a relatively low profile with the townspeople, the authorities know who Garrett is and aren't afraid to attack him on sight. This adds an extra edge to the thief's life because, at any given time, he could very well meet his end at the tip of a guard's sword if he's not careful. To give Skyrim's master thief this constant threat of danger from any corner, get your bounty in all holds over 1000 so that, like in Garrett's home city, the guards will be hostile as soon as they spot you. Granted this means you'll have to be extra careful in densely populated areas, particularly when you're trying to get a quest or two, but I would argue that this further immerses the player into Garrett's way of thinking; just wanna get a simple job done and paid for, but there's always some idiot getting in the way.

    6. Killing Is For Amateurs
    Granted this doesn't apply to the off-hand occasion where Garrett might be asked to kill someone for money; this rule strictly applies to thievery. If the goal is to steal money or some valuable object, killing someone to get to it is the coward's way out; it's sloppy, unprofessional, and unworthy of your status as a master thief. Granted I do still recommend carrying either a sword or a dagger just in case, but only for self-defense. And even then, getting caught is an amateur's mistake.

    Though we've already touched upon one essential mod for this build, there are many others that will make this role-playing experience all the more engaging. For example, seeing as how Garrett is an impoverished citizen living a daily struggle to survive in a place that hates him, the Realistic Needs And Diseases mod will sink you even deeper into his lifestyle -- and the repercussions of his career choices. If you get hungry, life's gonna suck. If you get sick, life's really gonna suck. And since you can't just waltz into the local alchemy shop and buy an expensive disease-curing wonder drug like everybody else, you're gonna have to find another way to get around the problem. Thankfully you're a very resourceful thief who's best known for his ability to find opportunities around every corner.

    Furthermore, to enhance the feeling of Garrett's constant need to steal in order to pay his rent on time, I recommend Perseid's Inns and Taverns - Realistic Room Rental Enhanced. This is a mod that opens up some new options for room rental, such as an extended stay with safe storage (which will require a constant payment on your part). Though I do recommend reading through the mod page to make sure it's compatible with your list.

    To incorporate some of the stealth elements from Thief, such as a light/shadow dynamic and more important emphasis on how much noise you're making at any given time, I recommend Immersive Detection of NPC's. This mod overhauls the stealth mechanics in Skyrim by making NPC's more visually alert during the day, and more audibly alert during the night. See Brodual's channel on YouTube for a more in-depth description and demonstration.

    Want to skip out on the whole "save all of Tamriel and be the big bad hero" story arc? Download either Alternate Start: Live Another Life or Skyrim Unbound, so you can begin Garrett's story without any interference from the ever-pesky demands of destiny. I personally recommend Skyrim Unbound, so that you aren't stuck with having at least one unfinished quest in your journal the whole time, but that's just me.

    Now we get to the fun stuff: Garrett's costume and arsenal. And thankfully, the Nexus has provided just what we need to replicate both of these! First and foremost we have Garrett Thief Armor, which will provide your character with a uniform fit for a dirty taffer. This armor can either be crafted, or gathered from the Ratway in Riften (thankfully nowhere near the Ragged Flagon). I also recommend the Rough Leather Armor mod, which also provides a very approproate getup which you can buy from Balimund in Riften. Next up we have Sneak Tools, which will give us most of Garrett's signature arsenal; it adds a new shop to the game where you can buy water arrows, fire arrows, noisemaker arrows, oil arrows, and rope arrows. And to top it all off, we have Garrett's most iconic weapon in the series: the Blackjack. With this weapon you'll be able to knock people out from behind, just as you can in the original series... but watch out, because the people you knock out in Skyrim will wake up after a period of time, and start looking for you immediately.

    The Forsworn Conspiracy:
    I stopped by Markarth today and things immediately got strange. A man stabbed a woman from behind and started ranting and raving about the 'Forsworn'. I think I've heard about these guys before; bunch of crazy hill-dwellers who attack caravans and worship evil forces of nature... frankly I've had it up to here with deranged forest heathens, but I've been approached by one of the locals to investigate these recent terror attacks... and the guards' refusal to pay them any mind. I never liked detective work, but the man said he's gonna pay me for whatever info I can get him. So I guess it's time to go sleuthing...

    Promises to Keep:
    Well, with the barkeep pressing me to pay up for my room and the guards keeping a sharp eye out on the streets, for once in my life I've had to go amateur for some quick cash. I met a man at the Bee and Barb who said he'd arranged to purchase a horse named Frost from Sibbi Black-Briar, grandson of the local crime lord Maven Black-Briar, but the guy was arrested before the deal could be finalized. From what Sibbi told me, however, the horse actually belongs to Maven herself, and he's offered to cut me in on the deal if I steal the horse and lineage papers back. Both are being kept in the basement at Black-Briar Lodge, a humble little place sitting east of Riften and cut off from the rest of the Hold. Based on what Sibbi told me, the lodge is heavily guarded by thugs who are loyal to Maven's will, but they also carry keys to the lodge... which could prove to be very handy to a guy like me, if I can manage to get one. I'll enter in through the back door and nab both Frost and the papers... and maybe even help myself to whatever else Maven's got sitting around in there.

    Pieces Of The Past:
    Got a note in the mail yesterday that a local heretic in Dawnstar's putting together a museum based on the Mythic Dawn cult. I thought the place might at least have something valuable inside, so I dropped by to scope it out myself -- and was surprised to find that the curator, Silus Vesuius, had been expecting me. He sat me down inside and told me about an ancient artifact called "Mehrunes' Razor": some kind of an unholy dagger that he'd pay big money to have brought to his museum as the finishing piece. Apparently the Razor was broken into four pieces after the Oblivion Crisis, and now coincidentally all four pieces are right here in Skyrim. So naturally Silus is pressuring me to get them all together for him... something seems fishy about this job. But Silus is promising a small fortune here, and I'm not about to turn down that kind of coin. I just hope the trouble's worth it.

    That's about it.  At least this is the first draft. No doubt I'll be adding more to this, based on your feedback. So what do you all think? Let me know in the comments section below!

  • G
    Member
    September 2, 2015

    Really awesome guide! Makes me REALLY wish I had Skyrim for the PC to get those mods. 

  • September 2, 2015

    And it makes ME wish I was clever enough to adapt a console-friendly version (I like making my stuff universally accessible for all players). But hey, thanks for your feedback! 

  • Member
    December 18, 2015

    Awesome work Markus, love the Thief games, and this is a perfect guide to play everyoné's favorite blackhanded taffer!

  • December 19, 2015

    Wow, I wasn't expecting the sudden attention this old post got -- but I'm happy it's been well-received!  Thanks, Chris!

  • Member
    April 22, 2016

    What do you do if your a console player and can't get the mods any advice would be appreciated.Would you just join the guild or you can't play the character properly then.

  • Member
    April 23, 2016

    Theres a perk to sell stolen items to anyone.

  • April 27, 2016

    As Saint Jiub pointed out, there exists a perk in the Speech skill tree which will let you sell stolen goods to any merchant you invest in. So with enough time and effort, you'll be able to play Garrett correctly. 

  • Member
    January 17, 2018
    Threadcromancy... Been a long time since I've played Skyrim, but thieving was my bread and butter playstyle. Unless they patched it in Special Edition, I used a simple method early on for fencing stolen goods without the Guild or perks or mods, I imagine it still works. If you place a stolen item in a player owned storage space, then have a companion retrieve the contents of said storage, it should remove all the stolen tags. RP-wise, I just put the loot in a container and later had a hired muscle grab it all and lug it to market with me.
  • Member
    January 18, 2018

    Casey said: Threadcromancy... Been a long time since I've played Skyrim, but thieving was my bread and butter playstyle. Unless they patched it in Special Edition, I used a simple method early on for fencing stolen goods without the Guild or perks or mods, I imagine it still works. If you place a stolen item in a player owned storage space, then have a companion retrieve the contents of said storage, it should remove all the stolen tags. RP-wise, I just put the loot in a container and later had a hired muscle grab it all and lug it to market with me.

    I've never really felt the need to go out of my way to fence stuff in game, but I'm interested in your RP justification of your technique. Is your interpretation of the stolen tag that it's only known as stolen if the thief steals it? (ie the vendors heard someone fitting X description has been seen being suspicious etc). I've always thought of it more as people knowing that an item has been stolen and so refusing to buy it unless they're comfortable with underhand deals.