I really enjoy the game, much more so than Oblivion, but there is one thing that annoys the crap out of me: Pickpocket, or rather the lack of a normal failure mode thereof. I know it has been like that at least since Morrowind, but as it is now, every failure is a critical failure. You don't get the item and your target detects you resulting in combat and bounty. I think there really should be a normal failure: you don't get the item and get booted out of the Pickpocket-menu, but you stay undetected.

As it is now, failing at Pickpocket actually has no consequence...either you succeed, or you reload...

Stop right there, criminal scum!

I, too, wish this. It was a bit excessive when I failed once.

I actually don't plan on putting a lot in my pickpocket tree. I'm more of a burglar.

STOP! YOU'VE VIOLATED THE LAW! PAY THE COURT A FINE OR SERVE YOUR SENTENCE SENTENCE SENTENCE!!!

I agree. There is no real way to increase the skill without reload spamming if you don't want dead NPCs and hundreds of gold coins in bounties.

That said, I really like how the skill works otherwise. The different percentage chances for success depending on weight, size, and value are all very good, and I like how the more valuable the item is that you're pickpocketing the more it increases the skill. Though I did get insane leveling from using pickpocket. I activated the Thief sign stone, had bracers that increased pickpocket chance by 20%, and then spent a single in-game night robbing Whiterun's sleeping NPCs. My Pickpocket skill went from 16 to 54 in less than half an hour. Of course, the more I did it, the easier it got. I pickpocketed a magical amulet and my Pickpocket skill increased by 5 (!!!) points all at once. Thankfully it appears the level scaling is fixed in Skyrim, so the fast gaining of 3-4 levels hasn't hurt me.

I actually don't like that expensive items are harder to steal than cheap ones...I guess it is due to balancing, that you can't steal the 1800 gold amulet at lvl1, but it doesn't make sense...only the size/weight (and maybe shape) should matter...but I can live with that...these critical failures are what need to be fixed...as you said, leveling Pickpocket is nearly impossible...

The way I have justified the more expensive items being harder to steal is that the person is keeping them in a more secure pocket.

Well..I got bored and put my pickpocketing to 100 on a seperate save, and put in all the perks..

I stole some guys armor.

WHILE HE WAS WEARING IT. And I didn't get caught. How does that make sense..?

Same can be said for lockpick and any and all combat (which includes all skills in the end).

Lockpick doesn't turn anyone hostile when you break the pick, it only destroys the pick...a critical failure for lockpick would be a destroyed lock...and that doesn't happen ever...

As for combat...people being hostile is an intrinsic part of combat...

how could there be a "normal failure" in which you remain undetected? it is impossible, the only way you can fail is if you are detected or you stop, and you are given a chance to stop when you first open an NPC's inventory

and it has consequence if you dont reload (the NPC hates you, you get in trouble with the law, you dont get the item)

Of course there is a normal failure that makes sense: you notice that your target gets suspicious and cancel your attempt. You retreat before he knows what happened...it might even be used for balance...the target stays suspicious and when you fail a second time, he catches you.

Or make the consequence less severe...like the target just calls the guards, instead of becoming hostile...the current states is just insanely unbalanced.

It's all over, lawbreaker!