Many items in Baldur's Gate 3 can be stolen from their owner. This includes free-standing objects in the environment that can simply be picked up, and objects held by creatures that can be stolen via the pickpocket mechanic. This page tries to explain all mechanics involved in stealing.

The explanations below are based on in-game experimentation, and may be inaccurate or incomplete.

While Hiding and out of view of any creatures, the player has the option to pickpocket. Clicking (or right clicking and selecting pickpocket) on a creature will open a dedicated pickpocketing UI. This window can be opened and closed without consequence as long as the player remains unseen.

In the pickpocketing window, you can choose any one item that the creature holds to target it for stealing. The window will show the roll target of stealing that particular item, which depends on its weight and value. The roll target is not the Difficulty Class (DC) of stealing, but rather the raw roll on the D20 needed to meet the DC. Selecting an item and clicking steal will trigger a Sleight of Hand Ability Check.

(Note: Variable bonuses from Guidance and the Shapeshifter's Boon Ring are not applied to calculate this roll target, but flat item bonuses to Sleight of Hand from the Gloves of Power, Smuggler's Ring, etc are)

An unsuccessful attempt means the creature catches you stealing. Depending on the creature, they will either attack immediately, or they will confront you and give you an opportunity to explain yourself, prompting a Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion Skill Check. If you fail this skill check you will be arrested. On a success, the creature will take no further action against you and will return to normal, but if you are caught pick pocketing again, you will be arrested or attacked immediately without being given the chance to explain yourself again.

However, a successful roll on the pick-pocket action does not guarantee that you will get away with it either. The creature will notice that it has been stolen and will start investigating. The creature will wander around their area looking for the thief, and if during this period it sees you or anyone else from your party, you will be accused of the crime. If you are accused this way, you will have an opportunity to convince the creature of your innocence with no further negative consequences.

If your party stays far away enough during the investigation period, the creature will end the investigation and go back to normal. After this point, you are fully safe from negative consequences, even if you walk right up to the creature wearing the item you have stolen from it and talk to them.

Items in the environment which belong to another creature are indicated with a red outline and text. They can be stolen without consequences if you're careful.

To steal such an item, you first need to make sure that you won't be noticed in the moment you pick it up. This means not only being outside the field of view of the owner and their allies, but also not being heard. If you're Hiding, you won't be heard while picking it up. Even when you steal an item when it's outside an NPC's field of vision, the NPC will notice something is missing once he sees the item is no longer where it was supposed to be. This only applies to items in the open and not to items inside a container.

What happens after successfully picking up the item that doesn't belong to you, seems similar to what happens after a successful pick-pocketing roll: The creature notices a moment later that it was stolen from, and begins investigating. This is indicated by an overhead text such as "Thief!" or "Something has been stolen!" and the creature running to the place the object was stolen from. It then begins to walk around looking for someone to accuse.

You and your party must stay away during the investigation period to make sure that you won't be accused. Once the investigation period is over, and the creature you stole from goes back to its normal state, you're safe from consequences.