There is quite a lot of nice stuff just laying around, useful and valuable items that their owners are not actually making good use of. I'm currently saving the world in sub-standard equipment, so I was thinking of just taking what really should have been mine in the first place.
What are the consequences of stealing stuff in Skyrim? Are there only consequences if I'm seen stealing anything, or do I get something like "bad karma" even if nobody ever sees me take anything?
Best Answer
Generally, when nobody's looking, you're safe: on the other hand, stealing—and getting caught—will place a bounty on your head for half the item's value.
There aren't any permanent consequences for stealing in front of witnesses, but they will eventually report you to the authorities, which will start the bounty and alert the guards.
There is a small chance that you rob from someone who can tell when you stole something from them, even if nobody's around. The consequence of doing that is a set of hired thugs sent after you. This seems to only happen once: if you defeat the thugs, you're safe until the next high-value theft.