LPPrince wrote...
New question-
What can I do to avoid becoming criminal scum?
Now that is a question I'm interested in knowing myself.
The old games were notorious for their 'psychic guards'. Basically you could steal a carrot from Smalltown5 and not only would all the nearby guards be instantly aware of your misdeed but all the guards in largetown2 on the other side of the map as well.
Mods were released which greatly helped this issue, but I have no idea what Beth themselves have done to make it more realistic. I think I heard whipserings that it is still somewhat present, but much less so, but take that with a pinch of salt as I can't think where I heard it.
In a broader sense, thieving is a big deal in TES. It's one of the cornerstones of the series alongside Magic and Bashing People Really Hard On the Head. It can be a very profitable way of making your way through the game, there is usually a 'thieves guild' which caters to your stolen goods, and talents, with quests and fences as well as being able to pay off your 'bounty'.
Your bounty used to be generated whenever you commited a crime. Different crimes carrying different 'costs'. All you had to do should you be caught by a guard would be to pay off your crime, even if it was mass murder (although there is a point where guards 'shoot to kill' and you have to yield to them to get that chance). Naturally some bountys are massive, however, and paying them off is unrealistic unless you are loaded or cheating. Smaller ones come with a hidden cost too: You lose any stolen goods you have on you (again, this is for the old games). Your non-stolen goods are kept in a locked chest in the local jail.
Should you elect to serve your sentance, the time in which you spend in a cell depends on the bounty size also. The longer you are inside the more your skills can drop too, which can be annoying.