Daggerfall Unity tracks the most recent crime committed by the player so that if the player is arrested, the court knows what crime they have been arrested for. The crime type affects the penalty charged by the court, both in terms of fine and days in prison, but has no bearing on banishment except for the reputation that is lost by committing the crime in the first place. A player with extremely low reputation could be banished for any crime committed. There is logic in the code to handle execution, but in an unmodded game the player will never be executed.
Crime CategoriesEdit
Though 15 crime types exist in Daggerfall Unity, the player can only be charged with some of them in the unmodded game. Trespassing, Tax Evasion, Smuggling, Piracy, High Treason and Treason are all defined in the code but the player will never be charged of those crimes unless mods are used.
Breaking and EnteringEdit
When an exterior door is bashed by the player, if the attempt at breaking in fails, there is a 10% chance that the attempt will be detected. This will set the player's crime to "Attempted Breaking and Entering" and spawn guards. If the player successfully forces their way into the building, there is a 10% chance that their entry will be detected, and the crime committed is instead "Breaking and Entering".
AssaultEdit
When the player attacks an entity, if the target entity is considered a civilian NPC and the NPC survives the attack, the player is guilty of assault and guards will spawn. Physically attacking a civilian always results in their instant death, however randomly spawned guards may survive. It is also possible to be charged with assault for attacking a civilian in a way that does not damage their health, e.g. by casting a spell that damages fatigue or spell points, drains or transfers attributes, or causes paralysis. Even spells that damage health may rarely result in an assault charge if the civilian target manages to make a saving throw, negating the damage.
MurderEdit
When the player attacks an entity, if the target entity is considered a civilian NPC and the NPC dies in the attack, the player is guilty of murder and guards will spawn.
Criminal ConspiracyEdit
If the player is in a region where they have legal rep at -10 or lower, there is a 5% chance that guards will spawn and the player will be charged with criminal conspiracy. If the player is in a region where they have been banished, the chance is 10% that guards will spawn and the player will be charged with criminal conspiracy.
VagrancyEdit
If the player attempts to rest (not loiter) in a place where they are not allowed, there will be a popup stating that "It is illegal to camp in or near a city." If the player rests anyways, the player is guilty of vagrancy and guards will spawn.
PickpocketingEdit
If the player fails to pickpocket a townsperson, the player is guilty of pickpocketing and guards will spawn.
TheftEdit
If the player attempts to steal items from a store or from a townsperson's private property, and fails, the player is guilty of theft and guards will spawn.
Loan DefaultEdit
If the player has a loan that they haven't paid, when the loan period elapses, the bank will attempt to repay the loan with whatever money is in the player's account. If the player's account with the bank is insufficient to pay off the loan, the player has defaulted with the bank and their reputation is decreased, but they are not actually charged with a crime that would get the player convicted in court.