Black Lamp
The Black Lamp is a 120-credit signal lamp. Put it in your display case and thieves learn that your shop fences stolen goods. Each lamp is set to call one type of thief, and the chance that he shows up the next day depends on how many lamps call him and on your Black Market reputation.
| Item ID | black_lamp |
| Value | 120 credits |
| Where it works | Display case only |
| Contraband | No |
| Description | “When placed in the display case, it signals thieves that this shop fences stolen goods. Your Black Market reputation affects how likely they are to respond.” |
| Names | Чёрная лампа (ru), Schwarze Lampe (de), Lámpara negra (es), Lampe noire (fr), 黒いランプ (ja), Czarna lampa (pl), 暗灯 (zh) |
How do I use the Black Lamp?
- Place the lamp in the display case. Out of the case it does nothing, and its sprite shows the lamp switched off.
- Double-click it to change who it calls. The choices cycle through Food Thief, Petty Thief and Thief. The tooltip shows “Signaling: …” and, while the lamp is in the case, the current chance in percent.
- Each morning the game rolls that chance for every distinct target. On success that thief joins the day’s customers.
Lamps do not stack in the inventory; each is a separate item with its own target.
What is the chance a thief responds?
For one target, the chance is: number of lamps in the case set to that target multiplied by the base chance, plus half of your Black Market reputation, capped at 95%. Zero lamps for a target means zero chance.
| Target | Base chance per lamp |
|---|---|
| Food Thief | 30% |
| Petty Thief | 20% |
| Thief | 10% |
Example: one lamp on Food Thief with 40 Black Market reputation gives 30 + 20 = 50%. Two lamps on Petty Thief with the same reputation give 40 + 20 = 60%. Visitors called by lamps count toward the day’s customers, so a lamp does not add visitors on top of the daily limit.
Where do I get it?
The only source found in the game code is the Fence starting kit, which includes two Shabby Black Lamps. No shop, loot table or event in the 0.46D files adds it otherwise, so check Dr. Jackson and Joe Wild yourself if a later patch changes this. Stolen goods bring contraband and inspection risk; see black market and contraband.
FAQ
Does the lamp work in my inventory? No. It must be in the display case.
Can two lamps call different thieves? Yes. Each lamp has its own target and each target is rolled separately.
Does Black Market reputation matter? Yes. Half of it is added to the chance, up to the 95% cap.