Is there anywhere I can go to work on Shadowy in the ~70 range that doesn’t risk Suspicion? Even if it risks something else instead [different Menaces, loss of Connections, whatever]. I’ve found that managing Nightmares, Wounds and Scandal are all child’s play for me right now, but Suspicion threatens to be the death of me. I don’t know what it is, but I get the worst streaks of luck whenever I’m working on Shadowy, and fairly decent luck everywhere else. {Yes I know, random is random and my perception is bound to be skewed here. Still.}
I’ve found opportunity cards that do what I’m looking for – spying on a Black Ribbon fellow is a Shadowy action that has Wounds as its Menace – but so far nothing that’s regularly available.
Grinding Casing in the Flit to sell to other criminals is a great way to level your Shadowy in general. If you’re a POSI you can also fool gullible spirifers in Spite’s Unfinished Business. Failure just lowers your Hell connection rather than raising your Suspicion, so it’s pretty nice if you want to get some souls along with your cp.
If Suspicion is becoming a problem, Nikolas & Sons Instant Ablution Absolution (in the Bazaar tab). It’s more effective if you haven’t been taken back to prision, though - once you have a criminal record it still works but is not as effective as it once was.
As for grinding Shadowy, I’d suggest either Spite or The Flit (in that order).
If that’s really not working for you at all, you could go to your Lodgings and ask a friend to Loiter Suspiciously with you to get more Hastily-Scrawled Warning Notes. They can be used to give you a second attempt at an action should you fail, which can help significantly.
Because the action to Loiter Suspiciously tends to reduce Connected: Society and Making Waves, many higher-level players will tend to avoid this option. But at lower levels the drawbacks aren’t as much of an issue. :)
(Alternately, rather than using the second chances for a second chance, you can spend 5 Hastily Scrawled Warning Notes in your Lodgings to bump up your Shadowy - though that’s not an ideal solution as it’s easy to get into a habit of using that, and you risk missing out on lower-level story content by letting your stats creep up too high.)
Another option would be to purchase attire that bumps up your Shadowy. I wouldn’t suggest blowing a fortune on gear, especially so early in the game, but here are some options: Hats:
+1 Shadowy - Prisoner’s Mask, ε0.08
+5 Shadowy - Sneak-Theif’s Mask, ε28.80 Gloves:
+2 Shadowy - Cutpurse Mittens, ε3.20
+4 Shadowy - Cracksman’s Mittens, ε28.80 Clothing:
+2 Shadowy - Shabby Opera Cloak, ε0.50
(-1Suspicion - Sober Dress / Workman’s Clothes, ε0.20 <- useful if it’s creeping up too high. Just be mindful when changing out of this clothing that you don’t Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass GO, do not collect 200 Echoes. :p Note: Before anyone tests this, you do not collect 200 Echoes from being a criminal. Don’t get your hopes up over my little joke.) Boots:
+2 Shadowy - Squeakless Boots, ε12.80
+5 Shadowy - Spidersilk Slippers, ε28.80 Companions:
+5 Shadowy - Devious Henchman, ε28.80
You can also upgrade a Dazed Raven Advisor (ε12.80) to become more Shadowy, but if you’re after immediate results the Henchman will likely be more useful.
. Edit: corrected the name of the opera cloak. edited by Kittenpox on 6/10/2015
Suspicion is the easiest menace to deal with as long as you don’t get arrested too many times.
If you don’t want to spend echoes, consider badgering your friends with Affluent Photographers invitations so you can get a +3 Shadowy / +3 Dangerous / +1 Dreaded clothing.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind slow progress you should try An audience with the Gracious Widow in Spite - no Suspicion increase, give you a healthy boost of Widow connection (which can be traded for Strong-Backed Labour from her Conflict Card with the Docks) and give you some Jade to sell for money.
The option to entertain the Topsy King (Flit) without the aid of pets will only decrease your Criminals on a failure, on the other hand the success gives you more CP on the same Connection and gives you 30 Rats and 30 Silk; I used it as a way to grind that Connection, Shadowy and the Rats to enter the Labyrinth at the same time. edited by Huey on 6/10/2015
Huey I could kiss you! That’s exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for. I actually missed it because I have too much Shadowy gear. My natural Shadowy is 69, but I have +18 total from gear. Without the gear I’m at the low end of being able to grind that option; with the gear I’m just a tad too high. But I need Rats like nobody’s business, and a task that only risks my Connected: Criminals is exactly what I’m looking for. Heck, I might even make use of my Talkative LB once I naturally overshoot the mark, just so I can keep making use of it for the foreseeable future.