Charlatan

[Order Ability]

Order Magician
Description You use props and charismatic words to create the illusion of magical abilities.
Requirements Wits 8+; Bearing 8+; 3+ ranks in Persuade
Effect

Add the following to your order skill list: Conceal, Guise, Legerdemain, Mimicry, and Perform: Magic Tricks. You also gain a +2 bonus to any test relating to passing off fake magic as real.

To impress an audience with your performance, make a TN 7 Perform: Magic Tricks test. (Extensive preparations ahead of time may confer a bonus from +1 to +4 on this test.) On a Complete success, you gain a +1 bonus to subsequent Inspire, Intimidate, or Persuade tests made to influence the audience on the same occasion as the performance. Each higher level of success (Superior, Extraordinary) increases this bonus by an additional +1.

A skeptical person in the audience can make an Observe (Spot), Insight, or Wisdom test as appropriate to see through your deception; this test result replaces the normal test difficulty of TN 7 that you must beat to influence that person. (If an entire audience is skeptical and you do not want to conduct opposing tests for each individual, increase the Perform: Magic Tricks test difficulty to TN 10 or TN 12.)

Improvements

none

Special This can be the first Magician order ability taken, as an alternative to Spellcasting. It does not prohibit a character from taking the Spellcasting ability at a later time to become a true wielder of magic, nor does the ability to wield true magic preclude a character from continuing to fake magical effects when the need arises.

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