Just a tip for PCs that want to use spells in a social situation without alerting NPCs with the vocal component. I have had good luck with the following.
When you walk up to them, talk in a thick accent and act as if you have some difficulty with the language, or don't know some nouns. Ask them if they speak "Tevellian", look a little disappointed when they say no. Ask about something, but stumble over the noun, e.g. Pick up a vase and say, "this is very, how you say, abracadabra?" or "You look very familiar, have you ever been to abracadabra?"
Gesticulate wildly throughout all conversations, like an over the top Mediterranean stereotype. Later on, if you need to use some hand waving to cast, nobody will think too much of it. I also like to pretend to be superstitious, every time somebody mentions magic, I play with one of my many "talismans" and spit over my left shoulder, or something similar. This helps if you later have to use a focus item.
As a DM, every city in my worlds has the death penalty for using magic to interfere with commerce. Making copper coins look like gold, or duping a merchant has to be punishable by death and utterly taboo, or else commerce and civilization would not function. You can imagine the length the kings spies and assassins will go to to stop anybody devaluing the royal currency.
When you walk up to them, talk in a thick accent and act as if you have some difficulty with the language, or don't know some nouns. Ask them if they speak "Tevellian", look a little disappointed when they say no. Ask about something, but stumble over the noun, e.g. Pick up a vase and say, "this is very, how you say, abracadabra?" or "You look very familiar, have you ever been to abracadabra?"
Gesticulate wildly throughout all conversations, like an over the top Mediterranean stereotype. Later on, if you need to use some hand waving to cast, nobody will think too much of it. I also like to pretend to be superstitious, every time somebody mentions magic, I play with one of my many "talismans" and spit over my left shoulder, or something similar. This helps if you later have to use a focus item.
As a DM, every city in my worlds has the death penalty for using magic to interfere with commerce. Making copper coins look like gold, or duping a merchant has to be punishable by death and utterly taboo, or else commerce and civilization would not function. You can imagine the length the kings spies and assassins will go to to stop anybody devaluing the royal currency.