Help with a Mage-Who-Isn't

[Tsyr]

A player in my low-magic game expressed a desire to play a "mage" who is actualy just a trickster who has stuff to make people THINK he has magic, when in fact he doesn't.

By talking with him, we have come up with a few skills for his character to take (Slight of Hand, etc), new uses for skills like Perform, etc... We are going to use the rogue class for its skill points.

I'm thinking of allowing him to craft some potions and alchemical items that he shouldn't be able to (Thunderstones, etc)... they don't usualy exist in my world.

Anyone else have any suggestions for this? And making it a viable character to play?

 

[Neowolf]

I don't really have anything to contribute, but I'd just like to say that this is an awesome idea. I might try this next time I make a new character.

 

[Jarval]

Sounds interesting.

IIRC, Pick Pockets is used as a slight of hand skill, so maybe there's no need for a new one. Plenty of ranks in Bluff wouldn't be a bad idea either. You'd want a good CHA and DEX to pull this off, and a reasonable INT wouldn't heart. As for class, I'd go Rogue or Expert.

 

[Hammerhead]

Use Magic Device + lots of wands, scrolls, etc.

 

[Chun-tzu]

It is a good character concept, but it seems like it would translate much easier to an NPC, who only has a few encounters, than a PC. One question is, what will the character do in combat? You might be able to fake or bluff your way through one or two fights, but it will quickly become evident that the character is NOT a mage. This is a character that's fun to play for a few sessions, but you want to make it into one that you'll enjoy playing for a full campaign.

So expanding the character concept might help. You could have a rogue spy that uses this "mage" as one of his cover identities. Or you could have a character with some low-level illusion spells that pretends to be far more powerful than he is. This concept could also make a good prestige class for rogues or bards, gaining pseudo-magical abilities with levels. The character might also have a real magic item that can do something flashy but fairly innocuous (like create Light at will) that the character uses often to "prove" his might. Smoke also goes well with these guys (all smoke and mirrors), so you can create some kind of smoke-pellot alchemical item.

Pick pockets is definitely your sleight-of-hand skill, but you can create new sleight of hand uses for the skill. This guy should max his Bluff skill, and he'll probably need ranks in Disguise (got to really look the part) and Intimidate. Alchemy is great, and so is Knowledge: Arcana. Escape Artist is a classic Houdini skill. Hypnotism also makes for a nice trick, but there's just no way to do hypnotism without making it equal to at least a first level magic spell or psionic ability. A good charlatan should also have high ranks in Spot, because these guys are very observant.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

I had a similar idea for a "stage magician" character recently.

Use a Rogue...

Max out skills like Bluff (for any good charletain), Pick Pocket (for the sleight of hand tricks, like everyone else says), Hide, Move Silently (those two are always useful for "disappearing" tricks), Escape Artist, Open Locks, Rope Use (those three for Houdini imitators), Innuendo, Read Lips, Sense Motive (those three for "mind reading" and "fortune telling"), Perform (legerdemain or magic tricks) for flavor.

If you want him to do a little bit of real magic, give him ranks in Use Magic Devise. Then, either make him a gnome for the handful of cantrips (Prestidigitation, Ghost Sound and Dancing Lights each once per day), or give him the Magical Training feat from FRCS (another couple of Cantrips once per day).

 

[Maldur]

Use all the above tricks. BUt for a second level go sorcerer or wizard.
When they are used to you "not" being a mage, use the real thing on them!

Makes for a nice suprise!!

 

[Tsyr]

Like I said in the first sentance:

Low magic world.

Wands, scrolls, etc don't exist. I'm already streching my "rules" by allowing him to create things like Thunderstones.

As far as combat... that's half of what I'm wondering and why I'm posting here. He can use some of the alchemical items, yes... But anyone else have any ideas? Should I just allow him to make some more alchemical items... like fireworks? There are a few rules in WoT for that, but how do you think it would work in combat?

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Like I said in the first sentance:

Low magic world.

Wands, scrolls, etc don't exist. I'm already streching my "rules" by allowing him to create things like Thunderstones.

As far as combat... that's half of what I'm wondering and why I'm posting here. He can use some of the alchemical items, yes... But anyone else have any ideas? Should I just allow him to make some more alchemical items... like fireworks? There are a few rules in WoT for that, but how do you think it would work in combat?

Well, stretch the rules a bit more and allow him to "invent" alchemical items that don't yet exist in your world... Besides, it'll make him feel good about his character that he's changing the world in some small way.

There are many, many possible items from different source books; items like flashpellets, disappearing ink, knockout gas, healing salve, etc... Check Tome & Blood, Magic of Faerun, and the FRCS. And I don't think most of these items would be game breaking to a low-magic world.