Prestige Classes: Looking for Con-artists and Frauds

[Mistah J]

Hey all,

I'm looking to trick my PCs with a plot involving an NPC scam. Specifically, it's the old I'm-a-long-lost-descendant-of-the-deceased-so-the-inheritance-is-mine trick.

The base class for this villain is bard but I'm trying to sift through the many, many "grifter-based" PRCs out there: Spymaster, Mountebank, Master of Masks, Zhentarium Spy... I'm sure there are more.

I'm looking for experience with these types of classes. What, in your opinion, works? What doesn't? Are any of them must have? Or worth taking at all?

If it helps, we are talking about a largely non-combatant NPC, one that requires investigation on the part of the PCS to uncover the truth and would rather escape than fight.

Thanks for your insight

 

[Darklone]

The Master of Masks is my favorite. It's really great for a recurring master villain that is some levels above the PCs because he won't be overpowering but can match each PC in his own field. And the players get paranoid because they never recognise him in time.

 

[Mistah J]

I looked that one over too and while I like it, it's a little too combat oriented for this particular NPC. The other problem is that he'd have to wear those masks all the time -which doesn't flow well with the concept. Sadly, he's not high enough in level to give him the "invisible mask" class feature the MoM gets later on.

 

[pawsplay]

I think what I would ask is, "What abilities am I looking for beyond a Rogue with Slippery Mind and a maxed out UMD score?"

 

[Jack Simth]

You might try the Chameleon, from Races of Destiny. When pretending to be a Cleric, he can cast Divine spells and Turn Undead. When pretending to be a Fighter, he can hit hard and Power Attack. When pretending to be a Wizard, he pulls out a spellbook and prepares a Fireball...

And while it's in Races of Destiny, it's also available on WotC's website as a preview.

 

[Elethiomel]

If it helps, we are talking about a largely non-combatant NPC, one that requires investigation on the part of the PCS to uncover the truth and would rather escape than fight.

I think the bard is perfect for the job; I don't think anything else is really needed. Glibness and a high bluff score should beat even the most vigilant PC's Sense Motive, and part of setting up a good scam is making it believeable.

A high Forgery check doesn't hurt. This is cross-class for bards, which is the only sticking point, unless the PCs become suspicious enough to start using mind reading magic (see below, where I discuss Mind Blank).

Bring along some scrolls and UMD, and you can have enough instant-escape options up the NPC's sleeve to get out of most hard situations. Does the NPC know the opposition will be dragonslayers, etc.? If so, you should include some way to circumvent Dimensional Anchor.

Now an obvious ability to have access to is Mind Blank. However, this will prevent Discern Location; do you wish the NPC to be unfindable with Discern Location? Note that it gives names of places, not a GPS coordinate, so even NPCs who hide without Mind Blank up can be very hard to catch up to if they move often, and to obscure places - assuming they're unscryable in some other way, so the PCs can't just scry-teleport.

Mind Blank is obviously extra useful when being questioned, but it can also be a giveaway (GM: "this person appears to have no surface thoughts whatsoever") if specific detection spells are used against the NPC. I don't have the books with those prestige classes in them to hand, so I don't know - do any of them give the ability to project false surface thoughts? If so, they could be useful for foiling that sort of magic.

 

[pawsplay]

Rogue 2/Bard would get you Forgery and evasion, plus one sneak attack die. If you aren't starved for feats, you could later go Tattooed Monk and take the White Mask tattoo. Glibness + White Mask + skill item = overcoming epic Bluff DCs.

 

[Thurbane]

How wedded to Bard as the base class are you? Beguiler could easily be a more efficient conman than a Bard - or maybe even a Factotum. Just a thought.