You are a member of that guild of performers that practice the art of deception for entertainment and wonderment. Your practice is open to the skeptical eye of public scrutiny, and yet your tricks are closely-guarded secrets that are privy to only those within your order, and even then you keep your best tricks only to yourself. Your audiences marvel at your skill and sometimes even mistake you for a practitioner of the arcane, which sometimes can lead you into trouble.
- Skill Proficiencies: Performance, Sleight Of Hand
- Tool Proficiencies: Illusionists' Tools, One of the following: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Thieves' Tools
- Equipment: An illusionist's kit, one other kit of your choice, a favorite hand prop, a stage costume, and a belt pouch containing 15 gp.
Gimmicks
| D10 |
Illusionist Gimmick |
Description |
| 1 |
Manipulator |
Performs up-close magic such as card tricks, sleight-of-hand, and coin tricks. |
| 2 |
Grand Illusionist |
Does large-scale tricks like sawing people in half and making people disappear. |
| 3 |
Mentalist |
Does tricks that makes it appear that they can read minds and perform other mental feats. |
| 4 |
Dove Magician |
Works with doves, rabbits, and other small animals. |
| 5 |
Bizzarist |
Performs tricks that try to shatter the audience's sense of reality. He is never 'not' on stage, even in his regular life. He rides the border of being a con man. He performs seances with the dead, messes with your sense of self, etc. |
| 6 |
Escape Artist |
Performs daring escapes from water traps, burning boxes, etc. |
| 7 |
Hypntist |
Performs the illusion of hypnotizing his assistants, often picked 'randomly' from the audience. |
| 8 |
Pickpocket |
Skilled in thievery, this performer only does so for dramatic or comedic effect on a willing member of the audience. |
| d8 |
Gimmicks |
|
1
|
Manipulator - Performs up-close magic such as card tricks, sleight-of-hand, and coin tricks.
|
|
2
|
Grand Illusionist - Does large-scale tricks like sawing people in half and making people disappear.
|
|
3
|
Mentalist - Does tricks that makes it appear that they can read minds and perform other mental feats.
|
|
4
|
Dove Magician - Works with doves, rabbits, and other small animals.
|
|
5
|
Bizzarist - Performs tricks that try to shatter the audience's sense of reality. He is never 'not' on stage, even in his regular life. He rides the border of being a con man. He performs seances with the dead, messes with your sense of self, etc.
|
|
6
|
Escape Artist - Performs daring escapes from water traps, burning boxes, etc.
|
|
7
|
Hypnotist - Performs the illusion of hypnotizing his assistants, often picked 'randomly' from the audience.
|
|
8
|
Pickpocket - Skilled in thievery, this performer only does so for dramatic or comedic effect on a willing member of the audience.
|
Feature: Illusionist's Guild
Like an entertainer, you can often barter a day's food and lodgings for a night's performance, though your reputation after a performance is often split between those who truly were amazed and those who are hostile either because they are skeptics or because they think you are demonic. However, you must share 10% of your pay with your local illusionists' guild, if one is established in the area in which you performed. In exchange, the guild offers you protection from local legal harassment so long as you are believed innocent of the crime to which you are accused, help redirect angry mobs or provide you with a place of hiding and a means out of town, and help promote you if you give them advanced notice of your performances. The local guild hall also provides an eager audience for practicing your craft, giving pointers and suggestions, helping you network with other illusionists, show promoters, agents, and even legal council.
- Illusionist's Tools. This kit contains a variety of items that an illusionist uses every day in order to befuddle his audiences. Depending upon the gimmicks your character chose, this could include trick playing cards and coins, notes on the most statistically-common names, professions, and other statistics for a given region so as to be able to 'cold read' an audience member, trick handcuffs, chemicals to make puffs of smoke or flashes of fire, a flashy pocket watch for your hypnotist act, etc.
Suggested Characteristics
Personality
| D10 |
Personality |
| 1 |
I love watching magic shows almost as much as I love performing them. |
| 2 |
I must covertly learn everything about a my potential audience so that I can dazzle them with my astonishing 'deductions.' |
| 3 |
I prefer a more subdued and subtle performance, taking a back seat to my illusions in inspiring wonderment. |
| 4 |
There is charming, and then there is my radiant power of personality. |
| 5 |
No heckler is a match for my wit and skill. |
| 6 |
I love a good skeptic; they make me work harder to earn my acclaim. |
| 7 |
The more rural the crowd, the more nervous I am to perform. |
| 8 |
I make sure that I deal squarely with my audience, so they know that I'm a showman, not a sorcerer. |
| 9 |
I'm always on the lookout for the next great trick. |
| 10 |
Knowing how to read a room is the greatest key to my survival. |
Ideals
| D6 |
Ideals |
| 1 |
Conman. There's a sucker born every minute. (Evil) |
| 2 |
Honest. I only ever use my skills for entertainment, never to swindle. (Lawful) |
| 3 |
Clarity. My shows educate my audience on the value of skeptical thought and the prevalence of charlatans. (Good) |
| 4 |
Humble. I'm just an entertainer. (Neutral) |
| 5 |
Befuddle. I'll make you question everything about yourself and your world. (Chaotic) |
| 6 |
Secrets. No one is better at keeping secrets than me. (Any) |
Bonds
| D6 |
Bonds |
| 1 |
I led an audience member astray once, and their faith in my powers cost them greatly. That guilt haunts me still. |
| 2 |
A famous illusionist found me when I was destitute and taught me his craft, ensuring that I would have a lucrative future. I owe them a debt that I have yet to repay. |
| 3 |
A famous illusionist is my idol and I aspire to surpass their skill while also honoring their legacy. |
| 4 |
Success in my craft will lead me to great fame and fortune. |
| 5 |
There is a town that I can never enter again because I earned a reputation there as a dabbler in dark and forbidden arts. |
| 6 |
I live to expose con men by exposing their tricks. |
Flaws
| D6 |
Flaws |
| 1 |
I covet applause more than I covet my loved ones. |
| 2 |
I tend to let my charm lead people to the wrong conclusions regardless of the consequences. |
| 3 |
I will do anything to outperform my peers. |
| 4 |
I lack the confidence to really shine, both onstage and off. |
| 5 |
My skills make me feel superior to all around me, which can lead me into deadly trouble. |
| 6 |
I like to pretend I'm a real wizard or sorcerer in order to earn prestige. |
| d10 |
Personality Trait |
|
1
|
I love watching magic shows almost as much as I love performing them.
|
|
2
|
I must covertly learn everything about a my potential audience so that I can dazzle them with my astonishing 'deductions.'
|
|
3
|
I prefer a more subdued and subtle performance, taking a back seat to my illusions in inspiring wonderment.
|
|
4
|
There is charming, and then there is my radiant power of personality.
|
|
5
|
No heckler is a match for my wit and skill.
|
|
6
|
I love a good skeptic; they make me work harder to earn my acclaim.
|
|
7
|
The more rural the crowd, the more nervous I am to perform.
|
|
8
|
I make sure that I deal squarely with my audience, so they know that I'm a showman, not a sorcerer.
|
|
9
|
I'm always on the lookout for the next great trick.
|
|
10
|
Knowing how to read a room is the greatest key to my survival.
|
| d6 |
Ideal |
|
1
|
Conman. There's a sucker born every minute. (Evil)
|
|
2
|
Honest. I only ever use my skills for entertainment, never to swindle. (Lawful)
|
|
3
|
Clarity. My shows educate my audience on the value of skeptical thought and the prevalence of charlatans. (Good)
|
|
4
|
Humble. I'm just an entertainer. (Neutral)
|
|
5
|
Befuddle. I'll make you question everything about yourself and your world. (Chaotic)
|
|
6
|
Secrets. No one is better at keeping secrets than me. (Any)
|
| d6 |
Bond |
|
1
|
I led an audience member astray once, and their faith in my powers cost them greatly. That guilt haunts me still.
|
|
2
|
A famous illusionist found me when I was destitute and taught me his craft, ensuring that I would have a lucrative future. I owe them a debt that I have yet to repay.
|
|
3
|
A famous illusionist is my idol and I aspire to surpass their skill while also honoring their legacy.
|
|
4
|
Success in my craft will lead me to great fame and fortune.
|
|
5
|
There is a town that I can never enter again because I earned a reputation there as a dabbler in dark and forbidden arts.
|
|
6
|
I live to expose con men by exposing their tricks.
|
| d6 |
Flaw |
|
1
|
I covet applause more than I covet my loved ones.
|
|
2
|
I tend to let my charm lead people to the wrong conclusions regardless of the consequences.
|
|
3
|
I will do anything to outperform my peers.
|
|
4
|
I lack the confidence to really shine, both onstage and off.
|
|
5
|
My skills make me feel superior to all around me, which can lead me into deadly trouble.
|
|
6
|
I like to pretend I'm a real wizard or sorcerer in order to earn prestige.
|
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