Charlatan

Overview

You have always had a way with people. You know what makes them tick, you can tease out their hearts’ desires after a few minutes of conversation, and with a few leading questions you can read them like they were children’s books. It’s a useful talent, and one that you’re perfectly willing to use for your advantage.

You know what people want and you deliver, or rather, you promise to deliver. Common sense should steer people away from things that sound too good to be true, but common sense seems to be in short supply when you’re around. The bottle of pink-colored liquid will surely cure that unseemly rash, this ointment - nothing more than a bit of fat with a sprinkle of silver dust - can restore youth and vigor, and there’s a bridge in the city that just happens to be for sale. These marvels sound implausible, but you make them sound like the real deal.

Features

Skill Proficiencies

You have proficiency in the Deception and Sleight of Hand skills.

Tool Proficiencies

You gain proficiency with the disguise kit and the forgery kit.

Equipment

You start with a set of fine clothes, a disguise kit, tools of the con of your choice (ten glass bottles filled with colored liquid, a set of weighted dice, a deck of marked cards, or a signet ring of an imaginary duke), and a pouch containing 15 gp.

Favorite Schemes

Every charlatan has an angle he or she uses in preference to other schemes. Choose or roll on the table below for a favorite scam.

d6 Scam

1. I cheat at games of chance.
2. I shave coins or forge documents.
3. I maneuver myself into people’s lives to prey on their weakness and secure their fortunes.
4. I put on new identities like clothes.
5. I run sleight-of-hand cons on street corners.
6. I convince people that worthless junk is worth their hard-earned money.

False Identity

You have created a second identity that includes documentation, established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to assume that persona. Additionally, you can forge documents including official papers and personal letters, as long as you have seen an example of the kind of document or the handwriting you are trying to copy.

Suggested Characteristics

Charlatans are colorful characters who conceal their true selves behind the masks they construct. They reflect what people want to see, what they want to believe, and how they see the world. But their true selves are sometimes plagued by an uneasy conscience, an old enemy, or deep-seated trust issues.