Con Artist
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.
Skill Proficiencies Deception, Sleight of Hand
Tool Proficiencies Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit
Languages None
Equipment A set of fine clothes, a disguise kit, tools of the con of your choice (ten stoppered 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 15gp
Lifestyle Modest to Wealthy
Features
Favorite Schemes
Every con artist has an angle they use in preference to other schemes. Choose a favorite scam or roll on the table below.
d6 |
Scam |
1 |
I cheat at games of chance. |
2 |
I shave coins or forge documents. |
3 |
I insinuate 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
Suggested Characteristics
Con Artists 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.
Use the Charlatan background tables of the official material.