Skillful Charlatan (PEACH)

[TBPBenni]

I was digging through my favorite old bard kit in hopes to convert it to more modern times, when again I was hit with the problem of 3.5 simply being at a higher power level than 2.5. The problem with the Charlatan, you see, is that it bases itself around pretending to know everything, while anybody who possesses the Jack of All Trades feat and Bardic Knowledge ability actually does know everything.

So, I figured I'd tool up some new feats to cover what little functionality the Charlatan had that JoaT doesn't deal with, namely the fact that on occasion they would fake things so well that they would actually do what they intended to.

Skillful Charlatan
[General]
Prerequisites: Deceitful
Once per day, you may use your Bluff modifier in place of your standard modifier for any skill, roll, or check.

Thoughts, comments, rotten fruit?

[Karsh]

I'd say that all skill checks made in this manner automatically gain a Critical Failure outcome if the check is 5 or more below the DC, even if the check normally cannot critically fail. Faking things you have no idea how to do can go horribly wrong.

[TimeWizard]

Too powerful. As stated you can Bluff instead of use your Attack modifier to hit. To change it so it's not broken? Make it useable only on skills that have an opposed check. It may seem weak this way but keep in mind that Skill Focus : Bluff makes you god otherwise.

What's deceitful? Is that a feat from somewhere?

[Goumindong]

Too powerful. As stated you can Bluff instead of use your Attack modifier to hit. To change it so it's not broken? Make it useable only on skills that have an opposed check. It may seem weak this way but keep in mind that Skill Focus : Bluff makes you god otherwise.

What's deceitful? Is that a feat from somewhere?


Yea, but only once per day. It is not like they get to use a single score for all their rolls.

[TBPBenni]

Yeah, it's from PhB, +2 to Disguise and Forgery.

I picked Deceitful instead of Persuasive (+2 Intimidate/Bluff), because the most important thing about the charlatan was that they were, above all else, liars. While systematically, Persuasive would be a much better choice, deceit is an integral component of the kit, and well, that kind of sticks us with Deceitful. (Of course, without ranks in disguise you're not going to be a very good faker either.)

While I was patterning Skillful Charlatan after Iaijutsu Master (same thing, but with iajutsu focus, and is an ancestor feat), I could see limiting it to skill rolls only. After all, Iaijutsu Focus is a legitimate combat art and has obvious applications with attack rolls and saves, while lying has limited combat applications outside of feinting, and feinting is already well supported by WotC.

Limiting the feat to opposed rolls go against the entire point of the feat, which is to pretend like you know what you're doing. Instead of working within the standard bounds of Bluff, Skillful Charlatan is almost adding a new use for the skill.

In any case, a revised version is in order.

Skillful Charlatan
[General]
Prerequisites: Deceitful
Once per day, you may use your Bluff modifier in place of your standard modifier for any skill roll.

I am concerned that it may be treading on the toes of Jack of All Trades (if only once per day). Maybe limiting it to untrained skills only will fix this, because adding Jack to the mix would then allow the use of Skillful Charlatan with trained skills. Or maybe I'm just worrying too much?

[Karsh]

I don't mean for opposed rolls, I mean akin to things like Craft checks where failing the DC by more than 5 causes the materials being used to be destroyed.

For example, take a Charlatan trying to bluff a Heal check to stabilize a dying PC. The DC for that is 15. If the charlatan manages to botch the check by more than 5, his actual inexperience in the check does more harm than good, and the person he was trying to stabilize automatically loses 1 hit point.

[TBPBenni]

The opposed roll thing was actually a response to Green Magus.

While I like the idea of building in a higher chance of critical failure, and understand entirely where you're coming from, adding it in may be pre-emptively nerfing the feat. Maybe tacking the attack or save use back on might rebalance the critical failure mechanic, explaining it away as "well, I saw the fighters doing this kind of thing, it isn't that hard to mimic."

I like the fact that with the built in failure mechanic, using it in combat becomes a very risky proposition. If you don't hit/dodge, you've probably got a heap of combat based unpleasantness coming your way.

[chaiyo]

If anyone knows of 8-bit Theater, like me, they will realize that Red Mage definitely has this feat. What you're truly trying to do with this feat, even if you don't know it yourself, is allow a character to fake having a skill. As such, I suggest you take suggestions like the post above mine (unless I simulposted.)

[TBPBenni]

That is exactly what I'm shooting for, Chaiyo. =) I didn't realize the Red Mage connection though, which is kinda neat. It's been a while since I've been through 8 bit theatre.

[chaiyo]

However, I would do something like giving a medium DC for a Bluff check, and you can apply how much you beat the DC to a skill check as an additional bonus. However, if you get a roll less than the DC, you must apply the difference then as well. Also, I would allow the feat to be taken multiple times for multiple faking. Or something like that.