Need ideas for magical cheating at gambling

[warmachine]

I'm playing a 3rd level Elven Wizard in Fires of Creation adventure (no spoilers please) where the party has been invited to the gambling hall run by the local crime lord. If the establishment doesn't have magic detection, I intend to cheat using magic, announce the fact and forfeit my winnings to market myself as an educator of the public. He's a CG Elven academic, he's odd.

So I'd be grateful for ideas about cheating at gambling using cantrips, 1st and 2nd level spells. Without Silent Spell and Still Spell as I don't have that.

[Unbodied]

I'm playing a 3rd level Elven Wizard in Fires of Creation adventure (no spoilers please) where the party has been invited to the gambling hall run by the local crime lord. If the establishment doesn't have magic detection, I intend to cheat using magic, announce the fact and forfeit my winnings to market myself as an educator of the public. He's a CG Elven academic, he's odd.

So I'd be grateful for ideas about cheating at gambling using cantrips, 1st and 2nd level spells. Without Silent Spell and Still Spell as I don't have that.
Wizard huh? To bad you're not a Psionic class. Trick Shot is awesome for cheating at roullette wheels or dice games.

It doesn't cost anything and only requires a minor concentration check to remove any sign that you're using it.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/t/trick-shot

The trait: Power of Suggestion would also be useful for tricking people into thinking that you played different cards than you actually did in stuff like poker.

[Psyren]

Mage Hand will let you mess with dice and such, but the verbal component could be a problem. I'd port in those 3.5 rules that let you disguise verbal components through Sleight of Hand, and max your check.

Also, uh... cheating in a crime den does not sound conducive to health and long life, even if you give all the money back, so maybe get near the door before you make this announcement.

[NevinPL]

If you don't mind using "root" system, there's the first level Cheat spell (it's reprinted, and "purged" in SpC), and Disciple on Mammon PRC (BoVD) who has it as a second level spell-like ability.
Although CG character could have issues.

Mentioned Mage Hand and feats, items that grant it.

Unseen Servant with additional deck of invisible cards, giving specified ones, and taking other ?

Telepathy or other mind reading ability if you can acquire it that low.

As for concealing spellcasting, misdirection Cityscape has feats for that.

[LooseCannoneer]

Prestidigitation lets you move objects weighing up to 1 pound.

I'd advise against cheating the crime lord, though. If you want to let him know of the security risks, tell him in private BEFORE you win anything. Instead of potentially being killed, you have a potential future ally.

[BowStreetRunner]

If the establishment doesn't have magic detection...

If they do, Magic Aura (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/magic-aura) is a must. You can use this spell to hide enchantments on an item that allow it to be used to cheat.

As for Mage Hand (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/mage-hand), it does have several limitations. However, these are limitations to its use, not barriers to preventing it from working. First are the Verbal and Somatic components. A good gambling hall will train their staff to recognize these. A method of masking these components is necessary for the spell to be useful. Working with a partner at a distance (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) can make it harder to spot the caster. Furthermore, the spell only works on non-magical items so a simple enchantment on the cards/dice/roulette ball will prevent Mage Hand from functioning. On the other hand, an Unseen Servant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/u/unseen-servant) could wreck havoc in a gambling establishment, performing many of the same actions for which Mage Hand might be used. However, it depends on how your DM determines the servant to be controlled. It is not clear in the spell description if it will respond to only spoken command, whispered commands, or even mental commands.

Another possible cheating spell is Message (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/message), which can be particularly troublesome in skill games like poker. A caster positioned to see another players hand and then message it to their partner would be hard to beat. Again, staff can be trained to watch for the spell components (V,S,F) but the range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) is much more problematic.

The spell Arcane Mark (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/arcane-mark) can be paired with See Invisibility (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/see-invisibility) in order to mark a deck of cards.

One spell a cheater might use to avoid detection while performing an illegal act is Illusion of Calm (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/illusion-of-calm). They could perform a cheat while all anyone would see is them standing still. Silent Image (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/silent-image) could also mask the truth from an observerl.

[marphod]

Another possible cheating spell is Message (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/message), which can be particularly troublesome in skill games like poker. A caster positioned to see another players hand and then message it to their partner would be hard to beat. Again, staff can be trained to watch for the spell components (V,S,F) but the range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) is much more problematic.


Don't use Message to communicate between the players. Use shills in the audience or at (distinct) lower-stakes games nearby to communicate and have them signal the players.

If Familiars are allowed in the place, swap them between characters so the Wiz/Sorc knows about what another PC has.

Use Message to pass information from a low-stakes card counter to the high-stakeholder team member when the table is ripe, and its exact state.

Illusions, esp. single-target illusions, can make a dealer mis-read the game state or a player misread their hand.

Ghost sound can make the number of chips you toss in sound like more. Or make forged (wood) chips sound like real (clay) ones.

Extra/improved senses (like scent) can clue you in to body chemistry changes (Fear, Confidence) based on how someone thinks they are doing.

[Hazrond]

If they do, Magic Aura (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/magic-aura) is a must. You can use this spell to hide enchantments on an item that allow it to be used to cheat.

As for Mage Hand (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/mage-hand), it does have several limitations. However, these are limitations to its use, not barriers to preventing it from working. First are the Verbal and Somatic components. A good gambling hall will train their staff to recognize these. A method of masking these components is necessary for the spell to be useful. Working with a partner at a distance (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) can make it harder to spot the caster. Furthermore, the spell only works on non-magical items so a simple enchantment on the cards/dice/roulette ball will prevent Mage Hand from functioning. On the other hand, an Unseen Servant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/u/unseen-servant) could wreck havoc in a gambling establishment, performing many of the same actions for which Mage Hand might be used. However, it depends on how your DM determines the servant to be controlled. It is not clear in the spell description if it will respond to only spoken command, whispered commands, or even mental commands.

Another possible cheating spell is Message (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/message), which can be particularly troublesome in skill games like poker. A caster positioned to see another players hand and then message it to their partner would be hard to beat. Again, staff can be trained to watch for the spell components (V,S,F) but the range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) is much more problematic.

The spell Arcane Mark (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/arcane-mark) can be paired with See Invisibility (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/see-invisibility) in order to mark a deck of cards.

One spell a cheater might use to avoid detection while performing an illegal act is Illusion of Calm (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/i/illusion-of-calm). They could perform a cheat while all anyone would see is them standing still. Silent Image (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/silent-image) could also mask the truth from an observerl. One good trick to get around the spell components are the recently released Psychic Casters from occult adventures, instead of verbal and somatics they use thought (concentration) and emotion (fails if under emotion magic) components instead.

[JDL]

Wiz 2: Detect Thoughts (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/detect-thoughts)

Get in a game of poker, then read your opponent's minds. To avoid detection with the verbal component, use Ventriloquism (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/v/ventriloquism) to make your verbal component appear to come from somewhere else in the room while you cover your mouth with your cards as if checking them.