Playing a Las Vegas magician is D&D

[Deca4531]

I know, it sounds weird, but i also think it sounds fun. This character is really more fluff than anything. Im not looking to build a rogue who makes people think he can do magic, im looking to make a caster who makes people think his magic is just tricks, complete with tuxedo, top hat and fake wand.

I dont normally play spell casters so feats and classes that would best suit play style aren't very familiar to me. Any 3.5 or Pathfinder suggestions are welcome.

At the same time i have been trying to give spells that i would use some fluff and style, so any ideas of how to reskin useful spells would be awesome. Here are a few things i came up with.

Magic missile: Doves fly from my sleeve, exploding on impact.

Fascinate: show girls of the target's race appear and dance provocatively for the target.

Summon Monster: A miniature version of the creature is pulled from a top hat, then thrown at the target square, growing to full size in flight.

Phantasmal killer: an illusionary box appears around the target, leaving only the head and feet exposed. A floating saw then appears and begins cutting the target in half. If they fail their saves they are actually cut in half.

[Khedrac]

There's a 3rd party metamagic feat somewhere spell thematics which allows the caster to control the appearance of a spell (within reason) - tailor made for this.

[khadgar567]

There's a 3rd party metamagic feat somewhere spell thematics which allows the caster to control the appearance of a spell (within reason) - tailor made for this.
He says guy dont casts spells just uses tricks which look like spell I think chamelion does that but I might talking from my ar*e ( I dont know how I get that as class skill)

[Khedrac]

He says guy dont casts spells just uses tricks which look like spellThat's what I thought he said on first reading, but look closer...

I know, it sounds weird, but i also think it sounds fun. This character is really more fluff than anything. Im not looking to build a rogue who makes people think he can do magic,im looking to make a caster who makes people think his magic is just tricks, complete with tuxedo, top hat and fake wand.

So, having clarified that this character is very specifically a spellcaster, my next suggestion would be to check out the skill tricks in Complete Scoundrel - I think some of them might also apply here.
Good Bluff and Sleight of Hand skills are probably important here too.

[Ruethgar]

A Chameleon using the adaptation section for refluff could work well. Bluff, Disguise, and Slight of Hand are going to be important skills for you. There is a use of Slight of Hand in one of the splat books that disguises your spell. AFB atm, but it may work well for what you want to do.

Depending on your DM ruling of Bloodlines you could get in at ECL 3 or if you play an Awakened Cat/Lizard/Rat/Monkey (and a few others) with Human Heritage(you sick bastard) you could get in at 3 regardless of Bloodline ruling.

Do not get Spell Thematics, it is not a 3rd party source and it is a terrible feat. The DMG already allows you to change the theme of your spells within reason, there is no need for a feat to do the same.

[Deca4531]

There's a 3rd party metamagic feat somewhere spell thematics which allows the caster to control the appearance of a spell (within reason) - tailor made for this.

I looked into it, apparently its from Magic of Faerun, and it allows me to add a visual effect to my spells centered around a theme, and +5 to the DC to identify my spells. This is actually really awesome because i tend to assume most DMs will just allow me to change the look of my spells as i please, but should my DM be a stickler about it i can fall back on this feat so the rules support my augmentation.

And yes you were right, this is a caster using real magic, disguised as fake magic. A kind of deception within a deception.

[Gildedragon]

Vegas Magician: Bard, using oratory to Fascinate and sleight of hand.
Probably has a familiar he's polymorphed into a white tiger.

As to hiding the spell of the spell: Disguise Spell metamagic.
And the Conceal Spellcasting skill trick.
Go into uncanny trickster to get that skill 2/event

[JeenLeen]

Invisible, Silent, and Still spell metamagic feats could also be handy. (I think Invisible Spell is from the book about building cities and urban campaigns.)

Invisible is, if I remember correctly, +0 or maybe just +1 to spell level, so it's easy to apply. An invisible Mage Hand to move objects, with you pretending to do optical illusions, is one application.
Some Illusion spells may give you control over the local area, thus letting you cover what your spells really are with an illusion, but nothing like this comes to mind. The stuff folk have mentioned above (Spell Thematics and Complete Scroundrel skill tricks) sounds good.

If you need high ranks in skills that aren't class skills, a human could get the feat that makes it how all skills that are once class skills stay class skills, and dip a level into a class that gives a lot of skills (like rogue or bard.) Build-wise, level 1 as bard or rogue then other levels in a spellcasting class (wizard/sorcerer) nets you the most skill points.
I think the feat I'm thinking of is in one of the Races books, whichever one has humans and human-based races. Races of Destiny?

[Inevitability]

There's a 3rd party metamagic feat somewhere spell thematics which allows the caster to control the appearance of a spell (within reason) - tailor made for this.

Spell Thematics isn't 3rd party. It's also a horrible waste of a feat. A rule that allows near-limitless refluffing of spells already exists in core, and you don't need to waste a feat to get the small secondary benefits granted by the feat.

[Celluloid Flick]

Good old Prestidigitation can be used for support to enhance effects in minor ways.

[Thealtruistorc]

I envision this guy will use polymorph spells just by waving a cape around the subject. This could be a fun technique to use in combat where it looks like you just mysteriously swapped out your party brute for a troll.

Also, I would advise using this fellow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vskhxLHfTOA) for reference, because he seems pretty close to what you are trying to pull off.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

If you don't mind Pathfinder, the Mesmerist (at least their tricks) seem to be built around stage magic. One where you do a 'sleight of hand' trick to literally steal an opponent's ranged ammunition, one where you can transform someone into a dove to avoid an attack...

[Falcon X]

Did someone say Jim Darkmagic (http://res.cloudinary.com/nerd-appropriate/image/upload/v1434339664/ACQ11_dgfwin.jpg)?

But seriously, use a Beguiler. They are full spellcasters who focus on redirection and roguery.

As for specific spells:
Alarm: He goes and lays sticks or other materials in the target area. That way people can assume he has some system where the sound of someone stepping through alerts him, when in fact it is a mental alarm. Or he can not-so-successfully hide a bell on him for the audible effect.
Hypnotism and Glitterdust: Both involve throwing glitter into the air and shining light on the glitter.
Jump and longstrider: Have some wierd mechanical device attached to his boot that is actually something else.