Q: How can I make someone fake their own death?

[CrimsonRaven]

This last year I've played a fari amountof both 3.5 D&D and Pathfinder.
The last three months, I took up GM/DM-ing so to speak, and it has been going fairly well.
Alas my experience as a player was somewhat lax with the magc ( arcane and divine) classes.
What in your opinion would be the best way to have a character fake their own death. Doppleganger? Magic? Both? Making a corpse from scratch?
In a way that it would be hard for other magic users, but not impossible, to realize the fraud.

[Castilonium]

Get any small to large sized corpse and cast Sculpt Corpse (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/sculpt-corpse/) on it. It leaves no magical aura, but people might get a will save to realize it was altered.

[Jack_Simth]

Depends on how deep you want the deception to be, who you wish to fool (and why), and how much you have in the way of resources to throw at it.

For instance... suppose I'm a Wizard-15 who wants to fake my death. One of the better ways to do that? Clone Myself (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/clone/) and then get myself killed (and arrange for a Greater Restoration (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/r/restoration/) to get rid of the pesky negative levels - a ring of spell storing (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/rings/ring-of-spell-storing-major/), scrolls + UMD, a minion, whatever). If I'm doing it THIS way, the actual faking is fairly easy - I put on my backup equipment (or go to an area where I should not have my gear for social reasons, or make a full duplicate set of my equipment, or...) arrange for someone to assassinate me when I'm in a specific public area, go there, and get myself publicly killed. I wake up in my clone, clear off the pesky negative levels, put on my gear, and go about my business.

Is it possible to discover? Sure. Anyone successfully scrying (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/scrying/) on me gets to see me walking about (However: there (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/n/nondetection/) are (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/mind-blank/) many (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/sequester/) different (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/m/mage-s-private-sanctum/) counter (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/detect-scrying/)measures (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/f/false-vision/) for that - just be wary of people asking (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/commune/) awkward (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/contact-other-plane/) questions (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/speak-with-dead/)).

How hard do you want it to be?

[CrimsonRaven]

Well thanks. I think I will take this choice.

[Jack_Simth]

It leaves no magical auraThat's not entirely true. Per Detect Magic (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/d/detect-magic/), we've got: "Lingering Aura: A magical aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a magic item). If detect magic is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power" - and the Greater version has "You can detect a lingering aura for up to 1 day per caster level you have, regardless of the aura’s original strength."

But yes, that one should be a go-to for a low-level caster.


Well thanks. I think I will take this choice.

I'm glad to help. Keep in mind: The big trick for keeping a fraud from being discovered is arranging things so that nobody questions it. They want it to be true, they believe that they already know the full truth, et cetera.

[Coidzor]

Yeah, the big thing is to make sure no one has any reason to ask questions. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?520552-Cashing-in-on-a-bounty-on-yourself)

Anyone who is suspicious can tell other people whatever to get them to scrutinize the corpse and after a certain point, someone will inevitably make a will save for Sculpt Corpse.

[Gruftzwerg]

If I get it right you mix 3.5 & PF.

In 3.5 there is an ACF for Evasion called "Feign Death":
As Immediate action (!) appear to be dead.
There is also a spell called "Feign Death" which is almost identically. IMHO these are what you are looking for.