How does a sorcerer cheat at gambling?

[tatsuyashiba]

Cheating at cards or dice. I figure Deception and Sleight of Hand are key skills. But how does a Sorcerer have an edge on this?

Subtle Minor Illusion or Prestidigitation to have the “right card”? Subtle Detect Thoughts to know the other player’s hand?

How about hiding a card up ones sleeve, or manipulating dice? Would love some ideas!

[Contrast]

Enhance Ability so you're better at whatever it is you're trying to do is a reasonable shout, with the advantage (hoho) that it lasts an hour so its reasonably easy to pre-cast or sneak off to the bathroom to keep up.

[Amnestic]

Careful Fireball when you lose.

[sandmote]

First, make sure to take the Silent Spell metamagic option.

Prestidigitation lets you create a small mark on an object, so you could use an otherwise blank card to cheat. Message could also be used to help someone else at a shell game (with you watching from a different angle).

If they're going to gamble, Distort Value to appear to be making a larger bet. Comprehend Languages if there someone else commenting or trying to cheat themselves.

Detect Thoughts tells the target you're probing its mind, so I wouldn't recommend it. Enhance Ability would give you advantage on either Dex or Cha checks. A subtle enough Suggestion might let you get the target to make a wrong move, especially given the spell doesn't say they'll realize they were charmed.

If you're able to set it up, Clairvoyance from the other side of the table, although you might need to extend it to get any real benefit. On the other hand, perhaps you can cast it from the neighboring room and combine it with Message to the person playing. Dispel Magic if they want to prevent cheating.

Creation and Skill Empowerment can repeat the tricks of Distort Value and Enhance Ability. Note that while Creation doesn't require you to actually have anything of value to lose, the duration is probably shorter than Distort Value's is.

There's also a few spells like Gift of Gab and Command that might be useful but aren't on the sorcerer spell list. And of course such a sorcerer would want a Charlatan's Die from XGtE.

This is on top of any mundane methods of cheating.

[nickl_2000]

Subtle prestidigitation to change the card/dice.
Subtle minor illusion.
Charm to help you bluff people when playing poker.
Disguise self so you don't get hunted down for cheating
Phantasmal Force to make them see things that aren't there
Subtle fear to give them disadvantage when they can see you
Animate Objects to animate the dice
Telekinesis to cast beforehand and have available.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Detect Thoughts tells the target you're probing its mind, so I wouldn't recommend it. Enhance Ability would give you advantage on either Dex or Cha checks. A subtle enough Suggestion might let you get the target to make a wrong move, especially given the spell doesn't say they'll realize they were charmed.

Worth nothing that detect thoughts only makes them aware if you probe deeply. You can banter at the poker table with leading lines to check if they have a hand you know will beat yours, such as "man, I'd sure be screwed if you had an ace or 10 pair" which could help lead their most immediate thoughts to the content or quality of their hand.

You could also try probing deeply and just find out their hand, but as long as you're able to talk you should be able to lead them into it without having to probe deeply.

[SLOTHRPG95]

As a high-level strategy, Glibness is concentration-free, and comes with the advantage of a high floor. At lower levels, you can afford to cast Extended Enhance Ability before you head out, followed by Subtle Enhance Ability each time it lapses to cover 8h of gambling. At least, you can afford it starting at 6th level if you blow all your daily slots and SPs, but that's still a lot earlier than 15th level Glibness.

Edit: as has been pointed out, Glibness isn't on the Sorcerer spell list. So it's an option for a Warlock or Bard with a Sorcerer dip, but not for a primary Sorcerer.

[GoodmanDL]

I was gonna be all pithy with my answer. How does a sorceror cheat at gambling.? Pretty well - probably not as good as the Bard, Warlock or Arcane Trickster, but still pretty good.

[NaughtyTiger]

Intimidation to threaten her opponent's family before the game

[Sigreid]

Subtle spell arcane eye.

[HPisBS]

It obviously depends on the game, but Detect Thoughts - only surface thoughts - or Clairvoyance can reveal your opponent's hand to you. Due to Clairvoyance's limitations though, that would be better utilized alongside Message to help your accomplice cheat instead of you.

Suggestion to make an opponent underestimate you or to only focus on working against some other opponent at the table.

If playing dice, then a Subtle Animate Objects on those dice will ensure they always land how you want. For a minute, anyway. Maybe Extend that one lol.

Enhance Ability can help you cheat with anything other than games of pure chance, like dice or roulette. Enhance Dex to make your sleight of hand more reliable. Enhance Cha to help you bluff more reliably. Enhance Wis to help you insight through your opponents' bluffs.

If a Divine Soul Sorc, then Guidance to subtly aid every single one of those ↑ checks you make. (And Augury beforehand to know whether you'll get caught or not.)


Oh, and of course Extended Disguise Self so that getting caught or banned from the venue won't be quite so costly to you, and Detect Magic to know if there's anybody else using these tricks or not. (Maybe via the new Eldritch Adept feat to cast it at will with Eldritch Sight.)


Edit:

Subtle spell arcane eye.

Not a Sorc spell. Sorcs are limited to Clairvoyance (which has a 10 min casting time and is stationary).

[FabulousFizban]

subtle spell time stop to look at the other players cards.

[Sigreid]

Subtle spell and dominate person

[sandmote]

Worth nothing that detect thoughts only makes them aware if you probe deeply. Fair point.


As a high-level strategy, Glibness is concentration-free, and comes with the advantage of a high floor. At lower levels, you can afford to cast Extended Enhance Ability before you head out, followed by Subtle Enhance Ability each time it lapses to cover 8h of gambling. At least, you can afford it starting at 6th level if you blow all your daily slots and SPs, but that's still a lot earlier than 15th level Glibness.
17th level glibness. Its a warlock/bard spell.

[SLOTHRPG95]

17th level glibness. Its a warlock/bard spell.

Thanks for the catch. Although I think this is rather unfair for Sorcerers, as the other two CHA-based full casters get it, and it would add to their limited list of spells that they get and Wizards don't.

[Pex]

Clairvoyance to see your opponent's hand.

[da newt]

familiar and invisibility
subtle spell &
a partner and message
suggestion
charm person
confusion

etc

[Damon_Tor]

I can't imagine that any establishment worth gambling at wouldn't have some guy running Detect Magic all day on the security team.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Just asking the guy what his hand was three years ago might work, though that might not really be considered cheating. :smallamused:

[Keravath]

I can't imagine that any establishment worth gambling at wouldn't have some guy running Detect Magic all day on the security team.

Although this wouldn't work for a pure sorcerer, Warlock imp familiar in the rafters in a spider shape. No magic to detect. Also, depending on how the DM runs it, Detect Magic can't locate invisible creatures.

"For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any."

The spell lets you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet but it is only the presence, not the location. If you use your action when detecting magic you can see an aura around "any visible creature or object". The caster doesn't see an aura around an invisible creature or object.

When I am running it, I usually bend the RAW a bit so that the rough location/direction of magic detected is known so the spell becomes useful even with a party with magic items nearby and the caster can use it to track down hidden magic items. The caster might be able to do this anyway by triangulating the magic detection but that approach is too much work to contemplate. However, if the creature/object is invisible and the caster can't see it then I would just give them the information that magic is present.

In terms of a gambling establishment, there are probably lots of hidden magic items around so an extra ping from something invisible is unlikely to be noticed (at least in my opinion).

[Damon_Tor]

Although this wouldn't work for a pure sorcerer, Warlock imp familiar in the rafters in a spider shape. No magic to detect. Also, depending on how the DM runs it, Detect Magic can't locate invisible creatures.

"For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any."

The spell lets you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet but it is only the presence, not the location. If you use your action when detecting magic you can see an aura around "any visible creature or object". The caster doesn't see an aura around an invisible creature or object.

When I am running it, I usually bend the RAW a bit so that the rough location/direction of magic detected is known so the spell becomes useful even with a party with magic items nearby and the caster can use it to track down hidden magic items. The caster might be able to do this anyway by triangulating the magic detection but that approach is too much work to contemplate. However, if the creature/object is invisible and the caster can't see it then I would just give them the information that magic is present.

In terms of a gambling establishment, there are probably lots of hidden magic items around so an extra ping from something invisible is unlikely to be noticed (at least in my opinion).

I would think that "see invisibility" would also be pretty common at such establishments. It's a second level spell and the duration is just an hour, no ritual casting, so it's not going to be as ubiquitous as detect magic, may e it's something the turn on specifics when somebody is on a winning streak against the odds.