Mundane Magic Ideas

[Deremir]

I'm going to be playing in a game where I am essentially a skill monkey with a portable hole, but that alone is pretty powerful magic for this campaign, so my character qualifies as a wizard. So, how many different "spells" and "magical abilities" can the playground think of that this character could pull off?

The setting is a post fallout situation, where mankind has come around to medieval times again, but tech is scarce, so beside the portable hole the only other tech I have is a set of Christmas lights for my staff.

So far I've already got a huge slight of hand roll, so I could make small items seem to disappear and reappear if I get my hands on them. I could also pull larger items out of my robe, and I put points into lockpicking so that I can "magically" unlock doors. I also have ventriloquism, but can't think of many "magical" uses for it.

[Evoker]

"Animate Objects" with puppet strings and ventriloquism?

[Vogie]

Ventriloquism could be used as a "Message" type thing, but only one way, as well as Minor Illusion (sound).

Spy Kit for Disguise self

Hypnotism to pull off Modify Memory, Charm Person, and Calm Emotions.

[JAL_1138]

A single-target "Sleep" spell—whack someone upside the head with your staff to knock them unconscious. Insist it's magic when anyone calls BS. Threaten to demonstrate it on them if they disagree.

[Lord Torath]

Ventriloquism could be used as a "Message" type thing, but only one way, as well as Minor Illusion (sound).

Spy Kit for Disguise self

Hypnotism to pull off Modify Memory, Charm Person, and Calm Emotions.

When you say "ventriloquism", do you mean the parlor trick (skill/non-weapon proficiency), or the magic spell? The parlor trick involves the sound still coming from your own mouth, and using your eyes and lack of moving lips to make it appear the sound is coming from somewhere else. It only works if people are staring at you. It takes real magic to actually have your voice come from somewhere else.

Skill monkey, huh? How are your Climb Walls and Rope Use skills? Spider Climb is always fun. Have a "magical powder" (chalk dust) that you anoint your palms and boots/bare feet with that allows you to grip like a spider. Or a gecko. Geckos are cooler, anyway.

What shenanigans can you do with your portable hole? Can you use it to take sections out of things, like Eddie Valiant did to the giant magnet at the end of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

[Deremir]

A single-target "Sleep" spell—whack someone upside the head with your staff to knock them unconscious. Insist it's magic when anyone calls BS. Threaten to demonstrate it on them if they disagree.

This is just the best thing, I have to do this!

\Hypnotism to pull off Modify Memory, Charm Person, and Calm Emotions.

I considered Hypnotism, but it seems like it was way too unreliable

When you say "ventriloquism", do you mean the parlor trick (skill/non-weapon proficiency), or the magic spell?

What shenanigans can you do with your portable hole?

It's real ventriloquism, along with some other voice related tricks like throwing your voice.
As far as the portable hole goes, it is a bag with a 1 ft diameter opening leading to a limitless extradimensional space with no oxygen. (read: DM doesn't want people going inside the bag)

[Evoker]

Fake regrowing limbs. Put the your arm through the hole, so it looks like you have no arm. Then, "magically" regrow it. claim that you drank a special alchemical concoction. Explain that it takes a week to work. Sell a bunch of sludge to gullible peasants. Flee the town you're in before the week is out.

[Flitz]

If you can, high charisma and persuasion. You could easily "mind control" people if you can persuade them hard enough. I think that would even work to hypnotize people too - "I think you're getting pretty tired now, aren't you?" "Yeah I think I am... I think I'll go to sleep."

[Frozen_Feet]

How much scientific knowledge are you allowed to bring to bear? You mention the setting has dropped to medieval levels, but what about your character?

Because things which would seem magical to uneducated, in addition to sleight of hand and stage magic, would include:

1) creation of false memories. Look up modern psychological knowledge of human memory and hypnosis. Start a few witch hunts by making people believe their spouse is secretly a demon in disguise.
2) advanced uses of logic and memory techniques. See, for example, memory palace and remembering long strings of numbers via turning them into text. Amaze people with your ability to remember all cards in deck, in order.
3) advanced uses of statistics and probability. You can start by card counting. Heavily increases your chances of being burned at stake.
4) chemistry. Get hydrogen peroxide and mix it with sugar to create towers of carbon. Pour quicksilver on aluminum to corrode the latter. Throw sulfate salts in open flame to change its color. Really, there are plenty of fairly simple chemical "special effects" you can look up and abuse to woo the uneducated.
5) spike people's food with LSD, psychoactive mushrooms. Convince them they've been demonically possessed or are receiving visions from God. Profit.

[Cluedrew]

Question: What sort of archetype are you going for? Because I could see anything from a flat out con-man (trying to fool people), to a trickster (just doesn't want the trick to be known), to someone who is just that good/wise (could explain it, but you don't have the background to get it). I think they all have different feels and different types of tricks them might have.

The con-man might drug someone to fool someone, the trickster might pretend a little bird actually told them to hide they have a way into the castle and everyone thinks that the wise one has visions because they figure everything out with uncanny accuracy.

[DrMartin]

A single-target "Sleep" spell—whack someone upside the head with your staff to knock them unconscious. Insist it's magic when anyone calls BS. Threaten to demonstrate it on them if they disagree.

there´s also a higher-level version of that spell

[Slipperychicken]

I'm going to be playing in a game where I am essentially a skill monkey with a portable hole, but that alone is pretty powerful magic for this campaign, so my character qualifies as a wizard. So, how many different "spells" and "magical abilities" can the playground think of that this character could pull off?

Use it to pull a rabbit out of your hat!

[Deremir]

Question: What sort of archetype are you going for? Because I could see anything from a flat out con-man (trying to fool people), to a trickster (just doesn't want the trick to be known), to someone who is just that good/wise (could explain it, but you don't have the background to get it). I think they all have different feels and different types of tricks them might have.

The con-man might drug someone to fool someone, the trickster might pretend a little bird actually told them to hide they have a way into the castle and everyone thinks that the wise one has visions because they figure everything out with uncanny accuracy.

I'm going for more of a trickster who has a few strong principles, but otherwise sees no problem with stealing if it's for the greater good. However, my character is himself playing a bit of a character, and wishes to be seen as wise and mysterious. As part of this I plan on constantly lying, telling everyone that anything good that happens is because of my magic if I think I can get away with it.

How much scientific knowledge are you allowed to bring to bear? You mention the setting has dropped to medieval levels, but what about your character?

My character has some botany and chemical knowledge, but this is all mixed in with superstitions he also genuinely believes. I'm going for about three parts genuinely beneficial stuff (like herbs that actually help heal you) to one part superstitious nonsense (like marking you with runes in chicken blood), preferably without my party being able to tell which is which.

If you can, high charisma and persuasion. You could easily "mind control" people if you can persuade them hard enough. I think that would even work to hypnotize people too - "I think you're getting pretty tired now, aren't you?" "Yeah I think I am... I think I'll go to sleep."

I do have a high persuasion score, so any persuasion I do off camera I will be mysterious about and hint that it was magic, but I'm mostly looking for things that I can do in front of my party with relatively little short notice, without it being obvious how my character is doing it.

[Dr_Dinosaur]

You might be interested in the Charlatan prestige class from Dragon Magazine. It does exactly what you're talking about, stealing credit for anything up to a natural disaster included