The Mountebank is a class that was supposedly going to be included by Gary Gygax in his redesign of AD&D for the 2nd Edition, but he was ousted from TSR before that redesign ever came to pass.
Gary's version of the class was never published (as far as I know) but this version is heavily based on that by Joseph Bloch in his "Adventures Dark & Deep".
The mountebank is a sub–class of the thief; an inveterate con–artist and huckster, relying more on skills of misdirection and confusion than on physical pilfering, but not entirely unskilled in many of the more traditional thiefly arts as well. Mountebanks also have a small amount of knowledge of magic, which they use to aid in their confidence games.
Mountebanks have the following powers and skills:
| Mountebank Level Advancement | ||
|---|---|---|
| Experience Points | Experience Level | Accumulated Hit Points |
| 0 | 1 | 1d6 |
| 1,750 | 2 | 2d6 |
| 3,500 | 3 | 3d6 |
| 7,000 | 4 | 4d6 |
| 14,000 | 5 | 5d6 |
| 28,000 | 6 | 6d6 |
| 56,000 | 7 | 7d6 |
| 100,000 | 8 | 8d6 |
| 200,000 | 9 | 9d6 |
| 400,000 | 10 | 10d6 |
| 600,000 | 11 | 10d6+2 |
| 800,000 | 12 | 10d6+4 |
| Mountebanks require 200,000 x.p. to advance in level beyond 12th, and gain 2 h.p. when they do so. | ||
Disguise is used by the mountebank to change his appearance to make it much more difficult for his marks to come after him if a con is discovered. It can be used to make the mountebank appear up to three inches shorter, or five inches taller, than his actual height. Gender can be changed, as can weight; the disguised character can appear up to 25% slimmer or 50% heavier than his actual weight. Race can also be changed, within reason; a human might be able to pass as an elf, but never a halfling. On the other hand, a gnome could appear as a dwarf or halfling, in theory. Class, as well as social class, is very easily imitated, and the disguised character can appear as anything from a mage to a prince, from a merchant to a beggar.
There is a base chance of 2% per day, however, that the disguise will be seen through. This base chance is modified as follows:
| Mountebank Disguise Modifiers | |
|---|---|
| Condition | Modifier |
| Posing as another race | +2% |
| Posing as opposite gender | +2% |
| Posing as another class | +2% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 36 | +6% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 35 | +5% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 34 | +4% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 33 | +3% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 32 | +2% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 31 | +1% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 19 | –1% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 18 | –2% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 17 | –3% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 16 | –4% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 15 | –5% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 14 | –6% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 13 | –7% |
| INT+WIS of observer is 12 | –8% |
| A check is made for each concerned party (the mark himself, and any of the mark�s companions, guards, etc.) encountering the disguised mountebank, and a further check is made every 24 hours. Magic items such as a gem of seeing will penetrate a disguise automatically. | |
Performing and prestidigitation allows the mountebank to prove that the hand is indeed quicker than the eye. With these skills he is able to use his deft manual dexterity to befuddle, distract, and amuse others.
| Performing and Prestidigitation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountebank Level | Pick Pockets | Sleight of Hand | Juggling | Knife Throwing |
| 1 | 30% | 35% | 25% | ±0, +1 |
| 2 | 35% | 40% | 30% | ±0, +1 |
| 3 | 40% | 45% | 35% | ±0, +1 |
| 4 | 45% | 50% | 40% | +1, +1 |
| 5 | 50% | 55% | 45% | +1, +1 |
| 6 | 55% | 60% | 50% | +1, +2 |
| 7 | 60% | 65% | 55% | +2, +2 |
| 8 | 65% | 70% | 60% | +2, +2 |
| 9 | 70% | 75% | 65% | +2, +3 |
| 10 | 80% | 80% | 70% | +2, +3 |
| 11 | 90% | 85% | 75% | +3, +3 |
| 12 | 100% | 90% | 80% | +3, +4 |
| 13 | 105% | 95% | 85% | +3, +4 |
| 14 | 110% | 96% | 90% | +3, +4 |
| 15 | 115% | 97% | 95% | +3, +5 |
| 16 | 125% | 98% | 96% | +4, +5 |
| 17 | 125% | 99% | 97% | +4, +5 |
| Racial Adjustments to Performing and Prestidigitation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race | Pick Pockets | Sleight of Hand | Juggling | Knife Throwing |
| Dwarf | –10% | – | –10% | – |
| Gnome | +5% | – | +5% | – |
| Half–elf | +5% | +5% | +5% | 0, +1 |
| Halfling | – | –5% | – | –1, +0 |
| Half–Orc | –5% | –5% | –5% | +1, +1 |
| Dexterity Adjustments to Performing and Prestidigitation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexterity | Pick Pockets | Sleight of Hand | Juggling | Knife Throwing |
| 15 | – | +5% | – | – |
| 16 | – | +10% | +5% | – |
| 17 | +5% | +15% | +10% | +1, +0 |
| 18 | +10% | +20% | +15% | +1, +0 |
| 19 | +15% | +25% | +20% | +2, +1 |
| 20 | +20% | +30% | +25% | +2, +1 |
| 21 | +25% | +33% | +30% | +2, +2 |
| 22 | +30% | +36% | +35% | +2, +2 |
| 23 | +35% | +39% | +38% | +3, +2 |
| 24 | +40% | +42% | +41% | +3, +2 |
| 25 | +45% | +45% | +45% | +3, +3 |
Like ordinary thieves, mountebanks can pick pockets, cut purses, remove small items from belt pouches, palm trinkets, pilfer small items from market stalls, etc.
Sleight of hand allows the mountebank to perform minor feats of prestidigitation; palming, ditching, and switching small objects.
Juggling is the general art of tossing and catching things (cups, knives, torches, balls, etc.); actual juggling is the best–known example of this, of course, but in combat this can be used to intercept non–magical missiles which have the mountebank as the target. The mountebank may then immediately throw the object (if it may ordinarily be thrown; an arrow, for instance, could not be), hold it, or simply let it drop to the ground. This may be used against a number of incoming missiles equal to his level, to a maximum of 6. If the mountebank does immediately re–throw the missile, it does not count as his attack for that round. Juggling cannot be done while the character is “in melee”.
Knife Throwing allows the mountebank to use small hand–held missile weapons such as daggers, darts, axes, etc. In the table above, the first number indicates the number of missiles per round that can be thrown by the mountebank, as a modifier to the fire rate (thus, a first level mountebank could hurl 4 darts per round). The second number is the bonus “to hit” that the mountebank receives over and above the standard dexterity bonus for such things. In addition, the mountebank treats all such hurled missiles as being one range class closer; i.e., L range becomes M, and M becomes S. Note that mountebanks can use weapons not normally thought of as hurled weapons in such a fashion, with only the normal non–proficiency penalty “to hit.”
Mountebanks are able to cast spells, but do not gain them automatically when they advance in level. Rather, mountebanks obtain spells for their books haphazardly, and are able to copy them into their spell books from those they find while adventuring. Note that while they are able to copy spells from mages and illusionists, the reverse is not true; regular spell–casters cannot understand the abbreviated patois mountebanks use when noting down their spells. They are able to memorize a number of spells based on their own level:
| Mountebank Spells Available by Level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountebank Level | 1st Level Spells | 2nd Level Spells | 3rd Level Spells | 4th Level Spells |
| 5 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | – | – |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | – | – |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – |
| 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Mountebanks are not able to memorize any additional spells after 10th level. | ||||
| Mountebank Spells by Level | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Level | Second Level | Third Level | Fourth Level | |
| 1 | Affect Normal Fires | Alter Self | Clairaudience | Charm Monster |
| 2 | Change Self | Detect Magic | Delude | Dispel Exhaustion |
| 3 | Charm Person | Fascinate | Feign Death | Emotion |
| 4 | Dancing Lights | Fools Gold | Infravision | Fear |
| 5 | Friends | Forget | Non–detection | Fumble |
| 6 | Magic Aura | Hypnotic Pattern | Suggestion | Plant Growth |
| 7 | Mending | Misdirection | Tongues | |
| 8 | Message | Preserve Water | Breathing | |
| 9 | Push | Rope Trick | ||
| 10 | Spook | Sobriety | ||
| 11 | Taunt | |||
| 12 | Ventriloquism | |||
Like his knowledge of magic, the mountebank has a smattering of alchemical knowledge as well. This is often used in the production of “patent medicines” which are sold as remedies for various ailments as well as claiming to be genuine magic potions. Sometimes they even are genuine. The chances of successfully creating either a medicine for a particular ailment or a genuine magic potion are given below:
| Alchemy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mountebank Level | Medicine | Magic Potion |
| 1 | 20% | 0% |
| 2 | 25% | 0% |
| 3 | 30% | 0% |
| 4 | 35% | 10% |
| 5 | 40% | 15% |
| 6 | 45% | 20% |
| 7 | 50% | 25% |
| 8 | 55% | 30% |
| 9 | 60% | 35% |
| 10 | 65% | 40% |
| 11 | 70% | 45% |
| 12 | 75% | 50% |
| 13 | 80% | 55% |
| 14 | 85% | 60% |
| 15 | 90% | 65% |
| 16 | 95% | 70% |
| 17 | 100% | 75% |
The cost of creating a patent medicine is 50 g.p. The cost of creating a magic potion is 25% of its listed g.p. value. In game terms, a genuine patent medicine will heal 1d4 h.p. of damage, or cure one specific ailment (only one can be ingested per day with any effect). Note that the mountebank won�t know whether or not his attempt was successful; if the result was a failure, the game master should roll on the failure sub–table to determine the actual result:
| Mountebank Alchemy Failure | |
|---|---|
| Roll | Type of Failure |
| 01–75 | Snake oil. The potion or medicine has no effect. |
| Nostrum remedium. Functions as a potion of delusion, with the drinker believing the potion actually worked as intended. | |
| 00 | Poison. The brew is poisonous; anyone drinking it will take 10 h.p. of damage (save vs. poison for half damage). Note that this will kill all but the hardiest commoners, even if they making their saving throw. |
Like all thieves, mountebanks share a patois known as “Thieves� Cant.” This is both a means of recognition and communication from one thief to another, and generally stretches beyond cultural and other linguistic lines. It does not count against other languages that the thief may be able to know.
Mountebanks have skill with verbal patter, as well as their other skills. Verbal patter is one of the most important of the mountebank�s abilities; it is the heart of his powers of misdirection, confusion, and persuasion.
| Verbal Patter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountebank Level | Assure, Attend, Question | Distract, Distrust, Second Look | Befuddle, Trust, Value |
| 1 | 40% | 20% | 10% |
| 2 | 45% | 25% | 15% |
| 3 | 50% | 30% | 20% |
| 4 | 55% | 35% | 25% |
| 5 | 60% | 40% | 30% |
| 6 | 65% | 45% | 35% |
| 7 | 70% | 50% | 40% |
| 8 | 75% | 55% | 45% |
| 9 | 80% | 60% | 50% |
| 10 | 85% | 65% | 55% |
| 11 | 90% | 70% | 60% |
| 12 | 95% | 75% | 65% |
| 13 | 96% | 80% | 70% |
| 14 | 97% | 85% | 75% |
| 15 | 98% | 90% | 80% |
| 16 | 99% | 95% | 85% |
| 17 | 99% | 96% | 90% |
| Verbal Patter Charisma Adjustments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Charisma | Assure, Attend, Question | Distract, Distrust, Second Look | Befuddle, Trust, Value |
| 16 | 5% | 10% | |
| 17 | 10% | 15% | 5% |
| 18 | 15% | 20% | 10% |
| 19 | 20% | 25% | 15% |
Note that all of these abilities are verbal in nature, and therefore require that the target (audience) can understand what is being said!
The game master should use discretion in assigning bonuses or penalties to these abilities, based on the specific circumstances involved; i.e., a drunken and hostile crowd might be particularly less likely to respond positively to a mountebank�s efforts at persuading them to believe something, etc.
Each use of these abilities requires one round; subsequent uses require additional rolls to succeed, but each gains a +5% chance to succeed if the one before it had been successful, to a maximum 95% chance of success.
There are no racial bonuses for verbal patter.
Assure: The mountebank attempts to reinforce whatever preconceptions the audience already has. This has the effect of buttressing the perception of a decision as being right (or wrong), causing the audience to pay less heed to those who disagree, etc. The game master should apply penalties depending on what is being reinforced; if it is questionable a 20% penalty would not be unfair, and a 40% penalty could be assessed for an event which was downright against the thoughts of the audience.
Attend: The mountebank uses his or her powers of patter and gab to grab the attention of the audience (or direct it to someone else) and get them to listen to what is being said and possibly agree with or at the very least understand it.
Befuddle: The mountebank using this ability attempts to create utter confusion in the audience regarding some issue, fact, or event. By his or her confusing patter, the mountebank is able to cause the audience to no longer be sure of what it once knew for certain; who did what, where something is, the facts behind some event, etc.
Distract: By means of this ability, the mountebank substitutes one object of attention for another. For example, he could relate some amusing anecdote involving the chief of the palace security, distracting a guard enough for a companion to slip away unnoticed. If the character is successful, the target will forget the one object of its attention for the other.
Distrust: The mountebank uses his clowning to attempt to point out something dishonest or otherwise disreputable in the target�s behavior or history. If successful, the audience takes on the dimmest possible view of the target�s intentions and actions.
Question: By using this ability, the mountebank causes the audience to question something which had been hitherto known; what someone said, what they did, etc. Note that the distinction between this ability and befuddle is subtle and much an issue of degree; question generally is used to merely cause doubt in the mind of the audience, while befuddle is used to completely make a mess of the subject at hand.
Second Look: By use of this ability, the mountebank causes his audience to reevaluate a given decision or judgment they have recently undertaken. If attempted after a successful use of question or befuddle, the mountebank gains a 10% bonus to succeed. The difference between this and question is that second look actively attempts to get the audience to change their minds, while question merely causes doubt.
Trust: With this ability, the mountebank attempts to persuade the audience that a third party (not the mountebank himself) is worthy of the trust and faith of the audience. This will not mean automatic acceptance of anything they say, but it will certainly make them much more likely to be heeded.
Value: The mountebank attempts to make his audience revere and generally have a high opinion of a particular person or thing.