Disguise: This is the ability to make a character look like someone else. A successful Disguise check is required for each character or group of characters that the disguised character is trying to fool with his disguise. The target that the disguised character is trying to fool must make a Wisdom roll against the Disguise roll in order to penetrate the disguise (see “Using Skills Against Each Other” at the end of this chapter).

🎭 Racial Variants #

Variant	Name	Description
Gnome	The Optical Illusionist	Gnomes use mirrors, prismatic lenses, and tiny “displacement” gadgets. They don’t just change their face; they use light to appear 6 inches taller or shorter, making their true height impossible to pin down.
Dwarven	Structure-Shifting	Dwarves focus on “padding” and “heavy-set” disguises. They use weighted shoes or internal braces to change the way their joints move, allowing them to mimic the gait of an older human or a stout merchant perfectly.
Halfling	The Mundane Shadow	Halflings excel at “hiding in plain sight” as objects or children. They use oversized baskets, loose robes, or bundles of hay to disguise themselves as part of the background scenery rather than a person.
Orc	Scar-Mapping	They use their natural toughness to apply painful, “permanent” disguises. By using saps and irritants to cause temporary swelling or using temporary tattoos to mimic specific tribal markings, their disguise looks more “authentic” under close scrutiny.

---

🗺️ Regional Variants #

1. The High-Court Cosmetician (Metropolitan/Urban)

In the capital, a disguise must survive the bright lights of a ballroom.

• Specialty: Aesthetic Perfection. They use high-end powders, perfumes, and wigs. Their disguises are focused on mimicking specific individuals. When trying to impersonate a known noble, the target’s Wisdom roll to see through it is made at a -4 penalty.

2. The Frontier “Ghost” (Wilderness/Borderlands)

In the wilds, you don’t disguise yourself as a person; you disguise yourself as the Environment.

• Specialty: Natural Camouflage. Using mud, moss, and animal pelts, they can disguise themselves as a stump, a rock, or a bush. In the appropriate terrain, they can use their Disguise skill to supplement a Stealth check, granting a +2 bonus.

3. The Bazaar Face-Changer (Desert/Trade Hubs)

In regions where many cultures overlap, speed and versatility are key.

• Specialty: The Layered Reveal. They wear multiple layers of thin clothing and “quick-wipe” makeup. A successful check allows them to change their entire appearance in 1d4 rounds, essentially “shedding” one identity to become another while walking through a crowded market.

4. The Sewer-Steward (Metropolitan/Underground)

In the dark, smells and shapes matter more than fine details.

• Specialty: Olfactory Deception. They use pungent oils, damp rags, and filth to mimic the “stink” of a beggar, a leper, or a specific sewer-dwelling creature. Guards are often so repulsed they won’t look closely enough to make a Wisdom check.

---

⚖️ The “Wisdom Roll” Interaction #

As per the rules, this is a Contested Check.

• Design Tip: If the character has Acting in addition to Disguise, you might allow them to use the higher of the two rolls for the initial deception. If the Disguise is visually perfect but the character speaks and “breaks character,” the NPC gets a second Wisdom roll to penetrate the ruse.