A talent for deception

[hcobb]

Classic's MASTER THIEF talent included a defense against Detect Lies that doesn't seem to exist in Legacy edition. So let's tack this on top of an existing wimpy talent.

House rule: The Disguise talent includes a degree of mental control over one's own behavior and stray thoughts. Detect Lies needs to roll one additional die against a figure with the Disguise talent. (Note that this increases the chance of a critical failure even when the Disguiser is telling the truth.) The Disguise talent gives a 5/IQ save against the following spells: Detect Enemies (including the enchantment), Ward (for hostile intentions), Friendship, Soothe, and increases by one die rolls to see through the Disguiser's use of the Possession spell.

[TippetsTX]

Or replace DETECT LIES with a new talent that does double-duty... an expert liar should also be able to detect lies better.

Call it SUBTERFUGE.

[David Bofinger]

The problem with Disguise is you rarely see it because only genius heroes can take it and mostly they aren't the tricksy types most likely to want Disguise. It should be brought down in IQ and if necessary nerfed. Have a basic version which just allows, or makes you better at, the impersonation of generic rather than people. So the basic talent will let you look like an orc but not a specific orc. And the basic version is a prerequisite for the current talent.

[David Bofinger]

I advise against making folding these talents together. Maybe Disguise has Deception as a prerequisite, but it should be possible to be good at lying without being a disguise expert.

[hcobb]

Another suggestion is that all rogues are liars, so this is covered by Streetwise.

[David Bofinger]

Originally Posted by TippetsTX

Or replace DETECT LIES with a new talent that does double-duty... an expert liar should also be able to detect lies better.

I think characters good at spotting lies and bad at lying ("Your snivellous mendacity is written on your face, recalcitrant!") and comic characters who are good at spinning lies but also fall for them exist in fiction, probably best not to make them illegal.

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

I think characters good at spotting lies and bad at lying ("Your snivellous mendacity is written on your face, recalcitrant!") and comic characters who are good at spinning lies but also fall for them exist in fiction, probably best not to make them illegal.

The rules already establish that relative IQ is the primary factor in determining whether one is a good or bad liar, but I think (given TFT's level of abstraction) enabling a new advantage w/o adding to the net count of talents is also a desirable development.

Of course, I am adding many, many other talents to the net count so that's not really the achievement I claim it is. ;)