So I wanted to ask around here if anyone has made any rules for general illusion or any specific tricks. I'm not so good at making rules so I thought I'd ask around. I'm also looking for stats for things (i.e. items such as fake thumbs, spring loaded trapdoors etc).
Thanks
HW
The PC must make Sleight of Hand check to hide the grenade:
+4 The grenade is a Tiny weapon.
+0 Handkerchief (neither tight nor bulky)
-4 The weapon can be "drawn as a free action". The Quick Draw feat is not required in this case: it's held in the hand.
Opposed by opponent's Spot check.
* If the PC wins the enemies do not notice that he has a prepared weapon. The PCs may proceed to fake their surrender.
* If the enemies win then they aren't fooled. The PC will need to discard the grenade along with any other obvious weapons in order to create an opportunity for surrender. Even so, the enemies will suspect trickery: +2 to their Sense Motive check to oppose the PC's Bluff.
The PCs then need to bring immediate hostilities to an end. They need to stop taking aggressive action and throw down their weapons. Assuming the enemies are going to bother taking prisoners at all then this should present an opportunity for communication.
Since the PCs are bluffing they need to make a Bluff check opposed by Sense motive.
* If the PCs win they wil gain the benefit of surprise if they decide to resume hostilities. Of course, at this point they should appear to have disarmed and stand ready to be captured.
* If the enemies win then they suspect foul play and are prepared. They get the surprise round instead should they or the PCs decide to resume fighting.
If the PC successfully conceals the grenade and fakes surrender he can release the grenade as a free action, signaling the start of a fresh round of fighting!
-DF
On another note can anyone think of any other tricks that could be fleshed out similarly to this?
-DF
When you say hide something in plain sight, what exactly as you doing? If it is in your possession somehow, that could either be a Bluff vs. Sense Motive ("brooch, what brooch? I'm not wearing a brooch") or Sleight of Hand vs. Spot skill (*calmly brushes dust off jacket lapels, while secretly un-clipping and palming brooch*), depending on what exactly you are doing to hide it.
If you are simply placing it in an non-obvious place (a la purloined letter), I'd make it an unopposed Search for the other person. The difficulty of noticing such an item is entirely dependent on where it is placed. A more skilful person might be able to determine how easy it would be to notice the object, but if it's in a given location, it doesn't really make much difference who put it there for how hard it is to spot.
Disguising an object to look like another object would be a specific use of the Forgery skill (opposed by Forgery according to both SRDs).
* Place a green bowling ball among some water melons.
* Paint your armoured truck like a yellow school bus, complete with black "windows".
* Paste a 10 dollar bill on each side of the transmitter you put in the briefcase full of money.
It might not stand up to close scrutiny or a search, but it could defeat a casual Spot.
-DF
We always use bluff for distractions. If you can succeed a bluff check and distract them, they take the penalty (-5 or whatever) for being distracted.
My houserule keeps Bluff as primarily a verbal schtick. I detest with a passion the Feint ability it has been granted in combat.
I am intrigued as why you feel this way.
-DF