Legerdemain (Art)

Mortals may mistake some of the magic of the fae as sleight of hand, but changelings versed in Legerdemain mold and sculpt Glamour to manipulate the world around them. Popular among commoners and entertainers, Legerdemain stands as one of the oldest and most well-known Arts of the Kithain. Those with title and wealth may look down on such magic, but anyone who must fight to survive knows the value of a free meal or a clean escape.

## Unleashing Legerdemain

Legerdemain grants mastery over sleight of hand, using Glamour to move and manipulate physical objects. Unleashing Legerdemain may result in the character’s surroundings becoming a storm of items hurled by invisible hands, grand or terrifying scenes played out in illusions indistinguishable from reality, or replicas of a prized possession suddenly appearing in everyone’s pockets.

## Legerdemain Bunks

Legerdemain bunks often involve performances, sleight of hand, stealing or replacing items, and repeating actions. Example bunks: Make a rabbit appear out of a child’s ear, mirror the movements and actions of another, and catching a knife thrown at the changeling.

## Legerdemain Cantrips

### Ensnare

Useful for running from a mark or catching up to someone who owes the character money, ensnare causes the target to become slowed down or immobile. Furniture seems to jump into the target’s way, pot holes flatten tires and crack axles, or the ground raises to divert rushing water. Even with no nearby plausible reason for a hindrance, the tendrils of Glamour created by this cantrip still trip, slow, and weigh down the target.

**System:** The Realm determines the target to be slowed or stopped. Ensnare causes the target to move half her normal speed and inflicts a +3 difficulty to all physical actions for the duration of the cantrip. The number of successes determines the number of turns the target remains hindered.

**Type:** Chimerical or Wyrd (depending on target)

### Mooch

Mooch provides changelings a quick and easy method of paying for a meal, or collecting an impressive set of keys, mobile phones, or any other objects that catch their eye. If successful, Mooch instantly transfers one inanimate object from the possession of the target to the changeling. The item can appear in the character’s hand, pocket, or sock — anywhere on her person she desires.

**System:** The Realm must indicate the current owner, holder, or container of the object in question, but so long as the character knows the target has the item, she does not need to see it when she casts the cantrip. The shoelaces from a nocker’s new boots requires Fae, Actor for the business card handed to the security guard, Prop to filch the count’s favorite coffee mug from the cupboard, and Nature to get the childling’s kite stuck up in a tree. If an item is simply left unattended with no owner, container, or guardian, Mooch becomes useless. The changeling needs to steal the desired trinket the old fashioned way

The target can roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 8) as a resisted action to notice the item is missing.

**Type:** Chimerical or Wyrd (depending on if the item mooched is purely chimerical or not)

### Effigy

Manipulation of Glamour complex enough to copy something takes time and patience to perfect, but once mastered, can create replicas good enough to fool an observer, at least for a while. A pooka thief can make a good facsimile of the painting she agreed to steal and sell, but now wants to keep for her collection. The redcap door-to-door salesman might sculpt a replica of the pug he just ate to keep the family from noticing that their dog is missing until he leaves.

Effigies of anything sentient, like people or animals, can only perform a single, repetitive action. Objects appear exactly as the original, meaning that a book open to a particular page would be open to that same page as an effigy, but the remaining pages would be blank. The copy otherwise has the same properties as the original and exists in the physical world with the same capabilities. The character could (briefly) drive in the effigy of a car, shoot the replica gun she created with this Art, or climb the effigy of a tree. Effigy food has little taste and no nutritional value, but can smell delicious.

**System:** The character must use a Realm based on what she wishes to copy, and can create the effigy anywhere within her line of sight. The number of successes determines the duration the effigy remains intact. If the effigy is destroyed prior to the duration ending it simply melts or fades away as the Glamour no longer can hold the form.

 2
 3
 4
 5

**Type:** Chimerical or Wyrd (depending on the target copied)

### Gimmix

Mortal magicians spend countless hours staging elaborate tricks to convince others they can move and control objects with the power of their mind. By casting Gimmix, a changeling need only expend Glamour to move and manipulate anything she can see with considerable precision and force. A sidhe knight stops an arrow inches from his liege’s chest. The sluagh parking attendant sends a car driven by a vampire hurtling off the side of the parking deck. A redcap surgeon keeps his “patient” still long enough to apply the restraints. The nocker picks the lock of his cell door with no tools

**System:** As with Effigy, the Realm determines the target. The changeling can either focus her Glamour into a sudden, powerful movement or maintain a more prolonged, but precise control. For the former, Legerdemain plus the Realm acts as the character’s Strength. For the latter, Legerdemain plus the Realm should stand in for Dexterity.

For a single, powerful action, the changeling only controls the target for a single turn. If used as an attack, the cantrip roll serves as the attack roll. When attempting to use Gimmix for precision, the number of successes determines the number of turns the character can continue to use Gimmix on the target before needing to cast the cantrip again.

If used on an animate target, the effects may be resisted with Strength + Athletics (difficulty 8) or other appropriate dice pool as determined by the Storyteller.

**Type:** Wyrd

### Smoke & Mirrors

Masters of Legerdemain move beyond paltry copies or temporary manipulations and can conjure long lasting, convincing illusions with their Glamour. A dilapidated, broken bridge could appear sturdy enough for a car to travel over it, or the troll enforcer may back down after seeing the satyr with a whole crowd of angry (and illusory) friends behind him. The character could even create an entire party with food, guests, and music.

**System:** The changeling requires knowledge of all relevant Realms when creating the illusion. Sufficient levels of Actor, Prop, and Scene would all be necessary for the party mentioned above. The illusions look, sound, and smell quite real, but do not have mass in the mundane world. A vampire brave or stupid enough to chase the character outside after she conjures illusory sunlight would not burn, but may run afoul of a seemingly empty street actually teeming with high-speed traffic.

The number of successes determines the duration, but the player may opt to make the cantrip an extended action to accumulate up to five successes. Each additional roll costs only one extra Glamour regardless of the base cost of the cantrip.

 2
 3
 4
 5

**Type:** Chimerical or Wyrd (chimerical illusions are only visible to those who can see chimera)