Beware of this magical thief - the charlatan!
by David A. Bellis

Minimum ability scores	Racial limitations	Combat	Spell-casting	Explanations of special abilities
Followers	Status	Disadvantages	Miscellaneous	-
Dragon	-	Classes	-	Dragon 120

Since the dawn of history, there has
existed a class of people who try to cheat
others by selling worthless products.
These people are known as charlatans,
and they exist even today. In an AD&D®
game setting, charlatans sell fake medicines and potions, and cheat gullible people out of their hard-earned gold. The
charlatan as an NPC character class is an
interesting being who could wreak havoc
on naive PCs.

M i n i m u m   a b i l i t y   s c o r e s
In order to qualify for the charlatan
subclass of thief, a character must have
the minimum ability scores listed in Table
1.  If the combination of intelligence and
dexterity is 32 or above,  10%  is added to
the character?s earned experience points.

Racial limitations
Charlatans are able to cast magical spells
of a limited sort. Since only humans, elves,
half-elves, and gnomes have the ability to
cast magical spells of any kind, only these
races can qualify for the charlatan subclass. To find the maximum level attainable
by race, add intelligence and dexterity
scores, and consult the Table 2.

Combat
Charlatans are weak in physical combat
potential, having 1d4 +  1  HD per level. At
11th level and above, the charlatan gains
one hp per level. Level advancement for
charlatans is shown on Table 3.

Charlatans can only wear armor which
can be concealed beneath their clothing
(thus giving the charlatan the appearance
of an unarmored magic-user). Acceptable
armor types for this class are listed in
Table 7. Weapons which a charlatan is
allowed to use are also listed in Table 7. It
should be noted that a charlatan will
never openly carry a short sword or sap;
such weapons are typically concealed in a
wagon or cart.

Spell-casting
Charlatans have limited magical power,
being able to cast only certain cantrips.
Although they eventually gain a great
number of these cantrips, they never have
offensive or defensive spell capability of
any real power. Charlatans employ their
cantrips craftily, in a manner that makes
the spells appear to be mighty works of
spell-casting. Remember that, to most
uneducated NPCs (and many PCs),  any
magic will appear to be great magic.

Charlatans are able to cast the following
cantrips:

Useful:  dampen, exterminate,  and  sprout.
Reversed:  hairy  and  wilt.
Legerdemain:  change, distract, hide, mute,
palm,  and  present.
Person-affecting:  belch, blink, cough, nod,
scratch, sneeze, twitch,  and  wink.
Personal:  bluelight, firefinger, smokepuff,
and  tweak.
Haunting-sound:  groan, moan, rattle, tap,
and  whistle.
Illusion:  colored lights, haze, rainbow,  and
two-d?lusion

Charlatans memorize their spells
quickly, having merely to glance at their
spell books for one round to memorize a
single cantrip. Low-level spells can be
added to the list of usable spells at the
DM's discretion keeping in mind that
charlatans are not powerful spell-casters.

Charlatans often use their cantrips to
create an undesirable effect in a possible
customer Such spell usage would include
belch, cough, sneeze, hairy and so forth.
After afflicting a person with a cantrip,
the charlatan gives him a sample of one of
his potions, which ?cures? the affliction.
Since the cantrips' effects are short-lived,
it will appear as if the potion has cured
the affliction. Few would then doubt the
charlatan's claims as a master potionmaker and magician .

Another favorite trick employed by
(charlatans involves the use of hauntingsound cantrips to temporarily haunt a
house. The charlatan then enters the
house, mumbles some vague words while
swinging his hands around, and removes
the  "spirits"  from the premises. In general,
charlatans are very creative in using their
cantrips and often employ them to attract
attention to their ?great powers,? After
such a performance as this, how could
anyone resist buying the magical items the
charlatan is selling?
 
 

C h a r l a t a n s   h a v e   t o u r   s t a n d a r d   t h i e f
a b i l i t i e s :   p i c k i n g   p o c k e t s ,   m o v i n g   s i l e n t l y ,
h i d i n g   i n   s h a d o w s ,   a n d   r e a d i n g   l a n g u a g e s
( w h i c h   e v e n t u a l l y   a l l o w s   t h e   c h a r l a t a n   t o
r e a d   m a g i c ) .     See the Players Handbook,
p. 27, for descriptions of these abilities.

Charlatans also can mix ?potions.? Most
of the time, these potions (or oils, salves,
rubs, etc.) delude the imbiber into believing that the potion has created the effect
promised.  This  minor delusion lasts for l-4
turns per level of the charlatan The charlatan can, however, attempt to create
potions that actually do have the desired
effect. These potions can actually be magical potions or merely a mixture of nonmagical ingredients which create the
desired effect. The chance for success in
creating real potions is one-fifth the base
chance for mixing potions (rounding
down). In one day, a charlatan can create
three trick potions. Real potions can be
mixed in one day, but can only be mixed
once a week, due to the amount of
research necessary.

A charlatan can also mix poisons at half
the base chance for mixing potions (again,
rounding down). Charlatan poisons are
never directly fatal ? they merely cause
sickness, sleep, pain, etc. These poisons
have durations lasting from 1-2 hours per
level of the charlatan. One or two doses of
each can be made in a day. Each dose is
capable of affecting 1-6 people. A charlatan will often poison a whole town, then
rush in selling the cure. The cure may be
a real one or merely a minor delusion.

The ability to create pyrotechnics is
available to all charlatans. This ability is
not magical; rather, the effects are caused
by throwing powders or liquids onto a fire
source The effects are similar to those
associated with the spells  affect normal
fires  and  pyrotechnics.  The effects of
these powders or liquids occur instantaneously. Duration, range, and so forth should
be determined by the DM, based on the
fire source and amount of substance used
to create the effect.

Since charlatans often sell magical or
alchemical substances, they can approximate the values of these substances accurately. Given 1-4 rounds for examination, a
charlatan can guess the price within a 10%
deviation above or below the actual price
a mage or alchemist would pay for such
items.

Convincing disguises can be created by a
charlatan of 5th level or higher This ability is necessary to the class, as a charlatan
often visits towns where his face may be
recognized by angry citizens. This ability
is similar to the assassin?s ability of disguise mentioned on page 29 of the  Players
Handbook.

At 10th level, charlatans may gain followers These followers number 4-16, and
include fighters, thieves, charlatans, and
apprentice magic-users.

Also at 10th level, charlatans gain their
greatest ability ? that of beguilement.
With this ability, the charlatan emanates a
minor form of empathy as he speaks. Any
intelligent creature within hearing distance regards the charlatan as a trusted
friend and a respected mage. People thus
beguiled will buy as much as they can
afford from the charlatan. This ability is
usable once a day and lasts for one round
per level of the charlatan minus 1d4
rounds. After this amount of time, people
apathetically drift away from the charlatan. Characters are allowed to make a
1d20 roll against their wisdom as a saving
throw against beguilement, with a +2
modifier added to the die roll. If the modified number is equal to or less than the
character?s wisdom, the effects of beguilement are avoided.

Explanations of special abilities
A. The charlatan has the non-magical
ability to create pyrotechnics with effects
similar to the magic-user spells  affect
normal fires  and  pyrotechnics.

B. The charlatan can approximate the
values of magical and alchemical substances.

C. Disguises can he donned by a charlatan of 5th level or higher. Disguises can
lower height by 1-2? or raise it by 3-4?.
Disguises can also make the charlatan
appear to be almost any race, any class, or
as either sex. Chance of discovering the
charlatan?s disguise is the same as for the
assassin?s disguise ability.

D. The charlatan can decipher magical
writings as a thief of 10th level. Scrolls
with magic-user or illusionist spells of
third level or less can be read, although a
25% chance of miscasting the spell exists if
the charlatan attempts to cast them.

E. At this level, the charlatan gains the
power of beguilement.

F o l l o w e r s
Charlatans gain 4-16 followers at 10th
level. These followers come in four groups
of 1d4 members each. Roll percentile dice
on Table 5 to determine the class and level
of each group. In determining the race of
these followers, roll 1d8 and add the following modifiers: if the charlatan is a
gnome, -2; elf, -1: human +1. Crossreference the modified number on Table 6
to determine the race of these groups.

Status
All charlatans are cheats and tricksters.
They are never of a lawful alignment, are
rarely good, and are usually highly chaotic. Charlatans are always from a lower
social class, though they are hardly ever
from one of the lowest classes.

Charlatans vary in personality and mannerisms, except for one common aspect:
They are all great cowards. Charlatans
intimidate weaker characters and talk
tough, but if forced to back up their
claims, they try to stall, run away, or talk
their way out of trouble.

D i s a d v a n t a g e s
Charlatans constantly have to deal with
constables and dissatisfied customers.
They are always in danger of getting the
stuffings beat out of them by angry citizens Whenever a charlatan fails to succeed in making a potion (note that the
charlatan always believes he has succeeded in creating the desired potion), the
user immediately becomes aware of the
charlatan?s true profession, becoming
enraged 85% of the time.

Additionally, any magic-user has a
chance to identify charlatans for what
they truly are. This ability (which requires
one turn of observation) is equal to the
intelligence score of the magic-user plus
the magic-user?s level, times two (i.e., 2  x
(intelligence + level)).

M i s c e l l a n e o u s
In all aspects not mentioned above,
charlatans behave as thieves. This in
c l u d e s ,   b u t   i s   n o t   l i m i t e d   t o ,   s a v i n g   t h r o w s ,
c o m b a t   t a b l e s ,   a n d   m a g i c a l   i t e m s   u s a b l e .
M i s c e l l a n e o u s   i n f o r m a t i o n   s h o w i n g   v a r i o u s   c h a r l a t a n   c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s   i s   l i s t e d   o n
T a b l e   7 .

Table 1
Minimum Ability Scores

Ability	Min. Scores
Strength	-
Intelligence	12
Wisdom	9
Dexterity	13
Constitution	-
Charisma	14

Table 2
Level Limitations by Race                                                  Racial Type

Combined int. & dex.	Gnome	Elf	Half-elf	Human
25-28	5	5
29-30	5	7
31-34	7	10
35-36	10	13
37 & up	U	U

Table 3
Experience Levels and Hit Dice

XP	Level	Hit dice  (1d4)	Level title*	THACO	Saves
0 - 1,700	1	1+1	Apprentice	20n	13.12.14.16.15
1,701 - 3,400	2	2+2	Hoaxer	20n	13.12.14.16.15
3,401 - 6,800	3	3+3	Cheat	20n	13.12.14.16.15
6,801 - 13,500	4	4+4	Con man	20n	13.12.14.16.15
13,501 - 28,000	5	5+5	Defrauder	19	12.11.12.15.13
28,001 - 58,000	6	6+6	Deluder	19	12.11.12.15.13
58,001 - 95,500	7	7+7	Deceiver	19	12.11.12.15.13
95,501 - 150,000	8	8+8	Sharper	19	12.11.12.15.13
150,001 - 205,500	9	9+9	Grifter	16	11.10.10.14.11
205,501 - 300,000	10	10+10	Swindler	16	11.10.10.14.11
300,001 - 525,000	11	10+11	Quack	16	11.10.10.14.11
525,001 - 750,000	12	10+12	Charlatan	16	11.10.10.14.11
750,001 - 975,000	13	10+13	Master Charlatan	14	10.9.8.13.9
975,001 - 1,200,000	14	10+14	Grand Charlatan	14	10.9.8.13.9
1,200,001 and up	15	10+15	Grand Master Charlatan	14	10.9.8.13.9

* Charlatans often use the level title appropriate to the level title of a magic-user
one: to two levels higher than the charlatan. They only reveal their true title to those
who  know they are charlatans.

Table 4

Level	Cantrips usable	Pick pockets	Move silently	Hide in shadows	Read languages	Potion mixing*	Special abilities
1	3	40%	10%	10%	-	46%	A, B
2	4	45%	15%	15%	-	50%	-
3	5	50%	21%	20%	-	53%	-
4	7	55%	27%	25%	20%	56%	-
5	8	60%	33%	31%	25%	59%	C
6	9	65%	40%	37%	30%	62%	-
7	11	60%	47%	43%	35%	65%	-
8	12	80%	55%	49%	40%	69%	D
9	13	90%	62%	56%	45%	73%	-
10	15	100%	70%	63%	50%	77%	E
11	17	105%	78%	70%	55%	81%	-
12	19	110%	86%	77%	60%	85%	-
13	21	115%	94%	85%	65%	90%	-
14	23	120%	97%	93%	70%	95%	-
15	25	125%	99%	99%	75%	99%	-

* Base chance for trick potions. The chance to create real potions is one-fifth of the base; the percentage chance to create nonlethal poisons is one-half the base chance (round down in both cases)

Table 5
Class and Level of Followers

Die roll	Level and class *
01-10	1st-level fighters (1d4)
11-20	1st-level thieves (1d4)
21-30	1st-level assassins (1d4)
31-40	1st-level charlatans (1d4)
41-45	1st-level magic-users (1d4)
46-50	1st-level illusionists (1d4)
51-60	2nd-level fighters (1d4)
61-70	2nd-level thieves (1d4)
71-80	2nd-level charlatans (1d4)
81-90	3rd-level charlatans (1d4)
91-95	4th-level charlatans (1d4)
96-00	Extra 1-2 followers, plus two more rolls

* For each group of four fighter followers, a leader of 4th-level fighting
ability is also gained as a follower.

Table 6
Race of Followers

Die roll	Race
1	Gnome
2-3	Elf
4-5	Half-elf
6-7	Human
8	Other (DM's discretion)

Table 7
Combined Information

Racial stock: gnome, elf, half-elf, and human.
Hit dice: <d>4 + 1.
Spell capability: limited to cantrips.
Class level limit: 15th (Grand Master Charlatan)
Armor permissible: leather and elfin chainmail.
Shield: none.
Weapons allowable: dagger, knife, dart, sap, sling, staff, short sword, and garrote.
Flaming oil allowable: yes.
Poison allowable: only self-manufactured poisons (used by neutral or evil NPCs).
Weapon proficiency:
    Initial number of weapons: 2.
    Non-proficiency penalty: -3.
    Added proficiencies/level: 1/4
Alignment: any nonlawful.

1. SUBCLASS = n/a
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM =
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH =
    INTELLIGENCE =
    WISDOM =
    DEXTERITY =
    CONSTITUTION =
    CHARISMA =
    COMELINESS =
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES =
6. HIT DIE TYPE =
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE =
8. SPELL ABILITY =
9. ARMOR PERMITTED =
10. SHIELD PERMITTED =
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED =
12. OIL PERMITTED =
13. POISON PERMITTED =
14. ALIGNMENT =
15. STARTING MONEY =
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY =
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
19. STARTING AGE =
20. COMBAT =
21. SAVING THROWS =
22. MAGIC ITEMS =