DECEIVE / DECEPTION Syntax: automatic Early in their studies, the illusionists are taught ventriloquism to learn to convince the marks of hearing noises that seem to come from another source. This ability has gone by many names. is known as "deception", "fibbing", or more commonly, as bold-faced lies. An astonished recipient or audience is the intended outcome, whether done for entertainment or other means. Later in their studies, the illusionist guild applies precisely the same techniques in battle to try to distract and thereby reduce their target's spell resistances against their signature abilities. Deception's success depends on the size of the lie: for example, it's easier to cheat at cards than to trick a dragon into believing it's a mouse. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining, after all. Successfully deceiving an opponent will give that spell a better chance of success, while being unsuccessful will just mean the spell is unremarkable and subject to its normal save check. Certain factors can make a target more vulnerable to being deceived. * Especially wise creatures are more difficult to deceive. * Victims afflicted by significant cognitive impairments (such as effects from spells like 'feeblemind' or 'dreamstruck' or even too much champagne) are more susceptible to your deceptions. * Spells that induce fear or anger (such as the misty mirage, which triggers primal fears) allow for greater attempts at misdirection, making even the most outrageous lies more palatable. * Spells that impair one's vision might aid with a misdirection. * The presence of duplicates/marionettes who play along with the act further helps to sell the lie. Note that for bards, this is referred to as "plausability", as in the likelihood that a song's lyrics would be believeable.