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- Ventriloquism (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge -2) — The character has learned
the secrets of throwing his voice. Although not actually making
sound come from somewhere else (like the spell), the character
can deceive others into believing this to be so.
- When using Ventriloquism, the supposed source of the sound must
be relatively close to the character. The nature of the speaking
object and the intelligence of those watching can modify the character’s
chance of success. If the character makes an obviously inanimate
object talk (a book, mug, etc.), a -25% penalty is applied to
his skill score. If a believable source (a PC or NPC) is made
to appear to speak, a +10% bonus is added to his skill score.
The observer’s Intelligence/Reason modifies this as follows:
Table 5.4.15: Ventriloquism Modifiers
Intelligence/
Reason
|
Modifier
|
|
less than 3
|
+30%
|
|
3-5
|
+20%
|
|
6-8
|
+10%
|
|
9-14
|
0
|
|
15-16
|
-5%
|
|
17-18
|
-10%
|
|
19
|
-20%
|
|
20
|
-30%
|
|
21
|
-40%
|
|
22
|
-50%
|
|
23
|
-60%
|
|
24
|
-70%
|
|
25
|
-80%
|
A successful skill check means the character has successfully
deceived his audience. One check must be made for every sentence
or response. The character is limited to sounds he could normally
make (thus, the roar of a lion is somewhat beyond him).
- Since ventriloquism relies on deception, people’s knowledge of
speech, and assumptions about what should and shouldn’t talk,
it is effective only on intelligent creatures. Thus, it has no
effect on animals and the like. Furthermore, the audience must
be watching the character since part of the deception is visual
(“Hey, his lips don’t move!”). Using Ventriloquism to get someone
to look behind him does not work, since the voice is not actually
behind him (this requires the ventriloquism spell). All but those
with the gullibility of children realize what is truly happening.
They may be amused — or they may not be.
- Veterinary Healing (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition -3, Intelligence/Reason -3) — The
character can attempt to heal all types of normal animals, following
the same procedures described in the description of the Healing skill (heals 1d3 hit points if done within one turn of wounding,
once per creature per day; continued care can restore one hit
point per day during non-strenuous traveling for up to six creatures;
gives a +2 to save vs. poison if treated for five rounds before
onset of poison; diagnose disease, magical origins identified,
natural diseases take mildest form and shortest duration).
- Supernatural creatures (such as skeletons or ghouls) or creatures
from another plane (such as aerial servants or xorn) cannot be
treated with this skill.
- This skill is not cumulative with the Healing skill — the first used will take precedence. The Veterinary Healing
skill can be used on humans, demihumans and humanoids at a -40%
penalty to the normal chance for success.
- Racial modifiers: Forest Gnomes receive a +20% bonus when using this skill. Elberethi
elves, Rock Gnomes and Uldra receive a +10% bonus. Fälgornian
humans receive a +5% bonus.
- Visual Concealment (Mental 2, Intelligence/Knowledge -2, Wisdom/Understanding -2)
— This skill enables a spellcaster to totally remove all secondary
visual traits from a spell if he makes a successful skill check
before casting.
- This skill works on the premise that many spells have visual components
not connected to their function. For instance, the appearance
of fire is required for fireball because the spell’s primary function
is to release a ball of flames. Ray of enfeeblement, on the other hand, need not create a visible beam as it weakens
its target. Other possibilities include the various Detect spells,
fire shield, and anything else the DM thinks appropriate. Whether a particular
spell has a visible component secondary to its function is up
to the DM.
- Removing the visual components of a spell doubles the normal casting
time.
- Voice Mimicry (Mental 2, Charisma/Appearance) — Voice Mimicry is the art of
convincingly imitating the voice of another person. It is a very
demanding skill, requiring intense training and practice with
the vocal cords.
- A character with Voice Mimicry is able to imitate any accent he
has heard. Success is automatic (if the character’s skill score
is at least 50%) unless confronted by those who speak the mimicked
accent. In such a case, a skill check is required to maintain
the ruse.
- More difficult is the imitation a specific person’s voice. To
do this, the character must be familiar with the voice of the
person to be mimicked. A skill check is required to determine
if the imitation is detected; modifiers depend on how well the
listener knows the voice that is being mimicked. Success is certain
if the listener has never heard the voice of the person being
mimicked. To fool an acquaintance, there is no modifier; fooling
a friend of the subject is more difficult, requiring a -10% penalty
to the skill check; an attempt to fool a close friend is made
at a -25% penalty to the skill check; and an attempt to fool someone
extremely close to the person being mimicked (i.e., a parent or
spouse, a longtime friend) is made at a -35% penalty.
- This skill is often used in conjunction with the Disguise skill. The skill which must be checked first depends on whether
the character is seen or heard. If the Disguise skill check is made successfully first, then there is a +25%
bonus to the check for Voice Mimicry — the listeners have already
accepted the appearance, so they are less likely to doubt the
voice. If the Disguise fails, it doesn’t matter how good the voice
imitation is. If the Voice Mimicry skill check is the first to
be rolled and is successful, then the Disguise skill check is made with a +5% bonus.
- Water Find (Mental 1, Intelligence/Knowledge) — Even the most barren desert
yields water to those who know how to find it. Small animals burrow
in the ground and store water there; some rare plants store water
in cistern roots beneath the soil; seemingly lifeless trees sometimes
have moist heartwood.
- The Water Find skill is only useful in areas where little water
or little pure water can be found. It can only be used once per
day and takes an hour to perform. During this time the character
can only move at half his normal Movement Rate. A successful check
indicates he has found sufficient pure water to sustain himself
for one day. It does not mean that he has found enough water to
rehydrate, but he will not further dehydrate. The character can
only find enough water for himself — if he shares his find with
others, none of them gain any benefit. On a skill check of 01-05,
the character finds enough water to sustain himself and 1d6 other
people.
- Special note: The Water Find skill is included as part of the Survival skill. A character who later chooses to learn Survival may add
a bonus equal to half his Water Find skill score to his Survival
skill score the first time he takes it (learning Survival in additional
terrains incurs its own bonus, see Survival).
- Weather Sense (Mental 1, Wisdom/Intuition -1) — This skill enables the character
to make intelligent guesses about upcoming weather conditions.
A successful skill check means the character has correctly guessed
the general weather conditions for the next six hours. A failed
check means the character read the signs wrong and forecast the
weather incorrectly. The DM should roll the check secretly.
- A skill check can be made once every six hours. However, for every
six hours of observation, the character gains a +5% bonus to his
skill check (as he watches the weather change, the character gets
a better sense of what is coming). This modifier is cumulative,
although sleep or other activity that occupies the attention of
the character for a long period negates any accumulated bonus.
- Sometimes impending weather conditions are so obvious that no
skill check is required. It is difficult not to notice the tornado
funnel tearing across the plain or the mass of dark clouds on
the horizon obviously headed the character’s way. In these cases,
the player should be able to deduce what is about to happen to
his character anyway.
- Weather Sense is a common and useful skill aboard seagoing vessels.
In addition to the obvious benefits (i.e., not sailing out of
port into the teeth of a storm), a navigator who makes successful
Weather Sense and Navigation skill checks can adjust for the effects
of adverse winds (see Table 79: Weather Conditions in the Dungeon Master’s Guide), reducing the penalty for these winds to only a quarter of the
ship’s movement.
 
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