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I have a player that is playing a catfolk, they want to use the claw blades weapon.
My conundrum comes in that they want to have them disguised as those jewelry style claws to fit into the social setting the game is currently in so they can have a weapon if things go bad but not one that needs to be hidden like a dagger (playing it off again like jewelry).
Magic is currently in short supply for the party, so glamor is out. But I'm not finding anything that would be relevant in the stealth/disguise/sleight of hand skills.
The sword cane has some of what I'm looking for, but I'm not sure how to go about pricing something like that effect, or calculate the DC for the perception check.
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I think they'd be no harder to spot as a weapon than a sword cane (probably easier), and that isn't a high enough DC to be useful. As such the cost shouldn't be significant.
Wearing jeweled claw blades openly but passing them off as harmless would be the bluff skill IMO, but not an easy use of it. -5 to skill ('the lie is unlikely') probably.
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You could simply have them attempt to roll bluff to convince others that they are nothing more than decorative claw rings...
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normally when one try to hide weapons on himself you need to go through the skills checks (slight of hands and or stealth i think). in the case of claw blades i would suggest a doing it little differently.
first you need to remember that this catfolk is already armed, the claw blades change the type of weapon he has fro natural to manufactured. 2nd it is a very race specific weapon. other races can't use it. and unless catfolk are common (more specifically those who have the natural weapon trait. not even all catfolk have that). in such case one might need a knowledge check to even know that what he see IS a weapon before looking up at disguises.
as such, and seeing as the catfolk as already armed and can't be disarmed from his natural claws. i would allow him to 'fashion up' his clawblades (maybe with nail polish\color?) and have them on as accessories.
if anyone ask they are there to prevent him from breaking his nail or something or as an ornament, like an earing.
-hack i would emphasis the difference between his race and others, getting accessories for all his unique features to cover this. a ribbon for the tail some clips or jewlry for the cat ears, gel for the fur coat etc. make a fashion debate. and claim they are racial culture affects. (anyone having a problem with it should get scolded with "stop oppressing my culture" scorn)
and if that doesn't work then go back to the skills check to hide a weapon on one self.
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A further note... concealing clawblades as decorative claw caps is no different than concealing a pair of brass knuckles as a set of rings... which btw was part of the original design of brass knuckles in the real world... a thug would simply act as if they were wearing a full set of rings if caught with brass knuckles by subtlety keeping the grip out of view. Misdirection is just as much a part of slight of hand as anything else...
For your catfolk, they could roll slight of hand to conceal the true nature of the weapon by manipulating the angles at which they allow the clawblades to be viewed in such a way that an onlooker might not notice the razored edges, and follow up with a bluff for any who question them about them.
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in the second word of their description, they are described as subtle. I'd make them at least as hard to identify as a weapon as a cane sword. They'd be easy to spot, but most would think them just gaudy adornment and I think zza ni's suggestion of a knowledge check would be appropriate followed by the other skills as needed.
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Thank you all! So many helpful replies!. The cultural suggestion from
Zza ni is wonderful, but where they are clawed races are not so uncommon that the player could get away with it. (I have also let the players use them for non catfolk races in the same world)
I think pulling from everything that the approach I plan to go with is using a base 10 DC modified by the characters bluff base, opposed by perception. That way we are are not making tons of rolls and slowing things down while still giving the players stats some say in their own stealth.
Still unsure of what I want the gold cost to be, but I agree it probably shouldn't be too out there given that the sword cane itself is only 45g total.
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I wouldn't charge anything extra, since again, they are subtle weapons to begin with. If the player wants to get really fancy though, allow a masterwork disguised version of them that adds 2 to the DC and cost 50gp
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Isn't there a trait that allows you to do exactly this?
Like disguise a piece of gear to appear as something different?
Found it:
Power of Suggestion
Benefit: You may make a Bluff check to make observers believe that an object in your possession is actually a different object entirely. The DC for the check is 20 for items of a similar size, shape, and color (such as a glaive and a quarterstaff). Items of a different shape, size, or color raise the DC by 5 for each dissimilar aspect, or more if the dissimilarity is extreme. This deception lasts 1 minute; if the item is still in view, the observers may recognize their error unless you make another bluff check.
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Isn't there a trait that allows you to do exactly this?
Like disguise a piece of gear to appear as something different?
Found it:
Power of Suggestion
Benefit: You may make a Bluff check to make observers believe that an object in your possession is actually a different object entirely. The DC for the check is 20 for items of a similar size, shape, and color (such as a glaive and a quarterstaff). Items of a different shape, size, or color raise the DC by 5 for each dissimilar aspect, or more if the dissimilarity is extreme. This deception lasts 1 minute; if the item is still in view, the observers may recognize their error unless you make another bluff check.
That is pretty much what I'm looking for mechanically. But it does sound like it would bog down the RP with a lot of unnecessary rolls. Ill present both to my player and see what they think.
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for the disguising cost. i'll set it the same as one use of a disguise kit (which i think start with 10 uses?), it shouldn't matter if one disguise himself or his gear. (unless he really want to have it gilded and set with gems).
on the matter of it being common for other races to be clawed, how do they deal with clawed guests then? they can't really de-claw them at the entrance. and sending them out might set a scandal on the event's hosts.
i say, if it is already common, then there should be a trend already set to fix it. this is hardly the first time a clawed person is invited to a ball is it?
have it be good manners that any clawed person is EXPECTED to come with a very expensive set of claw blades. the kind they would NEVER want to fight with, in fear of damaging it. "what? scratch him and nick these babies? they're ('insert flashy brand name here')! they are a couple hundreds gold coins a pop they are!". (idea came from a line in Terry Pratchett's 'Unseen Academicals')
that way the gusts are not embarrassed by the guards nor are the hosts embarrassed by a scandalizing scene.
if you follow with this idea, let him ether buy the expensive set, that might get damaged (they come with the fragile weapon trait on purpose) OR disguise a normal set to look like an expensive one (using the above mentioned ideas from all the other people in this thread.)