Use this skill to change your appearance. The effort requires at least a few props and some makeup. A disguise can include an apparent change of height or weight of no more than one-tenth the original unless specially crafted prosthetics or costumes are utilized.
You can also impersonate people, either individuals or types. For example, you might make yourself seem like a street person with little or no actual disguise.
Check: Your Disguise check result determines how good the disguise is. It is opposed by others’ Spot check results. Make one Disguise check even if several people make Spot checks. The GM makes your Disguise check secretly so that you’re not sure how well your disguise holds up to scrutiny.
If you don’t draw any attention to yourself, however, others don’t get to make Spot checks. If you come to the attention of people who are suspicious, such as a police officer checking IDs at a road block, the suspicious person gets to make a Spot check. (The GM can assume that such observers take 10 on their Spot checks.)
The effectiveness of your disguise depends in part on how much you’re attempting to change your appearance.
| Disguise | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Minor details only | +5 |
| Appropriate uniform or costume | +2 |
| Disguised as different sex | -2 |
| Disguised as different age category | -2 * |
If you’re impersonating a particular individual, those who know what that person looks like automatically get to make Spot checks. Furthermore, they get a bonus on their Spot checks.
| Familiarity | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Recognizes on sight | +4 |
| Friend or associate | +6 |
| Close friend | +8 |
| Intimate | +l0 |
Usually, an individual makes a Spot check to detect a disguise immediately upon meeting you and each hour thereafter. If you casually meet many different people, each for a short time, the GM checks once per day or hour, using an average Spot modifier for the group (assuming they take 10). For example, if a character is trying to pass for a merchant at a flea market, the GM can make one Spot check per hour for the people the character encounters. The GM uses a +1 modifier on the check to represent the average of the crowd (most people with no Spot ranks and a few with good Spot skills).
Try Again?: No, though you can assume the same disguise again at a later time. If others saw through the previous disguise, they are automatically treated as suspicious if you assume the same disguise again.
Special: You can take 10 or take 20 when establishing a disguise.
A character without a disguise kit takes a -4 penalty on Disguise checks.
A character with the Deceptive feat gets a +2 bonus on all Disguise checks.
You can help someone else create a disguise for him or her, treating it as an aid another attempt (see Aiding Another).
Time: A Disguise check requires ld4xl0 minutes of preparation. The GM makes Spot checks for those who encounter you immediately upon meeting you and again each hour or day thereafter, depending on circumstances.