Manipulator

People think you are charming, useful, and mostly harmless. That’s exactly what you want people to think. In reality, you have everyone dancing on your strings to whatever tune you want to play for them.

The manipulator focuses on weakening or controlling opponents in a fight and rarely makes attacks. With the right allies, these are powerful abilities. They also have the strongest set of social skills for any hero and shine in noncombat situations.

PROFICIENCIES

Saving Throws: Wisdom and Charisma

Skills: Choose three from Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion, and Sleight of Hand

Equipment: None

Social Expertise: Choose one from Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. You must be proficient in a skill to take expertise in that skill.

EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Equipment Pack: Socialite Pack

Weapons: None or muzzleloader rifle

MANIPULATOR TALENTS

Demoralize (Level 1). As an action, you can choose one opponent that can hear you within 60 feet. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your trick DC. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks, and attack rolls against the target have advantage. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn.

Copycat (Level 3). You can perfectly mimic the voice of another person, as long as you have heard them speak for at least 1 minute. A successful Wisdom (Insight) check contested by your Charisma (Deception) check allows a listener to determine that the voice is fake.

Hypnotize (Level 5). You can convince people to do almost anything. As an action, you suggest a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two) and influence one person you can see that can hear and understand you. The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable. Asking the target to shoot itself, throw itself off a building, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act ends the effect.

The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your trick DC. On a failed save, the target pursues the course of action you described to the best of their ability. The suggested course of action can continue for up to 8 hours. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the effect ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do.

You can specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. For example, you might suggest that a soldier give their gun to the first civilian they meet. If the condition isn’t met before the effect ends, the activity isn’t performed. If you or any of your companions damage the target, the effect ends.

You cannot use this talent again until you finish a short or long rest.

Improved Demoralize (Level 5). You can use your Demoralize ability as a bonus action. You can still use it as an action as well, allowing you to use it twice during your turn if you like.

False Identity (Level 7). You can create impeccable false identities for yourself and up to six allies. You must spend seven days to establish the history, profession, and affiliations for these identities. You can’t establish an identity that belongs to someone else. Thereafter, if any one of these allies adopts their new identity as a disguise, other people believe them to be that person until given an obvious reason not to.

Social Expertise (Level 7). You gain expertise in Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion. You must be proficient in a skill to gain expertise in that skill.

Master of Manipulation (Level 9). You always treat a roll of 9 or lower as a 10 on any Charisma check you make.

MANIPULATOR TRICKS

Your Charming Hero level determines the number of manipulator tricks you know, as shown in the Tricks column of the Charming Hero table.

Disappearing Act. By misdirecting onlookers with sleight of hand or trickery, you can take the Hide action even if you would normally have no way to hide. Roll an influence die and add it to your Dexterity (Stealth) result. You remain hidden from any targets that you pass your check against without the need for cover or darkness for the remainder of your turn. After your turn, you remain hidden only if you could normally hide from a target.

Feint. You can roll an influence die to feint as a bonus action, granting you advantage on the next attack roll you make this turn against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, add the influence die roll to the damage dealt.

Human Shield. As a reaction, when an opponent targets you for an attack but before they roll to hit, you can expend an influence die to change the target to a different opponent within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits the chosen opponent, add the influence die to the damage dealt.

In Your Head. When an opponent that you can see and that can hear you makes a saving throw, after they roll but before determining the result, you can use your reaction to throw them off their game. Roll an influence die and reduce their saving throw result by the amount rolled.

Scapegoat. When you’re caught by an authority while violating their rules, you can spend one influence die to avoid blame. Choose a number of crimes up to half the result, rounded up. The authority figure agrees someone or something other than you is responsible for those crimes if they fail a Wisdom saving throw against your trick DC. You must return any stolen goods you are known to have and leave any premises you aren’t allowed on, but you will not be apprehended or reported, and you do not need to pay for any damages. The crimes cannot involve directly harming anyone.

Trust Me. When you are asking a non-hostile person for information, you can roll one influence die to nudge them outside their comfort zone. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw against your trick DC. On a failure, they truthfully answer a number of questions equal to your influence die result. They do so as if you were a close personal confidant with proper security clearance.

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Manipulator Table

Level	Talents
1	Demoralize
3	Copycat
5	Hypnotize, Improved Demoralize
7	False Identity, Social Expertise
9	Master of Manipulation