Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage

Lore: Daoist rituals often incorporated masks symbolizing specific deities or spirits. This unassuming mask, though plain in appearance, possesses subtle enchantments that aid its wearer in performance and deception. Legend whispers of a traveling actor who, with the help of the Painted Visage, once fooled an entire village into believing a fearsome demon stalked among them, demonstrating the power of illusion.

Tier 1 Stats:

• Charisma: +2
• Deception: +1

Skills:

• Mimicry (Voice): The wearer can imitate sounds and voices they’ve heard with uncanny accuracy.

Passive Magics:

• Shifting Aura: The wearer’s aura subtly shifts, making their intentions and motivations harder to discern (Advantage on Deception checks).

Active Magics:

• Veil of Illusion (1 use/day): The mask projects a minor illusion around the wearer, such as a brief disguise or alteration of their appearance. The illusion is simple and easily broken through scrutiny.

Tags: Daoist, Illusion, Performance, Deception, Common

Roleplaying Emphasis:  This item encourages players to embrace the theatricality of their avatar. It empowers them to use body language, vocal mimicry, and minor illusions to create vivid performances. They could use it to:

• Stage elaborate deceptions: Infiltrate a guarded location under a clever disguise.
• Enhance storytelling: Become multiple characters within a narrated scene.
• Manipulate emotions: Sway crowds with a rousing speech or lull individuals into a false sense of security.

Scenarios surrounding the availability and cost of the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage in the world of Saṃsāra:

• Shop Types
  • Traveling Peddler’s Cart: These carts crisscross the countryside, catering to villages and rural communities. The peddler might carry the mask without fully understanding its magical nature, advertising it as a fine theatrical prop. This offers the potential for bargaining and acquiring the mask at a bargain.
  • The Curiosity Shoppe: Found in larger towns or bustling cities, these eccentric shops deal in a variety of oddities, from antiques to minor magical trinkets. These shopkeepers might be more knowledgeable about the mask’s abilities, resulting in a higher initial price.
  • The Hidden Bazaar: In larger cities, there might exist secret markets catering to those who dabble in magic. The mask could be found here, perhaps with a mysterious past, alongside other unique Daoist tools. These markets would demand a more substantial investment, perhaps even requiring bartering services or favors in addition to currency.
• Cost — The cost of the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage would depend on several factors:
  • Seller’s Knowledge: A peddler might sell it for around 10-20 gold pieces, thinking it’s just a fine prop. A knowledgeable shopkeeper might start at 50-75 gold pieces. In a hidden bazaar, the price could escalate due to its potential value to experienced practitioners.
  • Region: Items influenced by Daoist magic could be rarer and more expensive in regions further removed from lands where Daoism is a dominant practice.
  • Bartering: In a world where currency might fluctuate, the opportunity to barter goods or services of equal value could be an avenue for obtaining the mask.

Thespian Tactics: Using the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage for Offense and Defense (Roleplay Focus) The Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage empowers creative uses of deception and illusion for both offensive and defensive maneuvers in Saṃsāra’s magical world. Here’s how an avatar can leverage this mask’s properties through roleplay in various situations:

• Defense:
  • The Elusive Quarry:  Being pursued? Don the mask and subtly shift your aura with its passive magic. Project an image of confidence or disinterest, making you a less appealing target. You could even mimic the sounds of a different creature to lead pursuers astray.
  • The Master of Misdirection:  Cornered by a foe?  Use the Veil of Illusion to create a momentary duplicate of yourself. As your opponent hesitates, use that window to create distance, blend into the crowd (using Deception checks), or launch a surprise attack.
  • The Innocent Bystander:  Caught in the crossfire?  The mask can help you appear non-threatening.  Feign ignorance, confusion, or even play possum.  Combined with submissive body language and pleas of innocence, this might defuse a tense situation.
• Offense:
  • The Impersonator:  Need to infiltrate a guarded location or gain access to restricted information?  The mask and your mimicry skills can be a potent tool.  Study the mannerisms, speech patterns, and appearance of your target.  Then, with the mask’s subtle illusion,  transform yourself into a convincing double.
  • The Confidence Man:  The mask can bolster your charisma and aid in deception checks.  Use this to your advantage while bargaining with merchants, negotiating alliances, or running elaborate cons.  Craft a persona that inspires trust and sway others to your cause.
  • The Staged Diversion:  Need to distract your enemies?  Use your performance skills and the mask’s illusion to create a captivating performance.  Draw attention away from your allies or create an opening to flank your opponents.  The key is to be believable and craft an illusion that aligns with the environment and situation.

Remember:  The effectiveness of the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage hinges on roleplay.  The more you embody your chosen persona, the more convincing the illusion.  Let your body language, mannerisms, and vocal delivery paint a complete picture to truly manipulate how others perceive you.

A few different possibilities for the appearance of the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage, ranging from the understated to the more dramatic:

• The Unassuming Guise
  • Plain Material: The mask itself is made of a simple material – wood, leather, or even humble ceramic. Its lack of adornment belies its true power.
  • Minimal Decoration: It might have a few subtle lines or markings suggesting the faint outline of a face, but nothing immediately recognizable. This enhances the feeling that the magic lies in its use, not its appearance.
• The Expressive Canvas
  • Blank Surface: The mask possesses a smooth, eggshell-white surface, seemingly devoid of features. This invites the wearer to project their own persona, transforming it with their performance.
  • Subtle Shifts: The mask’s surface might have a faint pearlescent sheen. As the wearer’s emotions and intentions shift, subtle hues or patterns could flicker across the surface, reflecting their inner state.
• The Symbolic Visage
  • Daoist Iconography: The mask is carved with a stylized representation of a deity or spirit relevant to Daoist tradition. This could be a serene face, an animal motif, or even abstract symbols.
  • Changeable Features: The features of the mask might subtly shift and rearrange themselves depending on the wearer’s intention or the illusion created. This adds an eerie, mystical quality to the mask.

Perception of Activation — Perceived effects caused by the activation of magical abilities or items within the world of Saṃsāra, including traditional senses and  extra-sensory perceptions:

• Sight
  • Aura Manifestation: Auras of magical energy become visible. This might appear as a subtle shimmer around the user, an ethereal glow outlining objects, or luminous traceries of power connecting elements.
    • Positive: Identifying the nature of magic and potential dangers.
    • Negative: Can expose the user’s powers to others.
  • Visual Distortion:  The very fabric of reality may shimmer or ripple as power coalesces. Light could bend oddly.  The air itself could take on a heat-haze effect.
    • Positive: Provides early warning of magical effects about to manifest.
    • Negative: Disorienting in combat, making aiming difficult.
• Sound
  • Hum of Power: A low throbbing, a faint ringing, or even a whispered chant might accompany magical activation. The type of sound often hints at the nature of the magic.
    • Positive: Detecting subtle magic in the environment.
    • Negative: Can alert others to magical activity.
  • Whispers from Beyond: Those sensitive to other planes or dimensions might perceive whispers, murmurs, or otherworldly sounds coinciding with magical activity.
    • Positive: Gaining cryptic clues or insight into the magical effect.
    • Negative: Distracting, potentially even maddening in areas of intense magic.
• Smell
  • Ozone Surge: A sharp, metallic tang, similar to the aftermath of a lightning strike, lingers in the air where magic concentrates.
    • Positive: Tracking recent magical use.
    • Negative: Very obvious, making stealthy spellcasting difficult.
  • Elemental Essence:  Certain magical effects might release specific scents – the tang of sulfur with demonic magic, the fresh scent of growth magic, etc.
    • Positive: Identify types of magic used.
    • Negative: Potentially harmful if the magical essence is toxic.
• Taste
  • Metallic Tang:  Faintly metallic taste on the tongue when strong magic is concentrated nearby.
    • Positive: Early warning of rising magical energies.
    • Negative: Unpleasant, especially if a persistent effect in the area.
  • Lingering Essence: Certain types of magic might leave a subtle aftertaste – a sweetness for healing magic, bitterness for necromancy, etc.
    • Positive: Analyzing recent magical activity in an area.
    • Negative: Taste could be foul or nauseating depending on the magic.
• Touch
  • Static Charge Areas of strong magic might cause tingling sensations, a feeling of hairs standing on end, or even minor static shocks.
    • Positive: Detecting hidden or ambient magic.
    • Negative: Distracting in delicate situations.
  • Warmth or Chill: Some magic releases heat, while others manifest as unnatural cold. This sensation can be localized or environmental.
    • Positive: Detecting magical flows or tracing magical residue.
    • Negative: Can be physically uncomfortable in extreme cases.
• Extra-Sensory Perception
  • Empathic Resonance: Those with empathic sensitivity might feel a surge of emotion coinciding with magic use – fear, elation, anger, etc. This reflects the caster’s emotional state or the inherent nature of the magic.
    • Positive: Understanding the intent behind a spell.
    • Negative: Overwhelming in areas of extreme emotional magic.
  • Intuition of Flow:  Experienced practitioners might get a ‘gut feeling’ about how magic will flow or manifest, sensing potential disruptions or unintended consequences.
    • Positive: Foreseeing danger or potential weaknesses in a spell.
    • Negative: Can be imprecise and unreliable if the caster is untrained.

Recipe for the Daoist 23 of the Painted Visage

• Materials Needed:
  • Plain Wooden Mask: A simple unadorned mask of smooth wood serves as the base.
  • Rare Pigments: Derived from special minerals, these pigments subtly shift hue in response to the wearer’s aura.
  • Infused Water: Water that has been ritually charged with Daoist blessings and purified under moonlight.
  • Finely Ground Powder: Created from a blend of dried herbs associated with illusion and transformation.
  • Quill and Scripting Ink: A fine quill and ink suitable for inscription.
• Tools Required:
  • Small Artist’s Brushes: Precise brushes for applying the pigments.
  • Ritual Mortar and Pestle: Used for preparing the herbal powder.
  • Calligraphy Set: For delicate inscription work.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Herbalism (Basic): Knowledge of the correct herbs and their preparation.
  • Ritualism (Daoist): Understanding the symbolism and chants used in the creation process.
  • Painting (Intermediate): Skillful application of the special pigments.
  • Calligraphy (Basic): The ability to inscribe the necessary symbols.
• Crafting Steps:
  • Purification: The wooden mask must be ritually purified, using Daoist cleansing incense and chants.
  • Herb Preparation: The specific herbs are selected and carefully ground into a fine powder using the ritual mortar and pestle.
  • Pigment Infusion: The rare pigments are mixed with infused water and a small amount of the herbal powder, creating a subtly magical paint.
  • Subtle Painting:  With a delicate brush, the artist paints the mask with the infused pigment. There are no obvious designs, but rather washes of color that exploit the wood’s natural grain to create an impression of ever-shifting features.
  • Inscription: Using special scripting ink, the crafter carefully inscribes hidden Daoist symbols of illusion and transformation onto the inside of the mask.
  • Final Ritual: The completed mask is consecrated in a Daoist ritual, invoking the spirits of trickery and performance.
• Notes:
  • The exact herbs, pigments, and rituals involved might vary depending on specific Daoist traditions within the world of Saṃsāra.
  • Success in crafting this item requires not only technical skill but also a degree of understanding of the underlying concepts of Daoist magic and illusion.

Painted Visage and the Thespian Thief

From mottled scrolls, worn thin by whispering sands and the passage of countless moons, comes a tale shrouded in mystery: The Tale of the Painted Visage.

Legends speak of a cunning rogue, a master of deception named Shan.  Shan’s exploits were whispered in hushed tones throughout the Jade Cities.  His skills were unmatched, his ability to vanish into thin air the stuff of nightmares for guards and nobles alike.  But unlike his greedy brethren, Shan sought not riches for himself, but to expose the corruption festering within the Emerald Palace.

One moonlit night, under the watchful gaze of a coiling dragon etched into the night sky, Shan infiltrated the grand palace.  His goal: the Imperial Seal, a symbol of absolute power, rumored to be used for nefarious purposes.  Guards were evaded with practiced ease,  locks bypassed with an almost supernatural grace. Yet, as Shan neared the vault, a tremor shook the very foundations of the palace.  A monstrous guardian, awakened from its slumber, barred his way.

Just as despair threatened to engulf him, Shan remembered a forgotten treasure – a painted mask, gifted by a wandering mendicant years ago.  Donning the mask, a surge of otherworldly power coursed through him.  The world shimmered, and Shan’s form wavered.  In his place stood a hulking brute, a warrior clad in gleaming armor.  The guardian, confused, lowered its defenses.  Seizing the opportunity, Shan, disguised as the warrior, slipped past the guardian and retrieved the Imperial Seal.

Shan’s victory, however, was short-lived.  The magic of the mask was potent but fleeting.  As he escaped the palace, the disguise flickered and failed, revealing the true Shan beneath.  Though he managed to expose the corruption, Shan himself was captured.  The tale ends with Shan facing the Emperor’s justice, the mask confiscated and locked away in the palace treasury.

Moral: Even the most wondrous tools can be fleeting. True success lies not in deception, but in the courage to fight for what is right, even when the odds are stacked against you.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

• Rarity: Unique artifact tied to Daoist lore
• Sanity Cost: Using the mask’s active ability could cost 1-2 SAN due to its manipulation of perception and reality.
• Skills: The mask enhances Disguise, Fast Talk and possibly Psychology.
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: Grants a bonus to relevant skills based on Sanity. Higher Sanity = subtle effects. As Sanity lowers, illusions become more pronounced but risk attracting unwanted attention from the Mythos.
  • Active: Create a convincing but temporary illusion. Requires a successful Idea roll. Failure leads to warped, disturbing illusions. Extended use drains sanity.

Blades in the Dark

• Classification: Likely a special item tied to a specific crew or faction (perhaps a Daoist influenced cult).
• Action Dots: Represented by 1-2 Action dots, depending on the potency of its abilities.
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: +1d to Skirmish or Sway actions involving deception
  • Active: Use an action dot for a Fortune Roll to create an elaborate illusion, enhancing another action. Risky, as failure could lead to Complications or Clocks associated with rivals or authorities.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Attunement: Might require attunement
• Stats: +2 Charisma, +1 Deception
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: Advantage on Deception checks.
  • Active (1 use/day): Cast the Disguise Self spell at 1st level without needing components.

Knave

• Rarity: Highly unusual, potentially one of a kind..
• Usage Die: Not likely to have one. More emphasis on narrative description.
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: Bonus to any checks involving disguise or trickery depending on the fiction.
  • Active: Can create a believable illusion, but the knave describes how they pull it off and the GM sets the difficulty. Success or failure could have lasting consequences for the knave’s reputation and situation.

Fate

• Aspect: The Mask Conceals the True Self. This aspect can be invoked or compelled for bonuses/hindrances related to deception and illusions.
• Stunts:
  • Subtle Shifting Aura: Gain a +2 when creating an advantage using the mask to make yourself appear more trustworthy, intimidating, etc.
  • Masterful Illusion: Once per session, create a significant scene aspect (Dramatic Illusion, Masked Doppelganger) that you can leverage for advantage.

Numenera & Cypher System

• Artifact (Level 3): The mask is both a cypher and minor artifact.
• Depletion: 1 in 1d10 chance to deplete every time the active ability is used.
• Abilities:
  • Passive: +1 asset to Deception tasks related to disguise.
  • Active: As an action, create an illusion. Intellect check (difficulty 4), the level of the illusion affecting the difficulty. A simple disguise might be easy, while a large-scale illusion of a creature would be much harder.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Type:  Wondrous Item
• Invested: Requires the wearer to spend time investing their essence into the mask to use it effectively.
• Traits:  Magical, Illusion
• Stats +1 Circumstance bonus to Deception checks
• Activations:
  • Interact: Visual – visualize the basic illusion (similar to minor image)
  • Command: “Visage Shift” – cast Disguise Self spell (1st level)

Savage Worlds

• Arcane Device: (Seasoned Rank)
• Power Points: 3
• Trappings: Subtle aura effects, chanting, specific gestures to activate different illusions.
• Powers:
  • Disguise (Smarts): Replaces the Disguise skill with the power, granting a +2 bonus when powered by the mask.
  • Illusion (Smarts, 3PP): Create basic visual illusions (difficulty based on complexity).

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

• Type: Enchanted Focus (Ritual)
• Availability & Rating: Rare availability (10-12). Rating depends on desired power level (likely 2-4).
• Resonance Signature: Subtle, might be detectable by skilled assensing mages focused on perception.
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: Adds +2 dice to Con and Social tests involving disguise or acting
  • Ritual Preparation: Can be used as a focus in Daoist-themed rituals, adding its rating as bonus dice.
  • Active (Force = Rating): Cast the Illusion spell (choose appropriate tradition) with no drain, but sustaining it does cause drain as normal.

Starfinder

• Item Level: 3-5 (depending on how powerful you want the illusions to be).
• Category & Type: Hybrid item (Magical & Technological)
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: +2 to Deception checks and Culture checks to identify Daoist customs.
  • Active: As a standard action, create a minor visual illusion using stored magical energy. More complex illusions require multiple actions and a Computers check.

Traveller (MgT2)

• Tech Level: TL10-12 (Assuming some societies in Traveller have access to subtle mind-affecting technology or psionics).
• Origin: Might be an obscure relic of a lost civilization or a custom-crafted piece from a psionically inclined culture.
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: +1 DM to Deception, Carouse, or relevant social skills where disguise is important.
  • Active: Can spend an hour focusing to project a simple illusion. Requires a Psionics check, where the difficulty depends on the complexity of the illusion.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

• Lore of Magic: Likely tied to either the Lore of Illusion (Tzeentch) or possibly a more subtle form of Hedgecraft magic.
• Corruption Potential: Using it carries a minor risk of attracting Tzeentch’s gaze (1-2 Corruption points on a critical failure).
• Mechanics:
  • Passive: +10 to any Channeling attempts to cast illusion-related spells
  • Active: Allows the casting of a minor illusion spell (such as ‘Phantasmal Foe’) without expending Magic Points, but with an increased chance to miscast.