Enchanted Masquerade Set

From: Thespian Emporium

Description: The Enchanted Masquerade Set is a collection of intricately designed costume accessories, each radiating a faint magical aura. The set includes masks, gloves, and a cloak, all adorned with ornate patterns and subtle shimmering accents. When worn, these accessories grant the wearer the ability to alter their appearance at will, transforming into different personas, creatures, or even inanimate objects.

Lore: The origins of the Enchanted Masquerade Set are traced back to a masked ball held in honor of a renowned illusionist and performer. Guests were enchanted by the seamless transformations and playful disguises showcased during the event. The masks and accessories were crafted using a blend of artistry and magic, allowing wearers to tap into their own creative energies.

Tier One Stats:

• Rarity: Uncommon
• Enchantment: The Enchanted Masquerade Set grants the wearer the ability to cast the “Disguise Self” spell at will, with no material components required. The disguise lasts for 1 hour or until the wearer chooses to end it.
• Cost: While the Enchanted Masquerade Set holds great value due to its transformative properties, Melodia values the artistic potential of the Bard’s Lyre and its ability to inspire unparalleled performances. She offers the set as a trade for the lyre, recognizing the connection between creativity and transformation.
• Tags: Illusion, Transformation, Artistic, Mystical, Theatrical, Disguise, Appearance-Alteration, Costume-Set, Shapeshifting (Illusionary), Identity-Change, At-Will-Magic, Infiltration-Tool, Roleplaying-Enhancer, Persona-Crafting, Masquerade-Gear

Use: Disguise Self: The Enchanted Masquerade Set allows the wearer to alter their appearance, including clothing, features, and voice. This transformation can be used creatively to assume various personas or to blend into different environments. The set’s magic enables wearers to playfully experiment with their appearance, enhancing their role-playing and storytelling capabilities.

The Enchanted Masquerade Set not only provides practical advantages but also aligns with the themes of creativity and artistic expression prevalent in the world of Saṃsāra. Characters can use the set to engage with their surroundings in unique ways, further immersing themselves in the diverse and magical world they inhabit.

Sensory and extra-sensory perception breakdown for the Enchanted Masquerade Set:

• Sight (Visual Perception)
  • What is perceived: The physical appearance of the set’s components (masks, gloves, cloak) and the visual illusion created by the Disguise Self effect.
  • Description: The accessories are intricately designed with ornate patterns and subtle shimmering accents. They radiate a faint magical aura, potentially visible to those with magical perception. When activated, the wearer’s entire appearance changes according to their mental image (clothing, armor, body shape, facial features, coloration, etc.), appearing as a convincing visual disguise.
  • Positives: The set itself is aesthetically striking. The disguise effect is highly versatile, allowing for countless visual transformations for infiltration, impersonation, performance, or escape. At-will usage provides constant readiness.
  • Negatives: The inherent ornateness of the items might attract attention when not disguised. The Disguise Self effect is purely visual and auditory; it does not change the wearer’s actual physical form, which can be revealed by physical interaction. The faint magical aura might be detected.
• Touch (Tactile Perception)
  • What is perceived: The physical sensation of wearing the masks, gloves, and cloak.
  • Description: The materials are likely fine and chosen for comfort during wear (e.g., silk, smooth polished surfaces, lightweight structure). The Disguise Self illusion has no tactile component; touching the disguised wearer reveals their actual physical form and clothing underneath the illusion.
  • Positives: Likely comfortable for extended wear, crucial for maintaining a disguise or during performances.
  • Negatives: The illusion offers no tactile deception; physical contact can easily break the disguise for the one touching. The materials, while potentially enchanted for durability, might still be physically delicate.
• Sound (Auditory Perception)
  • What is perceived: Any sounds produced by the accessories themselves, and the altered voice granted by Disguise Self.
  • Description: The physical items (cloak, gloves, mask) are likely designed to be silent during movement. The enchantment specifically allows the wearer to alter their voice’s sound (pitch, tone) as part of the disguise.
  • Positives: Silent accessories aid in stealth. The ability to change voice significantly enhances the believability of impersonations.
  • Negatives: The voice alteration is still part of the illusion; magical means of detection might discern the true voice. The physical items offer no sound dampening beyond normal clothing.
• Smell (Olfactory Perception)
  • What is perceived: Any inherent scent of the items.
  • Description: The set pieces are unlikely to have a strong natural odor, perhaps smelling faintly of their materials (e.g., fabric, polish). The Disguise Self spell does not create or alter scents.
  • Positives: Lack of a distinct scent prevents the items themselves from being easily detected by smell.
  • Negatives: The disguise does not mask the wearer’s actual scent, which could be a critical flaw when dealing with creatures possessing a keen sense of smell.
• Taste (Gustatory Perception)
  • What is perceived: The taste if an item from the set were placed in the mouth.
  • Description: This is outside the intended use. The items would taste of their constituent materials.
  • Positives: None relevant to function.
  • Negatives: Unhygienic, potential hazard, provides no functional information.
• Extra-Sensory Perception 1: Illusion Weaving (Active Magical Effect)
  • What is perceived: The wearer’s ability to command the set’s magic to cast Disguise Self.
  • Description: This is the core function. The wearer perceives the capability to change their appearance at will by mentally invoking the set’s power. This might feel like a subtle internal command, a drawing of energy from the items, followed by a brief, perhaps non-visual sensation of the illusion settling over their form. The control is mental, allowing specific disguises to be chosen.
  • Positives: Extremely powerful and flexible disguise ability usable anytime without consuming spell slots or charges. No need for material components. Allows adaptation to numerous social or stealth situations. Encourages creativity.
  • Negatives: The effect is an illusion only; it provides no actual physical changes (like size, weight, or special abilities of the disguised form). It can be penetrated by anti-illusion magic or abilities (True Seeing, etc.). Maintaining a specific complex disguise might require ongoing mental focus, even if the spell itself lasts an hour.
• Extra-Sensory Perception 2: Magical Aura Detection
  • What is perceived: The constant, faint magical aura of the items, and the more potent aura of the active illusion.
  • Description: To magically sensitive senses (like Detect Magic or innate abilities), the set pieces constantly radiate a faint aura of illusion magic. When the Disguise Self effect is active, the wearer themselves radiates a noticeable aura of illusion magic.
  • Positives: Allows identification of the items as magical.
  • Negatives: Makes the items (and the wearer when disguised) detectable by magical means. The active illusion is a clear magical effect that can be identified as such, potentially blowing the disguise to those who can sense magic.
• Extra-Sensory Perception 3: Creative/Theatrical Resonance (Subtle Influence)
  • What is perceived: A potential subtle feeling of enhanced creativity, theatricality, or ease in adopting personas while wearing the set.
  • Description: Based on the lore linking the set to artistry, performance, and creative energies, the wearer might feel a heightened sense of inspiration or confidence when crafting or acting out a disguise. It might feel easier or more natural to “become” the persona they are projecting.
  • Positives: Can enhance roleplaying engagement and the psychological effectiveness of the disguise. May make the wearer feel more adept at performance or deception while using the set.
  • Negatives: This is a subjective, subtle effect, not a guaranteed mechanical bonus. It could potentially lead the wearer to become overly reliant on disguise or prone to unnecessary theatrics.

Recipe: Shifting Self Regalia — This demanding recipe outlines the creation of a matched set of accessories (mask, gloves, cloak) that, when worn together, grant the ability to cast Disguise Self at will. Success requires rare materials, exceptional craftsmanship, and potent illusion magic woven with principles of sympathetic linkage. This justifies its Uncommon rarity primarily through the difficulty and rarity of components needed for an at-will effect.

• Materials Needed (for the complete set):
  • Phase-Spider Silk: 4 yards (sufficient for cloak and mask base/layers). Must be ethically sourced or carefully harvested, known for its natural shimmer and receptiveness to illusion magic.
  • Mutable Leather: 1 square yard of specially treated leather (perhaps from a Changeling or similar creature, or alchemically processed) for the gloves, capable of holding shifting enchantments.
  • Charmed Willow Wood: 1 small block (for mask structure if not using silk layering) or Mythril Wire Spool (for lightweight frame).
  • Shifting Crystal Chips: Small assortment (approx. 15-20 chips) of lab-grown or naturally occurring crystals known for unstable optical properties under magical influence.
  • Mother-of-Pearl Sheets: Thin sheets for inlay work on mask/gloves.
  • Electrum Thread: 2 spools for embroidery and magical conduction pathways.
  • Quicksilver-Infused Silk Thread: 1 small spool, specially prepared for linking magical items. Handle with care (contains trace quicksilver).
  • Nexus Crystal: 1 small, expertly cut crystal (e.g., Diamond, Corundum variant) suitable for anchoring and broadcasting a complex enchantment across linked items. Must be flawless.
  • Essence of Pure Illusion: 1 vial (highly concentrated and refined illusionary magic). Requires careful storage and handling.
  • Doppelgänger’s Tear: 1 (extremely rare solidified tear or psychic remnant from a Doppelgänger or similar potent shapeshifter). The core catalyst for the at-will transformation effect.
• Tools Required:
  • Master Tailor’s Workstation: Includes enchanted shears, self-threading needles, tension-adjusting frames, specialized mannequin.
  • Artisan’s Bench: Fine carving tools, inlay kit, micro-polishing tools, jeweler’s loupe or magnifying gear.
  • Advanced Enchanter’s Chamber: Features an Imbuing Circle, Resonance Tuning Forks, Crystal Matrix Alignment Jig, Mana Capacitors, and containment fields for handling potent essences.
  • Alchemist’s Laboratory: Requires glassware for distillation/refinement (if starting with raw essence), containment procedures for Quicksilver thread prep and handling Doppelgänger’s Tear.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Legendary Artisan (Tailoring & Fine Crafts): Highest level of expertise needed to work with Phase-Spider Silk, Mutable Leather, and perform intricate inlay/embroidery.
  • Master Enchanter (Illusion Specialization): Deep understanding of illusion magic, sympathetic linking, enchantment stability, and handling potent reagents like the Doppelgänger’s Tear. Required for weaving the at-will effect.
  • Journeyman Alchemist: Proficiency in handling and preparing highly concentrated magical essences and volatile components like Quicksilver thread.
  • Lore (Sympathetic Magic & Illusion Theory): Crucial for understanding how to link the items effectively and structure the complex Disguise Self enchantment matrix.
• Crafting Steps:
  • Design & Material Prep: Draft detailed, cohesive designs for the mask, gloves, and cloak, incorporating patterns suitable for Electrum Thread channeling. Carefully prepare the Phase-Spider Silk (cleaning, treating), cut the Mutable Leather, and shape the mask frame/base (Willow Wood or Mythril).
  • Construct Cloak: Masterfully sew the cloak from Phase-Spider Silk, embedding Electrum Thread along designated energy pathways within the seams or as decorative embroidery.
  • Construct Gloves: Craft the gloves from Mutable Leather, lining them perhaps with silk. Integrate Electrum Thread pathways, possibly terminating near the fingertips or palm.
  • Construct Mask: Build the mask using the frame and layers of Phase-Spider Silk, or carve from Charmed Willow Wood. Inlay Mother-of-Pearl and Shifting Crystal Chips artistically. Integrate Electrum Thread pathways connecting to where the Nexus Crystal will be set.
  • Nexus Crystal Preparation: In the Enchanter’s Chamber, cleanse and prepare the Nexus Crystal. Using the Tuning Forks and Alignment Jig, attune it to resonate with illusionary frequencies and act as a central broadcaster for the enchantment.
  • Linking the Set: Carefully set the attuned Nexus Crystal into its designated place (often the mask’s forehead or the cloak’s clasp). Using the Quicksilver-Infused Silk Thread, meticulously stitch connection points from the Nexus Crystal setting to the termination points of the Electrum Thread pathways on all three items (mask, gloves, cloak). This creates the sympathetic link. This step is critical and requires precision.
  • Enchantment Setup: Place the fully assembled and linked set within the Imbuing Circle. Prepare the Essence of Pure Illusion and the Doppelgänger’s Tear within the chamber’s containment systems.
  • The Great Weaving (Imbuement): This is the most complex step. Activate the Enchanter’s Chamber apparatus. Channel significant personal mana, amplified by the Mana Capacitors, through the Nexus Crystal. Introduce the Essence of Pure Illusion into the energy flow, weaving the Disguise Self spell matrix across the linked items via the sympathetic threads. Critically, introduce the Doppelgänger’s Tear at the peak of the energy flow to catalyze the “at-will” and stable duration properties, locking them into the matrix anchored by the Nexus Crystal. This requires intense focus and control, potentially over several hours.
  • Stabilization and Finishing: Gradually reduce the energy flow, allowing the powerful enchantment to stabilize across the set. Once stable, remove the set, perform final cleaning, polishing, and inspection. The items should radiate a faint, dynamic magical aura.
  • Attunement & Testing: The crafter (or intended user) must attune to the set (likely requires wearing at least two of the three pieces simultaneously). Test the activation of Disguise Self mentally, confirming the illusion forms correctly and can be dismissed at will. Verify stability over a short period.

The Shifting Self Regalia, a powerful tool for illusionists, performers, and spies, is now complete, its magic ready to reshape reality at the wearer’s whim.

Ball of Ten Thousand Faces

This telling is like catching smoke in your hands, a whisper from a time so long passed, its edges are worn smooth by the turning of Saṃsāra’s great wheel. The words struggle, for they are borrowed from a tongue that sleeps now, a language that knew the world differently than we do in this now-time. It speaks of a night of great magic, a celebration unlike any other.

There lived, it is said, a Master of Seeming, whose name flickers like a faulty light in the oldest scrolls. Perhaps he was illusionist, perhaps performer, perhaps both bound tight together. His heart, they say, was a great stage where wonder and mischief danced. He conceived a desire: to host a gathering, a ball, not for power or riches, but for the joy of creation, for the spirit that shapes itself anew, the soul-stuff that delights in being other. The Night of Shifting Skins, perhaps it was called, or maybe the Festival of Borrowed Visages. The translation offers only blurred suggestions.

This Master sent invitations, not written on common parchment, but carried on winds that smelled of ozone and moonlight, or painted in dreams, or spelled out in the flicker of firelight. He called to all who cherished the arts, who felt the thrum of magic, who understood the deep truth hidden in play-pretend. Makers of song, makers of pictures, makers of plays, makers of spells – come, his invitation whispered, come to my hall where mirrors tell lies and truths together. Come wearing a shape not your own birth-shape. Come, and be changed.

For such a night, ordinary clothes would not serve. The Master of Seeming worked long with skilled hands – some tales mention weavers who spoke to spiders, others hint at smiths who forged moonlight, still others speak only of his solitary genius. They crafted not merely masks to cover the face, but also hand-covers, elegant and strange, and flowing wraps for the shoulders and back. These were items of beauty, yes, woven with threads that shimmered like captured nebulae, adorned with jewels that pulsed with soft light, cut in patterns that seemed to writhe and change before the eye. But more, they held magic within their very substance. Shape-magic, the old words hint. Power to alter the seeming, strong when worn together.

The night of the ball arrived, hung heavy and ripe under a full moon. The Master’s dwelling itself seemed part of the illusion; walls rippled like water, music drifted from unseen sources, the air tasted of spice and possibility. As guests arrived – poets with ink-stained fingers, dancers light as air, sorcerers cloaked in mystery – they were perhaps gifted pieces of the enchanted set? A mask bestowed here, a pair of gloves there, a shimmering cloak draped over shoulders? Or did the Master’s magic awaken power in items the guests themselves brought? The old telling is fractured on this point. Yet, all who entered wore something touched by the night’s specific enchantment.

And then began the true marvel. A guest appearing as a stooped, ancient scholar suddenly straightened, shimmered, and became a towering figure wreathed in harmless, cool flames. Another, arriving as a beast of fur and fang, playfully pawed at the air before dissolving into a cloud of sparkling butterflies. Someone resembling a statue carved from jade cracked a smile, bowed, and offered a living flower seemingly plucked from their own hand. A guest hidden behind a simple domino mask gestured, and their plain clothes rippled, becoming regal finery for a moment, then peasant rags, then back again. Transformations flickered through the crowd – changes of age, of shape, of clothing, even voices shifted pitch and timbre. It was a dizzying dance of becoming.

It was more than mere appearance. The magic, it touched the spirit too. A timid soul, hidden behind a fierce mask, found courage to speak boldly. A dour official, given gloves that sparked with mischief, found themselves laughing freely. The clothes, the magic, they allowed hidden facets of the self to step forward into the light of the moon and the glow of the illusion. The air was thick with laughter, with gasps of surprise, with the energy of released creativity. The Master of Seeming moved among them, perhaps the most changed of all, a shifting figure of smoke and light, delighting in the glorious chaos of unleashed imagination he had orchestrated.

Food and drink appeared as if by magic, tasting of forgotten memories and future hopes. The night flowed like a strange river, carrying everyone along in its current of playful deception and transformation. Guests danced with figures who might be friends or strangers, shared thoughts with beings conjured only for that night, felt the thrill of being utterly unrecognizable, utterly free.

Yet, even such nights must end. As the first hint of dawn stained the eastern sky, the potent magic began to soften, to fade like a dream upon waking. Illusions flickered, true forms began to peek through the glamour. Tired laughter echoed as guests departed, perhaps clutching a mask, a glove, a cloak that still pulsed with a faint residue of the night’s power.

What of the Master? He was last seen, some say, standing alone as the sun rose, watching the final stars fade, a look of profound satisfaction on his face, before he too seemed to dissolve into the morning light. And the enchanted accessories? Scattered, perhaps. Kept as treasured mementos, their magic slowly fading over generations, or perhaps lying dormant, waiting. Some legends claim the Master gathered the most potent pieces into one perfect set, the Shifting Self Regalia, capable of invoking the transformative magic not just for one night, but whenever the wearer willed it. This set, perhaps, is the echo of that legendary night that has resurfaced into the world. The truth remains elusive, shrouded in the mist of time and imperfect words.

Moral: The masks we wear can be prisons, but sometimes, the right mask, worn in the spirit of joyful creation, can unlock the thousand true faces hidden within us.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Mutable Ensemble

• Description: A matched set comprising an ornate mask, fine gloves, and a shimmering cloak. Crafted with exquisite artistry, they feel strangely light and radiate a subtle, disquieting energy. Legends associate them with decadent artists’ circles or entities that delight in deception. Wearing the items feels like donning a second skin.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Wearing Requirement: The set’s power functions only when at least two of the three items (mask, gloves, cloak) are worn.
  • Activation: Assuming a disguise or altering an existing one requires 1 minute of concentration and costs 1 Magic Point (MP). Maintaining the disguise costs an additional 1 MP per hour after the first.
  • Effect: Grants the wearer the ability to alter their appearance as per the Disguise Self spell (visual and auditory illusion, including clothing, body shape within limits, voice). The disguise lasts until the wearer dismisses it or stops paying the hourly MP cost (if applicable).
  • Limitations: The disguise is an illusion and does not hold up to physical scrutiny. It does not alter tactile or olfactory properties.
  • Sanity & Other Costs: Each time the disguise is activated, the wearer must make a Sanity (SAN) roll (0/1 loss) due to the minor identity dissociation. Furthermore, for every 24-hour period in which the wearer spends more than 8 hours disguised using the ensemble, they must make an additional SAN roll (1/1d4 loss) upon removing the disguise, representing the strain of prolonged identity suppression. The Keeper might also rule that extensive use attracts unwanted attention from Mythos entities associated with deception or identity (e.g., Nyarlathotep’s cults, certain dimensional beings).

Blades in the Dark

Shifting Masquerade Kit

• Description: A high-quality set of theatrical gear – a beautifully crafted mask, supple gloves, a flowing cloak – all subtly shimmering with strange light and intricate patterns. They feel responsive, almost eager to adopt a new form. Perhaps esoteric Iruvian craft, or relics from a pre-cataclysm actor’s guild dealing in stranger arts.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Wearing Requirement: Requires wearing at least two pieces (mask + gloves/cloak).
  • Activation: As an action, you can adopt an illusory disguise (visual, auditory, clothing) by suffering 1 Stress. The disguise lasts for the scene or until you choose to dismiss it.
  • Rapid Changes: If you adopt another different disguise during the same score without taking significant time (like a downtime action) to rest and refocus, the Stress cost increases cumulatively (+1 Stress for the second change, +2 Stress for the third change, etc.). This cumulative cost resets after the score or significant downtime.
  • Effect: The disguise functions like Disguise Self. It’s convincing visually and aurally but is only an illusion.
  • Complications: Maintaining the disguise under scrutiny might require Finesse or Sway rolls, with reduced Effect if the disguise is challenged. Using the disguise for illicit purposes naturally attracts Heat. Significant or repeated use might draw unwanted spectral or occult attention as a consequence, especially on rolls of 1-3 while disguised.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Enchanted Masquerade Set

• Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
• Description: This set includes an intricately designed mask, a pair of fine gloves, and an ornate cloak, all adorned with subtle shimmering accents and radiating a faint aura of illusion magic. They feel comfortable and adaptable when worn.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Wearing Requirement: You must be wearing all three pieces of the set (mask, gloves, cloak) to use this property.
  • Effect: While wearing the attuned set, you can cast the Disguise Self spell at will. The spell effect lasts for 1 hour and does not require concentration, ending early if you dismiss it as an action or remove any piece of the set.
  • (Note: Changed Rarity from Uncommon to Rare to better reflect the power level of at-will Disguise Self compared to existing 5e items and class features like the Warlock’s Mask of Many Faces invocation.)

Knave (2nd Edition)

Faceless Player’s Outfit

• Description: A set consisting of a well-made mask (ornate or plain), supple gloves, and a simple but well-cut cloak. When worn together, they feel strangely light and carry a faint thrum of illusion magic.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Inventory Slots: Requires wearing all three pieces; Mask (1 slot), Gloves (1 slot), Cloak (1 slot), for a total of 3 inventory slots dedicated to the set.
  • Charges: The set holds a maximum of 5 charges. It regains 1d4 expended charges daily at dawn.
  • Activation: As an action, while wearing all three pieces, you can expend 1 charge to activate the set’s magic.
  • Effect: You adopt an illusory disguise as per the Disguise Self spell (visuals, sound, clothing, within physical limits). The disguise lasts for 1 hour or until you dismiss it.
  • Limitations: The disguise is purely illusory and does not withstand physical interaction. Removing any piece of the set immediately ends the effect.

Fate Core / Fate Condensed

Guise of Infinite Players

• Description: A matched set including an elegant mask, fine gloves, and a shimmering cloak. When worn together, they feel like extensions of the wearer’s will, blurring the line between self and persona. The patterns seem to subtly shift, hinting at countless possibilities.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Wearing Requirement: Requires wearing at least two pieces (mask + gloves/cloak).
  • Fluid Appearance (Narrative Permission): Because you wear the Guise of Infinite Players, you can change your physical appearance (including clothing, voice, and minor physical traits, as per Disguise Self) freely whenever it suits the narrative description or exploration. Describe the change you want; unless actively opposed or under intense scrutiny, it simply happens.
  • Cost of Advantage (Mechanical Use): When you attempt to use a disguise granted by the Guise to gain a significant mechanical advantage – such as automatically bypassing a checkpoint requiring specific credentials you are faking, deceiving someone who has reason to be highly suspicious, or setting up a situation where the disguise directly imposes a mechanical consequence on an opponent – you must choose one:
  • Spend a Fate Point: Pay the cost for the significant impact.
  • Grant the GM a Free Invoke: The GM gains a free invocation on a relevant temporary Situation Aspect (like Suspicious Guard, Flaw in the Facade, Flickering Illusion) or an existing Environmental/Character Aspect, representing the risk or imperfection of relying solely on the illusion under pressure.

Numenera / Cypher System

Mutable Masquerade

• Description: This artifact consists of three components – a mask, gloves, and a cloak – seemingly woven from phase-shifting materials or bio-luminescent synth fabrics. They conform perfectly to the wearer and shimmer with subtle, flowing patterns of light.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Level: 7
  • Form: Set of adaptive mask, gloves, and cloak. Must wear all three components.
  • Effect: While wearing the complete set, the user can alter their appearance (visuals, sound, clothing, general body shape within one size category) as an action. The illusory disguise is convincing but does not change underlying physical properties. The disguise lasts until the user takes an action to dismiss it or changes it to a new form.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20. The depletion roll is made only once per day in which the Mutable Masquerade’s disguise ability is used at least one time. (This allows frequent changes within a day but imposes a daily risk of the item losing its power).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Masquerade of Endless Forms

• Item 8
• Magical, Illusion, Invested
• Price 4,300 gp
• Usage worn mask, gloves, and cloak; Bulk L (total for set)
• Description: This set includes an ornate mask, matching fine gloves, and an elegant cloak, all woven with shimmering, color-shifting threads. Wearing the complete set grants unparalleled control over one’s appearance.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Investment: You must wear all three pieces (mask, gloves, cloak) and Invest the set (counts as one invested item).
  • Effect: While wearing the invested Masquerade of Endless Forms, you can cast Disguise Self at will as an innate spell granted by the set. The spell is automatically heightened to 2nd level, making its duration 1 hour.
  • (Note: Level 8 reflects the power of an at-will 1st-level spell, comparable to other items granting similar capabilities. Heightening to 2nd level adds utility fitting the item level.)

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition – SWADE)

The Actor’s Panoply

• Description: A high-quality theatrical ensemble consisting of a mask, gloves, and cloak. The materials seem ordinary at first glance (fine silk, soft leather, velvet) but shimmer slightly under scrutiny and feel unusually responsive.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Wearing Requirement: Must be wearing all three components (mask, gloves, cloak).
  • Integrated Power Source: The set functions as an arcane device containing its own reservoir of power specifically for disguise magic. It holds 10 Power Points (PP) usable only for the Disguise power granted by this item. The set recovers 5 PP per hour when not actively maintaining a disguise.
  • Effect: Grants the wearer the Disguise power (see SWADE Core Rulebook).
  • Activation: Uses the wearer’s Spirit die as the arcane skill roll. Costs 2 PP. Requires an Action.
  • Duration: 1 hour (as per power description).
  • Maintenance: Requires 1 PP per additional hour after the first to maintain the disguise.
  • (This allows for frequent use – up to 5 activations from full, or several hours of maintained disguise – without being truly infinite, tying it to a regenerating resource.)

Shadowrun (6th World)

Persona Weaving Suite

• Description: A high-fashion ensemble consisting of a sleek mask, form-fitting gloves, and a shimmering cloak, woven with bio-fibers and embedded with micro-foci. When worn together, they allow a skilled magic user unprecedented control over their illusory appearance. Likely requires custom crafting or originates from high-end magical couturiers or corporate espionage labs.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Type: Magic Focus Set (Mask, Gloves, Cloak)
  • Category: Illusion
  • Rating: 5 (or potentially 6 for a more stable version)
  • Availability: 20R (Rating x 4)
  • Cost: 125,000¥ (Rating x 25,000¥)
  • Bonding Cost: 15 Karma (Rating x 3, cost reflects set synergy)
  • Wearing Requirement: Requires bonding and wearing all three components.
  • Effect: Allows the bonded user to cast the Disguise Self spell (Physical Illusion, assumes Force = Focus Rating) without expending a standard Spellcasting slot.
  • Drain: Each time the Disguise Self spell is cast using the suite, the user must resist (Rating – 2) Stun Drain (minimum 1 DV). This represents the constant mental effort required to maintain such a flexible illusionary matrix via the foci. (This makes the “at will” nature usable but taxing).

Starfinder Roleplaying Game

Total Facade Generator

• Magic Item (Worn Set: Mask, Gloves, Cloak)
• Level 9; Price 13,500 credits; Bulk L (total)
• Description: This set comprises a technologically advanced mask with integrated micro-projectors, gloves with sensitive controls woven into the fabric, and a cloak containing holographic emitters and power conduits. When worn together, they generate a sophisticated, full-body holographic disguise.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Usage: Requires wearing all three components (mask, gloves, cloak). Functions as a Worn Magic Item set, potentially taking up head, hands, and shoulder/back slots depending on interpretation, or considered a single integrated system.
  • Effect: While wearing the complete set, you can cast Disguise Self at will as a spell-like ability. The disguise created lasts for 1 hour and does not require concentration. It ends if you dismiss it as an action or remove any component of the set.
  • (Note: Level 9 places this item appropriately for granting an at-will 1st-level spell effect, making it a significant but balanced piece of equipment in Starfinder’s progression.)

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Chameleon Wear Ensemble (CWE)

• Description: A sophisticated personal camouflage and disguise system consisting of a full-face visor/mask, sensor-gloves, and a body-conforming cloak or suit utilizing advanced light-bending materials, holographic micro-projectors, and sonic dampeners/emitters. Represents pinnacle personal stealth/infiltration technology.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Tech Level: 15
  • Skill: Electronics (computers) or Sensors
  • Wearing Requirement: Requires wearing all components (mask/visor, gloves, cloak/suit).
  • Effect: Activation (1 round action) generates a complete visual and auditory disguise of a humanoid form of similar size and shape. Requires an Average (8+) Electronics (computers) check each hour to maintain stability and avoid glitches (failure results in the disguise flickering or failing for 1d6 rounds). The disguise is convincing but does not mask thermal signature or scents, and provides no physical protection beyond the underlying suit/armor.
  • Power: Internal high-density power cell. Capacity: 20 Power Units. Usage: Consumes 1 Power Unit per 10 minutes of continuous operation. Recharging requires a TL 15 power connection and takes 1 hour per 10 units restored.
  • Cost: Cr 750,000+
  • Weight: 2.5 kg (including power cell)
  • Traits: Military Grade, Highly Restricted/Illegal.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

The Liar’s Finery

• Description: A disturbing yet elegant set of attire: a mask that seems subtly wrong, gloves of unnaturally smooth leather, and a cloak that shifts colour in unsettling ways. Associated with cultists of Tzeentch, master spies of ambiguous loyalty, or ancient cursed nobility. Radiates an aura of deceit palpable to those sensitive to Aethyr.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Type: Cursed Item / Chaos Artefact (GM determines exact nature)
  • Wearing Requirement: Requires wearing all three pieces (mask, gloves, cloak). Attuning to its power may require dark pacts or succeeding at a Challenging (-10) Lore (Chaos or Magic) Test.
  • Effect: Grants the wearer the ability to assume any humanoid appearance of similar build at will (as an Action), altering features, voice, and clothing through powerful illusion. The disguise lasts until dismissed.
  • Drawbacks: The powerful, deceptive magic is inherently corrupting and unstable.
  • Corruption: Each hour spent actively maintaining a disguise requires the wearer to make a Challenging (-10) Cool Test. Failure results in gaining 1 Corruption point (Minor Exposure) as the illusion’s falseness seeps into the wearer’s soul or the lies become harder to maintain.
  • Unwanted Attention: Fumbling the Cool Test, or performing any Fumble while disguised, may immediately attract the attention of Daemons (especially Tzeentch), witch hunters, or other entities hostile to such blatant manipulation of reality. The GM should feel free to introduce complications whenever the disguise is significantly challenged or fails.
  • Potential Mutation: Prolonged use or critical failures might lead to permanent minor physical mutations related to illusion or deception (GM’s discretion, using rules for Mutations or inventing appropriate minor effects).