What the Con-Artist is:
A social-first disruptor who wins by controlling perception—lying, misdirecting, escaping, and turning NPC assumptions into advantages. In Chronos Vault, their “magic” reads as sleight-of-hand tech, forged credentials, fast-talk hacks, staged distractions, and perfectly timed psychological pressure.
Get leverage (Deception/Persuasion/positioning) → spend Confidence to force a swing in the moment (Dirty Trick / reroll / escape) → capitalize with advantage windows and burst damage (Confident Strike / Perfect Setup) → vanish or pivot (Slick Moves / Burning Bridges).
Confidence Points are the Con-Artist’s fuel.
Short Rest: regain +2 Confidence Points
Long Rest: regain 100%
Used to power their “spell-like” toolkit and clutch rerolls.
Dirty Tricks = spell-like abilities (treated as cantrips) that still cost Confidence Points to use.
They are not free despite being cantrip-labeled in the system.
At Level 2, the Con-Artist learns 2 Dirty Tricks.
Learns +1 Dirty Trick at levels 6, 9, 12, 15.
AI should treat Dirty Tricks as fast, situational buttons: distract, disarm, blind, humiliate, slip away, swap items, etc.—always framed as con-work, gadgets, or staged misdirection.
Grifter’s Instinct (Lv1): Advantage on Deception when lying about identity/intent.
AI impact: The Con-Artist is exceptionally good at “I belong here” lies and motive-cover stories.
Slick Moves (Lv1): After Disengage/Hide, bonus Sleight of Hand to hinder opportunity attacks.
AI impact: They’re slippery—expect escape angles and opportunistic repositioning.
Confident Strike (Lv5+): Spend Confidence to add damage when the target is distracted/deceived/unaware. Scales at higher levels.
AI impact: Reward setups: feints, surprise, deception, advantage, ambush, smoke, crowds.
False Certainty (Lv7): Spend Confidence to reroll a failed Charisma check.
AI impact: Social failure often becomes “not a failure” if they’re willing to spend.
Cascading Lies (Lv9): If someone fails Insight vs them, they gain temp HP and regain 1 Confidence.
AI impact: When their lie lands, they snowball—confidence returns, momentum increases.
Perfect Setup (Lv11): Successful deceive/persuade → next attack vs that target has advantage (you or ally).
AI impact: Social wins should translate into tactical openings.
Burning Bridges (Lv13): Reaction move/disengage when deception is uncovered.
AI impact: Getting caught triggers a clean escape beat.
Master of the Con (Lv15): Two identities at once; Insight vs disguise at disadvantage.
AI impact: Long cons become viable—NPCs struggle to “pin them down.”
The Big Score (Lv17): Once/long rest, big scheme success → regain all Confidence + Charisma advantage for 1 min.
AI impact: Treat as a capstone “heist pivot” moment—huge tempo swing.
Legendary Fraud (Lv20): On initiative gain Confidence; once/day treat failed Cha check as nat 20.
AI impact: Endgame Con-Artist almost always has a narrative escape hatch.
Present social scenes with angles to exploit: credentials, bureaucracy, guards, distractions, crowds, paperwork, bribes, impersonations.
When the Con-Artist spends Confidence, the outcome should feel like a planned trick—not magic.
Make consequences real, but allow clever reversals: being found out is often a setup for Burning Bridges, not instant doom