Falsifying (sage ability)

Falsifying is an authority-status sage ability in the study of Forgery and an expert-status sage ability in the study of Heraldry, Signs & Sigils. It describes the creation of false "letters patent" — formal documents that assert a person’s identity, status or right to act — that enables the character the right to status and address, to speak and be heard in a court, the right of movement or passage through regions with immunity, while expressing expectation over servants, officials and even soldiers when making requests or giving instructions. The patents, once created, sustains the illusion that the individual has these rights, so long as that individual is able to appear believable in the role.

Recognition is, in the time period, performed as much as it is declared. The person must carry themselves correctly, with posture and confidence to match their "position." They would need to speak in the expected manner, knowing correct forms of address for other persons, possess appropriate gear and appearance in the way of arms, armour and clothing, in a condition that signals status and know the boundaries of their rank. They would need to be surrounded by servants who were as adept at carrying out the charade as the charlatan. And they would need to betray the sort of education that persons of this rank are given as a matter of course.

Being Caught Out

Should any of these things arouse suspicion, those concerned would be liable to seek a form of verification. While sending a rider to the character's supposed place of origin (and the character must have an accent that matches that place, or be given away by that alone), to see if the character is known there, the easiest method would be to subject the character to the spell, know intent, which can be performed non-invasively and without much difficulty, as it is only a second-level spell. This would reveal that the character's intent is to deceive, which would arouse alarms against the character at once, so that he or she would find themselves put in irons despite their station.

For this reason, the disguise works best for short periods of a day or less, or in parts of the world where knowledge about all of the land is flattened to the point where the character appears believable. For example, pretending to be a member of a French barony in the French Court itself is far more difficult that pretending to be a French noble in the Holy Land. Credibility depends on how much the surrounding people are able to recognise what is normal.

Notes for Play

Alas, such judgment and response must be left up to the Dungeon Master. The player should be indulged in using the skill within reason; after all, they are entitled to their sage abilities, which in turn are designed to give the players an edge when employed in the manner for which they are intended. A thief choosing to falsify patents is not someone breaking the game's rules, since plainly this rule has been written to allow this — for the purpose of creating exciting, unusual and adaptable methods of problem solving. A character obviously shouldn't be punished for acting accordingly. But the player should also be councilled against "overdoing it," as it is a sham, and therefore subject to being found out, which the DM shall rightly justify if the player simply refuses to employ the ability carefully.

See also,
Forgery (sage study)
Heraldry, Signs & Sigils (sage study)