Sleight Of Hand (Dex; Trained Only; Armor Check Penalty)
You can cut or lift a purse and hide it on your person, palm an unattended object, hide a light weapon in your clothing, or perform some feat of legerdemain with an object no larger than a hat or a loaf of bread.
Check: A DC 10 Sleight of Hand check lets you palm a coin-sized, unattended object. Performing a minor feat of legerdemain, such as making a coin disappear, also has a DC of 10 unless an observer is determined to note where the item went.
When you use this skill under close observation, your skill check is opposed by the observer's Spot check. The observer's success doesn't prevent you from performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed.
You can hide a small object (including a light weapon, such as a handaxe, or an easily concealed ranged weapon, such as a dart, sling, or hand crossbow) on your body. Your Sleight of Hand check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone observing you or the Search check of anyone frisking you. In the latter case, the searcher gains a +4 bonus on the Search check, since it's generally easier to find such an object than to hide it. A dagger is easier to hide than most light weapons, and grants you a +2 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check so conceal it. An extraordinarily small object, such as a coin, shuriken, or ring, grants you a +4 bonus on your Sleight of Hand check so conceal it, and heavy or baggy clothing (such as a cloak) grants you a +2 bonus on the check. Drawing a hidden weapon is a standard action and does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
If you try to take something from another creature, you must make a DC 20 Sleight of Hand check to obtain it. The opponent makes a Spot check to detect the attempt, opposed by the same Sleight of Hand check result you achieved when you tried to grab the item. An opponent who succeeds on this check notices the attempt, regardless of whether you got the item.
You can also use Sleight of Hand to entertain an audience as though you were using the Perform skill. In such a case, your act encompasses elements of legerdemain, juggling, and the like.
| Sleight of Hand | |
|---|---|
| DC | Task |
| 10 | Palm a coin-sized object, make a coin disappear |
| 20 | Lift a small object from a person |
Action: Any Sleight of Hand check normally is a standard action. However, you may perform a Sleight of Hand check as a free action by taking a -20 penalty on the check.
Try Again: Yes, but after an initial failure, a second Sleight of Hand attempt against the same target (or while you are being watched by the same observer who noticed your previous attempt) increases the DC for the task by 10.
Special: if you have the Deft Hands feat, you get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks.
Synergy: if you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks.
Untrained: An untrained Sleight of Hand check is simply a Dexterity check. Without actual training, you can't succeed on any Sleight of Hand check with a DC higher than 10, except for hiding an object on your body.
For the Spellcaster
Sleight of Hand is a well-known skill of rogues, thieves, and street magicians everywhere. It also has a practical use to the magic-using world, allowing spellcasters to cast their spells while avoiding the notice of others.
Check: When casting a spell, you may make a Sleight of Hand check to make your verbal and somatic components less obtrusive, muttering magic words under your breath and making magic gestures within your sleeves. Your Sleight of Hand check is opposed by any observer's Spot check. The observer's success doesn't prevent you from casting the spell, just from doing it unnoticed.
Action: None. You make the check as part of your normal spellcasting.
Try Again: Yes, but after an initial failure, you take a -10 penalty on a second Sleight of Hand attempt against the same target (or while the same observer who noticed your previous attempt is watching you).
For the Warrior
If you palm a dagger in combat, you can surprise your opponent when it suddenly appears in your hand.
Check: For this technique to work, you must be armed with a dagger, must have the Quick Draw feat, and must be holding nothing in your off hand. You must fight the same foe for at least 2 consecutive rounds to get your opponent used to the idea that you have nothing in your off hand. At the beginning of your turn in the third round, make a Sleight of Hand check opposed by your opponent's Spot check. If you succeed, your foe is considered flat-footed for the next single attack you make with the dagger.
Action: Unlike other uses of the Sleight of Hand skill, it's a free action to put the dagger in your hand because you have the Quick Draw feat.
Try Again: No. Whether your Sleight of Hand check succeeds or fails, no foe will fall for the same trick from you twice in the same combat.
Special: If you have the Deft Hands feat, you get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Bluff, you get a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks.