Chapter 1 - Non-weapon Proficiencies
Voice Mimicry Non-weapon Proficiency
Voice mimicry is the art of convincingly imitating the voices of other people. It is a very demanding skill, needing intense training of and practice with the vocal cords. For this reason it requires two non-weapon proficiency slots.
A character with voice mimicry is able to imitate any accent he has heard. Success is automatic unless people who themselves speak in that accent are his listeners; in such a case, a proficiency roll is required (with a +2 modifier).
More difficult is the imitation of a specific person's voice. To do this, the thief must, of course, be familiar with the voice. A proficiency check is needed to determine if the imitation is detected; modifiers depend on how well the listeners know the voice that is being mimicked. Success is of course certain if the listener is a stranger, someone who has never heard the original voice. To fool an acquaintance, there is no modifier; while fooling a friend of the subject is at -2, a close friend -5, and someone extremely close (e.g., parent or spouse someone who has had close contact with the person for years) is at -7.
This ability is often used in conjunction with the disguise proficiency. Which proficiency must be checked first depends on whether the character is seen or heard. If the disguise first is successful, there is a +5 modifier to the voice mimicry the listeners have already accepted the appearance, so they are less likely to doubt the voice. If the disguise fails, it doesn't matter how good the voice imitation is. If the voice is successfully mimicked first, it gives a +1 modifier to the disguise check.
