Serpent's Guile

Required	Snake Discipline 4
Range	Self
Target Area	1 target or group in conversation
Duration	1 Hour (Passive) / 1 Minute (Active)
Action	Standard (Active)
Cost	3 Mana (Active)
Effect	Passive: Gain +2 on Deception checks when speaking with any target who has interacted with you for at least 1 minute. You gain +2 on Deception vs. magical lie detection or truth-reading effects (e.g., Detect Lies, Sense Emotion). Active: Once per encounter, you may fabricate a plausible lie, disguise, or cover story on the spot. Roll Deception + Snake Rank vs. the highest Sense Motive among all targets listening. On a success: Targets believe your story (e.g., “I’m a royal inspector,” “That man is the traitor,” “We’ve met before.”). Magical detection effects must succeed on a contested roll vs. your Deception + Snake Rank to contradict you; even then, they only reveal doubt for 1 round. If you have Slippery Mind, you gain +2 Successes on the roll. Targets remain convinced until the lie is disproven by direct evidence, or unless you contradict yourself.