Performance

Key facts

Ability

CHA

Overview

Performance is the Charisma skill for entertaining: playing a tavern, reciting an epic at court, or impersonating a herald long enough to get through the door. It measures how well you hold an audience, not whether you are telling the truth. It comes up in social scenes, in downtime when the party needs money or attention, and as a cover for infiltration. A good performance can also shift a crowd's mood before the real negotiation starts.

How it works

Ability: Charisma Common checks: Delighting an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or another form of entertainment; keeping attention on you as a distraction; earning a living by performing. Typical DCs: 10 to satisfy a drunk tavern crowd, 15 to impress a noble's dinner guests, 20 or more to move a hostile audience or win a competition against professionals. Instruments: Proficiency with a musical instrument is a tool proficiency; the GM may let you add it to a Charisma check made while playing. Performance covers the art overall.

Tips and playstyle

Best for: Bards, who get it for free through class flavor, and Rogues who want a disguise that talks. Character concepts: Minstrel, stage actor, storyteller, street busker, court fool, traveling acrobat troupe member. Synergies: Pairs with Deception for impersonation and with Persuasion for winning a crowd over. Combines with Sleight of Hand for stage magic.

Frequently asked questions