So, I saw that you can use the stealth skill to cast with subtlety. Can you also use the deceit skill? For example, a bard casting healing word could say something to make it sound like he is a divine caster (in the name of Larissa be healed!) A wizard could cast burning hands while saying May Nier's flames burn you to cinders!!! A sorcerer could cast Fog Cloud saying "I call upon the spirits to hide our passage". (That last one might get your in trouble for being a dirty savage and shaman, but avoid the notice of the Harvesters.)

I just wanted to confirm that there might be other ways to cast with subtlety to avoid those nasty notices.

Lucas

Absolutely! We always want to reward player creativity so if you can find a good way to use deception to hide your spellcasting that's totally fine. Work with your GM and make sure you are both on the same page first. Keep in mind that claiming to be a member of a certain religious sect might be just as problematic as revealing yourself as a mage. People will probably remember the 'cleric of Hurrian' who called down some lightning from the very back of the party. And who didn't have a sword, shield, or heavy armor. And who was rather more concerned about saving his own skin than helping to defend the innocent.

Very cool. Good to know I can use either skill depending on circumstances. I have a character that planned to do just that. A Bard who pretends he is a cleric of Cadic. I was even going to take Acolyte background, but decided to go with Legionnaire (Watchful Hunter of course) instead. He is a worshiper of Cadic and while human for now, will likely convert to val'Borda when those rules are available.

Nice. Bards masquerading as priests of Cadic are an especially good fit.

I thought so. I was going to go lore bard, but valor bard legionnaire seemed an especially good fit.

It is a good idea, just realize you're not talking about casting with subtlety.

Casting with subtlety as a mechanic increases the CTN by 6 and the speed by 2. It automatically requires a Stealth (Primary) roll vs. either Passive Perception if not actively being observed or opposed check against Perception (Insight). If successful, no one notices you casting a spell or depending on the spell may not be able to tell the spell's origin. Some spells will get situational benefits such as casting a darkness spell when already in shadows or a penalty - casting a gladius of light in the darkness. Some spells you can't completely hide the effect of, even if you can conceal where it originated.

What you're talking about doing is bluffing about the Source of the spell. There are no mechanical adjustments so casting the spell using this approach is as easy as it would be normally. Discern Residue can determine the Tradition the spell is from, though not the source. If you call out "May Nier's flames burn you to cinders!" as long as it's on the other list you can potentially get away with it. You still draw attention to yourself, potentially more than you would have otherwise for having cried out, but may be able to convince folks that things are as you say. However, confronted with someone who is capable of casting the spells in the Source you claim may prove a lot harder to persuade. The cants of each church are specific, so a priest of Cadic can probably tell listening to you or watching you if you're invoking Cadic's power in the way He intended. If not, you may be treated as a heretic for attempting to masquerade as a member of the Church when you're not.

Far easier with the unwashed masses than the enlightened.

From personal experience and mapping out progress, casting with subtlety costs you basically 1.5 Tiers of casting prowess at a slower speed. With the Adaptation: Rapid Spell, you can effectively turn a +7 CTN into a Speed +1, Strain +2 spell modifier and not be noticed. Playing a caster as intended by the way the world works, can be really challenging. I find it quite fun to figure out ways to try and do that effectively - such as you've proposed - to help make it worthwhile to offset the loss of effectiveness.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul

(Hat, it's the 5e board, not the ARG one )

Wow! ARG sounds complicated.

It can be. But it offers a degree of flexibility that 5E cannot. But I like and play both games.

Combat in ARG has a very different feel to D&D5. The difference between a dagger and a Tralian hammer is comparable to the difference between Burning Hands and a Fireball.