D&D: Five Ways Your Character Can Spy on the Villain
Knowledge is power. So here are five ways to gather intrusive levels of information about whoever it is you want to spy on in D&D.
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Knowledge is power. Especially when that knowledge tells you whether to bring your cloak of fire resistance or to load up your spoon of infinite ennui. And while neither of those are technically “real magic items in the book of 5E” the idea is sound. So here are five ways to profile your major D&D foes like you’re some kind of ad agency and/or mindhunter.
Scrying
Scrying is probably the most well-known method of seeing what ol’ Arthrais the Immortal is up to in his Tower of Bone and Shadow. For the price of 1,000 gp and a 5th-level spell slot, you can create an invisible magical sensor somewhere near your target (if you target a creature) or in a room they’re in (if you happen to know that information).
That invisible sensor lets you see and hear through its own senses as though you were right there. This means you can listen in on your enemies’ plans and figure out exactly what they’re up to.
It’s a pretty good spell, but you have to be powerful enough to cast it (or at least rich enough to afford a scroll). But there are a few other methods for the power and budget-conscious adventurer.
Social Engineering
Why leave it up to the powerful flashy spells to do work that you could accomplish with just a little bit of social engineering? After all, those goons that Arthrais the Immortal hired to protect the Tower of Bone and Shadow probably know a thing or two about how to navigate the lava labyrinth.
Why not employ a little bit of persuasion or intimidation to see what they’ll divulge? Or better yet, use magic, but a less flashy, less powerful spell like Suggestion to get them to answer all your questions and not really think about why. Then you’ll get the answers you need without running the risk of your Scrying sensor being spotted.
Dead Men DO Tell Tales
Along those same lines, if your living guards aren’t necessarily talkative, why not turn to the enemies of your enemy? Especially the corpses. This can be harder if you’re dealing with a Necromancer instead of a Warlord or would-be Sorcerer-King. But you know, it’s nice to have options.
And digging up the corpses of your enemy’s second-greatest rivals so that you can cast Speak with Dead is a great way to literally dig up the dirt on your enemy. After all, the corpses may not be willing to speak to their killer—but to tattle on the jerk who took ’em out? You better believe it.
Send in the Familiars and Summons
Again, this is another situational option. If Arthrais the Immortal has set up the Tower of Bone and Shadow in a desolate wasteland where no living thing even breathes, you’re gonna have a harder time. But most archvillains these days have imposing citadels in a place you’d actually care to live.
Turns out, the reason people keep plotting to take over Waterdeep or Baldur’s Gate is because cities are nice places to live (sometimes), and it kinda sucks to live in the lava wastes. But populated environments mean all sorts of critters. And that’s where Familiars and other animal companions come into play.
Especially since they’re little fey spirits whom you can reconstitute for a meager fee, meaning you don’t have to be too sad if they get discovered and killed or whatever. But send in a Familiar and they can either, tell you all they see, or you can see through their eyes. A little animal might blend in nicely, or better yet if you have a more powerful familiar from something like Pact of the Chain, and you can send in an invisible scout to be your eyes and ears.
Commune with Divinity
Finally, you can always turn to the myriad gods for help. Though it’s probably best to pick the one you’re pleading with for aid carefully. The gods aren’t necessarily omniscient, and many are likely to follow their whims when asking questions posed to them.
But if you cannot Scry, the spell Commune is an excellent friend. You can ask three questions that can be answered with a yes or no, so choose them carefully, but the right question can yield all the answers.
How do you get the dirt on your enemies?
