I just made a level 8 warlock hex blade and my patron needs a secret every 48 hrs, my patron also gave me the spell detect thoughts, so I'm wondering how do I get secrets from people without them hating me? Also we are in a dungeon and there's just 4 of us all together
I don’t know about a “secret” but how about X number of things you learn for Y period of time, reported back to the Patron. This is basically what Arya Stark (from Game of Thrones) had to provide to her Master in the House of Black and White. Sometimes there would be secrets discovered that even her Master didn’t know, but mostly that wasn’t the case. In her case she used disguises, eavesdropping, and keen insight, so Detect Thoughts would be even better.
You could always use wiggle room, if they never specified the secrets have to be useful you could technically count anything about them you learn that wasn't already known.
May not work, but probably wouldn't hurt to try.
(The following is not a verbal contract and I am not legally responsible if it does, in fact, hurt to try.)
In the Elder Scrolls games there's the tale of the Beggar Prince, wherein the evil powers of the world called daedra wandered the world like mortals. Namira, daedra lord of decay and patron to the shunned, blesses Wheedle - once a prince in a long line for the throne - with the powers of pity, plague and disregard. This allows him to walk the streets as a beggar, and gather information that others let out because, after all, he's just a beggar.
The point of this parable is that your character could use disguises to blend into the environment and listen in (via magical means or otherwise) for secrets. It probably doesn't have to be anything particularly important, your patron may only be interested in the thrill of the hunt, so to speak. Detect Thoughts also says, quote, "questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course of its thoughts, so this spell is particularly effective as part of an interrogation." So that could be useful, especially if they've taken leave of their senses (a bit of liquid encouragement, perhaps?)
One final suggestion I might have is hearing people's confessions before they shuffle off their mortal coil. You sit at their bedside and you listen to what troubles them before moving on to the afterlife. The priesthood of Kelemvor or whichever deity of the grave you have in your setting might not appreciate your ulterior motives, but their god might, and who knows, there might be a boon in it for you if you're the only person able to put these people's minds at ease...
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
...One final suggestion I might have is hearing people's confessions before they shuffle off their mortal coil. You sit at their bedside and you listen to what troubles them before moving on to the afterlife. The priesthood of Kelemvor or whichever deity of the grave you have in your setting might not appreciate your ulterior motives, but their god might, and who knows, there might be a boon in it for you if you're the only person able to put these people's minds at ease...
i really like this idea that you could charismaticly (and arcanely?) draw a last secret from a dying person. you could play up the empathy and making them comfortable. or you could cover your actions by drawing out the secret while going through their pockets. even if not the best, this is something that can tide the patron over even in a dungeon. assuming you speak goblin (or whatnot).
back in town and taken a step further, your character might decide they don't have time to wait around for someone to expire naturally nearby. so if they spend few fruitless hours trying to overhear some infidelity in the taproom with no luck, perhaps there's nothing left but to... create a secret. thought i was going to say stab someone in the privy? options, options. well, first let's try hiding some stolen jewelry under a maid's pillow or setting the sheriff's horse loose for the groom to be blamed. will the patron appreciate the effort this took? likely not, but let them say so. the point is to forward the narrative of the character feeling their way through what is and isn't a satisfactory secret. the journey is worth more than the destination. in fact, once you've established you can confidently steal secrets, your dm might simply state that you slip off from the group and return later looking much relaxed, no further narration or rolls necessary.
what i want to know is what you'd do with big information. say a guard captain was contemplating treason against his king. if you read the treasonous note before the rest of the party, do you share? would your patron tell you to burn the note immediately in sacrifice? once done, can you now reveal it to the party or would that provoke the ire your patron? can you thwart or expose the treason or will your patron set the enemy against you? talk privately to your dm and see if that sort of thing sounds fun to them (because it could be entirely derailing).
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unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
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I just made a level 8 warlock hex blade and my patron needs a secret every 48 hrs, my patron also gave me the spell detect thoughts, so I'm wondering how do I get secrets from people without them hating me? Also we are in a dungeon and there's just 4 of us all together
I don’t know about a “secret” but how about X number of things you learn for Y period of time, reported back to the Patron. This is basically what Arya Stark (from Game of Thrones) had to provide to her Master in the House of Black and White. Sometimes there would be secrets discovered that even her Master didn’t know, but mostly that wasn’t the case. In her case she used disguises, eavesdropping, and keen insight, so Detect Thoughts would be even better.
You could always use wiggle room, if they never specified the secrets have to be useful you could technically count anything about them you learn that wasn't already known.
May not work, but probably wouldn't hurt to try.
(The following is not a verbal contract and I am not legally responsible if it does, in fact, hurt to try.)
In the Elder Scrolls games there's the tale of the Beggar Prince, wherein the evil powers of the world called daedra wandered the world like mortals. Namira, daedra lord of decay and patron to the shunned, blesses Wheedle - once a prince in a long line for the throne - with the powers of pity, plague and disregard. This allows him to walk the streets as a beggar, and gather information that others let out because, after all, he's just a beggar.
The point of this parable is that your character could use disguises to blend into the environment and listen in (via magical means or otherwise) for secrets. It probably doesn't have to be anything particularly important, your patron may only be interested in the thrill of the hunt, so to speak. Detect Thoughts also says, quote, "questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course of its thoughts, so this spell is particularly effective as part of an interrogation." So that could be useful, especially if they've taken leave of their senses (a bit of liquid encouragement, perhaps?)
One final suggestion I might have is hearing people's confessions before they shuffle off their mortal coil. You sit at their bedside and you listen to what troubles them before moving on to the afterlife. The priesthood of Kelemvor or whichever deity of the grave you have in your setting might not appreciate your ulterior motives, but their god might, and who knows, there might be a boon in it for you if you're the only person able to put these people's minds at ease...
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
i really like this idea that you could charismaticly (and arcanely?) draw a last secret from a dying person. you could play up the empathy and making them comfortable. or you could cover your actions by drawing out the secret while going through their pockets. even if not the best, this is something that can tide the patron over even in a dungeon. assuming you speak goblin (or whatnot).
back in town and taken a step further, your character might decide they don't have time to wait around for someone to expire naturally nearby. so if they spend few fruitless hours trying to overhear some infidelity in the taproom with no luck, perhaps there's nothing left but to... create a secret. thought i was going to say stab someone in the privy? options, options. well, first let's try hiding some stolen jewelry under a maid's pillow or setting the sheriff's horse loose for the groom to be blamed. will the patron appreciate the effort this took? likely not, but let them say so. the point is to forward the narrative of the character feeling their way through what is and isn't a satisfactory secret. the journey is worth more than the destination. in fact, once you've established you can confidently steal secrets, your dm might simply state that you slip off from the group and return later looking much relaxed, no further narration or rolls necessary.
what i want to know is what you'd do with big information. say a guard captain was contemplating treason against his king. if you read the treasonous note before the rest of the party, do you share? would your patron tell you to burn the note immediately in sacrifice? once done, can you now reveal it to the party or would that provoke the ire your patron? can you thwart or expose the treason or will your patron set the enemy against you? talk privately to your dm and see if that sort of thing sounds fun to them (because it could be entirely derailing).
unhappy at the way in which we lost individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
tell them you don't like features disappeared quietly in the night: provide feedback!