Spy x Family made me want to make a secret agent-type character mostly inspired by Twilight. Inquisitive Rogue seems like the best class to go with for now, but there is also the question of what my character's mission is and what his cover identity will be, especially if this character is going to be in an adventuring party while keeping his true mission secret.
My current idea is that joining an adventuring party would be the best way to accomplish his mission, which maybe could mean that his mission is to spy on someone involved with an adventurer's guild or organization. It could also be possible that the target is another member of the party itself, or an important NPC that another party member has a close tie to. But I would ideally like this to be a secret to the other players in the campaign, so I want to know if there's a good cover identity that my spy could take on. One thing I would like to research is whether there are any mechanics for concealing a character's class from other players, or is that not something DnD is designed to accomplish?
Best to pick a cover story that works with your abilities. So if you are playing an Inquisitive Rogue, then tell people you are hunting a specific monster type that hides among humanoids. Dopplegangers, vampires, werewolves, that kind of thing. It is what Inquistors are known for doing, so it makes for a good cover story.
As for hiding your class, that really only works if you multi-class. Then you can claim to be a Cleric when you are really a Cleric/Rogue.
Most of the interesting parts of spy type movies come from when they are falsely accused and being hunted down by the organisation they were a part of. Perhaps you are trying to clear your name and catch the actual bad guy who is a leutenant of the true BBEG, and you are in disguise in an adventuring party to keep a low profile.
Talk to the DM about the organisation chasing you and ask them to link your quarry with the BBEG of their game (without spoiling it for you!), then let the other characters wonder why skilled assassins keep turning up, seeming unrelated to the BBEG. Then you can reveal the truth to them later on, which will make so much make sense. Don't leave it too long (3-4 sessions tops) or you'll be seen as stealing the spotlight!
It also gives an excellent cause for staying with the adventurers ("I quit!"), a good reason for keeping it secret ("you would all have been in danger if I had told you"), and lets you build your story ahead of yourself rather than being stuck with the one behind you, which is half the fun of D&D*!
For a cover identity, any sort of lesser noble or merchant traveling to expend into new markets would easily work, or you could pretend to be the stereotypical mercenary adventurer with a tragic backstory.
Here is a suggestion for a character build that lets you have any cover-identity you want, and if you agree with the DM, you could even "retire" a character at some point, and have your "new character" be another identity for the same character to throw off the party if they start to get suspicious (provided they don't know your character is a shapechanger)
Race: Changeling (MMotM)
Class L1: Rogue
Class L2-5: Bard: Eloquence
Class L6+: Rogue:Soul Knife
Background: Charlatan
You're starting with proficiency in 8 skills Thieves' Tools, Disguise Kit, and Forgery Kit. You also start with Expertise in two of those skills or one of them and Thieves' Tools. You also have full documentation and contacts for two separate identities (which can be as different from each other as you want since the Changeling from MMotM can turn into any medium or small creature with the same arrangement of limbs), and being a Fey grants immunity to charm effects that specifically target Humanoids. And being a shapechanger makes you immune to hostile uses of the spell, Polymorph, because you automatically pass the saves.
At L2 you pick up proficiency in another skill and a musical instrument, and you gain access to spellcasting.
At L3 you have half-proficiency in the other 9 skills.
At L4 you gain Expertise in two more skills, and your Deception and Persuasion checks treat all die rolls <10 as 10, so you should always succeed on them. (ex: if you have 14 Cha, and Expertise in these skills, at L5 your minimum possible result on the check is 18)
At L5 you get to increase your main ability score, or you could take a feat to get the Invocation, "Mask of Many Faces", so you can make your clothing look like whomever you're impersonating, since your physical body including voice will already be a match for the person.
At L6+ you master your Rogue skills of the subclass you like best. I'm a fan of the "swashbuckler", but the "soul knife" would work really well for your character, permitting you to give up your weapons at the door, then create your psychic blades when you need them inside.
In Medieval times, spies were often visiting nobles or merchants. Consider a Courtier or Guild Merchant background (respectively) to go with. Each offers a potential cover story outline for you to use with your party or outsiders. Perhaps you are a third child of a minor noble who grew up in the local baron’s court, and whom was tasked by the King to learn which nobles were allied with the baron in a rebel conspiracy. Or a traveling fabric merchant who secretly is searching for the mysterious recipe purple dye so that they and their guild can get fabulously rich. Dyes recipes were among the most valuable secrets of the time, so they would be closely guarded.
Faction Agent is also a reasonable choice, but doesn’t give you the cover identity you want. Still, it comes with a ready made secret agency equivalent if your campaign has similar factions.
The main secrets the medieval spies were after were:
SILK! Or rather the secret of how to make it. China guarded this one a lot, and also it was hard to steal. (Most valued secret, people betrayed everyone for this one)
Dye (All the countries guarded this one
Gunpowder (China again)
Trade Routes (Every one on the silk road guarded the secret of which way to go next. Almost no one knew the entire route)
Military buildups
Teas, (Another one of China's secrets. For the special royal breeds, this was guarded more than Silk).
Going after one of these secrets would have been very common, so it could be a very good cover.
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Spy x Family made me want to make a secret agent-type character mostly inspired by Twilight. Inquisitive Rogue seems like the best class to go with for now, but there is also the question of what my character's mission is and what his cover identity will be, especially if this character is going to be in an adventuring party while keeping his true mission secret.
My current idea is that joining an adventuring party would be the best way to accomplish his mission, which maybe could mean that his mission is to spy on someone involved with an adventurer's guild or organization. It could also be possible that the target is another member of the party itself, or an important NPC that another party member has a close tie to. But I would ideally like this to be a secret to the other players in the campaign, so I want to know if there's a good cover identity that my spy could take on. One thing I would like to research is whether there are any mechanics for concealing a character's class from other players, or is that not something DnD is designed to accomplish?
Best to pick a cover story that works with your abilities. So if you are playing an Inquisitive Rogue, then tell people you are hunting a specific monster type that hides among humanoids. Dopplegangers, vampires, werewolves, that kind of thing. It is what Inquistors are known for doing, so it makes for a good cover story.
As for hiding your class, that really only works if you multi-class. Then you can claim to be a Cleric when you are really a Cleric/Rogue.
The multi class mention is really helpful; I had considered multiclassing anyway just to help in combat
Have you considered having been framed?
Most of the interesting parts of spy type movies come from when they are falsely accused and being hunted down by the organisation they were a part of. Perhaps you are trying to clear your name and catch the actual bad guy who is a leutenant of the true BBEG, and you are in disguise in an adventuring party to keep a low profile.
Talk to the DM about the organisation chasing you and ask them to link your quarry with the BBEG of their game (without spoiling it for you!), then let the other characters wonder why skilled assassins keep turning up, seeming unrelated to the BBEG. Then you can reveal the truth to them later on, which will make so much make sense. Don't leave it too long (3-4 sessions tops) or you'll be seen as stealing the spotlight!
It also gives an excellent cause for staying with the adventurers ("I quit!"), a good reason for keeping it secret ("you would all have been in danger if I had told you"), and lets you build your story ahead of yourself rather than being stuck with the one behind you, which is half the fun of D&D*!
*the other half is maths.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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For a cover identity, any sort of lesser noble or merchant traveling to expend into new markets would easily work, or you could pretend to be the stereotypical mercenary adventurer with a tragic backstory.
Here is a suggestion for a character build that lets you have any cover-identity you want, and if you agree with the DM, you could even "retire" a character at some point, and have your "new character" be another identity for the same character to throw off the party if they start to get suspicious (provided they don't know your character is a shapechanger)
Race: Changeling (MMotM)
Class L1: Rogue
Class L2-5: Bard: Eloquence
Class L6+: Rogue:Soul Knife
Background: Charlatan
You're starting with proficiency in 8 skills Thieves' Tools, Disguise Kit, and Forgery Kit. You also start with Expertise in two of those skills or one of them and Thieves' Tools. You also have full documentation and contacts for two separate identities (which can be as different from each other as you want since the Changeling from MMotM can turn into any medium or small creature with the same arrangement of limbs), and being a Fey grants immunity to charm effects that specifically target Humanoids. And being a shapechanger makes you immune to hostile uses of the spell, Polymorph, because you automatically pass the saves.
At L2 you pick up proficiency in another skill and a musical instrument, and you gain access to spellcasting.
At L3 you have half-proficiency in the other 9 skills.
At L4 you gain Expertise in two more skills, and your Deception and Persuasion checks treat all die rolls <10 as 10, so you should always succeed on them. (ex: if you have 14 Cha, and Expertise in these skills, at L5 your minimum possible result on the check is 18)
At L5 you get to increase your main ability score, or you could take a feat to get the Invocation, "Mask of Many Faces", so you can make your clothing look like whomever you're impersonating, since your physical body including voice will already be a match for the person.
At L6+ you master your Rogue skills of the subclass you like best. I'm a fan of the "swashbuckler", but the "soul knife" would work really well for your character, permitting you to give up your weapons at the door, then create your psychic blades when you need them inside.
In Medieval times, spies were often visiting nobles or merchants. Consider a Courtier or Guild Merchant background (respectively) to go with. Each offers a potential cover story outline for you to use with your party or outsiders. Perhaps you are a third child of a minor noble who grew up in the local baron’s court, and whom was tasked by the King to learn which nobles were allied with the baron in a rebel conspiracy. Or a traveling fabric merchant who secretly is searching for the mysterious recipe purple dye so that they and their guild can get fabulously rich. Dyes recipes were among the most valuable secrets of the time, so they would be closely guarded.
Faction Agent is also a reasonable choice, but doesn’t give you the cover identity you want. Still, it comes with a ready made secret agency equivalent if your campaign has similar factions.
The main secrets the medieval spies were after were:
Going after one of these secrets would have been very common, so it could be a very good cover.