YEAH MAYBE WHO KNOWS!
MAYBE ONE DAY WE WILL GET ANSWERS!

Oda never forgets. He just waits until most other people do to drop the reveals

Ah, seemingly pointless survival checks. Here's a good one. Introduce an NPC. Have your characters only need to roll spot and survival checks around this one person. Throw in some fort saves if they dine with him.

Watch the paranoia explode.

Remember kids, you gotta mess with them.

Those survival checks? He smells bad, and its how well you're character can stand being near him.
The spot checks? He dropped something unimportant.

The food fort save?
Hes a terrible cook, and when they eat the food and feel like death later, well

They'll think it was poison

But no its just food poisoning.

No. He is immaculate, polite, and should be voiced in a mildly sinister way.

Just tell them that their spot checks are too low. If they roll a natural 20, mention that his coat buttons bear a strange crest they've never seen before.

The fort saves? He's a fan of exotic foods, and the spices are quite strange. You always pass your fort saves.

Survival checks? You recognize the smell of herbs used in medicinal poultices and many kinds of potions on him.

Dang.


thats way better.

FYI, hemlock, nightshade, and castor beans are all deadly poisons, but also have healing medical properties if you know how to process them.

Have the party find extremely dangerously poisonous plants that are also used in the brewing of buff or healing potions.

Have another NPC take a bite of the guy's food, and his face turns red, his eyes water, he starts sweating, he gets the shakes, and he begins to cough and wheeze.

The sinister npc sits down, and invites the party to dine with him as the other guy is being hauled away on a stretcher.

Well, if you want to be mean, and really up the suspicion, I got two words for you.

Insight check.

If the DM is the one who asks for it, even if they get a nat 20, they'll be wary of the dude for DAYS

"You really must join me for dinner. I insist. The food is to die for. Hehehehe."

DM: Roll insight.

Players roll a 7, 9, 14, and 20.

DM: You sense nothing sinister behind his statements.

like tha one. That's the kind of sentence that alone would make the players warry, and then you ad a insight check on top of it.

You know what’s really fun? Using private messaging so that only the person who passed their check actually gets the information. Sure if you have good players you can trust them not to metagame, but intrigue is so much more delicious when you get live reactions to the fact that not only is the party’s employer a Pit Fiend, but the Wizard has known for months and never bothered to say anything