How can my BBEG impersonate PCs?

[Reality_Czech]

Hello all,

Just looking for some ideas on my campaign. I'm looking to run a "shell game" where my BBEG inserts himself into the group as one of the players for a while, then another, then another.... one at a time.

My campaign is Gestalt, with the players being level 14 currently. The BBEG is level 16 and is a changeling. "Right side" of his build is Factotum 11/Warblade 5 and the "left side" is Changeling Rogue 1/Marshal 1/Hexblade 3/Cabinet Trickster 5/Chameleon 6. As such, he's a consumate deceiver and can easily take on the appearance and personality of any of the players.

What I'm struggling with is how I remove one player from the party (currently in a large city) without the others noticing. Once they're gone, the BBEG will replace the character and use the position to gather information, nudge the group toward his agenda, and ensure his own survival through creative application of lies before returning the original member to the party.

I'm going to pull the player aside who has been "replaced" and have them roleplay the villian (though they won't necessarily realize t's the BBEG), then at a time of my choosing swap them back their real character. I'm going to return the PC to the group, but not before convincing them through roleplay they have good reason to keep secret that they've been absent. Once the PC has been returned to the party everything will go back to "normal".

My goal is more complicated, unfortunately. I'm going to do this with several of the players one at a time until they catch on or someone spills that for the last week they've been gone and if the others didn't notice it was an impostor.

What I'm really looking for here is ideas on how a PC can be removed from the group and replaced without tipping the others. Magic (spells OR items), trickery, con games, etc. are all fair game, and if necessary the BBEG could recruit NPCs able to cast spells he can't handle personally.

Any thoughts?

[Medic!]

My first thought was via a spell or magic item to basically magic jar/body swap them, like Ghost and his Ghearufu(sp?), but it would be a shame not to take advantage of the way he's built as a changling.

Ideally you'd find a way to split the party up and have him impersonate random members in chance meetings while they're seperated, but that's a lot easier said than done.

[Keld Denar]

Veil? Its a spell in the phb...he should be able to get it with chameleon casting with arcane focus.

[laeZ1]

One of my favorite spells is a spell called Translocation Trick. (http://dndtools.eu/spells/magic-of-faerun--20/translocation-trick--1803/)

The link cites the source as magic of faerun, but I'm pretty sure it was reprinted in the spell compendium.

If the changeling has a buddy/hireling who's REALLY good at illusion spells, he (the changeling) could translocate with target party member without anybody knowing. Meanwhile, target party member experiences a godlike vision from the BBEG's illusion buddy in the belltower (or wherever translocation trick was cast from earlier).

As you may have noticed, transloaction trick not only switches where you're standing, but also, it switches what you look like. Normally, a problem. Luckily, your BBEG is a changeling and knows what his target looks like.

tl;dr
1. Make a friend/hire a good illusionist
2. Changeling yourself into target party member
3. Tell illusionist plan
4. Cast translocation trick on target party member
5. While you listen in on party, target party member gets illusioned "vision from god"
6. Translocation trick ends
7. Party member wasn't a part of the last 140 minutes (14th level translocation trick) worth of conversation, is teleported back to party, thinks he's been walking around in a daze, and tells his party about the "vision".
8. Party believes him.
9. Repeat 2-7 until whenever.
10. Profit.

This sounds like fun. I may do this too now.

[Reality_Czech]

Hmm, good ides so far; the one issue I'm seeing with Translocation Trick from reading the description is that you don't teleport back when the duration ends. The will save to resist is problematic but there are ways to overcome that so I'm less worried there. Maybe the Villain leaves before the duration ends and the original player returns with a misapprehension about what occurred?

Fortunately I'm a good liar myself so I know I can RP the BBEG's manipulation and make this work so it's not fouled up after the first player has an out-of-party experience.

[Analytica]

I would not assume that the returning PC will try to hide that they were gone. You can try to make that happen, but probably not guarantee it. Otherwise I like this. Maybe get them while sleeping? Perhaps the one taken is kept sedated, and being fed versions of what happens to the imposter through dream spells, so that they return and more or less remembers the legit activities that "they" have been up to?

[Reality_Czech]

I would not assume that the returning PC will try to hide that they were gone. You can try to make that happen, but probably not guarantee it.

I know I can't guarantee this working, but I'm playing this Villain as a proper NPC. I don't want him doing anything through pure DM fiat, plot convenience "cheating". So far this guy has pulled off everything without deviating from what an identically built PC could do, and it makes the drama for the players much more palpable.

If the BBEG's diabolical plan fails due to poor planning, poor execution, or just plain bad luck that's how it goes; especially since that may be the only way the players ever defeat him. He truly, whimsically, and completely sociopathic and most of his motivation for his actions is to prove his own virtuosity, if only to himself.

I'm just trying to stay true to this guy's abilities and make sure I don't just electroplate the idea with polished handwavium and call it good. Thanks again everyone, keep it coming!