Espionage Help?

[metabolicjosh]

I need spells, Tricks, tools, anything that can help me gain control of powerful individuals amd politicians. But I want it to be subtle at first.
One trick I have is a clockwork bodysnatcher. I can turn people into my slaves, emotionless slaves, but under my control.
I want to be able to get information from people, and to alter minds!
What else do I need to know?

[Kelb_Panthera]

More than anything, you need a DM that's willing to play ball with this sort of thing.

After that you mostly need a deft hand. You need to ask the right questions of the right people, be able to quietly aquire documents and other sensitive material, and be able to predict, with reasonable accuracy, how the people you'll be manipulating will react to your machinations.

To that end, spells and items that generate divinations and -subtle- enchantments and illusions will be the order of the day with stealth gear coming a close second.

Almost as important as your ability to collect information will be your ability to detect and/ or sow disinformation. Sense motive and any effect that lets you read unshielded minds will be your armor and shield. Effects and situations that let you put lies and half-truths in the minds of your enemies will be your blade.

Finally, you can't do this sort of thing alone or even with a tiny group of allies. You're going to have to make allies and assets of quite a few NPC's if you want to be the man behind the throne instead of the man on it.

You're entering into a game that's a bit more complex than your typical dungeon crawl. Done right, it's a hell of an interesting game to play. Good luck.

[Abd al-Azrad]

There's a reason spies have been around, technology or not, since as far back as there are history records. A successful spy relies not on tools nor magic, but on psychology, a disarming face, boundless confidence, and above all the ability to read people and guess at how far anyone can bend before they snap back at you.

That said.

I would recommend heavy reliance on self-buffs, to be honest. Skill boosters, spells that let you reroll, obviously disguises and options that allow you to escape from a dangerous situation. Sense Motive will be your best and most valuable skill, as will pretty much anything that uses Charisma.

Divinations will help you plenty. Clairvoyance will allow you to discover information without exposing yourself to direct harm. Detect and, more usefully, Seek Thoughts could allow you to pick out informants from a crowd or identify counter-intelligence agents without ever revealing yourself.

Recall that you can't realistically use magic to gain actual allies or true informants. Charms or Dominations only last so long, and they leave traces. You can, however, use magic to compel people into revealing their secrets, which you can use as blackmail. But recall that blackmail only works in certain situations - for instance, if the consequences of a person's secrets being revealed are worse than the likely consequences of helping you. Typically, outing a spy is a pretty effective means for one of your targets to save face. You'll want to alternate between hints of awful things that could happen if people disobey you, and just showering your informants with benefits if they help you.

Geas or Lesser Geas might be useful. Heck, if you can swing it, Atonement is the final nail in turning an enemy agent to your alignment - which could be one more step towards permanent conversion of an enemy asset.