How to make undercover spies?

[snowman87]

Dear Playgrounders,

My group has a large organization chasing them and I want to bring them down. I really want to have key agents who are loyal to us in place inside their organization to assassinate and sabotage but I just know our DM is going to start giving their people truesight so shapechangers are a risk. Maybe Warforged with flesh grown over them like Terminators? What would you recommend?

[Ramshack]

Dear Playgrounders,

My group has a large organization chasing them and I want to bring them down. I really want to have key agents who are loyal to us in place inside their organization to assassinate and sabotage but I just know our DM is going to start giving their people truesight so shapechangers are a risk. Maybe Warforged with flesh grown over them like Terminators? What would you recommend?

Seems pretty drastic, any character with the Charlatin background gets a free false identity, there is also a spy background variant for the criminal. Rogue Assassins can create false identities and mimic people at level 9. I feel like you could always hire such characters to be a double agent for you. Though if you're DM doesn't want you to do this there is no real way to make a full proof plan. They can always Detect Thoughts or Charm People or Zone of Truth, True Sight etc etc all can stop just about any plan all depends on the casting ability of the organization and their level of paranoia.

[Ninja_Prawn]

key agents who are loyal to us in place inside their organization

Do like they do in real life: recruit from within the organisation. Trying to parachute in imposters is risky and difficult; convincing an existing member to turn their coat is usually much easier.

This goes double for anyone they send to spy on you. If you can flip them, you'll have a huge advantage. To quote Sun Tzu:


The ruler

Must know all five of these
Sorts of spies;
This knowledge must come
From the double agent;
So the double agent
Must be
Treated generously.

...

Spies

Are a key element
In warfare.
On them depends
An army's
Every move.

[SouthpawSoldier]

If you want one with Class levels, I'm playing around with a Tomelock mimicking a Light Cleric. Goal was to infiltrate a church organization. Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but some of the suggestions I received may be applicable to your needs.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?423115-Warlock-Infiltrator-RAW-Possible

[Envyus]

The Assassin was pretty much built for this scenario.

[PoeticDwarf]

Dear Playgrounders,

My group has a large organization chasing them and I want to bring them down. I really want to have key agents who are loyal to us in place inside their organization to assassinate and sabotage but I just know our DM is going to start giving their people truesight so shapechangers are a risk. Maybe Warforged with flesh grown over them like Terminators? What would you recommend?

If you can't trust your good old shapechangers, the best thing you can do is being a rogue. They can't use truesight if they don't see you.

I know you need to infiltrate. But because truesight your best choice is expertise in deception.

[Brendanicus]

Capture a member of the next goon squad sent against your party, then try bribing him. If that doesn't work, find a smarter member of the organization. Anyone will do really, they just need to be desperate and possess a little brains.

If your DM is being lame by saying that every member of the organization would rather die before helping you, then you are SOL, unless you can bribe somebody who is supplying the organization with things like weapons, mercenaries, and the like.

Charming or scaring someone into giving you information might also help, but that won't provide as much info as a mole.

[DireSickFish]

Well if you think your DM is going to go to drastic measures to stop you then there isn't much hope to get any spies in. Let's assume that's not the case, they just have easy access to divination magic for whatever reason.

Then you'r best option is infiltration by mundane means. Bribery and creating turncoats has already been mentioned and is a great option.

You could also leave this to the professionals. Find a thieves guild and pay them off to insert there own spies for you, that way you don't have to sweat the details of how they infiltrate.

If you want to do this yourself then you are going to need yourself some skilled manpower that is loyal to you. That thieves guild mentioned before? Take it over and use that manpower to beat the streets and find out how this organization is recruiting. Then it's just a matter of placing the agents so they get picked up and keeping them loyal. Make sure that agents are left int he dark about most things, kind alike a terrorist cell, so that when -they- get flipped they can't rat out all of your secrets.

If you can get a religious organization behind you, or someone more loyal than a bunch of thieves use them for the infiltration part.


You could also do some infiltrating yourself. Let yourself get captured and keep some thieves tools hidden by slight of hand and have some magic for escape that doesn't require material components. That will get you into the heart of the organization, or at least part of it. Possibly next to cells of new allies when you break them out! It'll also give the DM time to do some exposition monologuing, which DM's love to do and gives you useful information that you can use against them.

Good luck!

[Mr.Moron]

I'd go with the good old fashioned guy who is a good liar and/or bribery. Nothing convoluted with lots of moving parts, just a dirty guy who washes the floor and knows how to hide a knife.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Or, we could come at this another way. What kinds of magic do you have access to?

Arcane Eye (4) and Scrying (5) are great for visual spying.
Dream (5) could help plant false information or torture people at a distance.
Dominate Person (5) or Geas (5) could be devastating if you manage to catch one of the 'organisation people' up close.
To be honest, Greater Invisibility (4) is probably enough to enable a PC to do all the spying they want.

If you've got a 9th level wizard (or bard I guess), you don't need a spy/turncoat/assassin/saboteur. And that's without even looking at magic items or non-obvious spells.

[Shining Wrath]

There's a "spy" background (variant of criminal) and the "Scout" NPC would make a good start for a spy.

[Bard1cKnowledge]

Five words after these five.

Warlock with Staff of Charming.

Yes hello I am your bestie let me in