Invisible demon spying on the party

[Lucid]

I plan on having a Quasit spy on my party while invisible, likely for multiple sessions before he is revealed.

He is only a minion of a bigger evil of which they aren't aware yet, and I want to give them a chance to discover him earlier. Other than vague hints of a feeling of being watched I'm drawing a blank on ways they might notice something's amiss.
The party is currently 4th level, what are possible ways, actions they could take, to notice being followed?

[Feuerphoenix]

I plan on having a Quasit spy on my party while invisible, likely for multiple sessions before he is revealed.

He is only a minion of a bigger evil of which they aren't aware yet, and I want to give them a chance to discover him earlier. Other than vague hints of a feeling of being watched I'm drawing a blank on ways they might notice something's amiss.
The party is currently 4th level, what are possible ways, actions they could take, to notice being followed?

Which classes does your group contain?

[Mr.Moron]

The Quasit could just mess up, like knock over some cans while camping.
Maybe if the party as some animals with them, they start getting edgy whenever it's around.
Maybe it gets attacked by some kind of woodland creature that can smell/detect it through invisibility and the invis drops when it defends itself.
If your group is the kind fine with things being convenient, maybe a fortune teller tells them dark omens are about and they see and a shadow of evil following them - beware or be sorry.

[R.Shackleford]

I plan on having a Quasit spy on my party while invisible, likely for multiple sessions before he is revealed.

He is only a minion of a bigger evil of which they aren't aware yet, and I want to give them a chance to discover him earlier. Other than vague hints of a feeling of being watched I'm drawing a blank on ways they might notice something's amiss.
The party is currently 4th level, what are possible ways, actions they could take, to notice being followed?

Being unseen doesn't mean the Quasit is hidden. To become hidden one must take the hide action.

Without taking the Hide action, creatures will automatically hear the quasit and can target the space the quasit is in. They would take disadvantage on attack rolls but being hidden gives no other effect (well quasit would have advantage on attacks of courae).

If the Quasit is found out, the Quasit is going to be destroyed in a round or two.

But no hide action = Quasit is found out.

Why isn't the BBEG using Arcane Eye :p

[Lucid]

Which classes does your group contain?
We have a mountain dwarf Barbarian, a wood elf Druid and Ranger, a half-elf Monk and Sorcerer and a dragonborn Rogue

The Quasit could just mess up, like knock over some cans while camping.
Maybe if the party as some animals with them, they start getting edgy whenever it's around.
Maybe it gets attacked by some kind of woodland creature that can smell/detect it through invisibility and the invis drops when it defends itself.
If your group is the kind fine with things being convenient, maybe a fortune teller tells them dark omens are about and they see and a shadow of evil following them - beware or be sorry.I like these, I dont want the Quasit to reveal himself, rather give the party a chance to discover him. Using animals is a great idea, especially since the ranger has a lynx companion, don't know why I hadn't thought of that.

[Addaran]

If the party decide to track something else, they could find the Quasit's step.
The animals becoming edgy is a very good suggestion.
If the party have a wizard, mention that the book was moved during the night. (Quasit checking what spell the wizard have for his master)
During an intense fight, they hear a surprised gasp coming from *somewhere* after a PC received a crit, did something amazing, etc. (for the Quasit, it's like watching an intertaining show)



Being unseen doesn't mean the Quasit is hidden. To become hidden one must take the hide action.



Not really a problem, the Quasit can become invisible when he's far from the players then hide before closing in to spy on them.

[Lucid]

Being unseen doesn't mean the Quasit is hidden. To become hidden one must take the hide action.

Without taking the Hide action, creatures will automatically hear the quasit and can target the space the quasit is in. They would take disadvantage on attack rolls but being hidden gives no other effect (well quasit would have advantage on attacks of courae).

If the Quasit is found out, the Quasit is going to be destroyed in a round or two.

But no hide action = Quasit is found out.

Why isn't the BBEG using Arcane Eye :p
Hearing something doesn't mean they will start attacking empty space immediately. Also, the Quasit can change shape, and seeing a toad or a bat might not be suspicious, except when it keeps happening.

The BBEG is not yet fully aware of the characters importance, and the characters themselves have truly no idea for which stakes they are really playing. It's less about information getting back to the BBEG and more about the players discovering that somethings after them for some reason.


During an intense fight, they hear a surprised gasp coming from *somewhere* after a PC received a crit, did something amazing, etc. (for the Quasit, it's like watching an intertaining show) I like this one, fits in with the personality I had in mind too.

[pwykersotz]

Question: Why is the Quasit watching this particular group of adventurers? I know it's for the BBEG, but he has to have a reason to have chosen them. Unless it's pure random chance, you can exploit this and have the information flow two ways. I could post some what-ifs, but it's SUPER dependent on the question.

Granted, my answer would not so much be about them noticing the Quasit, but in deducing that something might be wrong that they aren't seeing, perhaps leading to them suspecting it's there without it even having made a mistake.

To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes -
Watson: "How on earth did you know that was there?"
Holmes: "Quite simply Watson, I expected it to be there."

[Lucid]

Question: Why is the Quasit watching this particular group of adventurers? I know it's for the BBEG, but he has to have a reason to have chosen them. Unless it's pure random chance, you can exploit this and have the information flow two ways. I could post some what-ifs, but it's SUPER dependent on the question. The coming session the party will come into possession of a map also sought by minions of the BBEG. While they may defeat the others the Quasit will be hidden and not take part in the fight, and afterwards starts following the party.

[Temperjoke]

- tracks around camp as the Quasit investigates things
- third party unintentional interference reveals him (think anime episodes where a villain tailing the heroes keeps having mishaps, like getting splashed with water from a passing vehicle for example)
- the Quasit could warn them about an ambush because he doesn't want to risk the map falling into someone else's hands that might be stronger
- if the party uses detect evil, he could ping on their radar as well

[Slipperychicken]

The party is currently 4th level, what are possible ways, actions they could take, to notice being followed?

Covered by perception checks.

Hear him. If he's walking or flying around, then he could be making noise. Even if not, he's got to be breathing.
Smell him. Seriously, just look at the MM picture. You think he smells like sunshine and roses?
Notice footprints or other tracks
Notice disturbances he makes walking around near them, such as twigs breaking
Notice animals being spooked, as if by the presence of a supernatural evil
Notice his droppings or any garbage he leaves (including carcasses of animals he may have killed for prey). The little guy still needs to eat and do his business.


Other stuff.

An animal smells or hears him, begins barking in his direction because animals are spooked by evil stuff like demons
Someone uses detect good and evil in the vicinity
Someone uses see invisibility
Someone uses detect magic while he's within 30ft, as his invisibility would ping it

[ClintACK]

Spying on the party for days on end seems rather... disciplined for a Quasit.

"... they keep to the shadows to plot mischief and wickedness."

How long can it keep seeing chances to play cruel pranks before it starts doing things?

:)

Be subtle. A loosened harness strap on one of the horses could chafe it badly. (Of course the Players will know something's up -- you never ask them for Animal Handling checks for stuff this basic. But *what* will they think is up?) Something squishy in a boot in the morning, a fallen nest of hornets...

This can be particularly fun if your players are good about not metagaming -- *they* (the players) might figure out what's going on while their characters haven't, which creates a nice dramatic tension. (Like in horror movies when *we* know the killer's right behind, but the protagonist has no idea.)

[Sir cryosin]

Things can go miss. Or rations can go missing as well little trinkets is so you might not notice at first but if rations are missing well then you know something's up.

Edited: that might cause a little in party conflict and if it ever gets a little too funny well then the little creature would be laughing and could give itself away

[Veldrenor]

We have a mountain dwarf Barbarian, a wood elf Druid and Ranger, a half-elf Monk and Sorcerer and a dragonborn Rogue.

There's always the ranger's Primeval Awareness ability. When the ranger uses it it should start pinging "FIEND" immediately. Doesn't tell the party anything about number of fiends or the direction they're in, but the party will at least know there's one somewhere within a mile or 6.

[BW022]

I plan on having a Quasit spy on my party while invisible, likely for multiple sessions before he is revealed.

He is only a minion of a bigger evil of which they aren't aware yet, and I want to give them a chance to discover him earlier. Other than vague hints of a feeling of being watched I'm drawing a blank on ways they might notice something's amiss.
The party is currently 4th level, what are possible ways, actions they could take, to notice being followed?

Never get fixated on plot. A quasit is cunning and invisibility is pretty hard to detect for 4th-level PCs. It may be entirely reasonable that they can't detect the quasit and thus won't be able to detect him. However... neither quasits or invisibility is 100% and following a party for days is pretty hard.

1. The PCs may hear the quasit.

2. Something else might be able to detect the quasit. Nearby animals, for example. PCs with familiars, horses, animals, or those just out in the wilderness might have the animals sense them and the PCs sense something is wrong with the animals. A speak with animals or a familiar at the right time could easily tell something is out there.

3. The quasit may not be able to follow the PCs. Doors, dungeons, cities, buildings, etc. might not allow the quasit close enough.

4. Guess through actions. If the BEGG or his minons keep attacking the PC, know where they are, etc. easy enough for the PCs to think they are being followed or scryed upon.

5. Environment. Fog, rain, snow, dense forest, tall grass, etc. could give away your position if invisible.

6. Specific spells such as alarm, detect evil, traps, divination, etc. could also do so.

[MrStabby]

Ask for a perception check periodically: "you don't see anything unusual".

[Calen]

Roll stealth for the Quasit periodically. Compare it to the passive perception of your party.
On a failure use any of the examples above.

"You notice that your lynx is behaving oddly."

"While you are blazing the trail you find the tracks of a strange creature that passed by recently."

"While cleaning up camp you toss an apple core into the woods. You here a thump and a gasp."

[Lucid]

Thanks for all the suggestions, you've given me some great ideas on how to handle this!

[R.Shackleford]

Hearing something doesn't mean they will start attacking empty space immediately. Also, the Quasit can change shape, and seeing a toad or a bat might not be suspicious, except when it keeps happening.

The BBEG is not yet fully aware of the characters importance, and the characters themselves have truly no idea for which stakes they are really playing. It's less about information getting back to the BBEG and more about the players discovering that somethings after them for some reason.

I like this one, fits in with the personality I had in mind too.

Oh no you're totally correct, in a world where fiends, mages, rogues, and other monsters can be hiding in plain sight (and or invisible) it makes sense to ask first and shoot later when you hear a creepy sound...

In my years of experience it is shoot first, ask questions later.

You don't sneak up on a group of adventurers unless you are either antagonistic or potentially antagonistic. If you are either of those things then the party is pretty much going to want to kill or maim you.

[Temperjoke]

Oh no you're totally correct, in a world where fiends, mages, rogues, and other monsters can be hiding in plain sight (and or invisible) it makes sense to ask first and shoot later when you hear a creepy sound...

In my years of experience it is shoot first, ask questions later.

You don't sneak up on a group of adventurers unless you are either antagonistic or potentially antagonistic. If you are either of those things then the party is pretty much going to want to kill or maim you.

But what if you're a simple squirrel creeping around in the bushes looking for food and you happen to rustle the bushes?

[Veldrenor]

But what if you're a simple squirrel creeping around in the bushes looking for food and you happen to rustle the bushes?

Then you're about to become a nice appetizer.

[Spamotron]

Then you're a dead squirrel. Jokes aside the issue is that ordinary wilderness noises like squirrels moving through the underbrush are almost never mentioned by DMs and players are paranoid. If the first 10 noises the DM mentions are harmless squirrels the players wont assume the 11th was another squirrel they'll assume the DM is waiting for them to let their guards down for a "gotcha."

[pwykersotz]

Then you're a dead squirrel. Jokes aside the issue is that ordinary wilderness noises like squirrels moving through the underbrush are almost never mentioned by DMs and players are paranoid. If the first 10 noises the DM mentions are harmless squirrels the players wont assume the 11th was another squirrel they'll assume the DM is waiting for them to let their guards down for a "gotcha."

Jokes further aside, there are allies that go invisible too. People who are afraid of you and don't know how to approach you.

Look at Esmerelda from Curse of Strahd. She sneaks up on you invisibly in the castle.

Shooting first is a good way to be lonely and hated by everyone you meet. If you're a murderhobo, sure, that's fine. But preemptive murder doesn't work in every campaign.

[R.Shackleford]

Jokes further aside, there are allies that go invisible too. People who are afraid of you and don't know how to approach you.

Look at Esmerelda from Curse of Strahd. She sneaks up on you invisibly in the castle.

Shooting first is a good way to be lonely and hated by everyone you meet. If you're a murderhobo, sure, that's fine. But preemptive murder doesn't work in every campaign.

Sneaking up on a group of potential murder hobos is also quite stupid.

Could you imagine *trying* to sneak up on cops, politicians, or military personnel? lol

[pwykersotz]

Sneaking up on a group of potential murder hobos is also quite stupid.

Could you imagine *trying* to sneak up on cops, politicians, or military personnel? lol

Can I imagine it? In the middle of a gangster hideout when a noise could alert the bad guys just as easily? Yes. Yes I can.

Stupid doesn't equal deserving of death. And if you kill everything you see, you lose a lot of creatures/people that you could have made into allies.

[R.Shackleford]

Can I imagine it? In the middle of a gangster hideout when a noise could alert the bad guys just as easily? Yes. Yes I can.

Stupid doesn't equal deserving of death. And if you kill everything you see, you lose a lot of creatures/people that you could have made into allies.


Stupid is very deserving of death, you wouldn't want them spreading that disease through the gene pool. We already have dragons and elves to worry about after all.


In the real world if you try and sneak up on a cop, military personnel, or a politician (say president) it is a fast track to getting shot.

Cops have to be trained not to shoot innocents when they suddenly pop up in a combat situation. If someone sneaked up on a military group out on patrol, that person is likely to die and they sort out the issue later.

[Slipperychicken]

Shooting first is a good way to be lonely and hated by everyone you meet. If you're a murderhobo, sure, that's fine. But preemptive murder doesn't work in every campaign.

Depending on the DM, you're likely to be lonely and hated by everyone no matter what. Or at least, the people who love you so much aren't likely to provide any kind of meaningful assistance. And admittedly, being lonely and hated isn't quite so bad when you're a drifter who specializes in extreme violence.


Besides, pro adventurers wouldn't do pre-emptive murder. They'd knock the sneak out and question him, figure out what the sneaking is all about, who his boss is, then decide whether or not to murder him. There's a solid chance that could result in learning of the would-be ally without making him too mad.


Also yeah, in the D&D universe, where you're likely to run into multiple things trying to kill you every time you go from village A to village B, it's pretty reasonable to assume that someone being suspicious isn't just a shy protagonist from some high school anime. Things really are trying to kill you. Honestly I think it's worse than sneaking up than military, because the PCs are irregulars, and often jumpy amateurs at that. It's more like sneaking up on a bunch of green mercenaries who weren't necessarily trained to not spray the bushes with hot lead. They might even kill you before you could say "friendly".

[pwykersotz]

Stupid is very deserving of death, you wouldn't want them spreading that disease through the gene pool. We already have dragons and elves to worry about after all.

That I've seen you use blue text and this isn't blue is a telling difference between us. I accept that I won't be able to convince you.


Depending on the DM, you're likely to be lonely and hated by everyone no matter what. Or at least, the people who love you so much aren't likely to provide any kind of meaningful assistance. And admittedly, being lonely and hated isn't quite so bad when you're a drifter who specializes in extreme violence.


Besides, pro adventurers wouldn't do pre-emptive murder. They'd knock the sneak out and question him, figure out what the sneaking is all about, who his boss is, then decide whether or not to murder him. There's a solid chance that could result in learning of the would-be ally without making him too mad.


Also yeah, in the D&D universe, where you're likely to run into multiple things trying to kill you every time you go from village A to village B, it's pretty reasonable to assume that someone being suspicious isn't just a shy protagonist from some high school anime. Things really are trying to kill you. Honestly I think it's worse than sneaking up than military, because the PCs are irregulars, and often jumpy amateurs at that. It's more like sneaking up on a bunch of green mercenaries who weren't necessarily trained to not spray the bushes with hot lead. They might even kill you before you could say "friendly".

Maybe it's just the Paladin in me, but again, you're going to lose allies. You're going to pave a path to victory over a sea of bodies and blood. And that victory will be hollow because you didn't do it for anyone. Just because they can't meaningfully help you, doesn't mean that they aren't worthwhile. One of my players is friends with the town butcher. That man is a drunkard and a sloth, but he's friendly. The player would be very upset if the butcher died.

Whether the person's decision to sneak up on you was wise or not, that's not the issue. The issue is with the choices of the adventurers.

[R.Shackleford]

Depending on the DM, you're likely to be lonely and hated by everyone no matter what. Or at least, the people who love you so much aren't likely to provide any kind of meaningful assistance. And admittedly, being lonely and hated isn't quite so bad when you're a drifter who specializes in extreme violence.


Besides, pro adventurers wouldn't do pre-emptive murder. They'd knock the sneak out and question him, figure out what the sneaking is all about, who his boss is, then decide whether or not to murder him. There's a solid chance that could result in learning of the would-be ally without making him too mad.


Also yeah, in the D&D universe, where you're likely to run into multiple things trying to kill you every time you go from village A to village B, it's pretty reasonable to assume that someone being suspicious isn't just a shy protagonist from some high school anime. Things really are trying to kill you. Honestly I think it's worse than sneaking up than military, because the PCs are irregulars, and often jumpy amateurs at that. It's more like sneaking up on a bunch of green mercenaries who weren't necessarily trained to not spray the bushes with hot lead. They might even kill you before you could say "friendly".

Notice me senpai!!!!!!

But yeah, it would be worse than attacking a trained group, a lot of PC groups are mish mashed groups that hardly trust each other much less what goes bump in the night.