The Hermit's Discovery: some ideas

[Segev]

This background perk is probably one of the more interesting, but potentially broken or useless, Background Features in the game. It's pretty wide open, but it's sometimes hard to come up with something at just the right level of usefulness. "You've discovered why kids love cinnamon toast crunch," isn't going to help adventuring much at all unless the DM makes a lot of kid-based contacts available, while "you've discovered the means to do magic without components" is way too powerful, no matter how flavorful you make the justification.

My thought is that it should generally be about the same power level as getting free lodging (with a church, with commoners, with a guildhall or a tavern...sometimes with perks like being hidden from the authorities or free legal advice and political influence), having criminal contacts that give you potential access to information and resources (bolt holes, manpower for nefarious deeds, trustworthily crooked hirelings), the ability to commit minor crimes and intimidate folks without legal consequences due to them not reporting on you, access to the nobility who normally screen their visitors, etc. Probably better than "crossing town in half the time," because geeze, that's a lame one. Seriously, couldn't they come up wtih something better for Urchins?

Anyway, here are some ideas that I think might fit in the same level of utility:

You've learned the secret to walking "feyward" and back, rather than just north, south, east, west, up, and down. You can, with a bit of travel, cross back and forth between the Feywild and the Material Plane. Alternatively, the Shadowfell and the Material.
You're a Kenku whose learned the secret to breaking your racial curse. (Use aaracockra stats, but fluff yourself as a winked kenku. Useful for drawing other kenku to you in hopes of them learning the secret, and possibly getting them to be followers.)
You've developed a ritual that lets you body hop into a helpless victim. Variations over whether this kills them or leaves you in their body.
This one is powerful, but more plot-driven than something you can whip out in combat. The ritual can take as long as the DM feels is necessary to make it non-trivial, and can also be costly.
In a similar vein, the Rite of Stolen Life a certain hag knows could be some Hermit's Discovery.
You've found a means to achieve eternal youth.
This actually is pretty tame, possibly too weak. But flavorful.
Perhaps you found a fountain of youth, and know how to get back to it.
To make it more powerful (arguably too much so), you could know how to manipulate your own physical age at will, growing older or younger over an action, round, minute, or however long the DM feels is good enough. It's a discount disguise self in that you can only be yourself at different ages, but it still can be a very effective aid to disguise.
Probably a monk has the best fluff excuse for having learned such a body-control technique.
You're a Warlock with a Fiend Patron. Your Patron is your discovery: an Imp you freed from a prison by learning its true name. It is more active in your life than some Patrons, possibly even serving as a Variant Familiar. Likely letting you get a different Pact than that of the Chain at level 3, since you already have a familiar.
Multiclassing or angering your Patron actually has a consequence of losing you your familiar, too. Unless he approves of the multiclass, anyway.
You've learned a secret language that you're not a member of the class or tribe who would normally know it. Primordial (as per the Storm Sorcerer) or Druidic, for example.
This is on the weaker end, being one, maybe 4 extra languages, but could be cool and imply ties to a people or organization that normally you couldn't get without being a specific class.
You've learned a trick that is (part of) the equivalent of a feat.
Maybe you can climb without using double movement (from the Athletics feat)
This would also be a much better Urchin Feature than the one they have.
Maybe you have mnemonics to give you perfect recall (from Keen Mind)
Maybe you know how to always tell North (also from Keen Mind)
Maybe you've learned a cantrip (from Magic Initiate)
Maybe you've learned a single ritual (from Ritual Caster, but without needing the book, and you can't learn more)
Find familiar would be a good one for fluff reasons
You've learned the identities of all the Masked Lords of Waterdeep.
You've learned the secret language of beasts, but they don't know you can understand them, enabling you to eavesdrop and gain valuable information about your surroundings as well as their intent.
In your hermitage, you took refuge in what you thought was an abandoned ruin. When the continent-spanning secret society that has met there every year for centuries arrived, they assumed you a new member, or an old, old one, and you picked up all of their secret signs and codes and no small amount of their plans. You can identify them and pass yourself off as one of them of nearly any rank.
You've figured out how to make Tenser's floating disk actually move around within its range rather than having to drag it into position, and can even ride around on it. You still have to learn the spell by being a caster,at first level in order to justify this, though.
This one is also on the higher-power end. Shenanigans can be gotten up to with this kind of technique.
You're a Warlock, but you obtained your power by being changed by some energy in an artifact or at a site of power, and are your own Patron. Further, you can empower others, serving as their Patron of the same type you are to yourself.
A variation on this would be that your hermetic wanderings carried you to strange places, and eventually outside reality, where you learned many secrets both out of interest and necessity to survive. But now...you have found your way home, back to this world, but you no longer FIT. Your discovery involves great knowledge of the Beyond or the Far Realm or the Feywild, and powers there that are truly on par with a Great Old One or an Archfey or the like, but you're having to squeeze yourself back into this smaller reality with more limited dimensions, and so your Warlock level represents how much of your otherworldly nature you can manifest as you learn to pry open the space enough to insert more and more of yourself.
You've learned a song that only great training can allow anyone to play or sing, but which, played correctly, opens certain places of power, and you know where a few of those are.
You have irrefutable proof that you are the true heir to a mighty throne, but protecting it and getting to a place where you can use that to take it is another story.

That's my best list for now. Which ones seem questionable? Which ones seem cool? Which ones seem worthless? Any ideas of your own? I'll add more, possibly here or possibly to another post, if I come up with any.

[Sorinth]

My all-time favourite is understanding that XP and levels are a real thing.

Bonus points if you are allowed to swap the feature for the Sage's one where you are a Discredited Sage whose thesis was on how killing goblins actually makes you more likely to survive being stabbed.

[Chad.e.clark]

I would be very suspect of any attempt to gain any specfic mechanical advantage from the Hermit's background. No semi-feats, no changing of spell characteristics. The Hermit's Discovery should be 100% fluff, or it risks diving into Mary Sue territory, imo.

For example, if you want to say the hermit discovered a ritual to summon a long-lost type of familiar, cool story that I can totally get into, but the way it will play out is either a) you have a pet, not a familiar, so it cannot do any of the things people actually want a familiar for, or b) if you can already cast Find Familiar, the re-discovered familiar is going to use the exact same stat-block as another type of familiar you have access to, fluff it as a mini-dragon, a pocket sized Mothra, or a pokemon, its stat block will be a raven.

[Segev]

I would be very suspect of any attempt to gain any specfic mechanical advantage from the Hermit's background. No semi-feats, no changing of spell characteristics. The Hermit's Discovery should be 100% fluff, or it risks diving into Mary Sue territory, imo.

For example, if you want to say the hermit discovered a ritual to summon a long-lost type of familiar, cool story that I can totally get into, but the way it will play out is either a) you have a pet, not a familiar, so it cannot do any of the things people actually want a familiar for, or b) if you can already cast Find Familiar, the re-discovered familiar is going to use the exact same stat-block as another type of familiar you have access to, fluff it as a mini-dragon, a pocket sized Mothra, or a pokemon, its stat block will be a raven.

While I agree that you should carefully watch any potential Discovery for being too much mechanical advantage, the other Background Features each give mechanical advantages. If the Discovery gives none, it goes from being cool and open-ended to pointless fluff that doesn't do anything and thus is extremely restricted to fluff that cannot impact the game. This is hardly a "powerful discovery," let alone in line with other Backgrounds' Features.

It needs to strike a balance between too good and not good enough, and "it can't have any advantage" is "not good enough."

[Mud Puppy]

I took this background with my first character, a beastmaster ranger, and my DM allowed me to use it (and backstory elements) to have a Dire wolf as my companion at level 3.

Was it cliche? Absolutely. OP or game breaking? Nope.

I like what you've done here with alternate secrets, this is certainly a bunch of really creative things that I wish I'd seen a few years ago when I was planning to take this background.

[Evaar]

I think an extra language is right on the level of utility you should get from this feature. I like the idea of picking up Druidic as a non-Druid.

Or the perfect recall from Keen Mind, also, I think is a good candidate given how likely anyone is to take that feat anyway.

I would not allow someone to get around the limitations of Tenser's Floating Disk or pick more powerful familiars than normal. That exceeds the utility level established by other backgrounds.

Eternal Youth is an interesting one, because it's huge for the character but will likely have no mechanical effect in the game (other than maybe immunity from magical effects that would age you, which... okay?) Could be a good story seed if word gets out and someone wants to know - basically using it like the Noble background feature to gain an audience, but with a possible threat of knowing a less scrupulous figure might try to forcefully take that secret if you won't/can't share it.

[Chad.e.clark]

While I agree that you should carefully watch any potential Discovery for being too much mechanical advantage, the other Background Features each give mechanical advantages. If the Discovery gives none, it goes from being cool and open-ended to pointless fluff that doesn't do anything and thus is extremely restricted to fluff that cannot impact the game. This is hardly a "powerful discovery," let alone in line with other Backgrounds' Features.

It needs to strike a balance between too good and not good enough, and "it can't have any advantage" is "not good enough."


What is the best background perk and what is the worst from PHB? Off the top of my head i remember a few.
Fast travel in the city from urchin didnt seem to do much for you. Entertainer earning free room and board isnt earth shattering. Outlander's can forage for berries like nobody's business.
Soldier's can "exert influence" in the form of some mundane equipment and horses.
Sages can research lore really well.

Out of all of those, the mundane equipment and horses are the most impactful at low levels. But at the end of the day, most are not mechanically impactful past Tier 1. Fluff over crunch.

[Sigreid]

Several related or friendly deities are actually one entity that wears different "masks" to appeal to different groups or just to avoid boredom.

The dogma of a particular deity is full of misconceptions and the entity has revealed this to the pious hermit who is the only one that has the real story.

[Segev]

What is the best background perk and what is the worst from PHB? Off the top of my head i remember a few.
Fast travel in the city from urchin didnt seem to do much for you. Entertainer earning free room and board isnt earth shattering. Outlander's can forage for berries like nobody's business.
Soldier's can "exert influence" in the form of some mundane equipment and horses.
Sages can research lore really well.

Out of all of those, the mundane equipment and horses are the most impactful at low levels. But at the end of the day, most are not mechanically impactful past Tier 1. Fluff over crunch.

The Urchin's is by far the most underwhelming to me. I have never, in any edition of any D&D game, or even any RPG, seen travel time across town be a big deal. I can, if I try, construct a scenario where it might matter, but such chase scenes are rare to begin with, and the "race to get the cure to the old man" or similar usually don't happen in town so much as across wilderness. And, too, I haven't actually seen one in practice where there was mechanical oomph behind it. Just a plot-time travel sense, with obstacles or hazards that might slow you down.

Free lodging is a very common one. The Acolyte gets it in churches, the Entertainer in taverns or sometimes nobles' houses, the Guild Artisan might get it at a guildhall (and other perks, but the lodgings aren't guaranteed), the folk hero gets it from commoners (who also will take minor Anne Frank-style risks to hide Robin Hood from the Sheriff of Nottingham). The Sailor gets easy access to passage on boats - extremely situational, and not free because he has to fluff that he's working as a hand, but he can get hired and get the party hired with him. These are all middling.

Of the lodging ones, I might rate the Guild Artisan and the Folk Hero and the Entertainer higher: each has some extra perks. The Artisan's Guild has political clout, and can help with legal representation, provide standing and backing, introduce them to places of interest, etc. The Folk Hero, as mentioned, can get more than just shelter; he can get aid which may or may not be clandestine. The Entertainer isn't guaranteed this, but if he gets lodgings with a noble patron, he can finagle those into introductions that are the primary benefit of the Noble Feature.

The Noble Feature is a little bit better, because it gives social benefits with most RP situations: in dealing with commoners, your natural airs and behaviors earn you an instinctive respect, and while they might not open up to you, you can get a certain amount of obedience and compliance from them; in dealing with nobles, you fit in and can get introductions in your own right, which can often be a hurdle to certain solutions to more urban adventures, as well as an obstacle in some remote adventures where you need to deal with a problem but the authorities are scoffing at your superstitious nonsense or the like. They are more likely to heed a fellow noble with this Feature.

The Sage's Feature is likewise a plot-coupon-earner: it gives you an excuse to just ask the DM for relevant information rather than having to guess or hunt for it, and, if the DM rules that you absolutely have no way of knowing it from your prior research, he still tells you who you know or what resources to seek out to learn it. No flailing about on investigations. Yes, I know, DMs "should" be giving you hooks to this information anyway, but this can leap several of the hurdles at once, and avoid red herrings. And if it's not plot-relevant, but is instead side-plot relevant or personal-interest, it gets you the information that might otherwise be a brick wall due to its lack.

The Archeologist (a Background from Tomb of Annihilation) is actually very useful in certain types of campaigns. Any sandbox, hex crawl, dungeon-crawl like one, the ability to just KNOW what the buildings were built for and used for has given the dwarven ranger in my game insights that have saved the party lots of time, and helped them make a lot of good preparatory choices. This one is going to be a little more campaign-dependent, though.

The Pirate's Feature is actually darned amazing. It empowers the murderhobo in a way that will give DMs nightmares if abused, and encourages and empowers players who are not playing murderhobos but are playing "dangerous" types so they can get away with playing up the archetype. It isn't free lodgings, but it's free food. It lets you play rough with the environment without the constabulary coming down on you in force. It also carries with it an implicit respect; you get to play the guy who enters the room and everyone goes quiet, gets very respectful, and gives you what you want and hopes your attention moves on. Having a Feature like this might sound like something you can just get from RPing, but you'd be surprised how many DMs assume that, if it's a PC being rough and scary, everyone pulls weapons and starts threatening them back, even if the PC could literally murder them all and the only thing stopping him is a desire NOT to hurt them. Never mind that they look funny at you if you don't show their supremely powerful and dangerous NPCs the quivering respect they deserve. This Feature codifies the expected behavior for you playing Black Bart the Terrifying when he saunters into the tavern.

The Charlatan actually has a Feature that is equivalent to a focused version of the 9th level Assassin Subclass feature. Now, this might be more an indictment of the Assassin Subclass than a laud for the Charlatan, but having an alternate identity means you can not only slip in and out of it at will for your convenience, but that you can bluster and fake almost any other socially-oriented Background's Feature. Is your false identity a wealthy merchant or noble? You can get the Noble's Feature if you work it just a little, or maybe the Guild MErchant/ARtisan's. Are you a competent performer? Your fake ID being a famous bard (whether you've earned the rep or are aping somebody else's) can get you the Entertainer's free lodgings. A fake priest can get lodgings at temples. It won't get you the Outlander's foraging or the Hermit's Discovery or the Sage's knowledge of where to go to get the right knowledge, but it can let you fake a second Background.

In the right hands, though, I think the Criminal's Feature of having underground contacts is one of the most useful. Information gathering, hiring muscle, getting little favors done, and even hunting down specific items that might be hard-to-get (even legal ones, but especially black market) are all things this opens up. The ability to FIND the black market or the criminal underworld or the like is often hard for PCs. Even rogues in my experience have to prove their bona fides before they're trusted. This Feature bypasses that: you're a known criminal or you're already a friend of a cousin of a friend who is trusted by the right wrong people. It's not overwhelmingly powerful; it won't duplicate all the others' Features or anything. But it's the one that I think is most likely to see use.

The Outlander already basically HAS the "find north" part of Keen Mind. Not exactly, but the wilderness navigation it has is practically the same when used in play. (Combine with a Ranger in his Favored Terrain and it's insanely good at negating all the challenge of exploring overland, what with foraging skill and all.)

I am not sure how to rate the Soldier; that one is nebulous on what, exactly, he CAN requisition. Or maybe I just need to reread it.

Those are what I remember.

[Chronos]

Keep in mind, there's a difference between knowing how to do something, and being able to do it. Like, you know how to step "feyward": Well, sure, everyone knows that, you do it by casting the Feyward Step spell. What's that, can I actually cast it? Of course not; that spell is 3rd level, and I'm not even sure I'm going to pick it as a spell known.

[Segev]

Keep in mind, there's a difference between knowing how to do something, and being able to do it. Like, you know how to step "feyward": Well, sure, everyone knows that, you do it by casting the Feyward Step spell. What's that, can I actually cast it? Of course not; that spell is 3rd level, and I'm not even sure I'm going to pick it as a spell known.

If that's an actual printed spell, I was unaware of it.

The thought behind that particular Discovery was that it's not a spell. It's that you know the "hidden paths" or whatever you want to term it, which lets you "mundanely" walk back and forth, taking however long the DM decides it takes.

Usually not going to be something that will break a campaign, but might make for different travel options.

Also, if "everyone knows" it, it's hardly a "powerful discovery."

I'm not going to say all of these are good; several of them are probably overpowered for a Background Feature. This is half brainstorming exercise.

[T.G. Oskar]

The only time I used the Hermit background, I justified having Pelor, the Burning Hate (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiJlcaPmejoAhVrRN8KHXpYCUUQygQwAHoECAEQC A&url=https%3A%2F%2F1d4chan.org%2Fwiki%2FPelor%23Pel or.2C_the_Burning_Hate&usg=AOvVaw3AIad2AtlAiYMsRcbeYtvs), in the Forgotten Realms.

The idea was that my character, a cleric of Lathander, was a greedy bastard that sold his healing for money and got into an important position, and his god rebuked him by taking his powers at a very crucial moment, thus humiliating him. In that introspection, he learned that Lathander and Amaunator are but two aspects of a Triune god of the Sun, with Lathander being its Good aspect, Amaunator its Neutral aspect, and Pelor its Evil aspect. Pelor appears and convinces my character to become his high priest, but he declines, instead seeking to remain as a devotee of Lathander.

It didn't end up as a world-shaking event, but it set up a very interesting "side-quest" of sorts that finished with my character sorta becoming one of his Chosen. (Sorta because he didn't get the powers related to the actual Chosen; he did get Lightbringer in an improved form, and then managed to improve it even further.)

Again, it didn't amount to much over than giving color, but it was hilarious to have this legendary meme appear in my party. Dunno if the DM, in any case he makes a sequel to that campaign (it was Tyranny of Dragons, BTW) will have Pelor the Burning Hate appear once more, but its cool nonetheless.

[elyktsorb]

The Charlatan actually has a Feature that is equivalent to a focused version of the 9th level Assassin Subclass feature. Now, this might be more an indictment of the Assassin Subclass than a laud for the Charlatan, but having an alternate identity means you can not only slip in and out of it at will for your convenience, but that you can bluster and fake almost any other socially-oriented Background's Feature. Is your false identity a wealthy merchant or noble? You can get the Noble's Feature if you work it just a little, or maybe the Guild MErchant/ARtisan's. Are you a competent performer? Your fake ID being a famous bard (whether you've earned the rep or are aping somebody else's) can get you the Entertainer's free lodgings. A fake priest can get lodgings at temples. It won't get you the Outlander's foraging or the Hermit's Discovery or the Sage's knowledge of where to go to get the right knowledge, but it can let you fake a second Background.



I would argue that the Charlatan's background is objectively better than the Assassin's 9th lvl ability, just on the fact that the Assassin's ability won't let you create a false identity of being another person that exists, you always have to be a 'new' person. Theoretically a Charlatan could pretend to be any famous individual (within reason, *edit*actually no it doesn't have to be within reason, not if you roll well enough*edit end*) at the start of a campaign. And it's not even as if it would require any rolls, the background outright states you can assume that persona. You might have to lie your way through a few things and explain away some stuff, but you can create any document related to your identity so it wouldn't be too hard to get away with.

[Chronos]

Feyward Step isn't an actual printed spell. If it exists, it's homebrew, and its existence is probably known to only a few. So, hey, your hermit knows about a spell that most folks don't know about. There's your discovery.

But again, knowing how to do a thing isn't the same as being able to do it. Ask any barbarian how to cast Meteor Swarm, and they'll tell you that you do it by waving your hands around, holding onto a wand, and muttering some nonsense syllables. Doesn't mean a barbarian can cast it.

[Chad.e.clark]

Feyward Step isn't an actual printed spell. If it exists, it's homebrew, and its existence is probably known to only a few. So, hey, your hermit knows about a spell that most folks don't know about. There's your discovery.

But again, knowing how to do a thing isn't the same as being able to do it. Ask any barbarian how to cast Meteor Swarm, and they'll tell you that you do it by waving your hands around, holding onto a wand, and muttering some nonsense syllables. Doesn't mean a barbarian can cast it.

Yes! I have never played a barbarian before but that sounds like a character I want to play! Pick up Magic Initiate for Control Flames and Create Bonfire. "Oh, big fancy wizard makes fire! So can I, BEHOLD!! Magic ain't hard....."

[Segev]

Yes! I have never played a barbarian before but that sounds like a character I want to play! Pick up Magic Initiate for Control Flames and Create Bonfire. "Oh, big fancy wizard makes fire! So can I, BEHOLD!! Magic ain't hard....."

My only objection here is that that's not really a Discovery as a Background Feature. That's just taking a V. Human feat.

Now, if you're saying the Feature is giving you a Feat when you wouldn't otherwise have one, that may actually be too strong. A cantrip is what I'd think is the high end.

[Chad.e.clark]

My only objection here is that that's not really a Discovery as a Background Feature. That's just taking a V. Human feat.

Now, if you're saying the Feature is giving you a Feat when you wouldn't otherwise have one, that may actually be too strong. A cantrip is what I'd think is the high end.

Oh, sorry, I let myself get off-track, I wasn't thinking about it in regards to the Hermit's Discovery feature. I just meant it as a quirky character.

Back on track now, but now that I think about it, maybe Prestidigitation would be a good middle ground. Instantly light up a campfire. Very fluffy, just the right amount of crunch, I think. Would put the character in a position to be able to offer more to the party by thinking outside the box while not necessarily overshadowing them. Gives the chance for creative solutions to non-combat scenarios. Yep, I think this fits great with a Hermit. Someone who lives out in the wilderness all alone could definitely live comfortably with access to Prestidigitation.

[Lupine]

In my campaign, the Halfling Monk Hermit's discovery is that of a de-powered obelisk, which --if powered-- could open a portal to the abyss. Fascinated, he began to explore it, and now has additional knowledge about the planes, and planar travel. I use that to give him bonuses on Arcana, and history about things that relate to that knowledge. Not particularly useful, except when it is, such as a current side-quest involving a possible attempt to summon a greater devil.

The main quest is a race to find an artifact, which the monk believes could power the obelisk, if it fell to the wrong hands.

[Segev]

In my campaign, the Halfling Monk Hermit's discovery is that of a de-powered obelisk, which --if powered-- could open a portal to the abyss. Fascinated, he began to explore it, and now has additional knowledge about the planes, and planar travel. I use that to give him bonuses on Arcana, and history about things that relate to that knowledge. Not particularly useful, except when it is, such as a current side-quest involving a possible attempt to summon a greater devil.

The main quest is a race to find an artifact, which the monk believes could power the obelisk, if it fell to the wrong hands.

Yeah, things where the DM has a plot point he can use the Discovery to hook into and give the Hermit a leg up on pursuing it - on being "in the know" - are great.

I half-botched that with my Hermit in my game; he retired the character for unrelated reasons, so I ahven't had chance nor need to try to fix it. I gave him knowledge about some background alterations that I made to Tomb of Annihilation; the trouble is, that info wouldn't have been useful, just interesting, for him to bring to the table, which is why I feel I failed to help him get what he should have out of it.

[Lupine]

Yeah, things where the DM has a plot point he can use the Discovery to hook into and give the Hermit a leg up on pursuing it - on being "in the know" - are great.

I half-botched that with my Hermit in my game; he retired the character for unrelated reasons, so I ahven't had chance nor need to try to fix it. I gave him knowledge about some background alterations that I made to Tomb of Annihilation; the trouble is, that info wouldn't have been useful, just interesting, for him to bring to the table, which is why I feel I failed to help him get what he should have out of it.

Well, when all else fails, you can just say that the hermit has advantage or expertise on checks relating to the discovery, then try to make the discovery something where it can come up frequently enough to be interesting.

[Kurt Kurageous]

I had a thread that was this, asking for playground input. Here's the results. And yes, your have already been assimilated.

-The location of a buried Mind Flayer starship from Spelljammer. Millennia old.
-Though they're no longer in the campaign, my group's hermit discovered an ancient dragon deep in the forest... in a world where no dragons older than adult have been seen in decades
- Location of wellspring of Holy water
- Mead of Poetry receipt
- Name and location of ancient wise dragon
- Means to travel 10,000 years into the future
- The place where the root of Yggdrassil emerges at the surface
- That there is a constant power struggle between Moon and Land druid circles
- The when and where the new messiah is born
- That the head of holy order is actually a Bronze Dragon in disguise
- What actually happened in Forgotten Realms during the Dawn Cataclysm
- How to train your dragon
- Theory of solipsism
-That there existed something on the other side of the cellar door after all.
-location of stable portal to sigil
-a magic ritual to permanently seal away magic from a place, item, or even person
-secret alchemical beer recipes that can get anyone; even a God; drunk for all eternity
-A method for unlocking, or closing, the way to the Far Realm performable only from the deepest Ocean depths
-secret, often dangerous, routes through the fey realms and shadow plane that connect wild places through the world
-that one star in the sky is really a crystal sphere containing a whole other inhabited plane
-Mine discovered an heretofore unknown herb which cures blindness and causes hunger.
-That Ramses, the famed golden luchador who took over the Orc monastery where my character was trained, is actually a Dragonborn
-discovered by accident the process for creating dragonsteel
-What happens if you take both the blue and red pill at the same time
-How to extract piumo from the buds of the piumo poppies
- That the moon is actually an artificial prism, yearning to be destroyed. Plot Twist: The world is also artificial, and the Moon is a manufactured shardmind creation that keeps the world's artificial weather system in check.
- That the entire world was built over the top of a technologically advanced one. Drow and Dwarves in the Underdark are aware of this, but they keep this information very secret.
- The secret of gnomish technology. It uses the same source as bardic magic as a form of short-lived, unstable energy. But where Bards can use it to bend luck, gnomish technology turns it into unbridled chaos, which is why gnomish technology never makes much sense and can't really be taught.
- That the hostility of orcs comes from their divine connection to their deity, and that connection can be severed.
- Secret pathways between planes that though risky can allow people to visit other planes even if they don't have the magic to make the trip.
- A form of blade singing that is teachable to anyone
- That Ubtao and Mystral were lovers, and she was pregnant with their child who died with her at Karsus’s Folly.
- It was not five heroes who killed the dread Cthulhu and stopped the summoning of Azathoth, but six. The Gods erased our memory of the sixth hero.
- The bloodline of the king was connected to aboleth machinations

[TigerT20]

- That the hostility of orcs comes from their divine connection to their deity, and that connection can be severed.


How did they find that one out? Read the PHB entry on half-orcs?

[Segev]

How did they find that one out? Read the PHB entry on half-orcs?

"My hermitage was an exile to an alien world. A world with only humans. And strange mechanical carriages, and magic mirrors that can answer any question if phrased correctly. In it, tomes held deep truths about the underlying rules of our reality!"

[Luccan]

I think it should be actionable, without immediately giving the player power. Actionable how is another question. It might be something the player never wants to do (how to become one of the Lords of the Nine Hells for a good character, for instance), which might be more of a plot detail (being pursued for the secret, trying to stop someone because only you know how they can do it) or it could be something like some of those listed above (where a Spelljammer is located could lead to riches, power, and treasure beyond your wildest dreams)

[Pex]

For Eberron:

What caused the Mournland.
What's the purpose of the Dragonmarks.