All of the Forbidden Knowledge!

[DontEatRawHagis]

So I'm planning an encounter in my game where the players come across an NPC who has all of the Forbidden Knowledge at its finger types.

This includes:
*How to become a Lich.
*Spells using human components...

I don't have a good idea what else it might know. Any ideas?

[braveheart]

knowledge of a ritual that allows one to become a god, at the small cost of 100,009 human souls, 20,000 elven souls, 54,321 dwarven souls, and 725,314 squirrel souls.

Also Cthulhu's mailing address

exactly where each and every god is ticklish

and the terrasques favorite snack (half elves boiled into a stew along with 10 pounds of potatoes and another 5 of apples per half elf)

[Amidus Drexel]

Extensive knowledge of the Far Realms, aberrations, elder evils, etc. Think "long-term plans of the illithids and aboleths" or "How exactly to make a safe portal to the Far Realm" and the like.

Familiarity with vestiges, demons, Baator's politics, evil gods, etc. beyond just knowledge of their existence. Perhaps this NPC has some idea of how to ritually summon them (as opposed to casting a summoning spell) or maybe they're just really well-read on the Abyss.

Detailed knowledge of sacrificial rites and things of that nature - even ones that don't necessarily do anything magical.

Alternately, just grab a CoC book and have this NPC know offhand anything that would require a SAN roll.

[jedipotter]

''The Seven Secret Words to make anyone fall in love with you''

"How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootise-pop?''

"Who let the dogs out?''

"What does the fox say?''

[Orderic]

And of course, the most terrible of all secrets: All of reality is created only so some beings, even more powerfull than the gods, can play with it for their entertainment.

Also, he could have rituals that are the basis of modern spells. Instead of casting a fireball, he knows how to perform a ritual that conjures a giant ball of flame, turning to ashes all it engulfs. Of course, there is a much greater cost involved than in a simple fireball...

[veti]

knowledge of a ritual that allows one to become a god, at the small cost of 100,009 human souls, 20,000 elven souls, 54,321 dwarven souls, and 725,314 squirrel souls.

None of which is really necessary, you can wing the whole thing with 20cc's of goat's milk, a long-handled flyswatter and a passing grade in Home Economics. It's just that people seem to feel better about it, if you make it look more complicated.

[Sith_Happens]

* A surprising number of things about frogs.

[Slipperychicken]

He knows the muffin man.

He knows why the caged bird sings.

He knows exactly how many (of any noun) it takes to screw in a lightbulb.

He knows why kids like cinnamon toast crunch.

He knows why people eat fried butter on a stick.

He knows if you've been naughty.

He knows if you've been nice.

He knows what you did last summer.

He knows your True Name.

He knows where you live.

He knows your cell phone number.

He knows how many ways there are to skin a cat.

He knows the secret to success.

He knows how to throw a party.

He knows that he shouldn't let on how much he knows..

He knows the best way to keep a secret is to not know it.

He knows how to forget.

He knows nothing.

He knows that he knows nothing.

[Sith_Happens]

He knows that he shouldn't let on how much he knows..

He knows the best way to keep a secret is to not know it.

He knows how to forget.

He knows nothing.

He knows that he knows nothing.

He is Jon Snow.

[braveheart]

he knows which starks will die
he knows shepherd's backstory
he knows why there wasn't a second season of firefly
he knows the question who's answer is 42 (how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?)
he knows that the answer is 42
he knows where Waldo is
he knows where, and when is Carmen Sandiego

*edit* (I forgot a good one)
he knows the name of the doctor

[sktarq]

He may also know things like who committed what political maneuver 3 generations ago and slept with the queen to actually make that Duke illegitimate.
How to send a soul to any given afterlife.
the command words for evil magical items and possibly even the location/history of artifacts.
the proper way to cook an animal held as holy or protected within the region
How to brew lots of poisons and where to get the components
actualy may have a copy of any evil descriptor spell
depending on system any number of mecanial things.
How to write in the language of the civilization that was here before humans and can show they were not horrible monsters that is the social and political foundation of why certain members are held in esteem (heros from the war etc

[nedz]

He knows which parts of which monsters are edible; and also which taste of chicken, and which don't.

He knows the recipe for making all kinds of fried chicken, and fizzy drinks as well.

He knows shepherd's backstory

ISBN-10: 1595825614
ISBN-13: 978-1595825612

[mikeejimbo]

He's the only character allowed to break the fourth wall, acknowledges the DM and acknowledges that he's an NPC being played by the DM, meaning he knows everything the DM knows. This implies he knows literally everything about the world.

[Red Fel]

Sometimes, what he knows is slightly less terrifying than how he knows it. Say the PCs stumble into his cottage one day, and find him having tea with a cloaked figure who radiates evil and WRONGNESSPAINHURTANGERREDBLOODFURY. He calmly looks up at the PCs, sighs, turns to the whydoesheexistITHURTSdoesheseemeOHGODnailsonachalk board person and says, "Perhaps we should continue this another time." The figure nods, and is simply gone. The guy then smiles at the PCs, "That was just my friend, A- well, let's not use his name, shall we? What can I do for you?"

Almost-outright-stating that he has a familiar relationship with cosmic horror is a great way to both state and imply just how much he knows. You don't even need to state it outright - he doesn't keep a Dewey Decimal system of forbidden knowledge, complete with index, now does he? Leave a bit to the imagination.

[Gravitron5000]

he knows why there wasn't a second season of firefly

This ties back to what the fox (executive) says.

[Jay R]

He knows how to make a better-tasting omelette by ruthlessly crushing dozens of eggs beneath his steel boot and then publicly disemboweling the chickens that laid them as a warning to others.

On a serious note, he knows voodoo - how to make living zombies.

[Lord Raziere]

he knows how to save Warhammer 40,000 from all of its certain dooms.

[DontEatRawHagis]

Sometimes, what he knows is slightly less terrifying than how he knows it. Say the PCs stumble into his cottage one day, and find him having tea with a cloaked figure who radiates evil and WRONGNESSPAINHURTANGERREDBLOODFURY.

Almost-outright-stating that he has a familiar relationship with cosmic horror is a great way to both state and imply just how much he knows. You don't even need to state it outright - he doesn't keep a Dewey Decimal system of forbidden knowledge, complete with index, now does he? Leave a bit to the imagination.

Ironically he is the Dewey Decimal System of forbidden knowledge personified.
:D

[Geostationary]

Ironically he is the Dewey Decimal System of forbidden knowledge personified.
:D

000-Secrets known to one, general treachery
100-A Philosophy of Treason and true appeals to Oblivion
200-The sins of the gods and spirits
300-How to control friends and manipulate people (en masse)
400-Names (hidden and revealed)
500-Understanding of the world as it Is
600-Technology
700-What your friends do behind closed doors
800-Tomes
900-A Nice and Accurate History of the World

[Aedilred]

Spells from earlier editions.

How many roads a man must walk down.

It's kind of hard to work out what constitutes "forbidden knowledge" in a magic-heavy setting where the undead, for instance, are a relatively common occurrence. A lot of it will be setting-dependent.

But on the other hand it doesn't really matter, since he's not going to tell the PCs all his forbidden knowledge just for the heck of it. All you have to imply is that he knows the answers, then you feed them the stuff they need/you want them to know, which is presumably much easier to determine.

[icefractal]

* How to use Defiler magic (works everywhere, not just Athas).
* The method to walk between planes, no spell required (it would suck if Demons learned that).
* Spells that stack with themselves, infinitely.
* How to make anyone transform into a monster immediately, instead of at the usual time
... wait, what 'usual time'?!
* The formula for Type Z poison - the kind that makes the victim retroactively never have existed.

[Jay R]

If he looks in your eyes, he will know That Secret.

[daremetoidareyo]

Craft construct and other crafting magic/wondrous items.

how to get a body graft,

where to go to get spell components that maximize and extend a spell, "you want a repeating fireball, you're gonna use desmodu bat entrails...Desmodu bats are known to frequent the sorrowful forest a click and a half east from here"

how to research a novel spell, "so you want to summon pseudonatural creatures, huh? Well, first off, you have the find the tome reng fahng, I think it used to be in the library of acropoliss, which was sacked by orcs of dern sharnoth. It's probably under the rubble, that guy wrote that tome entirely out of earth elemental casings. Once you read it, you have to think of reality like window blinds, and boom, play with that a bit, and you'll have the scariest wolflike nevermonsters of the land"

the weakest point for attacking a any city

Forbidden acupuncture points that unlock your hidden talent

how to get to a planar touchstone

The weak point of your deity to convince them to give you access to a nonlisted domain for a day

how to get a bangin familiar like an imp, mephit, elysian thrush, tandem psychic war-mouse, instead of your lame *** toad

How to impersonate a doppleganger and doppleganger politics

The proper and most likely way to seduce a satyr, or any fey.

Best fighting tactics against anything (fiend immunities)

The best torture tactics against any race.

+2 competence bonuses for survival skills in any environment through awesome advice

how your campaigns' cosmology actually works

how a sorcerer can replace a spell without levelling up,

anything about psionics

[Sith_Happens]

* How to build a better mousetrap.

[russdm]

I would say he knows the Forbidden Knowledge that is most important:

That he is in a game and that he knows the Characters' Stats and has seen their Character sheets.

[Orderic]

He knows how to... homebrew. He can create his own rules, classes, feats, monsters, items and other things.

[nedz]

I would say he knows the Forbidden Knowledge that is most important:

That he is in a game and that he knows the Characters' Stats and has seen their Character sheets.

He also knows the Player's names, addresses and phone numbers — and how to summon demons to real world locations.

[LokiRagnarok]

Ironically he is the Dewey Decimal System of forbidden knowledge personified.
:D

I believe this may be thematically appropriate:

http://youtu.be/U4nTq17Ml_E

More to the point: He knows what could have been.
He knows the secrets your parents kept from you and you are only supposed to learn when the time is right.
He knows how to draw from the Deck of Many Things - the proper way.

[Slipperychicken]

He knows how to... homebrew. He can create his own rules, classes, feats, monsters, items and other things.

So he's the Sarrukh?

[Guizonde]

Knowledge (4th wall). Yup, he knows he's an NPC, he even knows the PC's real names (Grok the barbarian is actually a guy named Tom), and all the pc's can do is....


... Deal with it!