Tab Creations @tabcreations.com · Apr 2 What's your favorite way to drop hints about an NPC's betrayal without spoiling the moment? #ttrpg #dnd #rpg #meme #ttrpgsky #ttrpgcommunity
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In Call of Cthulhu an all time favourite was where I had a "human" ally who'd been sympathetic for the whole scenario drop the words "your species" into a nonchalant chat and everyone just stopped, like "wait... what?"
Just gentle foreshadowing. Allowing the higher insight among the group to notice some regret in their eyes, or them being spotted whispering to themselves in a corner. Stuff like that. If its something more complicated like a Slaad shapeshifter, then I'll get them to get details wrong in stories.
I somehow have created several potent Frienemies for my PCs. I rarely intend too, but they fall in love with every antagonist who isn't also a villain.
Our DM just makes then cartoonish like "You meet Might Backstabee, a rogue with a long black mustache twirled on either end and a top hat." It's our fault for being oblivious
I prefer to use other NPCs that notice subtle details about the character & drop it casually in the middle of current events & conversation. Such as mentioning, off hand, that the betrayer reminds them of the right hand of the bbeg while discussing an item the party is looking for.
@tabcreations.com I honestly feel like when that happens the DM should shift course and not have that NPC do the betraying. It's such an overused trope. Have someone else do it. Maybe even go as far as having the NPC admit that they were going to do it, and changed their mind. Now that would be […]
Depends on what the betrayal will be but like you can do anything except for telling them straight up and they won't get it. One time I had a campaign where the guy that gave everyone orders was exporting massive amounts of blood to aliens and it took until he tried to kill them for them to get it.
My players figured out long ago that any guest NPC is there to antagonize the character of the player who is closest to the guest. Especially after my wife stole her son's magic sword in the 3rd or 4th session of the game (4 years ago).
Straight up having the npc tell them is gonna happen. "Aye, I'm gonna hate stabbin ya someday... grab us a pint! Next round is on me!"
Naming them any variation of Cain, Kain, or Kane might work. 😅
Rudeness and grandiosity Puts PCs on their heels right off the bat
"We Already know yur name! Heros from town over! Right?" later NPC Paladin helps them escape by a rope bridge, cuts it dropping the party into river leading to cave system where they had to fight ghouls for 3 sessions finding the other past party members from that town over. His name was Perfidy.
I mainly run World of Darkness games, so my players should assume EVERY NPC is going to betray them.
Hints? Why would I give them hints?
With my current players, I can count on them betraying the NPC before I even get to the betrayal.
(Also, Anna Kendrick can betray me to my painful death and I'll still never stop loving her.)
Unwilling or justified betrayals, IMO, are the easiest to foreshadow, because you really can put the circumstances right out in the open. The NPC's child died long ago. (Known. Sad. PCs are sympathetic. But they are also (probably unknowingly) working for the BBEG who killed the kid.)
Maybe not dropping hints in the traditional sense, but I had a player in a PF1 game who was doing a Persona bit, and wanted someone to be their twist villain. Then I found the Alter Ego template, which is basically a Shadow from Persona. So I got to have them meet two versions of the same character.
one time, a person directly told the group: "whenever i find a good opportunity, then i probably will betray you".
Have the motives in mind so that it naturally colours interactions leading up to the heel turn.
He's just charming from the beginning and offers whatever for free.