Previously, on Blog Post Z: Return of the Turncoat Villain.
You want to write a mastermind villain, but your players outsmart your dastardly schemes. Good news, everyone! You don’t have to be a super-genius to write one. You just have to sell the illusion of a crazy-smart villain. By tricking your players into doing the villain’s bidding and then gloriously revealing the treachery, we give the eternal impression that our villain is smart, capable, and dangerous. I called these two-faced evil-doers “turncoats”. I spelled out my 5-step method for dramatically fooling your players for fun and profit, which was:
Clear Goal —> Deny Information —> Establish Trust —> Secure the ‘Yes’ —> Dramatic Reveal
Now that you’re up to speed, I’m going to sketch out three examples: two hypothetical, and one that I actually did (and still can’t believe I pulled off). Let these inspire you to make scheming masterminds that your players will love to hate.
Always Read the Fine Print
For our first example, let’s start with the most straightforward of turncoats: the secretly evil town magistrate. Let’s call this hidden foe…Dran. Our motley band of heroes wanders into a new town. All of the townsfolk seem nervous and distrustful of outsiders. A guard tells the party that there has been some unsettling violence of late. Also, that Dran has a plan to make the town safe again. The real story is that Dran rules with an iron fist! Anyone Dran deems ‘disloyal’ is dragged off in the night and is never heard from again. Some dissidents have started to organize in the nearby mountains and Dran plans to hire the heroes to find and kill the would-be revolutionaries.
Clear Goal:
I need you to deal with some bandits in the mountains who are actually just escaped prisoners and resistance fighters. (remember, the secret part is in italics)
Deny Information:
Our man Dran saw the party coming and told the frightened populace that any chatting with the newcomers was punishable by death. Everyone willing or able to disobey that edict has long since joined up with the mountain rebels. The only points of contact for the party are the guard who directs them toward Dran and the magistrate himself. So, they only get Dran’s version of events. Don’t let the players see any evidence of the abductions, torture, and murder on this first tour of the town. They are being led on a specific path and told a specific story. All visible evidence backs that story up.
Establish Trust:
Dran is (or seems to be) desperately searching for an answer to those darned bandits. They’re kidnapping people from their homes at night and doing who-knows-what to them, and it has to stop! We need to place the blame for all of the town’s problems, whether Dran-caused or not, on these ‘foreign marauders’. Also, we need Dran to seem outgunned and outmatched. He’s at the end of his rope, and the party is his last hope.
Secure the ‘Yes’:
Dran is not just offering money for dealing with the bandit problem. He’s also throwing in shelter, food, smithing & livery services – everything a party needs to rest and recuperate. He knows by reputation that the party isn’t aligned with those ruffians. But the local tavern and forge have lost family to the night raids. If the party can show the town that it’s safe to go outside and trade with outsiders then they would have a safe haven for life. Are they still not biting? Maybe the bandits made off with some of Dran’s magical family heirlooms. “I never learned how to use them, but if they can help you they’re yours.”. Also, implying that the bandits will conduct another raid within 48 hours to put the party on a ticking clock.
Dramatic Reveal:
The first clue that something is not quite as advertised is: When the party runs into a ‘bandit’ scout near the encampment, and they’re less a bloodthirsty barbarian and more a scared child. The ‘well-armed and scary’ bandits are actually civilians just trying to get by. The camp is poor and poorly guarded. These displaced people mainly use the treacherous terrain to hide from Dran’s police force. Everyone in the camp takes one look at the swords and armor of the party and lays down their weapons. Asking only that the children be allowed to escape and live free. Assuming that the party doesn’t slaughter these defenseless innocents, the leadership of the encampment tells the party the real story. Cue your players vowing painful revenge on that dreadful Dran.
Seeing Where the Wind is Blowing
Why don’t we look at an actual turncoat, as in someone who is defecting to the other side. Our resident antagonist (named Leena, why not) has realized that she’s fighting for the losing side, and plans to use our heroes to get her across safely. In this example, the big bad isn’t the one deceiving the party, but the power of the turncoat trick is so great that Leena may go from henchwoman to nemesis right quick.
Clear Goal:
Get me safely out of the city so I can deliver this intel to the main villain.
Deny Information:
The crux of Leena’s lie is a very misleading truth. She is looking for an escort and safe passage, and she will be killed if her platoon finds out what she’s done, but not because she’s doing a good thing. She has stolen battle plans from the good guy army and plans to use them to endear herself to the big bad. We have to set up some plausibility here – the party should have the impression that the good guy army has been corrupted and that a coup against their leadership in favor of the big bad is imminent. Leena knows of these rumors and uses slightly vague language and innuendo to imply that she’s trying to warn the good guy army not garrisoned in the city, rather than the bad guy army amassing somewhat close by.
Establish Trust:
Again, we have “I desperately need your help” as the driving force here, but it happens to be true. Leena is desperate because the garrison is not as corrupt as the party believes and her treason has been discovered. She is more than willing to play up the ‘damsel in distress’ role if she thinks the party is the gallant type. Lies are easier to swallow if they’re coated in truth. Make sure that the good guy army has been unwilling to meet with the party (because the big bad’s spies are everywhere) to make the party suspicious – silence makes the mind wander. Leena will lean into that air of distrust and paranoia, and try to present herself as a political refugee seeking asylum (again, technically true).
Secure the ‘Yes’:
There are not one but two ticking clocks driving the party to help Leena. First, she was made when she stole the battle plans and had to quickly escape. The party doesn’t need to know what’s in those plans, but when pressed she’ll ‘admit’ that they’re plans for an ambush written by the usurpers. In reality, they’re troop movements and guard rotations within the city, but that stays between us, understood? The second point of urgency is that the coup will happen very soon (like tonight or tomorrow night) and if she wasn’t safe now it’s only going to get much, much worse. Help me adventuring party-Wan Kenobi: you’re my only hope.
Dramatic Reveal:
Depending on your tastes, Leena’s treachery can be revealed in all sorts of ways. Perhaps she thanks and pays the party and vanishes into the twilight… right before some guards show up explaining what plans she stole. She could travel with the party for some time and sneak off in the night, leaving an apologetic note (because she’s really come to like the party) detailing her defection. Or, she could lead the party right into the heart of enemy territory, selling them out to the first scout squad she sees. Just figure out where you want the party to end up (in the city, out in the wilderness, captured by the enemy) and time your reveal appropriately. The party may declare a blood feud against Leena – this is perfectly normal, just take two aspirin and call me in the morning. Next patient!
Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts
What follows is a description of the greatest con I’ve ever pulled off as a GM. There is no reason that I should’ve gotten away with this, but I knew my players and had a plan. This is the story of how I got my players to march Strahd von Zarovich into the house of the woman he planned to kidnap.
Quick context: Curse of Strahd is an excellent pre-made adventure for Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a gothic horror playground, and the big bad is a vampire lord named Strahd. My players had just killed their first vampire and were heading back to town to rest before heading out. The person they were heading toward was, unbeknownst to them, very important to Strahd for very spoilery reasons.
Clear Goal:
Get me invited into [SPOILER]’s house so I can kidnap them. (the classic “a vampire can’t enter a building unless invited in” is true here)
Deny Information:
Enter Vasili von Holtz AKA Strahd in disguise. The party has never heard of Vasili (even though it’s the name Strahd travels under), and they had heard rumors of a famous vampire hunter hiding in the valley (but had never gotten a physical description of him). As far as the party knows, Strahd is a lavishly dressed vampire holed up in his castle, and the vampire hunter is probably just a rumor so people don’t lose hope. They meet Vasili on the road – his wagon broken by one of Strahd’s henchmen, which brings us to step 2…
Establish Trust:
How do you get a party that will Insight check even the most honest townsfolk to trust a stranger? Easy. Make him an absolute train wreck. Vasili was clearly living in his wagon, which was filled with poorly concealed wooden stakes and vials of holy water, as well as the setting-appropriate versions of candy bar wrappers and empty soda cans. “Hey,” asked the party, “these look like vampire hunting tools. Are you that vampire hunter?” Caught in his “lie,” Vasili confesses that he is, in fact, Rudolph van Richten, vampire hunter. This is very important: By admitting to a bad lie, Vasili seemed like he couldn’t deceive the party even if he tried. I was subtly stoking the party’s egos, making them feel superior.
Secure the ‘Yes’:
To get the party to drag him along, “Vasili” will have to prove his worth against a “threat.” Shortly after meeting our turncoat, the “real” Strahd (actually an illusion made by Vasili) attacks the party. Vasili “valiantly” tries to help the party, even though he’s clearly terrible at it (sell the trick every chance you get). The fight is revealed to be an illusion, though the party thinks that it came from Strahd’s castle, not from their new “friend.” Now they’ve seen that this obviously incapable person was willing to risk his life to further the party’s goals. And they absolutely bought it.
Dramatic Reveal:
The party brings “Vasili” to the target’s house, and he gets his invitation. When he crosses the threshold, all he has to say is “Well that was easy.” and the players erupt in swearing. “Why did we trust him?!” is the nicest phrase that leaves their mouths as they struggle in vain to stop the advancing vampire lord. Strahd escapes with his prize, and the party is now sold on the ruthless cunning of their foe. I was grinning ear-to-ear, and my players have bitterly hated Strahd ever since.
At Long Last, the Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this long trek through my method of making effective turncoats. And, hey, if you pulled off an incredible heel-turn at your table, I want to know about it in the comments below! We at WatcherDM are coming out with new material all the time to help you tell great stories. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me, and, as always, happy gaming.
