Looking NPC counters to PC Divination Rituals

[Stalker0]

My party is 14th level, and I'm starting to see the power of divination rituals. For example, last game they went to the room of a crime scene, cast a ritual on the room that showed them the crime that took place. Then they found a bit of hair from the criminal, cast another ritual and was able to locate him for one hour. They raced on over and captured the guy.

Now, I'm not looking to nerf the rituals, they paid a lot of money for them and they did a good job catching the guy. But in the future, I would like it so my BBEG can have a few options to block CSI type rituals.

What does 4e offer in the counter intelligence department?

 

[chitzk0i]

Who was the guy that was murdered? A king? An accomplished mage? At 14th level, investigating anything more mundane than that should be a walk in the park.

Read the rituals they used. All of them below epic level have restrictions and vulnerabilities. Any serious assassin will be familiar with divination rituals and will orchestrate the crime in order to foil any investigators.

 

[AllisterH]

Oh, I know that CSI ritual where the bilding tells you what happens.

There are two mundane methods to get around it and as you mention, both popular tactics on CSI.

1. Destroy the whole damn building....No building, no ritual.

2. Kill the person somewhere else and dump the body there.

 

[Ferret]

My party is 14th level, and I'm starting to see the power of divination rituals. For example, last game they went to the room of a crime scene, cast a ritual on the room that showed them the crime that took place. Then they found a bit of hair from the criminal, cast another ritual and was able to locate him for one hour. They raced on over and captured the guy.

Now, I'm not looking to nerf the rituals, they paid a lot of money for them and they did a good job catching the guy. But in the future, I would like it so my BBEG can have a few options to block CSI type rituals.

What does 4e offer in the counter intelligence department?

What Ritual is it that lets you se who was at a crime scene?

 

[Flipguarder]

Absence Amulet Level 12+
Item Slot: Neck
Property: Attempts to scry upon you, your location, or
objects in your possession fail, as if the target of the
attempt did not exist.

In fact, I made all my pcs take it, because they had a very powerful group of beings would find and kill them fairly immediately if they didn't.

 

[Nifft]

Oh, I know that CSI ritual where the bilding tells you what happens.

There are two mundane methods to get around it and as you mention, both popular tactics on CSI.

1. Destroy the whole damn building....No building, no ritual.

2. Kill the person somewhere else and dump the body there.

Yeah, use real-world mob tactics to hide your trail.

1/ Put on a magical disguise.
2/ Wearing your disguise, hire someone to kill the target.
3/ If you sense heat coming down, the hired assassin disappears thanks to one of your trusted henchmonsters, who makes it look like an accident (or a duel or whatever).

Basically, do everything at two or more steps removed, use disposable minions, and always clean up after yourself.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Flipguarder]

Yeah what the criminal in your campaign did, is the real world equivalent of leaving his footprint and fingerprints everywhere. It takes some money and initiative, but it can easily be found who and where he is.

 

[Mirtek]

What Ritual is it that lets you se who was at a crime scene?

Last Sight Vision and Object Reading might help with this, although both are still pretty limited.

 

[chitzk0i]

What Ritual is it that lets you se who was at a crime scene?

I think it's in the Eberron Player's Guide.

 

[Ryujin]

My party is 14th level, and I'm starting to see the power of divination rituals. For example, last game they went to the room of a crime scene, cast a ritual on the room that showed them the crime that took place. Then they found a bit of hair from the criminal, cast another ritual and was able to locate him for one hour. They raced on over and captured the guy.

Now, I'm not looking to nerf the rituals, they paid a lot of money for them and they did a good job catching the guy. But in the future, I would like it so my BBEG can have a few options to block CSI type rituals.

What does 4e offer in the counter intelligence department?

The level 14 ritual "Masking Shroud" (Eberron Player's Guide) makes up to 6 creatures invisible from scrying sensors for a day.