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Message: <blockquote data-quote="surfarcher" data-source="post: 5009572" data-attributes="member: 84774">DM just needs to think a bit guys because this is a big fuss over nothing <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" />  The fact is there are plenty of ways to handle it!Maybe the real villain is several times removed from the fact.  It'll take a lot of questions (and gold and hours) to isolate them using Consult Oracle. This can be nice because it can give the PCs a lead on some real investigation without giving the whole plot away.If you think turnabout is fair play try Ward the True Name (Chromatic Dragons p86) because that BBEG currently ten levels higher than your PCs can easily use it and that can make for a very hot time for the PCs.Personally I happen to like warding against scrying. It's sensible and the rulebooks are very specific that such warding rituals do exist (PHB p299, DMG p27), which makes sense or Orcus would already know how to overthrow the Raven Queen <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  And remember that 90%+ of supplements and adventures implicitly or explicitly introduce new rituals - available to PCs or otherwise.  I haven't ever bothered to write it up as a ritual but I basically use it to "make one specific fact obscured to scrying attempts" and cause the scry to fail with the PCs knowing it has been blocked somehow.  Writing it up formally as a ward could be an interesting exercise.Just because the PCs get a certain answer doesn't mean they have the whole picture.  Clever adversaries will anticipate investigation and may act through elaborate means so that the PCs pursue false (even dangerous) leads.Would Consult Oracle but considered as hard evidence by the authorities?  If not the party could find themselves standing in a steaming pile of mess when the authorities come looking for Duke's murderers!Now if you want to have some real fun start combining these <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  The PCs used Consult Oracle and discovered who the BBEG is.  But he was using Ward the True Name and realised the party is on his tail.  So the BBEG comissions a powerful ritualist to remove the "evidence" from the oracle!  Now the party's reaction to their knowledge of the BBEG has no "evidence" to support it.  They killed him and he was the Mayor?  Oops!  Can you spell "kingdom-wide manhunt" or "fugitive"?Getting the idea folks?-doug</blockquote>

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