The horrors of constant True Seeing...

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Corrupted landscapes?

Perhaps the ethereal version of some places absorb the energy of events that happen there?

On the upside, temples of pelor could be even nicer than they otherwise would be... Probably not so much fun hacking through the sacrifice room in one of Asmodeus holy places.

Poverty stricken cities could be quite harrowing. Might give him a good cause or two for all that money he won't be needing!

Edit: Sense.

 

[Patman21967]

Shapechanged Dragons mingling with the populace, I like the evil weaponsmith. it would be really fun to take part in this

 

[WayneLigon]

this you'd have to set up for some time beforehand: A carriage goes by with a rich and powerful noble or someone else that has a great deal of power or owns a lot of land, someone that the PC's have seen in the distance a lot, but never dealt with personally. The guy with the True Seeing sees that the 'noble' is just a puppet given the sembelance of life by illusion spells. What could be the reason behind this? Is it something the noble has arranged so he can sit at home and read when he's suppossed to be sitting in on a boring dance recital, or is there some much more sinister purpose? And.. .maybe the noble never existed in the first place.

He sees a Thought Eater suckling away at the back of someone's head as they lay ill.

 

[fafhrd]

Thousands of tiny air and water elementals riding on the front of an approaching storm. Creatures of fairie flocking out from shelter to bask at sunrise or sunset. Vampires prowling city streets at night as mist, slowing as they pool around a beautiful woman to smell the blood pulsing in her neck.

 

[jmucchiello]

First, I would advise you (and would be advice givers) to actually read the spell:

Further, the subject can focus its vision to see into the Ethereal Plane (but not into extradimensional spaces).

This means the character has to want to see the Ethereal Plane. So have all the ancient ethereal wars you want, but unless the character is looking for them, he won't see them.

True seeing does not help the viewer see through mundane disguises, spot creatures who are simply hiding, or notice secret doors hidden by mundane means.

Thus the medusa with a cloaked face looks like anyone else with a cloaked face. The rogue is more likely to glimpse her face than the mage. The king puppet looks like the king if the disguise is mundane.

If the True Seeing is the clerical version, that shows the target's alignment

Not supported by the spell description. Versionitis? And based on detect evil, random people shouldn't read as evil unless they are outsiders or have cleric levels.

Also, you have to decide if you really want your world to be overrun with demon and devils trying to tempt people on every street corner. If your campaign hasn't had a dark cast to it before, why the sudden change?

One other thing you have to decide: Does the true seer know that he seeing something others aren't? A visible creature is no different from another visible creature unless he observes other people acting oblivious to the "visible" creature.

 

[Arravis]

I was aware of the fact that to see the ethereal you have to focus on it. I thought it was also quite well known that mundane disguises aren't pierced, only magical ones. What's the issue? I think you might be looking for problems or issues that aren't present.

Anyway, as I recall in previous discussions here, invisible creature are known to be invisible via both True Seeing and See Invisibility (wasn't there a Sage Advice or somesuch on this?).

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Here's one thing I would do. In the midst of an important scenario, while the PC is moving to intercept or trail a foe he has not yet used True Seeing on, have him catch a glimpse of a demon or other evil shapechanger in the area - let him make the assumption that the evil shapechanger must be the guy he's looking for, and lead him off on an unrelated wild-goose chase.

This teaches a lesson of focusing on the task at hand, and that vision without wisdom is scarcely vision at all.

 

[jmucchiello]

I was aware of the fact that to see the ethereal you have to focus on it. I thought it was also quite well known that mundane disguises aren't pierced, only magical ones.

The ideas above do not jive with that level of understanding. This is why I was advising would be posters to read the spell before posting.

Anyway, as I recall in previous discussions here, invisible creature are known to be invisible via both True Seeing and See Invisibility (wasn't there a Sage Advice or somesuch on this?).

The spell doesn't say. That leaves it up to you. (And I don't read Sage Advice.)

See invisibility is different from true seeing since you don't have to focus to see ethereal beings with see invisibility: "You can see any objects or beings that are invisible within your range of vision, as well as any that are ethereal, as if they were normally visible."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The ideas above do not jive with that level of understanding. This is why I was advising would be posters to read the spell before posting.

The spell doesn't say. That leaves it up to you. (And I don't read Sage Advice.)

Heh heh.

"Do as I say, not as I do."

But by all means, let's set a literal interpretation of the spell (that may or may not have been tweaked in Sage Advice) ahead of what's actually fun at the table.

 

[Gothmog]

This is basically the premise behind the excellent horror RPG Kult (minus the True Seeing spell part). Basically the world as people know it is just an illusion and a lie to keep the masses in check and ignorant. What truly occurs "behind the veil" is a realm of cosmic horror and entities scheming to use humanity for their own ends. Kult is a great read even if you never play it, and would provide a huge number of great ideas for a game like this.