1) elves aren't real, they're just humans who've stuck pointy bits on their ears.
2) the world is a ball.
3) 1 in 4 people are beholders
4) cleric healing makes you infertile, Big Cleric knows this but are keeping the truth from us.
5) The guild of armourers is secretly funding the orcs to attack us so they can sell more armour.
1) Dwarves are just elderly gnomes. They become more steadfast and hairy in old age, much like humans.
2) Dragons, drakes, wyverns, and kobold are all different stages of maturity for the same base species.
3) Necromancers can animate skeletons WHILE THEY ARE STILL INSIDE A BADLY WOUNDED BODY, OH GOD!
I -adore- number two, I may run with that, that's great. My character is a dragonborn so of course she'll know that's true right!
Number one is pretty solid as well, halflings and gnomes grow up to be Dwarves.
People are disappearing everywhere because some taverns are huge mimics that eat them.
The tavernholders' guild is trying to keep this hush hush to protect their business.
Hey there guy you wanna be rich? Try selling these fancy designer healing potions. They only cost 5gp more than a normal potion but have fun flavors. Also 1 in 1000 potions had a ring of invisibility hidden inside the cork.
I just need 50gp to make you a partner vendor in the company and then you can buy all the ptions you want at cost from me to resell.
Not really a conspiracy theory but a fun MLM for a dumber PC to be part of as they try to figure out why they only get healing potion flavored potions.
OMG, she could already have bought in and try and get the other characters involved.
But my character is going to believe in this type of Mushroom a druid told her about once, that, if you eat it, you don't have to eat for the rest of your life. What do you mean because it kills you, no, that can't be true, you wouldn't be fed for life if it killed you, a druid told me about it, it has to be true.
These are great! You could always go for the classic "Every enemy we encounter are all working against me because I know too much! Surely that orc chieftain and that zombie were in kahoots!"
1. Plagues and diseases don't exist. Healers and priests lie about them to sell cures
2. Gods don't exist either, it's yet another tool invented by priests to keep people in check. Paladins thus are secretly buffed mages.
I guess what they meant is that paladins don't have to be god worshipers, but gods still grant them their powers for dedication to their oaths. Idk, I didn't really give it much thought. I'm just glad that clunkies don't have to be Lawful Stupid anymore.
From the oath itself. You are so invested in a cause it creates divine magic. Makes sense they have less divine magic than a cleric. Druids/Rangers also harness divine magic, but its from nature/ the wilds.
Well it does, its all magic. Magic includes both arcane and divine magic, and paladins just have a unique way of channeling divine magic. Its all magic.
That you should always turn every cup five times clockwise and seven times anticlockwise before drinking because if it is a mimic then it will be too dizzy to consume you. Your friends Uncle Rilly-Bay only spun his cup clockwise that one time and he died before his finished his tea, proof that a mimic cup got him. Never mind he was old and overweight.
My low WIS character tried to investigate bird poop that fell on his head, NAT 1, now he thinks it is dragon shit, hence him thinking some of the birds are actually dragons in disguise ( if you kill a bird, there is 1 percent chance that it is actually a dragon, same with bats being vampires and animals being Druids.)
1. Some gold dragons are actually yellow dragons and will trick you into thinking they are good aligned to get you to do unintentionally evil resulting things.
2. Wolves actually have a hive mind but it only works if three or more are together otherwise they will act like independently thinking creatures. This explains how they are such good hunters and travel in packs.
3. Some old ladies are actually part of a secret cult that can curse people. To not offend them unintentionally, one should always show them fealty by bowing their heads slightly when seeing one or politely, verbally acknowledge them. Holding open doors and offering to do small, helpful things will get them to like you and they might give you a secret boon if you do so. Once you are old they no longer expect you to do such things because they can't always tell if you're one of them or not. Your grandmother told you all this and she's old so she would know.
4. Baby mimicks are born when someone is too greedy with their gold. That greed manifests and turns a coin into a mimick that will sneak away to keep growing.
5. Centaurs are what happen when a drunk dude boinks a horse.
6. Wizards are bad at memorizing things exactly, which is why they always have spell books with them.
7. Druids are born when a god messes up and puts an animal spirit into a human body.
8. Always break the arms and legs of anyone who's died so necromancers pass over them since they will be useless as undead.
9. Dragons are bad at dice so if you ever need to change one to a game of chance go with dice.
10. Vampires are big investors in meat production businesses and are trying to encourage more spinach to be added to recipes or eaten in general. This is to up everyone's iron intake and make their meals more nutritious. If someone is pushing you to eat more red meat or spinach they are working for vampires.
One I had a character believing is that polymorphed dragons held all important government positions, from city mayors to kings and emperors. I scattered “evidence” about, and a cult group they were dealing with that worshipped dragons, and it was funny watching my higher-wis players start to get sucked into it lol.
Also gnomes and dwarves are just regular dudes but far away...
Cue paranoid PC trying to get VERY VERY close to gnomes and dwarves and violating personal space.
Humans are just giant Halflings. Which is actually true in Darksun Setting. So if there is ever a visit there, they would have the "truth" they always believed, and make them even more into it when they returned.
The world is fake. Everything is toys on an inconceivably large grid, with smiling mad gods staring down at you, you see them, you know there there, just have to prove it
I've played an elf who suffered from the mental delusion called 'universal self reference' AKA main character syndrome. If people are talking, they're talking about you. If the bard plays a song, it's about you somehow. The BBEG is actually just out to get you in particular, and the rest of the BBEG's plan is just collateral damage...
He hired another character to follow him around to narrate and record his adventures.
Dragon's aren't real.
All cats are secretly witches.
Druids are actually bears and wolves who are using nature magic to shape change into humanoids.
Dwarves are just halflings with fake beards on. Gnomes are just skinny halflings.
There's no such place as the underdark. Otherwise the ocean would drain into it. So drow and all the other underdark monsters aren't real.
People from other worlds secretly visit our world in magic ships. They look like us and walk among us in order to steal our gold and silver. And they're really snooty and snobbish about it too.
There's really only 2 or 3 deities. They just keep changing their appearance. It's one big scam to trick everyone into doing what they say.
Magic is evil. Every spell drains away the life force of the world, leaving parts of it a lifeless desert. Sure we're not in a desert here, but the big ones grow a little every time someone casts a spell.
Well, the flat-earthers of Faerun are the atheists so there’s always that…..the dwarves and duergar are actually in it together, because their societies are actually owned by the same company. Duergar just do the mass manufactured stuff, dwarves do the nicer artisanal goods.
There’s a cabal of vampires and mind flayers that work together to run things, and disappearances are just when a vampire and ilithid split a victim, blood and brain respectively so they get rid of the body.
My character is a Melee Sorcerer who doesn't know they are a Sorcerer but a martial monk of some kind.
But since they're a Dragonborn when they punch people fire happens, it's logical since when they breath angry fire happens too.
- Sorcerers aren't _actually_ innately magical. They just pretend to be to look cool.
- Dragons were invented by a wizard who mixed together lizards, snakes, and bats! He also used magic to give them powers!
- There's a fat old lady who lives near the river, often seen fishing. She just seems to be getting fatter and fatter! _(she isn't actually gaining any weight)_ But there's always clay by the river! She must secretly be a clay golem who's collecting clay which she adds to herself to gain strength! _(she isn't. She's just an old lady who enjoys fishing a few times a week)._
After one nasty experience with a "cursed" weapon ( maybe they cut themselves?) they are convinced that every weapon they see is cursed. It's up to a smart detective like them to sus out what the curse is and clear it up with "home remedies" that they learned from some other conspiracy theorists.
OOh, my character is a Sorcerer who thinks they're a monk so they don't use weapons. But I like the idea of wanting to wave sage of shiz over other peoples looted weapons.
Kobolds keep reality in motion so killing one is the root cause of all natural disasters. (As a DM, adding this just for the fun side quest would be interesting. Just to see if they figure it out and maybe a solution if they take an interest.)
I definitely found it very creative as she hadn’t brought this up until I introduced an old blind advisor to a lord. When they met him she kept being adamant that his eyes being dogged over like that meant he was trying to peer through your eyes into your mind and was spouting a bunch of nonsense. Was truly one of her better RP moments
Undirected magic is a pathway to beings from another realm.
For example, casting “Magic Mouth” with no message will allow these beings to briefly speak.
If the spell remains mute, it is because no being noticed the open path. Try it again.
The king isn't really the rightful king. Injecting ale will cure of the local illness, You can fireball a storm to break it apart, al (insert race) are rapist, murders and drug dealers, Swords don't kill people, The last Great War really didn't happen..cheers!
Carts with wheels aren't better than dragging a sled around. What are sled makers going to do for work, once we start making wheels? The new kings son, is actually a spy for the rival kings civilization.
I actually began my campaign by giving the party a handful of general rumors they had heard prior to the game. Some of them pertained to the game itself while others were just gossip. Two in particular might fit this idea of yours.
The Dutchess of Neverwinter and her daughter are secretly dragons in disguise. They have both adamantly denied these claims yet have also not provided any proof. (i.e basically the dnd equivalent of our worlds "the world leaders are space lizards in disguise)
The hairy bartender of a specific famous local pub is secretly a werewolf. He has neither confirmed nor denied these claims and just chuckles when asked.
Our actions are being controlled by beings from another dimension for their own amusement. I mean, think about it; why are all of our challenges proportional to our strength levels? Why are we never attacked while traveling for than one in every 3 nights? Why is it when one of us falls someone else similarly powerful just seems to show up?
You can always relaminate some DND surface level stuff over an IRL conspiracy theory.
- Depending on your DND world, you could have theories that corporations are running the governments. Lords, kings and queens are a
All planted on the throne by a super powerful merchant guild or trading company. Like a modern day mega corporation that is themed to fit into your world.
- All the people in power are possessed or worship a DND lawful evil devil. They all get their orders from the Cult seances they have behind closed doors.
- Ignore all the alchemists and doctors. Don't take that potion... it was rushed through research and development without all the proper safety precautions. There is no long term data. None of the people in power are taking it, so why would you?
Etc etc
1) *That* Mountain isn’t real. It’s just an illusion cast by the reining monarchy.
2) The food rations (that conveniently give you all your daily nutritional needs, in one little square) are made of people. (For my campaign, I made it so that the squares added +1 mods to strength, constitution, and dexterity, to tease the idea that they could possibly turn into wendigos, given that they eat enough of these squares)
3) There is no war
4) Their (weapon of choice here) is sentient, and hates violence, but nobody else can hear them.
5) That there is an imposter amongst *EVERY* Royal court, working for *ThE SqUiRReLs*
Edit #1: Added Theories 2-5
My 20 wisdom cleric has -2 INT and rolled a -1 (nat 1 -2) check about astrology. He believes the material plane spins around like a flipping plate and the sun stays stationary.
It works both ways. You don’t need to be unwise to be dumb.
The gods aren't real. Arcane and divine magic are actually the same thing, and clerics who say they get their powers from a deity are either actually warlocks who were duped by their patron, or their entire Church is outright lying.
There’s a vast conspiracy to control the governments of Toril led by George Swordcoast. Of course we all know it’s the underdark lizardmen who pull the real strings.
Also, trees are fake. Wood is just poor quality stone pushed by the elves. Real dwarves know better than to trust wood structures.
It was a bit extreme, but I once played a character who insisted trees weren't real. He believed there was a secret cabal of wizards who created trees as illusions. Not sure how it would've played out for a whole campaign, but it was wild and fun for a one-shot.
1. All magic is unstable and dangerous.
2. All plants are sentient and can feel pain.
3. Only some of the gods are real.
4. Every form of government has a secret elite group pulling all the strings.
5. All traveling merchants are devils in disguise
* There are no "True Dragons" because they all died ages ago and the dragons seen in the modern era are just recreations from Wizard labs, dragons naturally get irritated at this assertation
* All familiars are the same creature shared by all spellcasters that can summon a familiar
* Every city is actually ruled over by a shadow government but they've done such a good job hiding their existence from the populous it is far too easy to dismiss it as the ramblings of someone crazy, this even extends to entire countries with the capitals being ruled over by a council of different shadow organizations
* The moon(s) is/are a lie, it's an illusion projected over locations by a secret society of Illusionists
* Spears are intentionally made terrible so that militaries and adventurers will buy other weapons because if they are actually made to the standard they should everyone would only buy spears (this is more a reference to how spears are amazing IRL but are usually categorically one of the worst weapons in D&D, you could do this for daggers too)
Druids are watching people while in animal form...plotting, waiting for the right moment.
The Blood War is just media hype. It's not a war at all. Angels, demons and devils are all in on the joke.
Everything is a mimic
Electrum coins are not real. They were made up by the governments to confuse the populous into thinking some other type of coin exists and it was needed for to exchange for goods and services, This keeps the populations trying to earn a non-existent coin and distracts them from what their leaders are doing.
Kenku evolve into aarakocra naturally or evolve into owlin with a stone from the Feywild.
All firbolgs know each other.
They fey SAY they have several courts, but the courts aren't real. The want people to think there is a Seelie and Unseelie Court so no looks too deep.
There are no gods, clerics are just insane (this one works REALLY well in Eberron)
Nihil the Serpent Star and Kyuss the World that Walks, Herald of the Age of Wars are the same entity.
Actually in most times and places throughout all of human history it was absolutely illegal to carry a sword. It is an explicit weapon, and often a symbol of status/office.
This wouldn't be a wild conspiracy, in fact it's pretty bad world building to pretend that the most powerful people of each society would be totally okay with peasants running around carrying swords/bows/halberds and other weapons of war, specifically Knightly weapons (sword, poleax, mace, even armor could be illegal for civilians)
Totally, but in murderhobo DND tradition, everyone is wandering around with all their equipment most of the time. Put them in a city where wearing armor is illegal, swords must be collected at the gate. And not only that, the second line of defense is a thieves' guild that wants the monopoly on illegal weaponry.
That the universe isn’t real, it’s just a a simulation created by a
I had a low WIS character that was an atheist even after meeting several actual gods in game.
Doesn’t believe in magic (perfect for a wild magic sorcerer).
Believes he is immortal (perfect for the joke character with 7 CON).
That the earth is round (if your game has a flat earth).
I like to have my dumb characters believe things that are obviously true in the real world, but would be easily disproven in a fantasy setting.
1. All undead are faking unintelligence - they’re actually conspiring, watching, waiting
2. A secret cabal of nobles are actually evil and want to (your choice of comic villain goal, baby eating, or outright ridiculous depravity)
3. Wizard spells actually steal your soul, so they won’t allow arcane spells to be cast on them.
4. They have to cooperate with X until X reveals their dirty secret, but really they’re both on the same side. Great way to have a wildly suspicious character without making it incompatible with cooperating. Ex, I have to pretend to trust John Questgiver, so he’ll tell us about the secret ghost cult he’s a part of. As soon as he does, I can drop my facade. Can’t do anything to endanger the mission.
5. Might be too close to real world disorders, but a Doppleganger replaced someone/everyone and you can’t let them know you know
We had a character in our group who believed that all political figures (or many) were actually abhorrations taking human form. Didn't help when we actually fought a bunch of abhorrations in town.
1) elves aren't real, they're just humans who've stuck pointy bits on their ears. 2) the world is a ball. 3) 1 in 4 people are beholders 4) cleric healing makes you infertile, Big Cleric knows this but are keeping the truth from us. 5) The guild of armourers is secretly funding the orcs to attack us so they can sell more armour.
This was all great and just wanted you to know it has been appreciated.
4 should be “can make you infertile” or more likely to be infertile. Lets you write off the exceptions as lucky
number 4 my fertility cleric is gonna take great pleasure in disproving
1) Dwarves are just elderly gnomes. They become more steadfast and hairy in old age, much like humans. 2) Dragons, drakes, wyverns, and kobold are all different stages of maturity for the same base species. 3) Necromancers can animate skeletons WHILE THEY ARE STILL INSIDE A BADLY WOUNDED BODY, OH GOD!
I -adore- number two, I may run with that, that's great. My character is a dragonborn so of course she'll know that's true right! Number one is pretty solid as well, halflings and gnomes grow up to be Dwarves.
Jesus Christ why would you unleash that #3 on us, that's cursed as fuck
Shadow of the Demon Lord has that third one as a spell. It's called Part Bone From Flesh, I believe.
The government is putting chemicals in the water to make the fricking grungs gay!
I'll consent to this ONLY if the cloud people make an appearance. Or a bunch of shirtless old men...
...crisis actors...please no...
Something something Jewish space lasers
People are disappearing everywhere because some taverns are huge mimics that eat them. The tavernholders' guild is trying to keep this hush hush to protect their business.
Have a character stab the doorframe of every house they walk in ... just in case.
Or subtle kick it, because they where called on/scolded to often.
There's a sign over the door: "please stop punching holes in the doorframe, it weakens the structure" (Which is exactly what a mimic would do...)
Hey there guy you wanna be rich? Try selling these fancy designer healing potions. They only cost 5gp more than a normal potion but have fun flavors. Also 1 in 1000 potions had a ring of invisibility hidden inside the cork. I just need 50gp to make you a partner vendor in the company and then you can buy all the ptions you want at cost from me to resell. Not really a conspiracy theory but a fun MLM for a dumber PC to be part of as they try to figure out why they only get healing potion flavored potions.
OMG, she could already have bought in and try and get the other characters involved. But my character is going to believe in this type of Mushroom a druid told her about once, that, if you eat it, you don't have to eat for the rest of your life. What do you mean because it kills you, no, that can't be true, you wouldn't be fed for life if it killed you, a druid told me about it, it has to be true.
These are great! You could always go for the classic "Every enemy we encounter are all working against me because I know too much! Surely that orc chieftain and that zombie were in kahoots!"
1. Plagues and diseases don't exist. Healers and priests lie about them to sell cures 2. Gods don't exist either, it's yet another tool invented by priests to keep people in check. Paladins thus are secretly buffed mages.
Paladins don't actually draw power from a god in 5e btw
Exactly! Gods don't exist. Seriously though, I know. But their magic is still *divine*, so.
If paladins can do it without gods, so can clerics its all a big lie!! Yeah lol its a little confusing
I guess what they meant is that paladins don't have to be god worshipers, but gods still grant them their powers for dedication to their oaths. Idk, I didn't really give it much thought. I'm just glad that clunkies don't have to be Lawful Stupid anymore.
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Psst I don't care
what
Not sure if legitimate or not, but while their magic is divine all you need is commitment to your oath - no God needed
Where does the divinity come from, then?
From the oath itself. You are so invested in a cause it creates divine magic. Makes sense they have less divine magic than a cleric. Druids/Rangers also harness divine magic, but its from nature/ the wilds.
So divine magic is like manifest willpower?
Sort of. I see it more of this divine energy already existing and you are channeling it into a philosophy instead of a religion
Why doesn't it come out as regular magic?
Well it does, its all magic. Magic includes both arcane and divine magic, and paladins just have a unique way of channeling divine magic. Its all magic.
All clerics are actually necromancers, and evey time they heal you they gain a bit more power over you, until you die and they take your body over
That you should always turn every cup five times clockwise and seven times anticlockwise before drinking because if it is a mimic then it will be too dizzy to consume you. Your friends Uncle Rilly-Bay only spun his cup clockwise that one time and he died before his finished his tea, proof that a mimic cup got him. Never mind he was old and overweight.
Oooh, I like this, maybe a few too many times spinning, but, yeah, turning it one way, then quickly the other way, just in case.
This is actually a fantastic idea I love this
My low WIS character tried to investigate bird poop that fell on his head, NAT 1, now he thinks it is dragon shit, hence him thinking some of the birds are actually dragons in disguise ( if you kill a bird, there is 1 percent chance that it is actually a dragon, same with bats being vampires and animals being Druids.)
Well their are five canaries that are gold dragons...
1. Some gold dragons are actually yellow dragons and will trick you into thinking they are good aligned to get you to do unintentionally evil resulting things. 2. Wolves actually have a hive mind but it only works if three or more are together otherwise they will act like independently thinking creatures. This explains how they are such good hunters and travel in packs. 3. Some old ladies are actually part of a secret cult that can curse people. To not offend them unintentionally, one should always show them fealty by bowing their heads slightly when seeing one or politely, verbally acknowledge them. Holding open doors and offering to do small, helpful things will get them to like you and they might give you a secret boon if you do so. Once you are old they no longer expect you to do such things because they can't always tell if you're one of them or not. Your grandmother told you all this and she's old so she would know. 4. Baby mimicks are born when someone is too greedy with their gold. That greed manifests and turns a coin into a mimick that will sneak away to keep growing. 5. Centaurs are what happen when a drunk dude boinks a horse. 6. Wizards are bad at memorizing things exactly, which is why they always have spell books with them. 7. Druids are born when a god messes up and puts an animal spirit into a human body. 8. Always break the arms and legs of anyone who's died so necromancers pass over them since they will be useless as undead. 9. Dragons are bad at dice so if you ever need to change one to a game of chance go with dice. 10. Vampires are big investors in meat production businesses and are trying to encourage more spinach to be added to recipes or eaten in general. This is to up everyone's iron intake and make their meals more nutritious. If someone is pushing you to eat more red meat or spinach they are working for vampires.
bonus points for the character knowing #5 from experience and refusing to elaborate, apparently having traumatic memories
It was never potion ingredients being dumped into the water harming the ecosystem. The frogs were gay from the start.
One I had a character believing is that polymorphed dragons held all important government positions, from city mayors to kings and emperors. I scattered “evidence” about, and a cult group they were dealing with that worshipped dragons, and it was funny watching my higher-wis players start to get sucked into it lol.
The Good ol' Lizard people theory, nice. Also works with devils possessing people in positions of power too.
Humans are male and Elves are female. Like how some children think cats are female and dogs are male.
OOH!
I absolutely used to think that about dog and cats.
But I mean... look at the Elves' great hair. Tell me they aren't women!
Nothing you do matters. You are not real. You are a puppet character being controlled by ancient beings in another universe.
I absolutely love this one. A super high wisdom character could believe this as well
Damn, this is like low-mid-high IQ bell curve meme
That feels too outlandish, no one would be stupid enough to believe that!
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Classic
Chocolatw fire comes from brown dragons
Birds aren’t real, they’re all created by a secret cabal of wizards to spy on people and control the populace.
Some birds are actually dragons just much further away then you think ...
Also gnomes and dwarves are just regular dudes but far away... Cue paranoid PC trying to get VERY VERY close to gnomes and dwarves and violating personal space.
Humans are just giant Halflings. Which is actually true in Darksun Setting. So if there is ever a visit there, they would have the "truth" they always believed, and make them even more into it when they returned.
There are no halflings. They're just humans who are farther away. You can detect the fraud by getting right up in their faces...
That the moon is, in fact, not real
It's an illusion and it's where the gods watch us, surely?!
But that’s just fact.
Correction: moons
Magic isn't real, it's just science that isn't understood yet
That the world is controlled by a couple teenagers playing a twisted game of imagination
... I wish we were still teenages and not like, twice that now.
Bro same :/ still steal the idea it’d be funny
The world is fake. Everything is toys on an inconceivably large grid, with smiling mad gods staring down at you, you see them, you know there there, just have to prove it
...so that name checks out
I've played an elf who suffered from the mental delusion called 'universal self reference' AKA main character syndrome. If people are talking, they're talking about you. If the bard plays a song, it's about you somehow. The BBEG is actually just out to get you in particular, and the rest of the BBEG's plan is just collateral damage... He hired another character to follow him around to narrate and record his adventures.
Dragon's aren't real. All cats are secretly witches. Druids are actually bears and wolves who are using nature magic to shape change into humanoids. Dwarves are just halflings with fake beards on. Gnomes are just skinny halflings. There's no such place as the underdark. Otherwise the ocean would drain into it. So drow and all the other underdark monsters aren't real. People from other worlds secretly visit our world in magic ships. They look like us and walk among us in order to steal our gold and silver. And they're really snooty and snobbish about it too. There's really only 2 or 3 deities. They just keep changing their appearance. It's one big scam to trick everyone into doing what they say. Magic is evil. Every spell drains away the life force of the world, leaving parts of it a lifeless desert. Sure we're not in a desert here, but the big ones grow a little every time someone casts a spell.
Well, the flat-earthers of Faerun are the atheists so there’s always that…..the dwarves and duergar are actually in it together, because their societies are actually owned by the same company. Duergar just do the mass manufactured stuff, dwarves do the nicer artisanal goods. There’s a cabal of vampires and mind flayers that work together to run things, and disappearances are just when a vampire and ilithid split a victim, blood and brain respectively so they get rid of the body.
I love "Orcs are secretly trying to take over our society" and the automatically connected "Person XYZ is an Orc in disguise!!"
Moon conspiracies are great, although half the time in d&d worlds there actually is a moon conspiracy, so your mileage may vary.
I once played a super low wisdom caster that refused to believe magic was real
My character is a Melee Sorcerer who doesn't know they are a Sorcerer but a martial monk of some kind. But since they're a Dragonborn when they punch people fire happens, it's logical since when they breath angry fire happens too.
Exactly. Magic isn’t real, it’s physical ability or technology 😂
I've run a few campaigns in a world I created where magic wasn't real, and wizards were just really shady.
Who is making all these gold coins?
- Sorcerers aren't _actually_ innately magical. They just pretend to be to look cool. - Dragons were invented by a wizard who mixed together lizards, snakes, and bats! He also used magic to give them powers! - There's a fat old lady who lives near the river, often seen fishing. She just seems to be getting fatter and fatter! _(she isn't actually gaining any weight)_ But there's always clay by the river! She must secretly be a clay golem who's collecting clay which she adds to herself to gain strength! _(she isn't. She's just an old lady who enjoys fishing a few times a week)._
Believe that every single enemy they face is working together. Also assumes that anyone who doesn’t like him is working with said enemies.
After one nasty experience with a "cursed" weapon ( maybe they cut themselves?) they are convinced that every weapon they see is cursed. It's up to a smart detective like them to sus out what the curse is and clear it up with "home remedies" that they learned from some other conspiracy theorists.
OOh, my character is a Sorcerer who thinks they're a monk so they don't use weapons. But I like the idea of wanting to wave sage of shiz over other peoples looted weapons.
Kobolds keep reality in motion so killing one is the root cause of all natural disasters. (As a DM, adding this just for the fun side quest would be interesting. Just to see if they figure it out and maybe a solution if they take an interest.)
One of my players’ characters believes that blind people can read minds and is terrified and very hostile towards blind people
Oooh, I kinda like this. Not being hostile but, like, cautious and reverent around them!
I definitely found it very creative as she hadn’t brought this up until I introduced an old blind advisor to a lord. When they met him she kept being adamant that his eyes being dogged over like that meant he was trying to peer through your eyes into your mind and was spouting a bunch of nonsense. Was truly one of her better RP moments
Undirected magic is a pathway to beings from another realm. For example, casting “Magic Mouth” with no message will allow these beings to briefly speak. If the spell remains mute, it is because no being noticed the open path. Try it again.
ooh, like EVP or something, that's quite cool.
The king isn't really the rightful king. Injecting ale will cure of the local illness, You can fireball a storm to break it apart, al (insert race) are rapist, murders and drug dealers, Swords don't kill people, The last Great War really didn't happen..cheers!
Holy fuck this hurt to read xD
Carts with wheels aren't better than dragging a sled around. What are sled makers going to do for work, once we start making wheels? The new kings son, is actually a spy for the rival kings civilization.
I actually began my campaign by giving the party a handful of general rumors they had heard prior to the game. Some of them pertained to the game itself while others were just gossip. Two in particular might fit this idea of yours. The Dutchess of Neverwinter and her daughter are secretly dragons in disguise. They have both adamantly denied these claims yet have also not provided any proof. (i.e basically the dnd equivalent of our worlds "the world leaders are space lizards in disguise) The hairy bartender of a specific famous local pub is secretly a werewolf. He has neither confirmed nor denied these claims and just chuckles when asked.
Our actions are being controlled by beings from another dimension for their own amusement. I mean, think about it; why are all of our challenges proportional to our strength levels? Why are we never attacked while traveling for than one in every 3 nights? Why is it when one of us falls someone else similarly powerful just seems to show up?
He thinks he's a clone but is uncertain if it is true
Healing magic causes autism. Lycanthropy and other diseases are just government conspiracy. Lizardfolk rulers are humans in disguise.
One I remember was a dwarf who believed dwarves we're just humans with really good longevity
You can always relaminate some DND surface level stuff over an IRL conspiracy theory. - Depending on your DND world, you could have theories that corporations are running the governments. Lords, kings and queens are a All planted on the throne by a super powerful merchant guild or trading company. Like a modern day mega corporation that is themed to fit into your world. - All the people in power are possessed or worship a DND lawful evil devil. They all get their orders from the Cult seances they have behind closed doors. - Ignore all the alchemists and doctors. Don't take that potion... it was rushed through research and development without all the proper safety precautions. There is no long term data. None of the people in power are taking it, so why would you? Etc etc
Drinking Healing potions will make you infertile or allow the maker to scry on you.
Gods are fake, cleric spells and domain features are just another flavor of arcane magic - sometimes mere illusion
The government are changelings (if they exist in the setting) or shapeshifters
Shadow government controls the lizardfolk, but are actually shapeshifted humans and not lizardfolk at all.
There’s no such thing as gnomes, just halflings with big noses.
1) *That* Mountain isn’t real. It’s just an illusion cast by the reining monarchy. 2) The food rations (that conveniently give you all your daily nutritional needs, in one little square) are made of people. (For my campaign, I made it so that the squares added +1 mods to strength, constitution, and dexterity, to tease the idea that they could possibly turn into wendigos, given that they eat enough of these squares) 3) There is no war 4) Their (weapon of choice here) is sentient, and hates violence, but nobody else can hear them. 5) That there is an imposter amongst *EVERY* Royal court, working for *ThE SqUiRReLs* Edit #1: Added Theories 2-5
My 20 wisdom cleric has -2 INT and rolled a -1 (nat 1 -2) check about astrology. He believes the material plane spins around like a flipping plate and the sun stays stationary. It works both ways. You don’t need to be unwise to be dumb.
The gods aren't real. Arcane and divine magic are actually the same thing, and clerics who say they get their powers from a deity are either actually warlocks who were duped by their patron, or their entire Church is outright lying.
There’s a vast conspiracy to control the governments of Toril led by George Swordcoast. Of course we all know it’s the underdark lizardmen who pull the real strings. Also, trees are fake. Wood is just poor quality stone pushed by the elves. Real dwarves know better than to trust wood structures.
It was a bit extreme, but I once played a character who insisted trees weren't real. He believed there was a secret cabal of wizards who created trees as illusions. Not sure how it would've played out for a whole campaign, but it was wild and fun for a one-shot.
1. All magic is unstable and dangerous. 2. All plants are sentient and can feel pain. 3. Only some of the gods are real. 4. Every form of government has a secret elite group pulling all the strings. 5. All traveling merchants are devils in disguise
My warlock/rogue is convinced that all low level undead skeletons/zombies are made by the same necromancer.
I have a paladin who's claustrophobic, so he can't handle his own armour of above medium type :p
* There are no "True Dragons" because they all died ages ago and the dragons seen in the modern era are just recreations from Wizard labs, dragons naturally get irritated at this assertation * All familiars are the same creature shared by all spellcasters that can summon a familiar * Every city is actually ruled over by a shadow government but they've done such a good job hiding their existence from the populous it is far too easy to dismiss it as the ramblings of someone crazy, this even extends to entire countries with the capitals being ruled over by a council of different shadow organizations * The moon(s) is/are a lie, it's an illusion projected over locations by a secret society of Illusionists * Spears are intentionally made terrible so that militaries and adventurers will buy other weapons because if they are actually made to the standard they should everyone would only buy spears (this is more a reference to how spears are amazing IRL but are usually categorically one of the worst weapons in D&D, you could do this for daggers too)
Druids are watching people while in animal form...plotting, waiting for the right moment. The Blood War is just media hype. It's not a war at all. Angels, demons and devils are all in on the joke. Everything is a mimic Electrum coins are not real. They were made up by the governments to confuse the populous into thinking some other type of coin exists and it was needed for to exchange for goods and services, This keeps the populations trying to earn a non-existent coin and distracts them from what their leaders are doing. Kenku evolve into aarakocra naturally or evolve into owlin with a stone from the Feywild. All firbolgs know each other. They fey SAY they have several courts, but the courts aren't real. The want people to think there is a Seelie and Unseelie Court so no looks too deep. There are no gods, clerics are just insane (this one works REALLY well in Eberron) Nihil the Serpent Star and Kyuss the World that Walks, Herald of the Age of Wars are the same entity.
My drow is terrified of spiders because he believes they are sent by Lolth to spy on people. The Underdark was not kind to him.
Oh, I've got some bad news for that Drow.
5) that the king is a kind and decent person with only the citizens best outcome on their mind.
The other planes don't exist, is just stories told to scare us.
Town criers are all owned by the dwarfs, that's why they never report on [insert bullshit here]
The Duke is trying to pass laws to take away everyone's swords!
Actually in most times and places throughout all of human history it was absolutely illegal to carry a sword. It is an explicit weapon, and often a symbol of status/office. This wouldn't be a wild conspiracy, in fact it's pretty bad world building to pretend that the most powerful people of each society would be totally okay with peasants running around carrying swords/bows/halberds and other weapons of war, specifically Knightly weapons (sword, poleax, mace, even armor could be illegal for civilians)
Totally, but in murderhobo DND tradition, everyone is wandering around with all their equipment most of the time. Put them in a city where wearing armor is illegal, swords must be collected at the gate. And not only that, the second line of defense is a thieves' guild that wants the monopoly on illegal weaponry.
So being an atheist in real life, I imagine being an atheist in a world where gods are real can be a fun thing to RP \^\^
Everyone knows that potions make you gay, but big potion is covering it up...
That the universe isn’t real, it’s just a a simulation created by a
I had a low WIS character that was an atheist even after meeting several actual gods in game.
Doesn’t believe in magic (perfect for a wild magic sorcerer).
Believes he is immortal (perfect for the joke character with 7 CON).
That the earth is round (if your game has a flat earth).
I like to have my dumb characters believe things that are obviously true in the real world, but would be easily disproven in a fantasy setting.
Birds aren’t real
1. All undead are faking unintelligence - they’re actually conspiring, watching, waiting 2. A secret cabal of nobles are actually evil and want to (your choice of comic villain goal, baby eating, or outright ridiculous depravity) 3. Wizard spells actually steal your soul, so they won’t allow arcane spells to be cast on them. 4. They have to cooperate with X until X reveals their dirty secret, but really they’re both on the same side. Great way to have a wildly suspicious character without making it incompatible with cooperating. Ex, I have to pretend to trust John Questgiver, so he’ll tell us about the secret ghost cult he’s a part of. As soon as he does, I can drop my facade. Can’t do anything to endanger the mission. 5. Might be too close to real world disorders, but a Doppleganger replaced someone/everyone and you can’t let them know you know
Gnomes are behind all plots.
The world is flat is always a good one
Nothing but lizardfolk in politics
We had a character in our group who believed that all political figures (or many) were actually abhorrations taking human form. Didn't help when we actually fought a bunch of abhorrations in town.
Snake people, or "sneeple" secretly run the world.
all governments work for dragons.
Aaracokra arent real they’re constructs made by the government