Reveal Machinations:
I don’t understand what this feat does.
Wouldn’t I be able to accomplish the same results via regular roleplay and a Deception check, without the need of a feat?
It’s like having a feat that allows me to make a check to climb a building. Like, sure, that’s nice, but I could accomplish the same by… Telling the DM I want to climb the building, and passing the required check.
It’s an attempt to introduce some hint of the core gimmick of ‘blades in the dark’; a game that keeps the action moving by making you do all your planning in flashbacks–like a heist movie.
if you’re trying to bluff yes, you probably could just do this with a deception check. but I think this is different because you can use it to retroactively affect the narrative of an NPC. The deception check you’re making in that case is to successfully convince them throughout their life that you were just the buttler or something.
A creative GM might let you do that normally if it’s within plausibility and you clear it with them first, but having a distinct feat and ruleset to do that is unique and helpful.