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PenguinTyrant
2015-01-23, 11:28 PM
As the title suggests I could really use some help in making a murder mystery adventure.

Let me start by summarizing the key notes of the setting:


The world was once covered in a deadly miasma that has recently been receding in the past century.
Civilizations formed around large crystals that filtered the miasma.
Because of the miasma most civilizations had been quite isolated from one another.


During the years of the heavy miasma a theological empire of dragonborn arose. Once the miasma dispersed the high-priests sent a fleet to discover what remained of the world. The adventure begins when that fleet lands upon the shores of the campaign's setting, The Realm of Starfall. It took some time but the diplomats of the capitol city, Starfall, managed to secure a fragile alliance with the dragonborn. They have even assembled an embassy within the city for the newcomers. Meanwhile an illustrious guild of merchants known as the Shady Dragons have organized a trade route with the encampment.

Unfortunately, not all of the people of Starfall look kindly upon the dragonborn. There are rumors that they plan to conquer the realm and convert its people to their religion. The mere size of their fleet and their draconic appearance are enough to convince the simple folk. One person, a pious cleric, plans to use this fear to drive the dragonborn out of Starfall. One of her clergymen hired a band of rouges to steal a holy relic from the encampment. The cleric's plan was to secretly incite the dragonborn into attacking the city and then rally the realm against the aggressors.

While the theives did manage to steal the artifact, the dragonborn didn't react exactly as the cleric had planned. Their leader wishes to avoid violence and instead sent a investigator to search for the culprits. When he gets too close to discovering the truth both the cleric and the rouges silence him. That is when my character, when I'm not DMing, steps into the wrong place at the wrong time. The group is summoned by the dragonborn, who have captured and detained my character. It is up to the party to find enough clues to prove my character's innocence. If they fail, well I guess I'll be making a new character.

I know it seems as if I have a good chunk of things taken care of; however, I'm struggling with a lot of the details that go into such an adventure. The biggest problem that I face is creating enough clues to lead my players to discovering the truth. While the party members are quite clever none of us have ever played such an adventure. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If there are things that you wish for me to clear up or detail please let me know.

Beta Centauri
2015-01-24, 12:31 AM
First of all, unless you're willing to reveal the answer to the players so that they succeed, you should make peace with the idea of them failing. Even if you can come up with enough clues, they probably won't find them, and even if they do find them, they'll probably misunderstand them.

If you really want, a "real" mystery, in which they know what to look for, look for it, find it and put the pieces together, then be ready for them to fail, and be prepared to move things along. They have X days, and after X days they have failed and the consequences occur, and the story moves on from that. That shouldn't be a punishment for them or anything, just the world and the game moving along and changing as they succeed and fail at things.

PenguinTyrant
2015-01-24, 12:45 AM
First of all, unless you're willing to reveal the answer to the players so that they succeed, you should make peace with the idea of them failing. Even if you can come up with enough clues, they probably won't find them, and even if they do find them, they'll probably misunderstand them.

If you really want, a "real" mystery, in which they know what to look for, look for it, find it and put the pieces together, then be ready for them to fail, and be prepared to move things along. They have X days, and after X days they have failed and the consequences occur, and the story moves on from that. That shouldn't be a punishment for them or anything, just the world and the game moving along and changing as they succeed and fail at things.

Well the party will be given 48 in-game hours to find enough clues to prove my character's innocence. If they don't then the dragonborn will dispense their own justice and execute him. I'm perfectly fine with that happening. I picture that doing so would definitely hurt the ties between the dragonborn fleet and Starfall, possibly leading to other scenarios.

ElenionAncalima
2015-01-24, 11:05 AM
Here (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-clue-rule) is an article that may help you.

The core idea is that for everything that you want the players to figure out, there should be three different clues or possible approaches for them to figure it out.

PenguinTyrant
2015-01-24, 01:19 PM
Here (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-clue-rule) is an article that may help you.

The core idea is that for everything that you want the players to figure out, there should be three different clues or possible approaches for them to figure it out.

Wow, thank you so much for that link. I love the idea for the three clue rule.

So from what I can come up with the main conclusion that the party should discover is that the grand cleric is responsible for the murder of the dragonborn investigator. The only approach I can think of though is uncovering the connection between the rogues who stole the artifact and the grand cleric herself.

Any ideas or thoughts on other possibilities for the party to discover the truth?

ElenionAncalima
2015-01-24, 02:22 PM
Wow, thank you so much for that link. I love the idea for the three clue rule.

So from what I can come up with the main conclusion that the party should discover is that the grand cleric is responsible for the murder of the dragonborn investigator. The only approach I can think of though is uncovering the connection between the rogues who stole the artifact and the grand cleric herself.

Any ideas or thoughts on other possibilities for the party to discover the truth?

I'm not sure I 100% understand the involvement of your character (The dragonborn suspect him of stealing the artifact or killing the investigator?)

However based on everything else, three potential pathways could be.

1. Someone is trying to start a war with the dragonborn:
Potential clues here could involve investigating who might have issues with the dragonborn. Has the high priestess been petitioning the council to go to war with the dragonborn? Has she been preaching messages condemning their presence in the city? Have there been incidents of followers of the religion provoking violence against dragonborn?

2. Rogues were hired:
As you said, investigating the rogues could easily lead back to the cleric. Do the rogues have transaction records regarding the artifact? Can a rogue be followed to a meeting with the high priestess? Could a rogue be blackmailed or bribed into revealing their employer? Or alternatively do they have some loyalty to the religion, that could still lead back to the church (ie. A holy symbol)?

3. An investigator was silenced:
If the investigator was dealt with for getting too close, presumably following his trail could lead to useful information. Is there a note in his room inviting him to meet with someone from the temple? Did a small section of his notes escape destruction? Is there someone who he entrusted information to, who is currently too frightened to speak?

These suggestions may be way off base, but they are the types of things you might want to look for.

PenguinTyrant
2015-01-24, 02:59 PM
I'm not sure I 100% understand the involvement of your character (The dragonborn suspect him of stealing the artifact or killing the investigator?)

However based on everything else, three potential pathways could be.

1. Someone is trying to start a war with the dragonborn:
Potential clues here could involve investigating who might have issues with the dragonborn. Has the high priestess been petitioning the council to go to war with the dragonborn? Has she been preaching messages condemning their presence in the city? Have there been incidents of followers of the religion provoking violence against dragonborn?

2. Rogues were hired:
As you said, investigating the rogues could easily lead back to the cleric. Do the rogues have transaction records regarding the artifact? Can a rogue be followed to a meeting with the high priestess? Could a rogue be blackmailed or bribed into revealing their employer? Or alternatively do they have some loyalty to the religion, that could still lead back to the church (ie. A holy symbol)?

3. An investigator was silenced:
If the investigator was dealt with for getting too close, presumably following his trail could lead to useful information. Is there a note in his room inviting him to meet with someone from the temple? Did a small section of his notes escape destruction? Is there someone who he entrusted information to, who is currently too frightened to speak?

These suggestions may be way off base, but they are the types of things you might want to look for.

Our group consists of 3 DMs who have helped create a single campaign setting. To make things easier on the rest of the party we have a single cast of characters that we play. The DMs take turns running adventures within the setting and soon enough it'll be my turn to do so.

What I was thinking was that my character unfortunately stumbled upon the crime scene and was shortly found by the city guard. Being that he is a tiefling the guards were quick to arrest him. This was more of a means to have my character out of the party and have high stakes for if the party fails.

These are all incredible suggestions. Thank you so much for your help.

falloutimperial
2015-01-24, 11:17 PM
In investigations, I advocate for two ideas. First, if a character understands a clue through a skill check, I tell the player not only what they find but give them an important deduction about it. Instead of just saying "In the rubbish heap near the murder, you find a police badge," I add that the badge matches the name of the victim, and that whomever ditched the badge was sloppy enough to do it at the crime scene.

Second, the penalty for failing to find a clue or failing a check to understand it is time. The characters still learn what they need to, but an inconvenient amount of time later. Either they realize it, research it, "the lab" runs a few tests, or something else.

The first is because players don't have the benefit of actually examining the evidence and are usually not actual detectives. The second is because the players need clues to continue, and a few bad rolls could otherwise botch the whole mystery.

PenguinTyrant
2015-01-26, 09:59 PM
Here is an idea of how I could see the adventure starting off:


After the party is summoned by the city guard and explaining why their companion (my character) has been arrested they'll head towards the crime scene.
At the crime scene I want to try and introduce one clue from each of the three potential pathways.

Someone is trying to start a war.
Rogues were hired.
The investigator was silenced



Now I know that for the "The investigator was silenced" route I want to have the clue being the remains of his journal. Within that journal maybe he states that he was planning on meeting with the Shady Dragon guild (the merchants who were trading with the dragonborn when their artifact was stolen). This could possibly lead the party to meeting with the guild's boss who would reveal that new employees had recently joined the guild when they started trading with the dragonborn. The new employees are actually the rogues who stole the artifact from the dragonborn encampment. This could lead the party down several avenues. They could directly question/interrogate the thieves or quietly follow them to their hideout.

My first thought for the "Someone is trying to start a war" approach is that an angry mob of anti-dragonborn protesters have gathered around the crime scene. They could be slandering the dragonborn investigator and saying that he had attacked one of the city's heroes (my character). The group could be led by one of the grand cleric's lesser priests to rile them up even more. Other than that though I'm not sure what to do with this clue and how or where it could lead the party to.

The "Rogues were hired" path is the tricky one for me. I did have the idea that the grand cleric sent her right hand and maybe some rogues to deal with the investigator. Unfortunately, the assassination turned into a bit of a rumble. It finally ended when the cleric's right hand used a wand of fireball (or something similar) to blast the dragonborn. One of the rogues however, didn't manage to escape the blast and was caught underneath a pile of rubble. So maybe the rogue has something that connects him to his guild or maybe he is still alive (barely or unconscious) and the party can question/interrogate him. Other than that though I'm not sure what to do with it.

I know it seems like I keep asking this place a lot of questions but I truly appreciate the help and input I have received. Usually when I need someone to brainstorm ideas with I go to my fiance, but since she is a player in this campaign I don't wish to spoil anything for her. That's why I started to turn to the great people here for advice. Thank you all again for your help people!

Surpriser
2015-01-27, 06:57 AM
Concerning the "Rogues were hired", you could give the group of rogues some unique mark of identification (like Zorro's Z) that they leave on the crime scene - also as proof to the Cleric that they fulfilled the contract.

You should also somehow connect the assassination of the dragonborn with the theft of the artifact. If the dragonborn do not turn to the PCs anyway and give them the necessary information, the clues left at the murder scene might lead to the theft (e.g. by the notes in the journal, by the mark left by the rogues, witnesses ...)

EDIT:
For your second lead ("Someone is trying to start a war"), I would have the crowd be initially indifferent/sympathethic to the victim. Then one or more priests show up and turn the crowd into a mob against the dragonborn.
Then it is immediately clear that you are not simply establishing the general mood of the city but that the clerics are involved in anti-Dragonborn agendas.

ElenionAncalima
2015-01-29, 03:26 PM
For "rogues were hired" it may be helpful to think of it as a sequence of events, instead of a series of clues.

If you have a good idea about how things went down, it will be easier to improve when your players inevitably ask something you weren't expecting. This might help with the missing investigator too.

PenguinTyrant
2015-01-29, 07:44 PM
After hammering out a few details here is what I have so far.

The adventure itself begins when the party discovers that their friend has been arrested for the gruesome charge of murder. Even though the only evidence against him is the fact he was found at the crime scene the city guard are desperate for a scapegoat. The victim was a dragonborn from the recently arrived fleet. Relations between the citizens of Starfall and the dragonborn were already frail, but this could easily disturb the peace. However, the city guard take pity on the recent heroes of Starfall (the party) and give them the opportunity to discover the culprit.

Before describing the crime scene let me reveal the machinations that went on before the murder. Through her rogue allies the Grand Cleric discovered that instead of assaulting the city the dragonborn sent and investigator to reclaim their stolen artifact. With this news she hatched yet another plan to provoke the foreign fleet. Earlier in the week she had pleaded with the Knight-Commissioner to rebuke the dragonborn within the city. Instead her pleas were ignored.

Thus she had her rouges forge a letter to be sent to the Knight-Commissioner. Her plan was to lure the Knight-Commissioner out in the ruse that the dragonborn investigator wished for her aid. Once the two were together and confused the Grand Cleric struck. Sending her right hand, and a contingent of rogues, they waited for their prey. The rogues fired several arrows into the dragonborn's chest and the cleric's right hand used a wand of fireball (or something similar) to obliterate the Knight-Commissioner, leaving behind a smoldering corpse. Unfortunately, the explosions caught the attention of my character whom was meeting with an agent of one of the other party members. When he arrived a bulk of the knight-enforcers arrived upon the scene and immediately arrested him.

Unknown to the Grand Cleric though, her plan to steal the dragonborns sacred tome had nearly worked. If it wasn't for the general of the foreign fleet the High-Priest would have called for a holy crusade against Starfall. They came to a compromise by sending an agent to recover their stolen tome. While the High-Priest awaits news within the fleet's encampment the general has taken up temporary residence within the, recently renovated, embassy within Starfall.

Now then, the party will eventually be led to the scene of the crime, a public square near Starfall’s merchant plaza. The Burning Knights (city guard) have closed off the square with wooden barricades. A few knight-enforcers patrol the roads leading to the square. Water gushes forth from the rubble that use to be a beautiful fountain. The smell of smoke and sulfur hangs lightly in the air.

Here are the clues that can be discovered within the crime scene:

1. A tattered journal upon the dragonborn's body.
a) It contains notes saying that he was going to meet with the boss of the Shady Dragon Guild; however, the words are written in an ancient form of Draconic. Thus an INT check of 15 (or 10 if they actually do speak Draconic) will be needed to decipher the journal.
2. Echoes from the Weave.
a) In this setting arcane spellcasters use the Weave to fuel their spells. Any arcanist can feel when the Weave has been disrupted by casters. When the cleric's right hand used the wand the Weave was temporarily disturbed. This may be more of a red herring than anything.
3. A group of anti-dragonborn protesters.
a) When the party first arrives at the crime scene groups of spectators crowd the barricades. However, halfway through the investigation one of the grand cleric's minions (abbot perhaps?) arrives and begins to rile up the people and slander the dragonborn. The minion will give speeches about how their great patron, the grand cleric, tried to warn the government about the foreigners.
4. A rogue's corpse.
a) When the explosion occurred one of the rogues was caught underneath the rubble of the fountain, killing him instantly. A Passive Perception of 12 will reveal that the water pooling near the fountain is slightly red. After making a STR check to remove the rubble they'll reveal the dead rogue. Upon the corpse is an odd pendant bearing the emblem of the Scarlet Ravens, a thuggish gang that one of the party members was kicked out of. Perhaps the pendant also serves as a key to enter secret doors throughout the city.
5. The victims.
a) The investigator looks as if he had suffered several defensive wounds upon his forearms. A closer look at his chest reveals three smaller wound. Parts of his body have been singed. An INT (investigation) or a WIS (medicine) check of DC 10 will reveal that the defensive wounds were caused by a slashing weapon while the chest wounds were caused by piercing weapons. Yet, making a DC of 15 will further reveal that there are wooden splinters within the chest wounds.
b) the knight-commissioner's body has been badly burnt. Several patches of flesh have been seared off and only the armor remains fully intact. Her hands have melted while clutching a large great ax. Blood stains the cutting edge of the weapon. Upon searching the body the party will discover a leather pouch containing a slightly charred letter written in Draconic. Unless someone speaks the language an INT check of DC 15 will be needed to decipher it. If someone attempts to compare the letter with the journal they'll be able to discover that the language and the hand writing are quite different.

Right now that is what I have solidly planned. After that I only have rough ideas.

On one hand I did imagine that the general of the dragonborn fleet would try to get in touch with the party. He'll want to recruit their aid and reveal the underlying threat that the city faces. If they can't find the culprit behind the theft and murder the High-Priest would unleash the fleet.

Meanwhile the Grand Cleric will hear the news that one of the recent heroes of Starfall has been arrested for the murders. While she is nervous that the rest of the party might get too close, the prospect of using the unlawful imprisonment of a hero to rile the masses is tempting.

Then there is the rouge gang, the Scarlet Ravens. They have benefited greatly with their dealing with the Grand Cleric. Secretly the gang has been outfitted with arms and armor created in the holy forge of the church. To secure this little trade the gang leader has cleared out a sewer tunnel leading between their hideout, the Harlot's Booty, and the Church.

Perhaps the government of Starfall wishes to patch things with the dragonborn by some means.