First time DMing.

[Roan_Spence]

Hey guys. I'm hoping to get a little assistance on something. So, some backstory.

I've been wanting to get into DMing for awhile and I've been going over some things to learn. I posted a quick little DM style lead up to a combat encounter on my Facebook page and a couple of people got so excited they want to do a little one shot with me. I've never DM'd before and I'm a bit nervous and I'd like some more experienced people to throw some suggestions out there for how to prep for this. A few notes.

We'll be doing Pathfinder. It's the same system I'm currently in a campaign for so I'm fairly familiar with that.

It's just two people for this little deal. I asked them want kind of game they like and what kind of things they like to see in a game. To quote "They like lots of problem solving with slightly outlandish solutions and maybe a bit of overkill" Another likes adventure and psychological suspense type stuff. They both like things a bit more dramatic in game than funny (my current DM is a much more comedy focused type and they wouldn't enjoy that quite as much for this).

I know they intend to play a Barbarian and a Druid. I've told them to go ahead and make level 5 characters. Neither have played a lot but I'm helping them pull their characters together. I gave them a stat array to use for convenience sake (16, 16, 14, 12, 10, 10). It's the same one my current DM is using and of cousre, they'll input the racial bonuses and penalties for whatever they pick accordingly.

My current plan is to give them a bit of a murder mystery/suspense plotline. They'll be contracted by an agent of the queen of a particular city to assist in solving a string of murders. It will seem to the agent that the criminal they're tracking behaves more like a wild animal than a normal criminal so they're bringing in a pair of people with experience hunting to help out (hence why those to wilderness themed classes will be hunting in a city). The city is a custom creation of mine that is a city of canals with lots of overhanging pathways, arches and walk ways. Lots of places to hide, evade, climb, disappear etc. Imagine a modified Venice but also with a lot of greenery and plant life intertwined with the general architecture and city design and you'll get a solid idea.

They'll seek out clues, talk to witnesses and have to piece together cryptic hints to try and find out who the culprit is, what they are, and where they'll be to either find them and bring the fight to them, or draw them out. I plan for them to discover they're hunting a werewolf pretty quickly.

I know I'll need to up the power level of the werewolf enemy you can find in the Pathfinder monster guide (it's only a CR 2) and I'll need to plan out the NPC's, witnesses and others they'll talk to in the course of the story etc. I know I'll need to set up multiple places they could potentially fight and possibly have a couple leads that'll help them find the killer but any help in kind of creating an action plan for this would be most appreciated.

A part of me also wants to give them an NPC helper but I'm not sure if that's a good idea.

With that said, here's the basic outline or tent poles

I. Introduction
>Agent of the Crown seeks them out
>Explains the situation
>Negotiates with them to come to the city and help the investigation.
>If they accept things move to the city.
>if they refuse the problem comes to them where they are.
>If they come, eventually decide to say screw it, the problem might follow them.

II. Mystery
>In the city they get there about the middle of the day
>I'd offer them to check the crime scenes, interview witnesses, look for clues etc.
>They'd have to find credible witnesses. Not every witness might be credible
>>Opportunities for sense motive checks and the like.
>>Perception for clues etc.

>Witnesses can be found in a couple of the homes near by the crime scenes, a dining hall and there may even be a few guards they could talk to.
>If they talk to enough people (Not sure what a good number to establish a relative area would be) they might be able to get a bit of information that there's a pattern to the killings and a relative area for the killer. Different people would also be giving them werewolf hints.
>The players are big criminal minds fans so I think I'll want to set up connections between the victims so they can do victimology stuff, determine links between them, figure out the desire behind the killings and profile the killer. Whoever it is, it could be someone they meet on their questioning if they get it right or someone they witnesses know.

>If they decide to welch on the deal and go back to wherever they came from instead it shifts over into a monster movie feel where the people in their home village are being picked off one by one and it turns into a ticking clock scenario.

III. Hunting the killer
>This phase would kick off as the day creeps into night.
>The evening would be a bit overcast if they still need time to get some things figured out. If not, the clouds that have been hanging around will part to reveal a full moon.
>If they're in the city they might have to chase down, stake out or, stalk the killer.
>This is where I'd stick the big combat encounter for the one shot.

IV. Cool down
>Wrapping things up
>Hinting at anything else I want to hint at story wise.

So I've got my tent poles for a basic 3 act structure (intro and rising action, climax, falling action) and a very loose sketch of what happens if they for some reason DON'T do what I think they'll do but I'd really appreciate extra ideas here or ideas on how this general set up can be improved.

I'm especially concerned about how to pump up the Werewolf and possibly give them a chance to do a little practice with their combat abilities before the end. Maybe give them a warm up combat encounter before dealing with the big bad at the climax. I also don't really know how DM's set up DC's for things. Is there a general table used or is there a gudieline? I ask in part at least because I know that in a city of canals and catwalks one of these two is going to try to parkour jump from one level to another. Like I can SEE it coming. I know I'm going to need a DC for an acrobatics check on that somewhere for example.

I know that was long. Thanks for your time.

[Captn_Flounder]

To pump up the Werewolf, you could double the HP and BAB, add more damage, etc, but it will still get wrecked because the action economy of 2 PCs + Animal Companion. Or you could have it escape and they track it to it's lair just outside town, where the fight is joined by 2-4 wolves (1 CR). Maybe even a second Werewolf even. Maybe the second Werewolf is visibly sick or injured, and that's why the first has started hunting easy prey in town and not out the wilderness. That way, if they really wanted to, they could soothe and heal the beasties instead of just killing them.

As for DCs, the PFSRD has examples if you look up the skills individually. As a rule of thumb though, if an average person could reliably be expected to do it (jump 5 feet with a running start or climb a rope in normal circumstances) it's a DC 10. Then you go up in increments of 5 whenever you feel the task has gotten significantly harder. Like jumping that 5 foot gap with no running start, or a running start and a 10 foot gap would both be DC15. Or if the rope is slickened (as if by a Grease Spell) that would increase the climb DC to 20.

[Roan_Spence]

That's really helpful. Thanks a bunch.

[Geddy2112]

Looks like you did your homework and built up a pretty good start.

You are right to test the party's combat ability. What I try to do is start most sessions with an encounter of some kind. This breaks up the table talk, gets everyone focused and kicks things into gear. For you, you have a perfect chance-the party is traveling to a city, meaning the party can be attacked on the road. It could be wild animals, monsters, or highwaymen. If you are using intelligent creatures, give the scenario a nonlethal out. You can also have some ruffians shake the party down as they try to enter the city. For this last option, if the party is getting beaten badly you can easily deus ex the guards coming to break up the fight and the ruffians run. The opening encounter should generally be easy-make it in the party's favor, but enough where they have to use some X a day abilities.

I second the action economy thing of the werewolf vs the party-however, if the druid is not running an animal companion it is fairly balanced. I would still probably throw it some wolves or feral thralls, just meatshield mooks to make the fight not a 1 hit KO. Druids don't have many save or lose spells, but a juiced barbarian with some good dice can mincemeat most enemies in a round at this level. Build a werewolf for yourself, using the lycanthrope (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/lycanthrope/) template. Make it at least a level 4, with heroic NPC wealth, but arguably a 5 or 6. Give it class ranks-fighter is easy, but you could do rogue, barbarian, or even a caster if you feel up to it.

When you get into the skills section, make sure they can use the skills barbarians and druids are good at. Both are wisdom based and nature themed, so let them use heal, survival, and knowledge (nature) to determine the nature of the killer, what could have done it, etc. Try not to make the clues entirely pereception based, and with any good mystery clue encounter, use the three clue rule (http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/1118/roleplaying-games/three-clue-rule). They are both likely to dump charisma, and the only social skill they have between them is intimidate on the barbarian, so don't make the adventure dependent on diplomacy or bluff. That said, the players should have this option, but the DC might be high and their chances of success are pretty low.

Maybe make the werewolf a recultant monster-maybe it does not want to do this, but it can't control itself. Get some sympathy for the devil. Perhaps they are a down and out pauper. Alternatively, make the werewolf a who's who in the city, who is covering up the attacks as vagrancy(good tie into the highwaymen or shakedown first encounter) so they can hunt as they please. Maybe the noble is blackmailing or employing the thugs to throw the trail of their actions...or any mix in between. More fun than just finding a wild animal in a cave.

[Roan_Spence]

That too is especially helpful. Thanks for the heads up. With the skills there are a few things you mention that I hadn't considered (the specific skills that they're both good at and specific checks for clues). This is all exceptionally useful.

I greatly appreciate this. All of these are great things to know and stuff I wouldn't have necessarily known to consider.

EDIT
And that 3 clue rule is utterly fantastic. I love it.

[Roan_Spence]

Well, this is going to be fun. We got their character sheets mostly up and running today and well... they've both completely surprised me in a lot of ways. Neither of them exactly dumped charisma and the barbarian chose to take persuasive as a feat and put some of their skill points in diplomacy. Meanwhile, the druid hasn't picked her skills but decided to make INT and WIS her high stats.

[Roan_Spence]

Okay. i'm going through and formalizing my notes for the one shot and I'm actually hitting on a snag already.

The opening I had planned has them meet the queen's agent with him coming to them to hire them. He's a spy and assassin for the crown. A mid level rogue NPC. I can't decide if I should have the normal meeting or if maybe, since my druid player has decided that her character has been a professional thief for awhile, using her wildshape and bond with the natural world for criminal pursuits, have it be that the one shot starts out with the pair of them on a job they've been hired for and it goes belly up. They get caught by the town guard (which is their first combat encounter) and if they get caught have the Rogue negotiate for them to help solve the murders, or, if they win, have him reveal it was a test and offer them a more lucrative deal.

[Geddy2112]

Glad to help! It sounds like an interesting couple of characters for sure.

Since the barbarian went the route they did, plan on them trying to talk their way through some things-this should not really change the nature of the investigation(still skill checks and role playing) but it may change the skills they use. Less autopsy and looking for wolf tracks, more talking to witnesses/victims. All of these options should be on the table, but just be ready if they go the more social and less nature/survival/tracking route.

I like the idea of the job going belly up, as it establishes the party's bond(theives working together) and throws an encounter at them from the get go. Keep in mind they might talk their way out of the fight and then kill your NPC rogue, or some even weirder option. Don't worry about planning for every weird thing the party could do-you can run 1000 scenarios and they will do it the one way you never saw. Just be ready to roll with it, and have the world respond organically.

It seems to me you have everything pretty well hammered out. I would love to hear a follow up on how it goes down.

[Roan_Spence]

Definitely will do.

And thank you. I think I'll go with the plan where the rogue has hired them for a job before the story starts (secretly) and then sabotages it and gets them captured by the guards to get the leverage to get them to investigate for him.

I still need to finalize all the clues that I'll drop for them and everything but I've got a little time now.