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View Full Version : Running a Murder Mystery, Help Apreciated.



SoD
2008-08-28, 03:33 AM
Pretty much as the title says, I'll be wanting some advice on it though. If you live in Southern Tasmania, and have just started a campaign starting in a place called the Golden Crossroads, STOP READING HERE!

Setting: Basically homebrewed, the party are in a small village (pop. 120ish) and have just split up a small encampment of slavers, and are taking the not-slaves-anymore to the GC (Golden Crossroads). That's where we finished the session. Since then, I'm thinking of interupting my planned scedual to put in place a murder mystery...a caravan is soon to be staying at the town for a few days (as it usually does this time every year). The GC is between two Metropolii, Tampare and Blackhearth, with Tampare being a Magocracy, and Blackhearth the capital of the country (Algaria), and is a racially diverse Monarchy. Because of this, there's always people going through the GC from one metropolii to the other.


Dramatis Personae:


The Party:


Alekk Wyle: CE Skarn Soldier 1, has protected Lord Jackson (Leader of the GC) for the past ten years. Will soon be fired (he doesn't know this), thus giving him a reason to leave and remain with the party.
Dionesidhe: CN Killoren Ranger 2, has been traveling, but has lived in the GC for the past few months, and has served as a hunter/gatherer to help.
Faye: CN Teifling Warlock 2, ran away from home, has been working as a barmaid at Thorins (Dwarven guy, owns a tavern, not very smart), until recently, when she quit.
Mitsuhide Masamune: N Human Warblade 2, from another continent, arrived the other day. Since then has knocked unconcious Alekk and Dionesidhe, has been arested, and has helped the town out with their problem.
Silesenric: NG Human Cleric of Syneth 2, has lived as a protector of the GC for the past few years, as part of his cleric training. Soon his replacement shall arrive.
Steven: CG Human Psion 2, was one of the slaves and is eight years old. Likes pirates. Wasn't there for last session, so the party (IC) don't know about him yet.

The Town:

Lord Jackson: LG Human Soldier 3/Aristocrat 3, a kind old man, but competant in his ruling.
Tseung: LH Human Monk 1, generally just lies around reading or sleeping.
Cur: CG Half-orc Barbarian 1, generally well liked. Has become friends with Misuhide.
Thorin: LG Dwarven Commoner 5. The Proud owner of Thorins, not too bright.
Amana: LG Cloistered Cleric of Shanara (Deceased Golden Dragon God, protector of the Golden Crossroads) 2. Slightly short-tempered, but runs the local church easily and skillfully.
Al-Sazar: NG Human Ranger 4. Protector of the Golden Crossroads, but spends more time in the surrounding plains than in the town itself. Was captured by the slavers.
Thudruk: LN Dwarven Warrior 2. Constable of the local watch (pop. 3). Was in charge of arresting Alekk and Misuhide recently, and of handing out their punishments.
Other Miscelaneous NPC's.

Visitors:

Zook: CG Gnomish Illusionist 2, recruited by the party, being the only one who could stop Mitsuhide when need be.
A few other Illusionists, and experts, arrived to collect tax from the local Illusionists. Fell afoul of the slavers, and one of their members nearly killed. However, they escaped and roused the alarm. Note, Zook is not with them.
A retired Adventuring Party. (x2-3) of between 4-6th level, who reside at Thorins.
The Watcher: NE Cloistered Cleric of Pyremius 5, Assassin 1. Sent to watch over the Murderer, and to kill him if he fails.
Other: One or two Red Herrings.


Caravan:

Note, I haven't thought up names yet.
Leader (Theoretically): LN Half-elven Expert 5. A friendly youngish lady who runs the caravan with skill beyond her years.
Leader (In reality): CG Doppelganger Expert 1. Several years ago, he saw Caravan Leader killed by muggers in a city. A kind hearted person, after the muggers left, he took her form, and has kept it for the past 10 years. He can read minds, and therefore knows who the murderer is, but won't give anything away, as he's scared he'll be found out for what he really is. He's had this role for so long, he can't imagine life as someone else.
Other Miscelaneous Merchants and Guards.


The Ex-Slave(r)s:
Slaves:
3 CN Mongrelfolk (Would-be bandits, before they were captured). 1 Barb, 1 Rog, 1 Rgr.
1 N Lizardfolk.
1 LE Drow Sorcerer 1, expert 3 Up on a 'diplomatic' mission to a local Metropolii. His allies were killed.
Misc: 13 humans, 3 elves, 2 halflings, 5 gnomes, 2 dwarves, 7 half-elves. Low level commoner/expert/warriors.

Slavers:

Nathaniel (Prefurs Nathan), CG human Conjuror 3. Was sent to infiltrate the slavers ring (this was only a small, minor section), as it is suspected by one group (secret group-within-group-within-group) that it isn't all it seems (it isn't, but that's not important until much later). Knocked out by Misuhide while trying to surrender.
1 NE Human Bard.
1 LN Hobgoblin Archer.
Many Grunts: 6 kobolds, 4 goblins, 2 orcs.


The murderer:
A NE Changeling Rogue 2/Cloistered Cleric of Pyremius (God of Fire, Poison, and Assassins) 1, Swashbuckler 1. His clerical training nearly complete, he must sucessfully assassinate at least 5 people in the same area, with a maximum of a week between each before he may reach the next level in the clerical Heirachy.

The Plan:
First victim: Either Amana, or one of the retired adventurers, or possibly Cur or Thorin either way, first victim will be someone from the GC, a local. Haven't really planned that much yet.

Any advice would be welcome. I'm planning on the murderer to first strike in the next couple of days, after the party has rested, one or two days after the caravan arrives. Thanks in advance, Playgrounders!

Edit: More specifically, some clues I'd be able to leave for the party, so that they might know they're looking for a creature who can disguise itself, how they can actually work out who it is, and so on and so forth.

BobVosh
2008-08-28, 05:50 AM
We need more informations. Such as what does the changeling have to do to prove he killed, is it a ritualistic or quick by the books stabbin' in the throat? Any special weapons, does the changeling prefer any race to emulate? How well does he protect himself againist scry spells?

Stuff like that.

SoD
2008-08-28, 07:02 AM
Well, as the proof that he killed them, apart from the honour part, he's got a superior there to make sure things happen (not that he knows that...as far as he knows, they're taking his word).

No special weapons (although he's got a few doses of poison). The Changeling has no qualms about assuming any and all races, as for protection against scrying: haven't really put too much thought into that. Probably not that much, the party arcanists (if you can call them that) are a warlock and an eight year old psion who likes to pretend to be a pirate. The highest level arcanist around is a 3rd level conjuror (currently unconcious) and an illusionist. So there'll be some divination if the party so wishes it.

ssjKammak
2008-08-28, 09:07 AM
Just afew thoughts,

Depending on if your killer wants to be known/mock the players, he could leave actual clues intended to be found. Such as a letter that requires a skill challenge to find and then leaves a subtle clue. Or even a puzzle to solve.

By adding multiple of these clues, that when pieced together tell the players the killers name. Now it's simply a question of how many people have to be murdered before the players can solve enough clues to get the killer name.

If possibly you want a very subtle killer who wants to stalk the players, other clues that use there nature search skills to give them hint and slowly narrow there supects down form the whole town to afew possibilities may help.

For example Belkar being able to detect Nales scent, your players could do a similar thing for, example it could be a difficult nature check at the scene of one of the crimes and narrow the list of suspect to a set group of NPC's.

The real trick with mysteries is to determine the end result in your case catch a muderer. then step by step develop a chain of clues leading to the first murder.

Just an Aussies 2 cents
Cheers

PnP Fan
2008-08-28, 02:16 PM
Just a few thoughts, after having run quite a few mysteries over the years.

1. Divination can be your worst enemy, or your best friend. Your PCs are low level, but even so good questions and a spell or two can completely kill your plot. You need to either figure out a way to defeat any divination spells they have, or figure out a way to use them against the players. Speak with Dead is one you'll need to look at in particular.

2. What I have found useful in the past is to decide the method used by the villain, and the reason the villain is killing people. Then look at the natural effects of these things. Let your players guide you to the clues they are looking for, based on the events transpiring.

3. Don't give away your clues. Part of the fun of the mystery is figuring out the clues and how they work together. So, for example, if your normal method of dealing with search checks is to set a DC, and give them information if they succeed, change that. I like to set a minimum DC to ask one question/get one clue, and with every 2-5 points above the minimum DC, they get extra questions/clues. This allows your skill monkeys to be very useful, but even the fighter, who apparently needs to be shown the fight before he can participate, might make a low DC check, and ask a brilliant question.

4. Plan out the sequence of events for your murderer. By necessity, your PCs will always be too late until the last murder happens, otherwise you're not running a murder mystery.

5. Don't dice out your murders. The murderer is always competent enough to kill whoever he is killing, until the final murder. Even then he slips up only because the PCs have outsmarted him.

6. Red Herrings, use one, but don't overdo it. Even Scooby Doo used them. Just a thought. . . Changelings, once their nature is revealed, are the obvious choice for murderers/criminals. Which makes them excellent scapegoats! Your murderer would use this to his advantage. A Changeling worshipper of the Traveler (or other morally questionable deity) is a wonderful red herring to throw everyone off. Try making one of your NPCs a changeling in hiding, and make your protagonist something a little more mundane that somehow knows about your hidden changeling.

7. If you aren't already, get good at lying. Your murderer has to be, in order to do what he does, and I promise you, your players have levels in Sense DM's Motives, or the spell Detect DM's Lies. I find that becoming completely dispassionate about everything tends to help me control my facial expressions, but whatever works for you.

8. Children. Most people have strong reactions to children. They trust them and usually hate to see them hurt. Use this to your advantage. Maybe one of the youth in the town "saw something". Maybe that something is true, accurate, or a complete fabrication.

Hope that helps!

SoD
2008-08-28, 08:49 PM
Depending on if your killer wants to be known/mock the players, he could leave actual clues intended to be found. Such as a letter that requires a skill challenge to find and then leaves a subtle clue. Or even a puzzle to solve. By adding multiple of these clues, that when pieced together tell the players the killers name. Now it's simply a question of how many people have to be murdered before the players can solve enough clues to get the killer name.

It seems a good idea, but he's trying to remain hidden. It's quite tempting however, and I may use this later in the campaign. However, this could peice together Pyremius (patron deity), for a clue, combined with a Knowlege (Religion) from our good clerical friend...


If possibly you want a very subtle killer who wants to stalk the players, other clues that use there nature search skills to give them hint and slowly narrow there supects down form the whole town to afew possibilities may help. For example Belkar being able to detect Nales scent, your players could do a similar thing for, example it could be a difficult nature check at the scene of one of the crimes and narrow the list of suspect to a set group of NPC's.

'Stalking the players' is a possibility, he's just going for any target that looks challenging. And this could also be used to throw the players 'off the scent' so to speak, Gnomes are meant to have good noses, so having Zook commenting "No, he can't be a goblin...wrong smell. It's a new smell though..."


The real trick with mysteries is to determine the end result in your case catch a muderer. then step by step develop a chain of clues leading to the first murder.

Could be tricky...must get down to working out who gets killed, and in what order.


1. Divination can be your worst enemy, or your best friend. Your PCs are low level, but even so good questions and a spell or two can completely kill your plot. You need to either figure out a way to defeat any divination spells they have, or figure out a way to use them against the players. Speak with Dead is one you'll need to look at in particular.

Speak with Dead is easily foiled, as (from memory) the corpse needs to be able to speak (smash up jaw, cut out tounge, etc.) and only knows what the corpse knows ("It was a Halfling with an axe."


2. What I have found useful in the past is to decide the method used by the villain, and the reason the villain is killing people. Then look at the natural effects of these things. Let your players guide you to the clues they are looking for, based on the events transpiring.

Methods: Poison for one, knifing another, stealing a weapon and using that, etc. Reason: To further his advancement in the clerical heirarchy of Pyremius. Not fully sure what you mean by natural effects though...of course the town is going to be pointing their fingers at any outsiders (which includes several of the PC's).


3. Don't give away your clues. Part of the fun of the mystery is figuring out the clues and how they work together. So, for example, if your normal method of dealing with search checks is to set a DC, and give them information if they succeed, change that. I like to set a minimum DC to ask one question/get one clue, and with every 2-5 points above the minimum DC, they get extra questions/clues. This allows your skill monkeys to be very useful, but even the fighter, who apparently needs to be shown the fight before he can participate, might make a low DC check, and ask a brilliant question.

I like that idea. I'll have to start writing down DC's and things like that.


4. Plan out the sequence of events for your murderer. By necessity, your PCs will always be too late until the last murder happens, otherwise you're not running a murder mystery.

Hmm, sequence. I'm thinking having Lord Jackobson poisoned third, maybe having Thorin killed off as the first victim (burned down tavern).


5. Don't dice out your murders. The murderer is always competent enough to kill whoever he is killing, until the final murder. Even then he slips up only because the PCs have outsmarted him.

The murderer is indeed competant theoretically, although in practice he's just begining. However, he is smart, and covers his tracks well (but not perfectly). I'm thinking that he might get cocky after the first two or three, and start with the note leaving, etc.


6. Red Herrings, use one, but don't overdo it. Even Scooby Doo used them. Just a thought. . . Changelings, once their nature is revealed, are the obvious choice for murderers/criminals. Which makes them excellent scapegoats! Your murderer would use this to his advantage. A Changeling worshipper of the Traveler (or other morally questionable deity) is a wonderful red herring to throw everyone off. Try making one of your NPCs a changeling in hiding, and make your protagonist something a little more mundane that somehow knows about your hidden changeling.

That's one idea I had, only with our Doppelganger as a scrapegoat (I just need to work out how to allow the players to realise).


7. If you aren't already, get good at lying. Your murderer has to be, in order to do what he does, and I promise you, your players have levels in Sense DM's Motives, or the spell Detect DM's Lies. I find that becoming completely dispassionate about everything tends to help me control my facial expressions, but whatever works for you.

That's something I'll need to work on. I've never been a good liar.*


8. Children. Most people have strong reactions to children. They trust them and usually hate to see them hurt. Use this to your advantage. Maybe one of the youth in the town "saw something". Maybe that something is true, accurate, or a complete fabrication.

And with one of the players as a child...this could work. Thanks a heap for that! With a player seeing it, it becomes even more beleiveable.

Thank you both for your help (although more is always appreciated)!

* See? Totally beleivable, eh?

Dr Bwaa
2008-08-28, 09:35 PM
I second the red herrings approach, but in maybe a slightly different way. Perhaps someone else in the town has an objective of some kind that could look similar (what this is depends on who is killed, but it could be political, religious, personal, whatever). This person starts acting on their objective after the first murder (for instance, first a town guard is killed, and then the secondary criminal starts stealing from someone who knew the guard as a personal vendetta (note: it's a very small town, so it doesn't matter who this is: everyone knew the guard). The PCs find out that the stolen property has (whatever significance) and start chasing that. Then the next murder victim is someone who hated the person who got stolen from anyway, and they have to reevaluate. Continue). This can be (from experience) very, very fun, especially if the PCs don't figure out what on earth is actually happening until 3/4 of the way through.

Prometheus
2008-08-28, 11:07 PM
So wait, decently leveled, shape-shifting rogue with a splash of spellcasting has to kill five villagers? Sounds like the PCs don't have a chance at finding him. Either the PCs have to be very crafty, or you are going to have to make it a little easier. You could always assume the murderer is sloppy and leaves clues, but you have to suspend a little disbelief. Second As previous posters have suggested, you could have the identity of the murderer known and the real mystery as to which townsmember he has replaced (who acts different and where the body is are two additional means of finding the answer). Or third, you could require that the murderer take the victims in particular fashion that could be difficult, have to make a public spectacle of it, or do it according to a regular schedule. Or fourth you could chose a certain type of divination magic to be available (say the cleric or illusionist has it) that provides a big clue, but only if they time it right.

The advice I'd really like to convey is a plot device frequently used by Stephen King (See Storm of the Century or the Fog), and that is not only to focus on the danger, but the interpersonal conflict that results from the fear of the danger:
-People who don't like each other and would have tolerated each other are now flinging accusations.
-The caravan which needs to make its route suddenly isn't allowed to leave (much to the annoyance of the caravan, each of the members who know they aren't the murderer and think they know their colleagues well enough to know).
-Someone steps up to take charge and tell people what to do to be safe or find the killer and someone else has a problem with it
-Someone breaks the rules or refused to cooperate, but isn't the murderer.
-Someone is forced to do the murderer's bidding on pain of death
-Someone is framed or scapegoated. As lordhenry notes, anyone who has a motive could qualify.
-Someone with a bad reputation or flawed senses has to be trusted
-Someone takes advantage of the situation to engage in criminal behavior (for example the slavers)
-Someone is too afraid to carry out assigned tasks.
-Proposal for all people to gather in the same place and remain there, no matter what
-Proposal for all people to be disarmed until more can be figured out
-Traps or lures for the murderer (such as cutting out the light or some spells on behalf of the Illusionist)
-Proposal for all people to have their pinky toe cut off (to see if it changes back to natural shapeshifter form)
-Proposal to send someone to the outside to seek divination help (can they be trusted? How many people are needed to ensure they are safe? Can they be trusted?)
Whatever the PCs think, be prepared with a random (or carefully chosen) member of the village who vocally disagrees and someone who vocally agrees.

These things not only add another dynamic to the murder mystery, but also provides a means of introducing the various characters to the PCs that leads into a tangled web of he-said-she-said.

Mr. Zook
2008-08-28, 11:26 PM
How about when they almost have it solved, have their main suspect, (who isn't the murderer) be killed and a moking note be left at the murder sceen
someone could accuse the pcs of the murders so they have to worry about the murder and vigilantes trying to kill them, maybe the vigilante could be the murderer as well
the murder could leave clues not about him, but his next target

playswithfire
2008-08-28, 11:46 PM
I will admit I've only skimmed some of the larger posts, so this may have already been suggested, but the first way that occurs to me to give the PCs a clue that the murderer can change shape is to have him assume the identity of each person he kills as part of his getaway from each kill. Then, on maybe the second or third murder, someone, probably a drunk or otherwise not entirely reputable source swears that he saw the victim (really the murderer obviously) walking around minutes before learning that the body was discovered halfway across town.

Rei_Jin
2008-08-28, 11:53 PM
So, correct me if I get something wrong here...

You have a murderer on the loose. His motive is to further himself within the church of Pyremius. Now, with most murder mysteries that get solved, there is a common link between the murders, whether it be the method, a clue left at the site (whether deliberate or not), something about the victims, etc.

So, you've already said that he uses different methods to kill his victims, he uses different forms to do so, and he has no qualms about how he does it. He's smart, and he's good at covering his tracks.

You need to give the players a common link between the murders. Without it, there's no way (asides from Deus Ex Machina) for them to solve the mystery. Others have already suggested notes from him, whether they be along the lines of 'HAHAHAHA! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME!' or a riddle pointing to the next victim, or perhaps even a calling card (like a specific flower, a small ceremonial dagger, etc).

I'd recommend leaving a riddle behind at the third murder. If you're going to burn an inn down, you could do the following.


As the ashes from the inn cool, you finally get a chance to search the ruins to see what, if anything, survived. Eventually someone makes the gory discovery of the charred remains of (insert name here), clutching at a small, yet ornate box. It seems to be important.

(When the PCs inspect the box)
The box itself is made of some kind of metal, whatever it is it doesn't seem to have been affected by the fire. You can't seem to locate a lip or break in it to open it however.

(One of the PCs makes a successful Disable Device check)
The box springs open, and inside are some burnt pieces of paper. They seem to have writing on them, in an unusual script.

(If one of the PCs can speak Ignan)
The writing on the burnt pieces of paper is in Ignan, and looks to be a riddle of some sort. Once you assemble them in a way that seems to make sense, you have the following puzzle.

Eyes, ever shifting. Mind, ever focused.
Death and fire await you all.
First, a knife, then, a goblet,
Now the tavern roof will fall.
Next to come will be a cleansing,
Blood for blood and life's last breath.
Guard your kin and pray for safety,
You may be the last one left.

If you do it this way, the first death should be to a dagger, the second to poisoned drink, the third to the burning down tavern. The fourth shouldn't be rehearsed, almost like an accidental killing, possibly even his superior. The fifth (and last) would be one of the PCs.

This gives the PCs a lot of chance for clues, and the riddle will help them see some connection. If they find the superior from the church of Pyremius dead, he'll have a lot of clues on him, but they'll need to wait for the murderer to reveal himself. Which he does when he attacks one of the PCs to murder them!

Justin_Bacon
2008-08-29, 12:29 AM
Any advice would be welcome. I'm planning on the murderer to first strike in the next couple of days, after the party has rested, one or two days after the caravan arrives. Thanks in advance, Playgrounders!

Edit: More specifically, some clues I'd be able to leave for the party, so that they might know they're looking for a creature who can disguise itself, how they can actually work out who it is, and so on and so forth.

I wrote an essay about running murder mysteries: The Three Clue Rule (http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/three-clue-rule.html).

The short version is that, whenever you're running a mystery scenario, you should follow the Three Clue Rule:


For any conclusion you want the PCs to make, include at least three clues.

So the first thing we want to do is figure out what conclusions/revelations you want the players to reach. Here's a couple to get us started:

(1) The killings are part of clerical training for priests of Pyremius.
(2) The killer is a doppleganger.

Okay, for the first one we can have:

- The doppleganger has to identify the kills by leaving a holy symbol of Pyremius somewhere nearby (a Religion check can identify the holy symbol; a slightly higher check or research can reveal the details of the ritual).

- Characters inspecting the murder victims can determine that they were killed with poison (Heal check) and can identify the poison (Craft (Alchemy) or Knowledge (Nature) check), which is only used by priests of Pyremius.

- One of the murder victims manages to grab the killer's holy symbol and the PCs can find it clutched in his hand.

For the second one we can have:

- A murder victim was seen after they were killed. (You'll have to come up with some reason for why the doppleganger would have done that. Perhaps the doppleganger actually masquerades as his victim until he's killed the next one: So the PCs could also figure this out by using a Heal check to determine how long a body has been dead; or by simply finding a body and then seeing the doppleganger.)

- One of the murder victims managed to wound the doppleganger, and with a successful Heal check the blood can be identified.

- There are a set of tracks leading away from one of the murder locations and they change shape in mid-stride.

Here's a couple more that will depend more heavily on how you actually structure the scenario:

(3) The caravan leader is a doppleganger. (This, in combination with #2, creates a red herring.)
(4) And the killer is...

The real problem you have right now is that the killer isn't actually anybody. So there's not actually much of a mystery. There's no point where the PCs can say: "Ah ha! The murderer must be X!" Because the doppleganger only exists in your scenario as a random killer. He could just as easily be a guy living in a nearby cave. So there are three possible solutions:

First, you can give the doppleganger a separate identity within the adventure and then -- based on that identity -- craft clues that will lead the PCs to him.

Second, the mystery can proceed from the revelation that it's all about the cult of Pyremius. Once you've reached that revelation, the actual solution lies in figuring out where the cult's hidden temple is (which is where the murderer is).

Third, there can be a pattern to the killings and solving the mystery means figuring out the pattern so that the PCs can beat the killer to his next victim.

As you flesh out the exact timeline of what's going on, you can (and should) add other revelations to this list.

The good news, however, is that you've got a couple of built-in back-up plans in case things go horribly awry: You can use the nervous caravan leader to send the PCs enigmatic clues trying to point them in the right direction. And you can also, if things seem to be going completely off the tracks, simply have the doppleganger pick one of the PCs as the 5th victim (thus guaranteeing a conclusion to the adventure).

Also: Planning red herrings are usually overrated. The PCs will leap to plenty of wrong-headed conclusions all by themselves.

Thrud
2008-08-29, 01:09 AM
Just a little bit of an aside here, but a great way to mess with people if they try to use speak with dead is to have your killer use a few illusions. Give him a wand with charges of silent image (or something similar. Even an accomplice with some uses of change self, though that is probably not going to work with the whole background for the assassin you have worked out.), and some skill at disguise. He uses the silent images to distract his victims, and then sneak attacks em from behind, but in such a way as to make it seem like they have been killed from the front. (reaches around and disembowels them, slits their throat, etc. This can also be a good way to give some clues to the party, i.e. he DOESN'T kill someone in this manner, and the dead guy is confused. 'X walked up to me, then I felt a pain in my back, then I died.' That could make em think there is an accomplice.) He uses his disguise skill to make the images duplicate other people in the caravan, just to lay a false trail and sow confusion. After all, when they speak with the dead guy, all he can tell them is what he saw. 'so and so guy walked up to me. Then I felt a searing pain. Then I died.'

I have used this very technique to lay false trails in the past.

PnP Fan
2008-08-29, 08:23 AM
Methods: Poison for one, knifing another, stealing a weapon and using that, etc. Reason: To further his advancement in the clerical heirarchy of Pyremius. Not fully sure what you mean by natural effects though...of course the town is going to be pointing their fingers at any outsiders (which includes several of the PC's).


The murderer is indeed competant theoretically, although in practice he's just begining. However, he is smart, and covers his tracks well (but not perfectly). I'm thinking that he might get cocky after the first two or three, and start with the note leaving, etc.



When I mention natural effects, what I mean is "things that come about as the natural course of events, based on what the villain is doing". For example, your villain is a poisoner. Don't tell your players that "the victim was poisoned" tell them that he's got "a strange discoloration in his lips and fingernails". This is a classic "poisoned victim" clue. If someone has an appropriate knowledge, let them roll it to determine the type of poison. It'll give your environment a little more flavor and texture. Of course the next question, in true Holmesian fashion is "where does that poison come from, and who has been there in the recent past?" because your smart character has figured out, for example: that "Poison Y only lasts for 3 weeks before spoiling and becoming inert" and "the caravan has been in the desert for 4 weeks", thus no one in the caravan could have carried the poison.

My point in saying this is that, in a mystery, you are going to have 3-6 brains working counter to your one brain. Even if you are much smarter than your players, they are likely to come up with more questions and ideas about clues to look for than you are. What's worse, is that there may not be any overlap between your thoughts and theirs! Their questions may not match your answers, but may be completely reasonable things that you just didn't think about. Be ready for this. Think through the how and the why and the when of each murder. That way you can come up with clues that the players are actually looking for, and that are meaningful to the situation. AND you can throw in your predetermined clues as well.

Folks keep mentioning notes and intentionally leaving clues. I would avoid this except under very specific circumstances. If *you* were to go around murdering people, would *you* leave notes? Evil is not the same as crazy, especially when you concider that this guy is trying to rise through the hierarchy of his church. Generally speaking, organized religions, don't really want crazy people at the top. The exceptions I would consider are if your murderer is, in fact, crazy, or if there is some condition placed on him by the church. Someone mentioned "accidentally" leaving holy symbols behind. Why not make it intentional, just so everyone *knows* its a priest of your murder gawd doing it. That's something that would credit the church (furthers the faith/fear of the church), and sort of implies that the priest is relying on his deity to get him through this trial. (This can also be used as a scapegoat by planting a symbol on your red herring.)

Someone mentioned 'linking' the murders together. This is a good idea. Mercenary killers tend to kill targets for money. Vengeful killers kill people who they feel that they are morally justified in killing (whether you're talking about Revenge or Vengance for sins against another). Even crazy killers tend to have some kind of fixation on something (blondes, brunettes, left handed people, prostitutes, hippies, etc. . .) Think about what deaths/murders would benefit the church most. I would say public figures, or members of other faiths, just of the top of my head. Even more so if you leave behind holy symbols of the faith, because then it's like an advertising campaign! :-)

Man I love this stuff!!!!
Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes!

SoD
2008-08-30, 04:13 AM
Natural Effects of Poison.

Thanks for clearing that up (will proove useful).



Folks keep mentioning notes and intentionally leaving clues. I would avoid this except under very specific circumstances. If *you* were to go around murdering people, would *you* leave notes? Evil is not the same as crazy, especially when you concider that this guy is trying to rise through the hierarchy of his church. Generally speaking, organized religions, don't really want crazy people at the top. The exceptions I would consider are if your murderer is, in fact, crazy, or if there is some condition placed on him by the church. Someone mentioned "accidentally" leaving holy symbols behind. Why not make it intentional, just so everyone *knows* its a priest of your murder gawd doing it. That's something that would credit the church (furthers the faith/fear of the church), and sort of implies that the priest is relying on his deity to get him through this trial. (This can also be used as a scapegoat by planting a symbol on your red herring.)

The bit with 'leaving a note behind': there's two shapeshifters, one doppelganger, one changeling, both independant (Doppelganger CG, a nice guy, Changling not so much). Doppelganger knows who the murderer is (mind reading) but can't give away the identity he's kept for near of a decade, and is afraid that if he says out loud that they'll question how he knows, etc. So he lays the clues.


Someone mentioned 'linking' the murders together. This is a good idea. Mercenary killers tend to kill targets for money. Vengeful killers kill people who they feel that they are morally justified in killing (whether you're talking about Revenge or Vengance for sins against another). Even crazy killers tend to have some kind of fixation on something (blondes, brunettes, left handed people, prostitutes, hippies, etc. . .) Think about what deaths/murders would benefit the church most. I would say public figures, or members of other faiths, just of the top of my head. Even more so if you leave behind holy symbols of the faith, because then it's like an advertising campaign! :-)

Man I love this stuff!!!!
Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes!


That bit about 'advertising' his church...I love it! And yes, I did have the positions of power in mind (I was thinking going from the bottom up: Barman (in a small community, he has a suprising amount of power), caravan preist, town cleric, caravan owner (mysteriously 'dispeared' [taken different disguise]), town ruler. Also, due to the changeling abilities, take the different shape (maybe even of a party member!) to lay stuff around. That might put them on the right track "But it wasn't me! I was with those guys! Therefore...SEARCH FOR A DISGUISE KIT!" *facepalm*

Mr. Zook
2008-08-30, 11:01 AM
All it will take to send them wildly astray for my experience is one false clue that points even remotely to a random person, say a beer mug, which could point to a drunk or the bar tender or who ever spends a lot of time at the bar, maybe one of the ex-adventures you mentioned at the start. Then just laugh to your self as they jump miles to colustions that only make sence to them. If done right this could be incredibly creepy and fun and fun for the DM
Please let us know what happens, I personaly would love to play this kind of game.