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<blockquote data-quote="BiggusGeekus" data-source="post: 1666432" data-attributes="member: 1014"><p><em>Murder on the Orien Express</em> is a 64 page module that is BEGGING to be written.</p><p></p><p>Sadly, I can not offer you much in the way of advice. I know of one murder mystery module that was written a long time ago for an issue of <em>Dragon</em>. It's more than old enough to be on the CD-ROM. We're talking a module written in the 1987-1991 timeframe here. However, it cheats, and you're not allowed to use divinations on anyone legally.</p><p></p><p>Forgive me while I ramble....</p><p></p><p>I'm not a student of murder mysteries, but I do know just enough about them to babble on an internet message board, while not knowing enough to be truly helpful. I can tell you that sometime about a hundred years ago, it was fashionable in mysteries to have the butler do it. That's because the butler was an invisible person in high society and most in the upper classes wouldn't think of the butler in the first place, much less assign any guild to him.</p><p></p><p>Ergo: Suggestion 1 - Make the villian a person who "hides in plain sight"</p><p></p><p>This became cliche. Suddenly butlers everywhere were bumping off their employers. So the murder mystery writers had to think of something else. They couldn't have the villian leave any obvious clues. The villian couldn't be any kind of mastermind (or the reader would figure the mastermind to be the villian). And the villian couldn't be the butler. A stranger sneaking in like a ninja and killing the victim is "cheating" in mysteries, so that's out too. So they came up with the idea of making the murderer someone who didn't know they commited a murder. This is ideal for D&D purposes.</p><p></p><p>Ergo: Suggestion 2 - the murderer is a pawn who was influenced by magic. Or had his own memories erased. Or was undead/construct and has no true mind to read. Or is such a high level that <em>mind blank</em> is a standard spell going on at all times (all suspects would have to fall in this category).</p><p></p><p></p><p>... now THAT was some rambling! Good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BiggusGeekus, post: 1666432, member: 1014"] [i]Murder on the Orien Express[/i] is a 64 page module that is BEGGING to be written. Sadly, I can not offer you much in the way of advice. I know of one murder mystery module that was written a long time ago for an issue of [i]Dragon[/i]. It's more than old enough to be on the CD-ROM. We're talking a module written in the 1987-1991 timeframe here. However, it cheats, and you're not allowed to use divinations on anyone legally. Forgive me while I ramble.... I'm not a student of murder mysteries, but I do know just enough about them to babble on an internet message board, while not knowing enough to be truly helpful. I can tell you that sometime about a hundred years ago, it was fashionable in mysteries to have the butler do it. That's because the butler was an invisible person in high society and most in the upper classes wouldn't think of the butler in the first place, much less assign any guild to him. Ergo: Suggestion 1 - Make the villian a person who "hides in plain sight" This became cliche. Suddenly butlers everywhere were bumping off their employers. So the murder mystery writers had to think of something else. They couldn't have the villian leave any obvious clues. The villian couldn't be any kind of mastermind (or the reader would figure the mastermind to be the villian). And the villian couldn't be the butler. A stranger sneaking in like a ninja and killing the victim is "cheating" in mysteries, so that's out too. So they came up with the idea of making the murderer someone who didn't know they commited a murder. This is ideal for D&D purposes. Ergo: Suggestion 2 - the murderer is a pawn who was influenced by magic. Or had his own memories erased. Or was undead/construct and has no true mind to read. Or is such a high level that [i]mind blank[/i] is a standard spell going on at all times (all suspects would have to fall in this category). ... now THAT was some rambling! Good luck! [/QUOTE]
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