Running an investigation style Adventure

[Nilbog]

Any tips on how to do this without relying on endless skill checks?

I've got a scenario in my current campaign where a ghostly galleon that is often sighted by local fishermen and is a bit of a legend has attacked the local village. Now this Galleon happens to be crewed by warforged who are under the control of a twisted wizard and he wanted an object the adventuring party recently sold in the village, the party saw the attack from afar, and when they return they find a scene of devastation.

Now the Galleon is hidden several miles away in a hidden cove, where the wizard resides, I'm just wondering what are some good breadcrumbs/clues I could use to take the party from the village to this cove, preferably without revealing that the ship isn't a ghostly apparition at too early a stage, I want them to firmly believe that they are facing undead.

Any help greatly appreciated, thank you

 

[Philip Benz]

There are three types of investigations:

- Finding clues: today we think of CSI, fingerprints and DNA matching, but old-school clues could be anything from footprints in the flowerbed to an abstruse reference in a 300-year-old property deed lost in some city's house of records. You'll need to give some thought to the villain's backstory to come up with useful clues the PCs could follow.

- Canvassing the neighborhood: people talk. See something, say something. Before the current situation with the villain, he must have had interactions with various people for various reasons, anything from grocery shopping to casing the site of his next heist. People will have seen him, interacted with him or even worked with or for him. These people may have talked with other people, creating rumors about who knows what about whom. Plan some of these interactions for people to stumble across, and improvise the rest.

- In flagranti delicto: the PCs may actually themselves see the villain or some of his henchmen committing a crime, fleeing the scene or getting ready to act. Hot pursuit or a set piece battle often ensues.

So, my backwards goblin, take your twisted wizard and root around in his cellar. Maybe his mechanical cohorts don't need food, but the wizard himself may have a penchant for mulled chianti and fava beans that he needs to satisfy from time to time by picking up supplies from his old pal the bootlegger. Maybe last month or last year the twisted wizard was involved in a different plot in a nearby region before relocating here, and someone from that region just happens to be passing through. Maybe some detail from the twisted wizard's past comes back to haunt him. And maybe some of the local fisherman have seen or heard more than is good for them.

These things are all fertile ground for an investigation-style adventure. Before you plan to run such an adventure, you need to give each angle some thought, come up with some concrete clues, and have enough backstory fleshed out that you can more easily and convincingly improvise from the players' initiatives.

 

[Jeff Carpenter]

My no prep mystery advice. Listen to your players. They will sugest a bunch of crazy ways to find clues. Pick which one of the ones that sounds reasonable and let it work.

Mine usually go with speak with animal and lighting stuff on fire.

 

[dragoner]

I'd say witness testimonials, such as talking with the local villagers is your best route, ie social interaction going to exploration.

 

[Richards]

If the warforged are unwillingly under the control of the twisted wizard, is there any chance they might have purposefully planted some clues during the raids, hoping to be rescued from their dominance? Left behind some nice, physical evidence on purpose (a warforged footprint is likely to be pretty identifiable, for instance, what with the two big toes and all) or something?

Johnathan

 

[Bawylie]

Good clues will be bits of evidence that establish facts or disprove assertions.

So you’ll want the party to find Who, What, Where (and maybe How). And you’ll want them to disprove ghosts, apparitions, and a supernatural ship.

I’d likely interview the fishermen first. So one clue I might drop is that they were very inebriated whenever they saw the ship. That casts doubt on their testimony.

I’d also have some clues at the scene of the raid. A warforged’s finger, funny tracks (that lead one direction - toward the hideout) , and spots where ghost pirates were plainly cut down and fell (where a man would’ve died) but no blood or whatever. These things prove the physicality of the attackers.

So we’ve dropped some clues on who, what, and where. And we’ve cast some doubt on “ghost pirates.”

Now we want to add some insights. Anyone trained in religion can note that the attack patterns are not the behavior of spirits. Possibly corporeal undead like skeletons or zombies, but the attacks are too precise and coordinated. Anyone trained in arcana might note the lingering presence of arcane magic (illusions? Whatever your bad wizard casts?). And anyone who can identify and follow tracks (rangers? Survival skill?) can give the approximate weight of the attackers, their deliberate search patterns (as they were looking for that object the party wanted), and the bizarre footprints (iirc warforged are two-toed - doesn’t matter. It’s just not a boot or a natural creature).

Finally you need some putting the puzzle together. If the ship is real and the pirates aren’t ghosts and they went that-a-way, then they’ll be near some kind of harbor or cove and they’ll need some ready source of supplies (wizards need spell components, ships need materials) so that should point to a couple of likely spots to go find the hideout. (If It were my game, I’d point out 3 possibilities and have the actual location be the second one they search, unless I had it already pre-planned and written out).

 

[Nilbog]

Thank you, some really good ideas here.
I've really picked up on a few things and @Bawylie your post has really set the scene up for me

Blessed to have such a good community

 

[uzirath]

Fantastic advice so far. I’ll just add a vote for the social dimension. I love adding a few layers. Maybe some people in the village know the truth but protect the wizard’s secret. Maybe there’s a blackmail angle. Maybe they work with him for profit. Maybe he’s a relative gone bad. Maybe he is complicated and, despite being Evil, has a soft spot for children and provides pro bono medications for some congenitally ill kids. These layers create red herrings and tangles for the party to sort out. They also provide opportunities for ethical dilemmas. Do you turn in the parents who were just trying to save their kid?

 

[aco175]

You can disguise the warforged to appear undead. Some glow-in-the-dark zombie paint should be easy enough to come across. Also this could leave a clue behind as some paint wore off on a bush or something, or they can spot a person in the local tavern with some of the paint on him. He makes it for the mage down the shore.