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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Li Shenron" data-source="post: 7642878" data-attributes="member: 1465">I am not really good at this sort of campaigns either, I would love to be able to run such campaigns but usually for me the most difficult part is coming up with good stories in the first place. My "mysteries" get solved too quickly :/Nevertheless, here are some thoughts of mine about the genre...Keep the character level low - The higher the level, the more likely someone will have a nuclear spell which will spoil an intrigue entirely. Anyway, high level is mostly required for fighting high-CR monsters, but presumably an intrigue campaign won't be combat-heavy so you don't need PCs with lots of HP, high ability scores and so on. Favor roleplay over roll-play - Solving a mystery using your brain is 1000 times more rewarding than solving it using your dice. That's another reason why you don't need high scores and level. Asking the right questions to NPC, looking for clues in the right places, and making decisions in general are the important things.Still, it wouldn't be D&D if you only relied on roleplay, so you have to make room for characters abilities to matter. But low-level spells are great because in order to provide dramatic benefits they might require a more creative use of that, compared to high-level spells that may immediately provide a resolution to a problem.Handle Knowledge checks with care - Just don't immediately ask for a skill check (especially a Knowledge check) in every situation, wait until perhaps all players are a bit stuck on a matter. However another approach is to regularly allow a pre-emptive Knowledge check to unlock a few bits of knowledge from a list (so for example compile a list of hints per knowledge type per scenario, then depending on the roll reveal a certain number of them). The aim is to avoid Knowledge roll to become more important than player's thinkining, but at the same time a PC's knowledge proficiencies should matter.Emphasize the importance of ability names - Sometimes it's a good idea to tell a player "you are a Cleric of XYZ, therefore you can...", or "you have a Noble background, so why not..." and even "you have chosen the Healer feat, thus you might...". This way you can make the choice of abilities at character creation/advancement matter, even when you're not actually having the PC using the mechanics of such abilities.Dissuade players from strongly combat-oriented characters - You can find ways to make even the most iconic Fighter or Barbarian to shine in a low-combat game, but it's not easy... I would not be afraid to flat-out tell a player if they are designing a character that might end up with most of their abilities unused. After all, you would not be afraid to tell someone that their chaotic evil assassin won't work well in a good-aligned campaign, right? Keep in mind the principle by which an intrigue-oriented adventure is supposed to attract appropriately intrigue-oriented characters, while a brute door-bashing type would rather stay in the tavern guffing down casks of ale until something more exciting (for them) comes up.</blockquote>

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