D&D 5E CSI: Faerun

[JWO]

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!

My advice is to be prepared when the players have no idea, kill all the NPC's, and don't notice any of the clues. Or, they get the wrong idea.

"Funereal rites ash? Let's go talk to the city morgue/cremators/body disposers."

If there's one thing I've learnt in the short time DMing, it's to not expect anything other than the fact that they'll come up with the one thing I hadn't prepared for. I love it!

 

[Schmoe]

I think this sounds like a lot of fun, and you are on the right track. I think this subject has come up before, and some of the best advice is to sprinkle lots and lots of clues and leads around. You should assume the players will miss all of the obvious clues and focus on the most innocuous of details that points them in the wrong direction.

Right now all of the clues relate to the ashes, so you might want to add some details that point in different directions. Maybe the victim was known for feeding the birds in a certain square, and asking around the square or speaking with the pigeons reveals the description of a strange man who was seen following the victim. A few more opportunities like this for the players to track down the perps improves their chances of stumbling into the solution.

 

[Riley37]

If your players are clever, then their PCs will also do things you didn't think of. And that's fine. Give them a reasonable clue or two. Then turn them loose. They might hire a gang of urchins to do scouting and footwork for them. They might leave clues luring the enemy into a trap. They might find the kidnapped person's dog and see if it can track his scent. If it's a good story, then let them at least try.

If they say "Hunh? We're baffled", then go to an out-of-character, GM-to-players talk. Maybe they're intrigued, just stuck, and you can either give them a DM-to-players hint, or have a helpful NPC show up. Maybe they're bored. Maybe they figure they lost fair and square, and they accept that they won't solve this case, too bad.