CSI: Waterdeep

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Ok, so suppose your players are hired to be investigators in some major, magical metropolitan area. What sorts of problems do you give them to solve that take into account the benefits that magic provides (either requiring them for the solution, or counteracting all the magical approaches completely).

Really good would be solid locked-room mysteries that would hold up to D&D magic -- or murders that survive divinations and speak with dead.

For example, a treasure disappears from a locked, guarded room on the interior, ground floor of a castle, with no exterior walls, no windows, and only a single door. Guards observed the door the entire time; it dod not open, and the room is airtight. The room is kept in darkness, and protected by a dimensional anchor. When opened, the treasure was gone; everything else is untouched.

[One solution could be to cast a stone tell on the room, revealing that a mage assisted by a Xorn used a passwall to tunnel in from below. Hey, I didn't say it would be a good example!]

Thanks to Hyp for the idea!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Thanks to Hyp for the idea!

Hey, as long as you have lab technicians Scrying off fibres and fingernail scrapings, I'm happy

-Hyp.

 

[Aristotle]

I saw this in the other thread and thought it was a wonderful idea. I may run it someday. I love to use the game to run campaigns that focus on things other than the standard descriptions of "adventure and dungeon delving".

 

[Napftor]

Great thread title.

The topic is a good one too. I think to make this work for a full-length campaign, you would need to carefully monitor your PC's individual abilities. You don't want to throw a mystery at them that will be defeated with one spell, nor do you want the reverse, where they have no way of getting on the right track. Key NPCs would need to be consulted that live in the metropolis. You would also need to think about the set-up of the PCs crime-solving group. Would they work separate from the local police as some kind of consulting firm or as a special branch of the police? The latter allows for less freedom in working by someone else's rules, IMO.

I'd suggest watching crime shows like CSI or even Monk for ideas. While the cast is solving the mystery, mentally note the steps taken and compare/contrast them with your D&D world. Could you see the characters doing what the TV characters are doing? Do any spells come to mind that would alleviate steps (or help to cover up evidence)? This is where knowing your PCs talents comes in.

Well, enough babbling. To put it simply: yes. The idea definitely has merit.

 

[Nifft]

My campaign setting is "high, sensible magic" -- Gemlights illuminate city streets at night, Paladins are assigned to the city gates to keep out low-level demons, entire cities are Hallowed (with the MotP spell "Zone of Respite" bound to the Hallow effect), etc. So, I hope to mine this thread for good stuff to throw at my PCs. Here's some basic tactics that I've thought up so far:

- Every assassin wears a mask & hood while "servicing" a target. Advanced villians own Hats of Disguise, and put on the face of the Mayor, Police Chief, or whoever.

- Are there some places (or even planes) that are beyond the view of the Gods? Do your transactions there. Would an Evil God (or IMC an Arch-Fiend) have an interest in keeping assassination viable? Well, perhaps s/he/it would set up a "Free Trade Area", where capital and services can be traded more efficently, without cumbersome regulation or oversight.

- Magic Jar allows you to kill someone, let your body get caught, and still walk away... just make sure you "get caught" within range of the Jar. Fear the Necromantic Arcane Trickster.

- Illusions are your friend. So are Polymorph spells. Polymorph Any Object will make your target hidden and stupid. Then just teleport it somewhere far, far away.

- Always try to destroy the body. Feed it to something, Disintegrate it, dissolve it in acid, drop it in a volcano, whatever. Optionally, replace it with a mutilated different body, since you keep several in your Bag of Holding. (Note: it's easy to take a body with you, since you have a Bag of Holding.)

- Prestidigitation will get rid of many clues. Take the extra rounds to clean up.

- Flesh to Stone, then Stone Shape, then Stone to Flesh -- eww, what is that thing?!?

-- N

 

[Nifft]

You don't want to throw a mystery at them that will be defeated with one spell, nor do you want the reverse, where they have no way of getting on the right track.

Why the heck not?

1) Easily solved could just mean a good idea on a PC's part, or very good luck. It's okay if they occasionally kill a big, bad monster in one round, right? Let them win easy sometimes.

2) ... because they sometimes don't win at all. This is a great way to have a recurring villian! "Damn, it's that cultist sigil again! We have three unsolved murders with the same MO and mark on the victim! I really want that son of a balor!"

-- N

 

[Hypersmurf]

Great thread title.

Mine!

-Hyp.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Beating divinations seems to be the toughest thing. One commune blows the whole crime. Of course, if one of the PCs isn't a diviner, then that's definitely one of the key NPCs -- probably along with an item crafter of some sort, some sort of tracker/urban ranger, a healer, and then there's the strike team ...

Hypersmurf deserves credit for the title. It got me to thinking, though. I had loved Larry Niven's Gil the ARM stories (compiled in Flatlander); when asked why he didn't write anymore, he basically said: "it's hard enough to write a story that obeys the rules of one genre (sci fi or mystery); it's doubly difficult to do one that obeys both." Which means that a good fantasy mystery is probably tough to devise, but quite satisfying once achieved -- a fun campaign, but a pain for the DM!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Beating divinations seems to be the toughest thing. One commune blows the whole crime.

Mind Blank prevents information gathering by means of Divination spells.

But you still have a problem if they manage to get you on their short list.

"Oh God of Information - did Suspect A commit the murder?"
No.
"Did Suspect B commit the murder?"
No.
"Did Suspect C commit the murder?"
Unclear.
"Gotcha."

Edit - reminds me of one of the exchanges from that "Actual Courtroom Transcripts" email that goes round sometimes...

Q: Did you stay all night with this man in New York?
A: I refuse to answer that question.
Q: Did you stay all night with this man in Chicago?
A: I refuse to answer that question.
Q: Did you ever stay all night with this man in Miami?
A: No.

-Hyp.

 

[Nifft]

"Oh God of Information - did Suspect A commit the murder?"
No.
"Did Suspect B commit the murder?"
No.
"Did Suspect C commit the murder?"
Unclear.
"Gotcha."

As DM, I'd rule that, just as in real-life, it should be harder to prove a negative.

So, if the GoInfo didn't know who did the murder, he shouldn't be able to tell you who did not do it -- all of the above queries should be answered "Unclear".

Otherwise, the GoInfo could come to the above "Gotcha" Himself, and just tell you "Yup". Gods are smart too, ya know.

-- N, God of Metagaming