It's important to know why this person died. Why?

[Psion]

Okay, just wondering if anyone here can help me come up with reasons for a situation I am planning.

What I want: an NPC has been killed in game. The means of that death is not apparent. It is important to know how that person was killed.

Okay, now I need a scenario/reason behind the above scenario. Any ideas?

Possible scenarios as to what the cause of death is are fair too, but I mostly need a reason that it would be important.

 

[Thanee]

The person was a wizard (necromancer) and was using the magic jar spell, but the vessel got outside range and the soul died.

Hard to find any traces for that.

Of course, that is more an action on behalf of the dead person... just something interfered so that it resulted in his death. Wouldn't work for an assassination, if that's what you are looking for.

Then maybe a phantasmal killer spell? It almost has to be magic, if you want no easy to find traces.

About the reason: Who is the person? Is that important? It might just have been a random person who has been killed as part of a trial for an aspiring member of an order of evil magicians.

It could be a business rival who has been killed by a professional assassin. Kinda obvious, that there should be no traces then.

Bye
Thanee

 

[DragonShadow]

So, as I'm to understand it, you killed off an NPC in your game and didn't have a reason for it before hand?

If that's the case, all I can say is: Way to underplan.

Well, that aside, you can always say that the NPC was killed in a psionic attack by some creature (that obviously has the ability to wield psionics). Psionic attacks are near to impossible to detect for those without the ability, unless they actually cause some sort of physical damage (which in this case, they obviously didn't).

Why would this be important? Well, in my opinion, anything that uses psionics to kill somebody and then slink around undetected is a major problem. The death of an NPC in an inconspicuous way could also mean that somebody with the power and the knowledge of something the PC's have/did is out to get them. Major plot-hooks where villains are stalking the PC's and have already "made their pressance known" by killing off their NPC buddy are -quite- important.

Hope that helps.

 

[JimAde]

The deceased was a messenger on his way to the local big shot (Baron, Magsitrate, powerful merchant, whatever) and died before delivering his message/package. Now the message/package is missing and it is both needed and potentially volatile (evidence of a scandal that would ruin the Big Shot or maybe a diplomatic communique from a foreign noble). This works whether the PCs are allies or enemies of the Big Shot in question. Or even if they just like money and want a reward.

The mysterious means of death may indicate Death effect magic, making it impossible to get the messenger back to find out what happened. How you prevent use of Speak With Dead I don't know. If he was ambushed his body may not have any useful information anyway.

 

[the Jester]

Maybe the deceased's heirs apparent are twins (so they'll split the inheritence evenly) but each wants the full inheritence and suspects the other of foul play?

 

[Enkhidu]

Make it a "finding the pattern" kind of investigation - a number of apparently unrelated deaths with the same "no apparent means" kind of mystery. Finding the method means clues to finding the culprit.

Maybe the culprit is actually some virulent magical disease or parasite?

 

[Talmun]

Maybe the culprit is actually some virulent magical disease or parasite?

Kisses from a Succubus are fun

 

[Psion]

So, as I'm to understand it, you killed off an NPC in your game and didn't have a reason for it before hand?

If that's the case, all I can say is: Way to underplan.

Presumptuous and acusatory, aren't we?

If you must know, it's because I have an NPC in my game with a rather eccentric method* of identifying the cause of death that I want my players to witness so they can see that he is not quite as trustworthy as he seems, and I am trying to plan a scenario around it.

* - Grab this. Look up "Abyssal Vivisection".

 

[Talmun]

So, as I'm to understand it, you killed off an NPC in your game and didn't have a reason for it before hand?

If that's the case, all I can say is: Way to underplan.

Umm, I do stuff like that all the time...in fact, some of the most interesting events and plots in my game have come as an outgrowth of me working a plot backward from an event.

Everyone is different, I suppose.

 

[ph0rk]

He could have been mind-flayer-lunch. Or someone could have teleported away his brainstem.

As for why; perhaps he owed a bookie too much money, and they had him offed.

Maybe he was trying to leave a crime syndicate.

He could have slept with a good friend's wife (and the good friend chose a cold plate of revenge instead of a hot-blooded murder).

etc, etc.