i've written a court/trial mechanic (suggestions?)

[Veven1290]

So, my players are probably going to trial for destruction of property and i didn't know if there was already some court mechanics in some book i don't have so i wrote this up really quickly. It might suck since i haven't tested it at all.

please let me know what you think, give suggestions, and if one of these already exists let me know, that would be easier.

thanks for the help!


The Trial: players can choose a representative to aurgue their case. Jury starts off "indifferent" arguing cases works the same as Diplomacy except there are "guilty" and "innocent" moods past "hostile" and "helpfull".

The DA/court lawyer has a diplomacy score of +8 (or whatever you want)

The PC's and the DA (opposing lawyer) can gather witnessess. each side can have a maximum of 3 witnessess (5 if the crime took place in a crowded area) They can recruit witnesses with gather information checks,

Check witness
15 Weak
20 Average
25 Strong
Weak witnesses grant a +5 to your check for that round, Average grant
a +10, Strong grant a +15.
If the PC's innocence is obvious they get a +5 on their checks to find
witnesses.
If the PC's guilt is obvious they get a -10 on their checks to find
witnesses.

Good aurguments grant a +5 on the check, Great aurguments a +10
(what constitutes "good" is up to the DM)

evidence grants a +5 on the check, strong evidence a +10,
Damning (negative) evidence automatically reduces mood by 1 and
grants a +10 on next check for DA.
Irrefutable (possitive) evidence automatically raises mood by 1 and
grants a +10 on next check for PC's

PC's must use search checks to find evidence but evidence must
actually exist in order to be found
(I.E. no evidence just for a great check)

The trial goes on for as long as PC's want (limit of 3 rounds after
witnesses and evidence have gone dry)

After the trial if the jury mood is "guilty" or "innocent" the verdict is automatic, if it is "helpfull" or "Hostile" there is a %95 chance they will be innocent or guilty. if it is "Friendly" or "unfriendly" there is an %85 chance they will be innocent or guilty. Indiffernt grants a %50 chance of innocence.

 

[Ahnehnois]

These rules appear to assume a fairly modern justice system. Does your world really allow all these witnesses and evidence and have a DA's office and that sort of thing? It's a valid choice, just something to think about.

I would say that the laws and social climate of the jurisdiction are important to represent. DMGII and Cityscape have a simple mechanical system, which essentially measures the likelihood of getting a fair trial (which your rules seem to almost assume), so I would look at that. I would also place more weight on the charisma and Cha-based skills of the defendant (and his representation) by reducing the modifiers for evidence and witnesses to +1/+2. Even in modern courts, the likability, relatability, and apparent moral character of the defendant are usually more important than physical evidence.

It's worth noting that witnesses can be bad as well as good; most of the psychological research on the subject says that eyewitnesses have terribly arbitrary memories and often lie, confabulate, or simply make mistakes. I would add a considerable random component to witness modifiers.

It would also be important to establish a second layer of mechanics to determine the severity of the punishment if found guilty.

However, if I'm understanding the basic mechanic as a set of opposed checks, that seems sound. It's just about monkeying with the details.

Crime & Punishment, a 3rd party sourcebook, is worth a look and has a lot of interesting opinions on the topic (although not anything that would replace your system I don't think).

 

[Veven1290]

awesome, thanks for the reply.

yeah, this system would really only apply to one specific city-state that is very politically advanced and lawful aligned, so it's not like barbarian tribes will be executing this sort of justice. I am aware there is a lot of factors that i didn't take into account but i don't need it to be super complicated, i can just improv anything that comes up outside of what i've written already.

thanks for the advice and input, i'll reduce the witness and evidence bonuses and run a test tonight!