Mystery/Detective in DnD

[Byronic]

BTW, how big a group are you running? Some mystery/detective stories work best with single PCs or small groups (4 or less). Others work better with large groups.

I'm hoping for 3-4 people. And thanks everyone for your replies so far!

 

[Aus_Snow]

I'll second Crime & Punishment, from Atlas Games. I don't do the 4e thing, and I'm not entirely sure how well it would translate to that, but I suspect a lot of it would still be useful. It and Dynasties & Demagogues (also from Atlas Games) are well worth the price of admission, IMO. The latter deals with politics, rulers and suchlike.

 

[The_Fan]

I think it's easier in 4e than it is in previous editions, because of a general nerfing of divinations. No Detect Evil ruining things outright, for example. Rituals can still interfere with mysteries, but they're easier to plan for because of the higher cost and long casting times involved. And they come with their own quirks. Hand of Fate, for example, will lead you to the next clue...even if said clue comes from an ambush.

One thing to remember about a good mystery is if things seem to be going slow, send in guys with guns and then when the dust settles, figure out why they're there. In other words, if your players don't have a clue, have some mooks with slightly more information than they do come after them. It's easier in 4e for the players to take them alive, so expect them to be interrogated afterwords. Excellent way to drop clues.

 

[jdrakeh]

I think it's easier in 4e than it is in previous editions, because of a general nerfing of divinations. No Detect Evil ruining things outright, for example. Rituals can still interfere with mysteries, but they're easier to plan for because of the higher cost and long casting times involved. And they come with their own quirks. Hand of Fate, for example, will lead you to the next clue...even if said clue comes from an ambush.

That's all good. In the past, I found that any real mystery was not going to last long, assuming a semi-competent group of adventurers in D&D. There were simply too many low-level spells that laid bare the most common elements of mystery with little or no chance for failure. That drove me nuts. I'm happy that it's not the issue it once was.

 

[SSquirrel]

Buy your Eladrin a trenchcoat, fedora and a Bogey accent and go to town Mutter a lot about McGuffins and some lil piece of tail you left behind some where.

 

[Starfox]

Mysteries and detective stories are surprisingly independent of the rules set.