Sharn Inquisitive campaign in Eberron

[mcnathan80]

I'm thinking about starting up an Inquisitive campaign for the Eberron setting. Any tips on how to adjudicate the Investigate feat as far a baddies "accidently" leaving clues? Also, any examples of how your inquisitive games have gone (just to give me a heads-up of how a possible game would go) would be appreciated.

 

[Wolfwood2]

I'm thinkning about starting up an Inquisitive campaign for the Eberron setting. Any tips on how to adjudicate the Investigate feat as far a baddies "accidently" leaving clues? Also, any examples of how your inquisitive games have gone (just to give me a heads-up of how a possible game would go) would be appreciated.

Funny, when I saw the thread title I thought the PCs would be officers in Thrane's Inquisition!

 

[mcnathan80]

Ha Ha , no am investigative adventure, like CSI, or Sherlock Holmes. Although, that would be an interesting campaign, PC's against Lycanthropes. Sweet.

 

[Glyfair]

I'm thinking about starting up an Inquisitive campaign for the Eberron setting. Any tips on how to adjudicate the Investigate feat as far a baddies "accidently" leaving clues? Also, any examples of how your inquisitive games have gone (just to give me a heads-up of how a possible game would go) would be appreciated.

I would give them the clues if they search the area. If they roll well enough, and have the Investigate feat, I'd give them additional information that would lead them to believe it was a false clue. After all, the best inquisitives will see through the false clues and the Investigate skill about about correctly interpreting clues, not just finding them.

 

[demiurge1138]

There should be tiers of clues to be found. A Search check done by someone relatively untrained would be able to tell that a victim was killed by a slashing weapon and find a footprint in the blood. A talented investigative could determine that it was a kukri that was used by the shape of the wound, a dwarf by the width of the print, and even the age and make of the boot by the patterns in the print.

For an investigatiion heavy campaign, make it so that some clue is left behind no matter what, even if it's realistic that the criminal cleaned up after himself. Maybe there were witnesses. A single hair left behind. A children's story that has eerie parallels to the case.

I ran a Sharn investigative campaign for about three years now - the Sharn Freelance Police. Most sessions tended to fall into the pattern of set-up, crime scene investigation, following the first clue, minor battle, gaining clues from the fight, following up the second clue, big fight, resolution. Make sure you keep a nice pulpy mix of action and roleplaying/investigation. Don't worry about making the crime scenes too realistic - entertaining is more important.

Demiurge out.

 

[MarkB]

Funny, when I saw the thread title I thought the PCs would be officers in Thrane's Inquisition!

I thought they'd be journalists with the Sharn Inquisitive.

Demiurge has covered the basics - just think of what clues might have been left behind at a crime scene, and allow them to be found on a successful roll.

I ran a Sharn investigative campaign for about three years now - the Sharn Freelance Police.

I suddenly have the urge to create an NPC gnoll inquisitive with an awakened dire rabbit partner.

 

[Kesh]

Clues should never be determined by die rolls. If the adventure hinges on finding a clue, never make it rely on a Search check or any other die roll. The clue should be found, even if the investigators don't figure out what it means.

 

[Captain Howdy]

I hope to someday run a solo campaign with a Sharn inquisitive that would be similar to the Millennium tv series. I would set it up sort of like season 1, where each episode (or adventure) was a new crime/mystery with a new bad guy. I think that would be a really fun campaign, although I think it would work best with one or maybe two players tops. The bigger the group, the more complicated and less fun it would be.

 

[demiurge1138]

I suddenly have the urge to create an NPC gnoll inquisitive with an awakened dire rabbit partner.

We did have a gnoll PC for a while. She was originally the daughter of a Karrn baron. But life is cheap on the force, and so are scrolls of reincarnate (relatively speaking).

Demiurge out.

 

[ScaredofScissors]

GURPS Mysteries (available as a .pdf from e23.sjgames.com) has good advice on running mysteries, particularly where magic and monsters are involved (on both sides!)