Skill Challenge: Finding a Killer

[Rechan]

Any suggestions on implementing a skill challenge to find a serial killer? What skills to use/info to provide in response?

I am intentionally preventing the players from using any contemporary knowledge of crime scene techniques (since their characters Would Not Know It). They're in an isolated place (A new colony), so no one in the area is versed in CSI.

The specific details are thus: An individual is killing carpenters (and other manual labor). He is basically grabbing them and holding them down as various tools are animated by magic and kill the victim. (thus, despite there being one killer, it looks like there are several).

He removes the left hand, and discards the body, unconcerned with how it is found.

The killer is aided by a Bloody Hand; a spirit of murder that is helping the killer sneak up on his victim/escape notice. In exchange, it has been taking the hands as trophies/payment.

(Incidentally, I am not sure why the killer is killing the workers. I haven't really decided his motivation).

 

[Starglim]

Door knocking is basically Streetwise and Diplomacy. Maybe an Endurance check could cancel a failure on one of these skills, or Insight could save a success.

Perception to search a scene (maybe Athletics if clues are in inconvenient places or Nature if soil, plants, animal feeding or weather are factors). Heal to draw conclusions from injuries on the bodies. History to know pertinent facts about the locality or the victims.

Interrogating a suspect requires Intimidate (or they could attempt a Bluff, but that could have bad effects if failed). Questioning a frightened bystander is more likely Diplomacy.

Since magic and spirits are involved, Arcana and Religion checks may contribute (but maybe require an Insight check or three Heal or Perception successes first to realise that something unusual is going on and unlock these skills).

After the players have a reasonable number of clues (say, half the total) they could use Insight for profiling or Stealth and/or Thievery to follow someone unnoticed.

 

[TheLordWinter]

Very cool idea for a skill challenge. Streetwise is obviously a must as you beat the streets, dig up suspects, question scum, etc. How about Nature to discern that the wounds couldn't have all been dealt by a human being based on the angles and such? It's a little CSI, but seems like the type of thing that might fall under Nature. At the least, this information will let them know they aren't looking for a gang of killers. Might tip your hand too much though, so be wary of this one, unless you want the players to know that they are dealing with an unnatural killer.

 

[fba827]

Several things I was goign to suggest were already said. But here's another one ...

Possibly History (with a hard/high DC). It would cue in some relavent detail on the MO (mode of operation) that the current killer has with this past murderer (the spirit that is helping the current killer). But allow only one success on this.
Though all this depends on how active/well know the older murderer was.

Hmm.. did you ever watch Dresden Files? I think there was a similar hand relic that some college kids found, which allowed them to walk through walls to get in, steal stuff, and get out... but it also made them sicker the more they used it (basically reducing thier con and weakening all their organs)

As a random thought for motivation: both the old killer and the current killer should have some common tie in their hatred of construction workers. (Corny, i know, but it allows that bond as to why the ancient spirit would help the current guy and it gives a little tie in for that history check possibility). Maybe one had his wife run off with a construction worker. Or maybe one blames faulty construction for his house falling apart. Or maybe one just had a father that was a construction worker and this is how he resolves his daddy issues. Tossed in with the usual killer sadistic mentality and it makes some sense.

 

[Cadfan]

Try to interpret failures as events which lead to the killer learning about the PCs and getting spooked. Three times and he's scared into hiding.

Successes are harder. If you follow the CSI movie style clues, some of the "successes" should really lead you to new opportunities to gather clues, and then after a while, you get sent to the killer.

 

[Rechan]

The killings have been going on for over a week; the PCs are in charge of the colony (roughly), but just have not had time to look into them. So they just put the colony on high alert, and went off to deal with more pressing matters.

So the killer all ready knows folks are watching him, and generally jumps his targets when they're by themselves.

I think that the session will begin with all the construction workers just going on strike and otherwise banding together, refusing to do anything until the killer is caught. So the players will not have much avenues to investigate initially, since the crimes are all cold, and the Bloody Hand has been helping avoid detection from bystandards.

The killer might have to jump targets, go for a guard or something else, in order to initiate things.

At the least, this information will let them know they aren't looking for a gang of killers. Might tip your hand too much though, so be wary of this one, unless you want the players to know that they are dealing with an unnatural killer.

Thusfar, the PCs haven't seen the initial crime scene (the Bloody Hand helped remove the blood from the scene). They'll discover that there are only two footprints (The killer and the victim), so the multiple wounds with lack of footprints should be a general tip-off to that.

 

[Rechan]

Possibly History (with a hard/high DC). It would cue in some relavent detail on the MO (mode of operation) that the current killer has with this past murderer (the spirit that is helping the current killer). But allow only one success on this.

There has only been one murderer the entire time.

The Bloody Hand is just a... okay. You can have a spirit that represents a river, right? Well, a murder spirit doesn't kill people; it's more like a representative of murder. If the God of Murder had the supernatural equivalent of clerks and bureaucrats, these guys would be it. It doesn't actually do the deed, it's more interested in observing and assisting the killer in an indirect fashion.

 

[Paul Strack]

Here is how I've handled similar "investigation" challenges.

I make up 3 or so "leads" that the PCs can discover. First, the PCs need to use perceptual skills (Streetwise and Perception) to find likely leads. Once a lead is discovered, each player participating in the challenge can either keep looking for more leads or follow up on a lead that's already been discovered. PCs can make this decision individually (some looking for more leads while others do the followup).

Following up on a lead requires checks appropriate to the lead:

Diplomacy/Intimate: For interrogating witnesses or suspects.

Religion/Arcane: For investigating the supernatural elements.

Heal/Nature: For examining corpses and crime scenes for clues.

A success or two in each followup uncovers a clue.

Skill check failures in the search for leads turns up a red herring instead. The PCs quickly discover it is a false lead, but it wastes some time. Failures in lead followup means the PCs are taking longer than expected to figure out the lead.

Winning the challenge means the PCs find the clues they need to discover the killer before he can kill again. Losing the challenge means the killer takes another victim before the PCs catch up to him, but leaves a clue that they can use to track him down.

Why do the PC catch the killer even if they lose the challenge? Remember the golden rule about challenges: a lost challenge never stops the adventure. The consequences for losing should be real (another death on the PCs' conscience) but should let the story proceed (and the story can't proceed if the PCs can't find the killer).

 

[Starfox]

This sounds like a series of skill challenges, one leading to the other.

Also, a murder mystery without a clearly-chartered motivation for the murderer? Isn't that breaking a MAJOR genre convention? The typical murder chase is after all, a mental battle between the murderer and the detective - and how would that be possible without a motivation?

 

[Rechan]

Paul, that's an excellent presentation.