Vigilante punishes criminal.. but for what crime?

[Traxe]

I'm beginning a new campaign that will start at level 1. The campaign will start with the PCs thwarting villains that have been touched by madness. Eventually clues will start to be put together and the PCs will realize there is a mastermind behind the scenes that is promoting madness. The mastermind will eventually be discovered and thwarted from opening a portal to the Far Realms to usher in an age of horror and madness. Vargan is a devote follower of Torm, believing that order and law are the foundations of society. He has used his faith to guide him through a successful career as a bounty hunter - bringing to justice criminals that have either alluded the law or lived outside the law. Now, he is but a simple rancher raising sheep, retired from his bounty hunting days. Luck did not favor him, however, for his gaggle of sheep have all perished over the last month, dying to some sickness that spread quickly among them. Unable to sell the sheep to make a profit Vargan was forced to dig up his reserve stash of money to pay his taxes. Within his reserve stash was a dark purple gem that he had never noticed before. This gem, the Tordex Gem, beckoned for Vargan to grasp it and when he did Vargan began hearing voices.Over the next several months there was a subtle change to Vargan as the voices began to tear way at the fabric of his reasoning. Recently, a barmaid was walking home late after her shift at a local pub when she was grabbed by a group of local ruffians and toughs. The barmaid was assaulted and beaten and left lying on the side of the street. The constable was not able to bring to justice the three locals who were responsible for the crime because there was no physical evidence or witnesses other than the barmaid... and her memory is uncertain due to the extent of her injuries. Thus, the three local boys laughed at the constable and walked out none the worse for their crimes.The voices in Vargan's head reasoned that Law and Justice needed to be enforced, even if the constable could not do so - nah, more so because the constable wouldn't do so. Those boys would find another unlucky woman to assault and would continue to be a plague on the village. Vargran finally succumbed to the voices and the next night the three local boys were found lying in the same street and assaulted in a similar manner. The only difference is that the barmaid managed to survive her assault while the three local boys were obviously killed.This is where the PCs become involved... tasked with solving the murders.I plan to have Vagran continue his vigilante murder spree... murdering criminals who got away with their crimes for some reason or another. What I would like is some suggestions of crimes that would fit this description. I'm thinking that Vagran knows some local criminals from his bounty hunting days and possesses contacts that could provide him with some old bounty posters or information on some crimes that were committed in the past.* What crime did the person commit?* How/Why did they get away with it?

 

[Halivar]

Suggestion: the PC's are brought in because the vigilante killed a noble that was abusing his privilege with the peasant girls. He got away with it because, well, he's a noble. You need to have a response ready if the party decides the vigilante's killing spree is justified.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Recently, a barmaid was walking home late after her shift at a local pub when she was grabbed by a group of local ruffians and toughs. The barmaid was assaulted and beaten and left lying on the side of the street. The constable was not able to bring to justice the three locals who were responsible for the crime because there was no physical evidence or witnesses other than the barmaid... and her memory is uncertain due to the extent of her injuries. Thus, the three local boys laughed at the constable and walked out none the worse for their crimes.

I want MY PC to be the one to kill those guys... I can't imagine purposely making a character that would not...

The voices in Vargan's head reasoned that Law and Justice needed to be enforced, even if the constable could not do so - nah, more so because the constable wouldn't do so. Those boys would find another unlucky woman to assault and would continue to be a plague on the village.

All of this seems to be the way most PCs I know think...

This is where the PCs become involved... tasked with solving the murders.

are you planning on using the geas spell or other form of force or mind control? what will you do if the PCs answer is "Hey look at that if you find the guy you should throw a pared in his honor..."

I plan to have Vagran continue his vigilante murder spree... murdering criminals who got away with their crimes for some reason or another. What I would like is some suggestions of crimes that would fit this description. I'm thinking that Vagran knows some local criminals from his bounty hunting days and possesses contacts that could provide him with some old bounty posters or information on some crimes that were committed in the past.* What crime did the person commit?* How/Why did they get away with it?

if you really want the PCs involved you should go really lite on the crimes...

1) this guy keeps 2 sets of books to pay slightly less taxes
2) this woman cheated on her husband
3) this kid had impure thoughts about that farmer's daughter

 

[Traxe]

I want MY PC to be the one to kill those guys... I can't imagine purposely making a character that would not...

A character that was chaotic good, neutral good, or neutral might possibly follow that path. A character that is lawful good would want to see the local laws be enforced and give the criminals over to authorities.

The PCs will be trying to track down what is essentially an aspect of Jack the Ripper, except this killer targets criminals and not just prostitutes. The manner of each victim's death will be brutal and bloody.

• Victim 1-3: Three local young men (one a noble) have a drunken and violent encounter with a barmaid, leaving her left on the side of the road beaten, abused, and assaulted. Soon after the three young men meet a similar fate - beaten, abused, and assaulted - plus each have their left hand severed.
• Victim 4: The local constable sees justice enforced through the power of coin. If you have coin then you can avoid justice... or even influence justice being enforced on others. The practice of corruption and greed soon finds the constable the next victim. He's found at a local blacksmith tarred and feathered... with melted gold (or fool's gold) used instead of tar. Of course, he is also missing his left hand.
• Victim 5: Years ago Taneen was an apprentice to a mage guild in a distance city. She tapped into powers far beyond her capabilities and ended up summoning a fire demon that broke free of her control. The fire demon was responsible for starting a fire within the shanty neighborhood of the city - a blaze that took several days for the firefighters to bring under control. Dozens had been killed by the fire and Taneen fled before authorities could bring her to justice. Vargan the bounty hunter has an old wanted poster of Taneen, and with the power of the Madness gem he remembers this wanted poster. Taneen, now known as Isiedona the breakmaker, is found one early morning chained to a stake where she was burned alive - with her left hand also severed.
• Victim 6: etc, etc etc.

All total I have 11 murders mapped out. Each murder has a setup section, a clues that can be discovered section, and an aftermath section. The setup section details how Vargan learns of the criminal and the crime, tracks down the criminal, and executes the criminal. The clues that can be discovered section details clues that the PCs can find at each murder site, through interviews, and other investigative avenues. The aftermath section details how locals respond including the political, economical, and social changes that occur due to the murders.