does anyone know of any adventures in which the PCs are accused of murder, or another crime, and most work through the court proceedings? if anyone could point me in the right direction, i'd appreciate it. thanks.
does anyone know of any adventures in which the PCs are accused of murder, or another crime, and most work through the court proceedings? if anyone could point me in the right direction, i'd appreciate it. thanks.
This might not be quite what you are looking for, but you might try FRE 2: "Tantras", by Ed Greenwood, a 2nd ed adventure, which is the second installment of the Time of Troubles trilogy. In the opening chapter the PCs likely need to stand trial in Shadowdale for the murder of Elminster, following his sudden disappearance at the conclusion of "Shadowdale", the first installment. It's been quite a while since I've read either adventure.
But I do recall that for reasons of plot, the court scene is heavily scripted. So although the PCs get a cool role-playing opportunity to defend themselves, they regrettably don't actually have much ability to affect the trial's outcome.
There is though, if I recollect, a most entertaining debate as to whether the PCs ought to be be burned or impaled with sharpened stakes. Ah justice. . .
Some of the original Legends of the Five Rings scenerios were court-based. You'd have to make some adjustments if you want to take them out of their eastern context (and do your own d20 stats), but some of them should work.
Hey!
I ran an adventure like this not so long ago - and it was awesome! We all had a great time. I had a few worries about how it was going to play out, especially for the accused PC who might not have a lot of action despite being the center of the court case. But it turned out great.
Anyways; the write up of the game can be found on our website under the link for 'game 4'.
http://embark.to/ghostjammer
I'd say go for it! It'll be an ace game!
Peace,
tfad
Some of the original Legends of the Five Rings scenerios were court-based. You'd have to make some adjustments if you want to take them out of their eastern context (and do your own d20 stats), but some of them should work.
A lot of the recent L5R stuff are dual - containing stats for both L5R and d20. The Rokugan book I think had a chapter on convering from L5R to d20 as well, I believe.
failing any actual adventures as such to my experience, the DMG2 has an excellent section on designing legal structures and systems, with suggestions for multiple types of legal structures.
As a personal aside, i can tell of at least one incident from an older campaign of mine (which i enjoyed enough i may just bring it back into the current or the next one somewhere...) A town had captured a unicorn sometime in the past and kept it, turning into part of their judicial system, being a source of appeal in a 'trial by fire' in which the accused can decline a trial or challenge a verdict by presenting themselves to 'the Unicorn's Justice', being placed unarmed and unarmored in a pen with the Unicorn. Those innocent supposedly were spared by the unicorn, whose internal purity would not harm the innocent, while those guilty would be attacked and speared on the unicorn's horn. At least, that was the theory. More than a few had theorized that the unicorn, after a period of captivity, had gone more than a little mad, and who was spared and who was attacked more a matter of momentary whim on the creature's part, and those spared were in small proportion....
Cityworks also had a good crime/punishment section as well, if I recally.
thanks for the responses. i appreciate it.