First off, George, Jon, Mike, Andrew, GET OUT!
The players had dealt with a crime ring that had been distributing some nasty drugs around town, and discovered a couple of odd things during their investigation: the purveyors of the pestilence were maintaining a ledger not only on the transactions, but also records of how the effects the drugs were having on their clientele, and SOMEONE was impersonating a noble, framing him as the mastermind behind the whole scheme. They rounded up most of the perpetrators and put and end to the drug ring, imprisoning the head of the local crime syndicate, but without ever finding out who had been impersonating the nobleman. During a separate incident, the cell in which they had imprisoned the boss was discovered to be empty, and her corpse was found back in the hideout the PCs had cleared out...except THAT person had been dead for a LONG time.
Some time passes, and the PCs encounter a runaway flesh golem wreaking havoc in the city. After defeating the monster, they follow its trail back to the cemetery, and discover a few things:
-there have been reports recently of people going missing from the slums
-there have been some corpses turning up with odd disfigurements, like vestigial bat-like or bird-like wings, washed-out eyes, horns, hooves, unusually alabaster or crimson skin...
-there have been some reports of strange sounds emanating from further into the cemetery at night
The PCs decided to investigate the graveyard, and waylaid a wizard skulking around just as they themselves were waylaid by a bunch of undead. They managed to capture the wizard alive, but unconscious. That's where they left off last.
Second, the wizard they found is a somewhat hapless necromancer. He had been studying at the local magic academy, but was expelled for practicing the forbidden arts, which he felt was unfair, as their study could potentially yield new insights, and may be important. He's been doing experiments in the graveyard at night, using those already deceased, but he made a mistake, and raised a terror too powerful for him to handle--a witch, dead for hundreds of years, who had, along with her family of cannibals, captured unwary travelers, and kidnapped children, bringing them back to their den in the woods to feast upon. The townsfolk at the time had managed to track the family down and set fire to their hiding place after managing to capture the matriarch. Her family didn't burn to death, but instead succumbed to smoke inhalation and died, preserved in their hiding spot within their layer, never to be found. Meanwhile, she was brought back to town, hanged and interred with wards set upon her tomb to prevent just this sort of thing from happening. When our bumbling caster animated her, she broke from his control, prised him of some information on the current state of affairs of the area, and went off in search of her family, saying that she would return before the new moon.
In an attempt to remedy his mistake, he tries to create a golem who will be resistant to her spells and abilities to wrestle her back into the afterlife, but, again, he drops the ball, and ends up setting the thing loose.
What I'd like to do is continue to present the players with multiple leads that can point to the wizard, but which he staunchly (and truthfully) denies. He hasn't killed anyone, other than those his flesh golem tore apart.
My intent is to have one of the players taken over by the doppelganger, who will stay with them for some time, ferreting out their secrets, and trying to direct any investigation away from his dealings. I'm thinking that, when the wizard gets captured, the doppelganger puts a hold on his activities for a while, to throw more suspicion the wizard's way.
Eventually, the witch returns, after having animated her family, and they begin their old custom of poaching folks for their cannibalistic cookery once again. When the doppelganger gets wind of SOMETHING turning up missing people, he starts up his activation again.
Eventually, I'd like for the players to catch on to the witch and go after her and her family, and for the players to eventually stumble upon the existence of the separate plot, and trace that back to the alchemist's lab, and discover their teifling companion trussed up and being slowly drained of his outsider's blood while he's also still standing right next to them...and then have the doppelganger escape. In the lab, they'll also find some sort of good outsider and some sort of evil outsider crucified upon the wall and being drained of their blood as well.
So, I'd like:
-some ideas on types of clues (physical or social) to drop that can point in both directions, but can be bent to point squarely at the wizard...preferably enough of these to ensure the players don't miss ALL of them
-some ideas for a rewarding way of unraveling both of these plots for/with the players
-some moral dilemmas for the PCs to face regarding the fate of the wizard they captured
-specific ways that the doppelganger can try to uncover their secrets/weaknesses, while both acting a little suspicious, and yet not revealing himself outright (I'd prefer for him to get away for one more reappearance down the road)
-some ideas for encounters that illustrate both of these scenarios well (I've an idea of the PCs encountering some bloated wights or ghouls feasting upon a corpse and speaking to each other pleasantly about how they should cook the players; some fights with summoned celestial/fiendish creatures that escaped the lab)
-perhaps some interesting ideas for terrain/effects/hazards to use, both in and out of the combat encounters
-some ideas for complex non-combat challenges (social, chase, etc...)
and... what exactly do you want advise on?
edit: okay clearer now.
|
What is the APL? Mystery at higher level tends to not work very well when your players are casting certain spells.
I wouldn't recommend doing the doppelganger cliche on taking on a party member appearance, there are easier ways for him to find out about them. Most adventurers are very and I mean very trusting of employers when it comes to quests and the likes. If the doppelganger is the detective or constable on the case, the players would have almost no reason to suspect him, until it is too late for example.
Oops. It's an E6 game, and they're 6 with some "epic" feats under their belts (and a few mythic abilities), so, I'd say the APL is probably 8 (6 person party).
As for the doppelganger, I thought it would be fun to let one of my players play the subversive in the group for a few sessions. We've talked that bit over, gave him just enough detail to play the character along the lines I'm looking for, and will give him some stats he can use.
My players are, occasionally, a fairly suspicious lot, so I have to be VERY careful with NPCs that I want to keep suspicion off of if I want to do something like that. This seems like a fun way to get that done in a fashion that will likely work better--they have some downtime, and in there, the player gets swapped for the doppelganger.
Oh, because it would probably be useful, the party composition is:
-Samsaran Oracle w/ the blind curse, and the spell scar mystery; he's a bookish sort with multiple personas derived from his ancestors, and is searching for ways to heal spellscars.
-Teifling rogue w/ a 5 Cha...he started off as being incredibly pompous, rude, obnoxious, and selfish, but has slowly started to adapt to being a figure within a larger community, and has been humbled a bit. He's the one that would be getting swapped.
-Human monk acting as an officer of the local justice/police force temple branch (separate from the city guard). He is fairly even-keeled, and tries to steer the group in a lawful direction.
-Changeling monk who is a member of an order devoted to the goddess of light and good, and that stands against the evils of the world, particularly unnatural ones such as the undead. He's...prone to violent solutions.
-Sylph witch who really cleaves to the "watcher" ideal of his race, and tends to rarely get involved in ANYTHING unless he feels like it. He hangs back to observe much of the time, occasionally deigning to help out...or do something inappropriate. No very politick. Also, he's currently under a Curse of Indecision.
-Kobold...we'll see what she's actually playing. She had been a kobold sorceress, but when the players liberated her people from the sway of an evil dragon, she stayed behind to become their new ruler. We've discussed how she'll continue from there, and she was thinking about sending an acolyte (basically a copy of her previous character) to join the party and try to gain some reparations or some such, but it's not fleshed out yet.
The party has been made part of a semi-independent elite branch of the city guard.
Start with standard sleight of hand tricks.
Bring NPCs that stir the pot. Maybe the older brother of one of the victims is a inquisitor trying to find out what happened, but is a real loner. Some scapegoat, a miserly father, abusing his children, maybe a cleric of norboger or so who has nothing much to do with the plot, but maybe supplies the BBEG with potions, or scrolls, but is in the fringe and encountered often. This way you can provide little clues, but still lead them to a wrong conclusion for a while.
How are you planning on running the swap with the pc and the doppleganger? is the player making a new character? or is he leaving the group? (permanently or for a work/army-related period?)
A trick I used in a dream sequence for my group was to let the player play his character without any interference, only occasionaly describing wierd side-effects of where they were that were special to him. at the end of the quest they defeat the massive spider-wolf-thing and find his character unconcious and captured. I then told the player: this is your character - you've been playing somebody else - you now have full control over the real character.
players loved it, also makes it easier than to avoid metagaming and suspense of disbelief.
I'm not sure if it is the sort of thing you're looking for, but the adventure "Shut In" from Dungeon #128 is a favorite of mine and might fit into a "mystery" themed campaign pretty well. It would certainly fit with PCs who work for the city guard. If nothing else the mansion might give you a nice location.
In the aftermath one or more NPCs might reasonably be committed to an insane asylum. I'd guess that some of the victims of the doppleganger might be there too, perhaps even the PC who got replaced. Of course the guy who runs the place is completely nuts and probably a Vivisectionist. I guess he could be working with the doppleganger on experiments including stuff like swapping brains between bodies.
How are you planning on running the swap with the pc and the doppleganger? is the player making a new character? or is he leaving the group? (permanently or for a work/army-related period?)
A trick I used in a dream sequence for my group was to let the player play his character without any interference, only occasionaly describing wierd side-effects of where they were that were special to him. at the end of the quest they defeat the massive spider-wolf-thing and find his character unconcious and captured. I then told the player: this is your character - you've been playing somebody else - you now have full control over the real character.
players loved it, also makes it easier than to avoid metagaming and suspense of disbelief.
My plan for this was to give the player some additional stats/abilities he has, telling him to try and play the character mostly to form, but a little regressed (he was known to be more of a dick a few months ago than he has been lately), and to try and cast as much blame as he can on the wizard for recent events. He's to also be a little more inquisitive about what his fellow party members are doing/what they do.
Start with standard sleight of hand tricks.
Bring NPCs that stir the pot. Maybe the older brother of one of the victims is a inquisitor trying to find out what happened, but is a real loner. Some scapegoat, a miserly father, abusing his children, maybe a cleric of norboger or so who has nothing much to do with the plot, but maybe supplies the BBEG with potions, or scrolls, but is in the fringe and encountered often. This way you can provide little clues, but still lead them to a wrong conclusion for a while.
How would you use these NPCs?