Little help with a quest

[Targutai Minyatur]

In a game im DM my players are about to chase a sniper assasin.
To put the thing simple they are in a very modern city, who makes and export the best weapons and clockwork things.
A new proyect was stolen (a darkwood heavy crossbow +1 with the keen enchantment) and actually someone is using it to kill some influyent guys
Now... I want them to follow some clues but overall use their brain to catch the killer and get back the item
I was thinking on having some npcs that can recognice the particular bolts and give them some clues but we know players almost never do what the dm wants so.. Which other clues can i mak fr them if they dont investigate the bolts? Any false tracks that the killer could leave? Any idea or critic is welcome

[Ridiculon]

The best way to handle it is to actually plan out the killer's day i think. like actually track where he is and what he's doing at any given time so that the pc's have a chance of finding him based on what they do instead of you having to decide if they found him or not.

given that, what are the killer's goals? plan out his day around him trying to accomplish his goals, remember that 'clues' for the pc's are equivalent to mistakes the killer actually makes throughout his day.

if the killer wants to leave false tracks it'll be because he knows someone is on his trail presumably. how does he know that? did he see the pc's investigating his crimes? did he directly overhear them talking about what they know? did he ask or hire someone else to find out what the pc's know?

at any point throughout this you can add in little mistakes that the pc's may or may not pick up on, like maybe he is so surprised at what they know that he knocks something over while he's listening to them plan (a classic), or he leaves muddy footprints after walking out of a bush he was hiding in, or someone notices him sneaking around behind the pc's and they shout out.

[SmiloDan]

I like the idea of the assassin's day planner.

Maybe he's learning Judo somewhere.
Maybe he has a favorite coffee shop.
Maybe he has a paramour.
Maybe he has custom bolts, so he has a custom boltsmith?
Maybe he has a favorite apothecary shop or secret menagerie he gets his poisons from?
Maybe he has a favorite temple to the murder goddess he prays at?
Maybe he has a favorite temple to the healer goddess he preys at?
Maybe there is a famous magewright that makes custom magic items the assassin is rumored to go to?
Maybe he has a clumsy apprentice or wannabe kid assassin or something?
Maybe he's a lone wolf poaching in the Thieves' Guild territory, and they're hunting him too?
Maybe he has a favorite dive bar he goes to?
Maybe he like fancy hats, and a favorite haberdasherer?
Maybe there is a big fancy ball soon, so he also needs to get fancy clothes for his disguise?

Maybe check out some of the Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust? One of the latest has him planning a big meeting with some big assassins, so it's almost exactly what you're looking for.

[The Ragi]

Targutai Minyatur wrote:

Which other clues can i mak fr them if they dont investigate the bolts? Any false tracks that the killer could leave? Any idea or critic is welcome

Standard cop drama routine: ask questions around the place the murders happened; look into who would benefit the most from said crimes; do a stakeout on the roof of some houses and just happen to miss the killer; all these could be suggested to them by a local sheriff or authority.

Or just hire somebody to cast some spells and track the guy - I'm sure occult adventure has something along those lines, divination by object - and that NPC could be somehow involved in the crimes, lead them into a trap and become a suspect himself! Throw a twist in there!

[GM 1990]

Any professional will assume "someone" will try to follow their trail or track them down. that being said, a trail of pretty obvious clues/tracks leading to a trap. IE a booby-trapped room set to blow when the door is opened.

I'm a "longer con" GM. Modern tv makes it look like 1hr is all it takes to catch a criminal - just look at the recent real-world things in Europe - best intel can take days or weeks to come to fruition. I'd plan out 2 or 3 of his next targets, leave clues towards that end and see what they do next (maybe after the above building explodes, they're still able to retrieve some actual clues about his next possible hits). Build up to them learning about a future hit with enough time to try to figure out "where do you make this shot". its a classic trope, but still its because it works. Turns this also into a little role-playing inside the role-playing - "you get to plan an assassination....; and then thwart it".

[Ridiculon]

SmiloDan wrote:

Maybe check out some of the Vlad Taltos novels by Steven Brust? One of the latest has him planning a big meeting with some big assassins, so it's almost exactly what you're looking for.

Maybe he has a highly placed friend with a floating castle?

maybe he has a grandpa to go visit sometimes?
maybe he is part of a repressed minority?
maybe he is irreverent enough to be noticed by the nobility?
maybe he has a highly placed friend with a (panther shaped) mountain fort?
maybe he is a witch?

i wanna read some more vlad novels, when is the next one coming out?
the socialist articles he puts up on his website are very interesting but they don't tell me anything about the next release date :(

[avr]

Ridiculon wrote:

i wanna read some more vlad novels, when is the next one coming out?

the socialist articles he puts up on his website are very interesting but they don't tell me anything about the next release date :(

Check his blog, there's a note as of 26 March which suggests Vallista is coming out in ~18 months.