Cheat sheets for Throaty Mermaid [#2-13]

[Selvaxri]

So, I've been selected to run Murder on the Throaty Mermaid for my playgroup's weekly low tier table [missing out on a t5-9 :(].
After reading the scenario, i'm wondering if there's a cheat sheet out there to help me keep track of clues and suspects?

Murder on the Throaty Mermaid:

An elvish diplomat is killed aboard a smuggling vessel. The PC's need to collect evidence to clear their names before the captain turns over them over.

Each room is said to have a clue, but in a few cases- i don't see any discernible clues. Like the kitchen.

Also, how should i handle PC's confronting the BBG before the final encounter? I have an idea, but looking for other advice.

[Reginald Malthus]

Selvaxri wrote:

So, I've been selected to run Murder on the Throaty Mermaid for my playgroup's weekly low tier table [missing out on a t5-9 :(].

After reading the scenario, i'm wondering if there's a cheat sheet out there to help me keep track of clues and suspects?
** spoiler omitted **

Each room is said to have a clue, but in a few cases- i don't see any discernible clues. Like the kitchen.

Also, how should i handle PC's confronting the BBG before the final encounter? I have an idea, but looking for other advice.

This is one of my favorite scenarios! Most of the time, I'll have the person the PC's confront bring up other possible suspects. More in the spoiler!

Confronting a Suspect:

I prepped a spreadsheet with each suspect, their motive, how they did it, and how they spent the night if innocent. I don't recall there being much in the way of physical evidence or ironclad proof of guilt. IIRC, it's more about the various NPC's testimony.

Since the scenario is designed to allow for several different murderers, many on the crew have really plausible motives. The crew members are also rather gossipy and happy to share their thoughts. If I'm lucky as a GM, the PC's start with a couple "innocents" who might suspect a person other than the murderer. Those first interviews might point places other than the BBG. Having the BBG deflect them towards another crew member (or even one mentioned by the others) won't be *that* suspicious given what they've already encountered in the first interviews. It can be a delicate balance, though - one group joked about wanting to sink the whole boat of miscreants.

My main frustration running the scenario is the captain's refusal to accept any evidence presented to him. Yes, it's in character given that the scenario suggests he's got a good chunk of the crew ready to be mutineers but it's incredibly frustrating for the players. One group ended up asking the captain if they could air their suspicions out over dinner, which worked out really well. The PC's presented their convincing evidence at dinner and ended up triggering not just the cook's encounter (she thought they were accusing her) but also the final confrontation. It was a wonderful resolution to the murder mystery- a dinner with courses of accusations, poisoned stew and fierce combat. The players loved the feeling of being in charge of the dramatic reveal.

One thing I've found the players appreciate is having separate index cards for all the people on the ship. If you use the flip mat, you can just put the cards in their corresponding locations. It makes navigating the map and sorting the suspects from the non-suspects easier.

Have fun running it!

[Selvaxri]

One thing that i find out of place, is-

Spoiler:

Given the length of time the PC's have spent on the Throaty Mermaid and Shira Acidaxe's constant dosing of the crews' food- why aren't the PC's effected by such poisoning? A number of the crew have been afflicted.

since this scenario uses the outdated factions, i'll probably just roll a d10 to determine the co-conspirator.

[GM Lamplighter]

PFSPrep.com has what you need.

On the spoiler,

Spoiler:

I assumed that since the PCs are guards, and also paranoid, they're using their own rations.

[Reginald Malthus]

Selvaxri wrote:

One thing that i find out of place, is-

** spoiler omitted **

since this scenario uses the outdated factions, i'll probably just roll a d10 to determine the co-conspirator.

Agreed - there are a few different ways that could be hand waved (or maybe even justified):

Spoiler:

I sort of assumed the cook was, first and foremost, terrible at making appetizing food. You could play it several ways...
1. As part of the opening narrative, describe the misery on the journey- swelling seas, rain, miserable dampness, and stomach cramps from the terrible food. Assume the cook is doing a bad job of dosing and the poison effects are mild - and not easily distinguishable from the effects of spoilage.
2. The Society generously provided rations that covered much of the journey. If they sample the on ship food, ask for very low fort saves. If they fail, they get stomach cramps with no mechanical impact.

A lot of the old factions have current analogues if you feel like applying the mechanics - but a die roll is much quicker! You can also pick the culprit who seems most entertaining.

[Selvaxri]

I'll probably start the PC's off as "replacements" for the prior group, as at each major port, the Society changed guards.

After all,

Spoiler:

The PC's are in Magnimar talking to Sheila, on the final leg of the journey. The previous shift got ill from the poisoning and other influences.

I feel like pranking my PC's. I've a Large Water Elemental [from Shattered Stars], Veiled Master [from Dungeons Deep], and a Hammerhead Shark [from Skull & Shackles] minis that i'm going to throw at the PC's fight combat.

[GM Lamplighter]

I always have a few scary minis that I visibly take out of the box and put behind the screen along with the ones I actually need. A little uncertainty is a good thing!

(But you know you can't actually add monsters to a PFS scenario, right?)

[Selvaxri]

It's not an actual encounter. It'll be an encounter the last party is trying to pass off on Sheila- who doesn't buy it, then goes into debrief mode with current shift of PC's.

It is going to be a low tier table, and without much combat- especially if they don't piss off the cook and stowaway, i want to strike some fear into the PC's hearts.

Considering the Veiled Master is a CR 14 enemy... they should fear me.

[GM Lamplighter]

Just be careful they don't go and buy a bunch of gear to handle something you added for "flavor"...

[Alanya]

Selvaxri wrote:

since this scenario uses the outdated factions, i'll probably just roll a d10 to determine the co-conspirator.

According to the Secondary Success Condition document, faction missions are still relevant to this scenario:

Spoiler:

PFS Secondary Success Condition Document wrote:

#2–13: Murder on the Throaty Mermaid

Primary: The PCs successfully clear their names,
finding the true murderer.
Secondary: Provide the PCs with the printed faction
missions, and inform the players that these faction
missions are exceptions to the rule that faction missions
are for flavor only.

Therefore, you still hand them out to the players, and the co-conspiritor is determined that way.

[Serisan]

I realized that I hadn't uploaded my prep doc to PFS Prep for this scenario, so I fixed that. It organizes the info by killer. linky

[Selvaxri]

So i ran the table. I had three players signed up- a father and his two kids; had potentially another two, one of which wanted to play a custom race [Flying-Squirrel Folk- yea, not legal]. The later two hung around for a bit, but then they left and never returned for the game.

So they family chose a pre-gen, the Oracle.
The rest of the party was an Alchemist, Bloodrager, and Ninja.
I handed out the faction missions- Alchemist was Exchange, so he got Qadira; Bloodrager was Liberty's Edge- Andoran; Ninja was grand lodge, and she pulled the Taldan faction mission.

After reading the faction missions, and turn of events, the Ninja immediately suspected

Spoiler:

Anera, the "assassin"

The dad did most of the roleplaying, asking and interrogating, while the kids bounced around hyper.

during the fight with the rust monsters, i emphasized not killing them. after failed attempts to keep the one with the lowest initiative in it's cage, they figured the best way to get the rust monsters back into their cages, was to

Spoiler:

drop the cages onto them, and sit on cages.

. yay for non-violent solutions!

The party alchemist was happy to get Shira's formulae book- after the ninja kept asking the cook for the "mission objective" which eventually triggered her fight.

Then came the final fight after an abridged storm [was running out of time], and i had already decided the co-conspirator

Spoiler:

Thanrezill, the bodyguard

- who in the fight, crit'ed the Oracle and killed her outright. With this guy's good odds of hitting the ninja and alchemist, while probably dropping them, i had a crew member help out

Spoiler:

Anera, the elf-hating assissin, who'd been goading him the entire voyage- she saw her chance!

The bloodrager made short work of both the primary conspirator and his co-conspirator.

Sadly, because of my choice of co-conspirator, they lost out on some pretty nifty gear. Though the Alchemist got three new formulae, spending most of his reward money on scribing costs.