Hello all!
In an upcoming campaign I'll be kicking things off with a mystery. I could use some help with what sorts of clues to offer, maybe a couple of additional steps in the solving as well.
Each PC begins with one of the following motivations:
--item of value (monetary, personal, or powerful) stolen from their residence
--item stolen from someone else, and they are either interested in helping, charged with helping (maybe a member of the guard), or hired to help recover the item
--person close to the PC has been murdered during the course of a robbery
--person associated with murder victim has charged them with investigating for one reason or another
--PC is associated in some way with the thieves' guild and is interested in the loot that has been stolen
--PC is associated with a mage's guild and is interested in the loot that has been stolen
--PCs each come across a posting from a local tavern owner calling on people who have been affected by recent burglaries to join him to pool information and hire investigators
Background:
--Kobolds have been burglarizing the city in search of magic items, or books about magic on behalf of another creature interested in such things. They aren't necessarily aware of the value of these items, but they are charged with recovering certain types of things, and leaving anything else (so as to not slow them down).
--Burglaries have been strange: sometimes a seemingly worthless dusty old tome goes missing while the obviously valuable jewelry beside it remains untouched.
--One kobold is transforming into a snake or something similar, slithering up the sewage pipe in the home, transforming back then letting the other kobolds in. Part of their operation involves cleaning up after themselves to hide evidence.
--They are secreting away their booty in a lair they have established in the sewers for a brief period of time (1-2 weeks) before returning to their home lair to present their loot
Opposition:
--Some members of the thieves' guild go to the meeting posing as affected parties in the hopes of getting clues to lead them to the stash.
--A member of the local mage's guild is doing the same in the hopes of tracking down the magical items, and magic histories/treatises to add to their collection.
Plot outline:
--PCs go to tavern to learn what they can, maybe as wronged parties themselves.
--Accompany someone (PC or NPC) back to scene of one of the robberies to look for clues.
--Clues point to new location (see below for locations).
--Clues point to new location with more evidence to be had.
--Clues point to possible location with robbery in progress where the PCs stumble upon the kobolds mid-heist. Some combat ensues, and (ideally) at least one kobold escapes.
--Potential chase scene here.
--If PCs capture a kobold, they can wrest from them some info on where the hideout is.
--If PCs don't capture a kobold, they have enough clues to start looking at the sewers possibly.
--Eventually head to sewers to search out lair.
--Final confrontation where some of the loot is discovered (some apparently is still missing; having been sent along back home when they realized their activities might come to an end).
Locations I'd like to hit:
--Residence burglarized
--Mage's guild location
--Local historian/bookseller who has some books that may get stolen/knows of others around city that are potential targets
--Residence mid-robbery, but not by kobolds--thieves using other robberies as a cover for their activites
--Upscale residence with a private library on the 4th floor; robbery in progress here
--Sewer hideout
Potential clues:
--feces stain on window or door latch
--feces stain across floor somewhere in home leading from bathroom
--list of known magical items or books around the city for PCs to investigate
--NPC who was home during robbery, but kept quiet about that because they were having an affair at the time; overheard kobolds speaking and wrote down what they heard, untranslated
--scales from both a kobold, and a transformed kobold
--evidence of valuables not touched while seemingly worthless items stolen (eventually pointing to pattern of magic items, or magically-related items being the only things going missing)
--hostile head of mage's guild, perhaps let's slip than an attempt was made to steal something from vault, but thwarted
--recollection from NPC of strange sounds coming from downstairs that lead to PCs discovering a cap on sewage line to cut down on smell, which kobolds couldn't open from inside
What I need:
--More clue ideas (ideally 3 per location)
--Additional points of conflict (especially in the beginning). Could just do a bar fight to kick things off, but it feels a little out of place.
--Possible additional locations to hit along the way
--Additional NPCs to help or hinder the PCs (such as guards who deny access, or someone who saw something).
This reminds me of the Council of Thieves AP
This reminds me of the Council of Thieves AP
I'm not familiar with it. What part does this remind you of?
To keep the minions in the dark, the BBEG has also hired a splinter faction of the local thieves guild to work in parallel to the Kobolds. Differing targets and times for each group. This will make the items stolen appear even more random to someone on the outside looking in.
The BBEG uses different disguises to talk to each group of minions... so anyone gathering information on or from both groups may actually think there is two different BBEG's.
The BBEG does, in fact, target completely random and unrelated objects to further hide their true intentions.
The local private investigator for hire and/or bounty hunter are on the BBEG's payroll. Possibly even a sheriff's deputy, as well. Enough to disrupt official investigstions.
If you want any help with NPC's... I have a Kobold Arcane Trickster and a pair of Tengu that could probably work well with such a campaign. The Kobold goes all the way to level 18, but can be used at any point past level 9. One Tengu is a Rogue/Bard of little combat utility but an absolutely awesome pathological liar. The other Tengu is the first one's bodyguard... a strength-based core Rogue with a greatsword.
My first idea is to replace the snake transformation with a Were-Kobold. Were-rat is typical for this situation, but making a Kobold a were-lizard instead seems appropriate. Use the stats of a were-rat and just reskin it to be a lizard. You might even make the transformation into a tiny lizard that is combat ineffective.
If you go that route, have one of the clues be a drunk who witnessed the transformation in a dark moonlit alley. The drunk could see 3 small figures wearing cloaks, when a rat (or something) changed into one of them! The drunk couldn't see colors or details, and he ran away. The warning about a transforming rat should be enough of a clue to pack some silver weapons.
Lets make the kobolds kind of cleaver, not smart. They know what kind of item they are suppose to steal, but have no ability to identify it other than the vague description. So they bring a group to each robbery, and each one of them steals 1 item. If it is something like a book, each one grabs a book till there are no more books or until they stole one each. If they run out of items to steal before they run out of hands to carry, they steal food and light sources. They need the light sources to read books, and they need to read books to try and figure out which books they can eliminate and which ones get sent back.
Lets make the kobolds kind of dumb. They are mostly living off of rats, and any food they can steal. Have a baker near their actual hideout show up and complain about having his day-old bread stolen in the middle of the night! A grocer that lives next door had his store broken into and is missing several small boxes of fruit. If anyone investigates the alley between the two buildings they will find a sewer grate with a broken lock. Anyone with tracking will notice a large number of small creatures have been traveling in and out of this grate.
Also have their be a random rat head or tail found at some of the robbery locations. Maybe a few inside, and more locations where you can find a head close to where...
A rat-sized lizard makes sense. I won't be going with a were-whatever for some reasons, but I like a lot of these other ideas.
Them stealing multiple items, because they aren't sure will hide their real goal a bit. And thefts of food stuffs in a localized area will also help point the way. I feel like I'd want this clue to come later on, along with the one about finding feces at the scene of the crime, since I don't want them turning to the sewers too early.
The drunkard clue is a good one!
So, the PCs and some NPCs in the beginning are missing a variety of items. Their value is not apparent, but, oddly, several books are among the missing, along with few actually valuable items. PCs can get a partial list of stolen items, which will include a variety of book titles, and some seemingly mundane items that are either unknown to be magical, or not revealed to be to them, as well as a few definitely magic items.
First location, they find that some light sources are missing (candles and a lamp), as well as an assortment of items of little value while leaving behind more valuable items. Person there may reveal they were home during the robbery, but didn't speak up because they were having an affair at the time. Reveal they heard strange voices, and wrote down what they had heard in the kobolds' language (some errors will arise in translation).
What DID they hear? Questions from minions to leader on which items to take? Whether a particular book is good? The leader berating the minions on not taking certain items? A reminder to grab the candles? A question about their next location, or allusion to something else?
Need a couple clues here that point to a next location. Now, the multiple book titles might point to a bookseller. The unknown language might point to a translator (same person as bookseller). If PCs can discern meaning of the words, that could point elsewhere. Ideas here?
Thinking maybe they refer to a list with a name on it--that of the head of the mage's guild, who had kept an account of the known magical items around the city, which was stolen. So that could point them there.
If they go to bookstore, they can get info that many of the books are concerning magical theory, history, and even some spell research. They can discern the foreign language, and they can also be pointed to the mage's guild.
At the guild, the master is NOT helpful, feeling quite embarrassed at having been burgled, and also hiding the fact that her own agents are scouring the city as well. Social skill checks may reveal some of this, and may cause her to reveal a couple possible locations for the next heist: one is a private library, and the other is a collector of rare items who is known to be out of town currently.
I want some misdirection in here somewhere, either from someone approaching the PCs with an intentionally misleading clue, or from someone having a conversation intended for the PCs to overhear: maybe a member of thieves' guild, looking to make a play, or a member of the mages' looking to divert the PCs. Not sure where this should fall.
One point of conflict during the investigation could occur while the PCs are snooping around somewhere, and a group of guards come to interrogate them, none too gently. Leader of this group may be looking to make a name for himself by catching the thieves responsible for the thefts, or may have been paid off to intercept and hinder them.
If they go to rare collector's home, they will notice a burglary in progress. They intrude upon thieves or mages who are attempting to make off with some obviously valuable loot.
If they go to the private library, they'll find kobolds already there and the owners of the house murdered. They will face resistance as they move up through the house, to a confrontation in the library, with at least one kobold flying out a window. May be a chase scene from here. If they investigate the scene (either instead of chasing, or if they return after the chase), they will discover the feces stains on a window or door where a lock is opened and closed again, and may find tracks back to the toilet. Leaving the residence, they would encounter the drunkard with the tale of transforming creatures.
Capturing any kobold but the leader can reveal the location of their hideout in the sewers...but based on their perspective of comings and goings, and that they are looking for certain items, but not others. If the leader is captured from the heist, they can get some more info.
If they simply venture into the sewers here, they will be met with some dangerous hazards that may drive them back above ground. Asking around can turn up reports of foodstuffs disappearing in a certain area.
To keep the minions in the dark, the BBEG has also hired a splinter faction of the local thieves guild to work in parallel to the Kobolds. Differing targets and times for each group. This will make the items stolen appear even more random to someone on the outside looking in.
The BBEG uses different disguises to talk to each group of minions... so anyone gathering information on or from both groups may actually think there is two different BBEG's.
The BBEG does, in fact, target completely random and unrelated objects to further hide their true intentions.
The local private investigator for hire and/or bounty hunter are on the BBEG's payroll. Possibly even a sheriff's deputy, as well. Enough to disrupt official investigstions.
If you want any help with NPC's... I have a Kobold Arcane Trickster and a pair of Tengu that could probably work well with such a campaign. The Kobold goes all the way to level 18, but can be used at any point past level 9. One Tengu is a Rogue/Bard of little combat utility but an absolutely awesome pathological liar. The other Tengu is the first one's bodyguard... a strength-based core Rogue with a greatsword.
In this case, the BBEG is fairly removed from the picture, and these thefts are on his behalf through an intermediary who is also not exactly present.
Certainly, though, some of these people could be on the payroll of one guild or another, tasked with funneling information to those parties.
The seeming randomness of the items being requested completely backfires...
A tinker Gnome minion starts syphoning off items he wants to, well, tinker with. He draws his items seemingly at random from the seemingly random list the boss hands down.
One of the Kobolds is actually a guild member Rogue infiltrating the BBEG's Kobold group. This particular Kobold is ALSO a double-agent for the local authority to infiltrate the thieve's guild. This Kobold is syphoning random items out of the seemingly random list of items to turn in for evidence.
The temporary secret stash location that the Kobolds are using in the sewers gets visited by a Rust Monster. More random items go missing from the seemingly random list of items the boss hands down.
Hilarity ensues...
What DID they hear? Questions from minions to leader on which items to take? Whether a particular book is good? The leader berating the minions on not taking certain items? A reminder to grab the candles? A question about their next location, or allusion to something else?Kobold Underling: So we after books again?
Boss: No, not books. List says copper pan.
Underling: Only one copper pan boss. We take food? Wine?
Boss: Umm... you take that cheese. You take wine. Rest of you grab candles. Keep it light. Got to be sneaky sneaky.
Yeah, I was starting down this route.
"no look over there
that leaf word is useless
we have no use for shiny pretty as may be
take these eats? no! eat later
Where we go next?
Bastilla list has some maybe"
Also, using this: https://draconic.twilightrealm.com/ to generate the transcribed conversation in draconic to give to the PCs.