How to Create a Mystery for a D&D Session

00:00 Why you should add Mysteries to your Sessions
00:30 Elements of a Mystery
05:49 Setting up the Mystery
07:06 Clues and Linking Information
11:03 People of Interest
12:21 Secondary Locations
13:40 Solving the Crime
15:22 Wrapping up the Mystery

#DungeonsAndDragons #DnD #Animatic

[elfbait]

I remember running a werewolf mystery and having one night have a rampage where several houses were hit in one night except the herbalist's house that sat between two of them. The town and party initially thought the herbalist might be connected to it until it was discovered pretty early on that the house was skipped because of the Wolfbane the herbalist grew around their home.

[mirthfulArtist]

Some murder mystery tips, à la Colombo, Agatha Christie, etc:

1. Everyone has something to hide, even if it is not related to *this* crime. Some might even have secret reason to hate or envy the victim, might have stolen something from the victim before they were killed, etc.
2. The victim may not have been the intended target.
3. The murder might not have been the end goal-- perhaps instead, someone is trying to frame the prime suspect to get something of theirs. Or perhaps the murder was accidental.
4. Another crime may interrupt the investigation-- perhaps the killer is panicking, or trying to cover their tracks.
5. The victim might be guilty of something, themselves. Or, at least the killer thinks so.
6. These suspects/witnesses know each other. Some might defend each other, some might attack each other, some might harbour old grudges, or bring up old scandals.
7. The murderer may have a willing or unwilling accomplice who doesn't share their motive.

D&D specific tips:

1. Try and let each player flex their skills. Not all of them will have "investigatory" skills, and every once in a while you might want to put a roadblock in front of them that requires the skill of a wizard, or a barbarian. Or just a mid-game combat.
2. Stick to low levels, or prepare to learn high level spells and abilities really well so you can work around them and your players don't blast through your mystery with a single spell slot. (Think information gathering spells.)
3. Don't hinge it all on finding EVERY clue. A single fumbled roll shouldn't ruin all their chances.
4. If your players are stuck, feel free to invent a clue on the spot that might put them back on track. Maybe have a few easy ones prepared.
5. Have some NPCs that the players can be SURE are innocent from the get go. It helps to have a friend.

My friend ran a mansion murder mystery once, and it was grand, full of suspects and scandals. I've never run something quite the same, but a few mystery novels can really give you a feel for misdirection, motive, etc. 😊

[thhistory]

Ya lost me at 'let's assume the players act like normal people'

[cvastley]

I've seen a few videos on d&d murder mysteries, but this is easily the most intuitive and comprehensive. Great video!

[frankbailey]

As someone that LOVES mysteries but doesn't know how to write them, this provided an awesome template! Thank you!!

[elmattador]

I just ran this for a group of friends. They figured out what happened quickly and easily. They talked to Tabitha’s boyfriend and offered to help him, and escort him to the windmill to keep him from hurting anyone while they figured out how to cure him. It was really kind of touching, and it made me feel really bad when he transformed into a werewolf and attacked them and ran off into the night.

They still have several people to talk to in town, which I planned for them to talk to them before all that went down. But it will be interesting when NPC’s try to say things like “that’s a fairytale, werewolves aren’t real.” And hearing what my players will say in response after that.

[alberthayat]

i actually created a mind map detailing clue locations and where it **should** lead the players. it's been SUPER useful for keeping everything together

[miriamvlachoulis]

This is literally the most comprehensive guide on writing a murder mystery I've ever seen

[thomaspetrucka]

Every time I’ve introduced a mystery to my players, it takes AT LEAST three sessions for them to solve because they just HAVE to wade through ALL the details.

Thanks for the guide, this is really helpful.

[ojodeoro]

I am a big fan of building sandbox style campaigns so I use mysteries to motivate the party to interact with different things based on what triggers their curiosity

[octo]

this is the most helpful video I've ever seen on dnd. this doesn't just apply to mysteries, but your players discovering the story as well. The story comes in puzzle pieces that the players put together over time. When you talked about having individual snapshots being put together, I was like "FINALLY! someone has addressed this concept!" It was so hard for me to put into words... I have the compelling images, the ideas, the connections to the players, and what I want to give them to move the plot forward, but how to piece it together was a complete mystery to me(no pun intended), and this video couldn't have given me a better idea of what to do. Thank you SO much.

[leodouskyron]

I would add a few things to your preparation. Never forget about your player’s spells. If they can raise tabitha or ask her spirit what happened - the mystery can be short circuited. Reward the spells being used but cat’s paw a bit to keep things going. Tabitha won’t betray her love even in death and if risen will go so far as to blame a party member to save him. These are complications but should just be used sparingly. And lead to more clues.

And secondary, a crime/mystery should never be just a mystery that waits to be solved. The term “and then it got worst” is important in making the mystery feel alive and not like a trap or puzzle. Add sightly increasing stakes. If they blow though the mystery of who killed our victim, Make it clear that this was not the only wolf in town. Maybe the curse was put on the liver because someone wanted to break them up and morally that person is the real bad guy (But do give rewards for the good job of the first mystery solved). Maybe have the players mistake in accusations cause a NPC the players like or was nice to them get the blame from scared villagers and now they have to find the real killed before a person they know is now innocent pays the price for there mistake. The complication midway though often adds tension that can lead you running faster into that final battle and usually is pretty simple to game plan.

Lastly, have a plan F for failsafe. If they are failing at enough die rolls have a secondary way to get the info. Never fail to accurately for the bad luck of players to prevent them getting a final or critical clue. So you may want to have an if everything fails plan or the party just can’t put anything together. Always have a super simple pointer evidence or character. When they see Tabitha the dirt in her got on the Wizards fox familiar and someone recognizes it and asks why they were at the scene of the crime. Or maybe this person can all most put it together but works with the players and helps them by having them put together everything. That person could be good or evil, but they are just not the quest giver.

Love your videos. Glad I found you and hope you explode in popularity.

[sleepnt]

What worked for me is preparing Information, not just clues. So the players may get clues or Information in any way they think of. This helped me to respond to creative and unseen decisions the players and ways they go into.

So for this example of the murder scene, I would prepare all the Intel they can get, more than who can say what. So when the group comes up with the idea to oberve a specific NPCs, I can imagine what intel they would get out of it, instead of are there in the right spot or do they ask the right questions. This way I can provide clues in any form, the group comes up with.

Similar like your example with the information about the boyfriend. But with all of the information.

There are maybe some informations that can be only gathered by specific ways, but this is also an information by itself.

[benjaminholcomb]

Hear me out, (and this is partially for myself later)
Have the werewolf be another girl in town that the huntsman is trying to help.
That way when the townspeople/ players automatically suspect him (because of tropes) it becomes a nice twist.
The girl could be his sister (unknown to her) or her best friend to really up the guilt and drama.

[fhuber]

Rule 1 of being a D&D assassin: Cast "speak with dead" on the victim so it can't be done by the investigators.

[MarmadukeFan]

My big takeaway from writing a mystery is start with the bad guy and consider the consequences of his actions, even if he’s pretty smart. A smart bad guy might hire underlings to carry out his dirty business. But those underlings could be a liability if left alive. Take inspiration from real life criminal enterprises.

[mynameisKOEN]

I'm running a murder mystery based on this vid TOMORROW and I can't wait to see how this goes. Great video, thank's for the inspiration!

[corbanhos]

Out of all of the mystery videos I've looked up this one has never been front and center, but this is one of the most useful videos ever! This is so helpful, especially because it includes detailed examples to get the gears rolling. Thank you so much!

[angelalewis]

This is BY the best video I’ve EVER seen about how to build a mystery!!! I could easily take this advice and use it to build a mystery novel as well as a one-shot! GENIUS.

[euansmith]

The artwork, narration and info in these videos are delightful.