Need clues for an investigation

[Steffen]

Hi!

 

Homeless people are vanishing and the culprits are a devil-worshipper in need of victims for a human sacrifice and a scientist who needs test subjects. They don't know each other and are in no way connected.

 

The scientist is probably paying someone working at a homeless shelter to choose suitable victims and has them abducted by criminals or a street gang. I don't know yet how the devil-worshipper finds his victims.

 

What clues will lead the PCs to both criminals?

 

Thanks for your input!

[Lucius]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

Hi!

 

Homeless people are vanishing and the culprits are a devil-worshipper in need of victims for a human sacrifice and a scientist who needs test subjects. They don't know each other and are in no way connected.

 

The scientist is probably paying someone working at a homeless shelter to choose suitable victims and has them abducted by criminals or a street gang. I don't know yet how the devil-worshipper finds his victims.

 

What clues will lead the PCs to both criminals?

 

Thanks for your input!

 

They'll be choosing different victims.

 

A lot depends on what they specifically want. I would say the mad scientist wants subjects for her experiments to be as "normal" and healthy as possible. But possibilities include:

 

She thinks he has a cure for alcoholism or other addictions. She'll want alcoholics, common enough in the street population.

 

She needs children who are still growing because she is experimenting with ways to influence their development. In this case, when they track the mad scientist down, they may face some of her more successful experiments - children who are developing unusual or dangerous powers, and they may be loyal because life in the lab is actually better than life on the street. Possibly one who escaped or wandered off will be the clue leading to the lab.

 

She needs incubators for....something. She'll want women of childbearing age. Perhaps when found the mad scientist will be obviously pregnant herself, and the stress of the confrontation brings on labor. What comes forth, and whether or not it comes forth by ripping right out of her body, depends on just how fantastic a game you want.

 

 

The diabolator may simply want blood and souls, or may want something special such as innocent children. Perhaps a given ritual or demon requires something specific, such as white haired men. If one of the investigators has occult skills or knowledge, they may be able to find a clue as to what entity is being evoked; perhaps graffitti found near the disappearances matches the sigil of the demon Bladandisignos, who prefers gray or white haired sacrifices.

 

 

Of course, neither demons nor monsters have to be real; in a less fantastic campaign the diabolist and the mad doctor could be horrible enough as pathetically deluded criminals.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary doesn't think Lucius is finished thinking about it yet.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

I guess this is where my viewing of police procedural television dramas comes in handy.

 

Start by looking for what doesn't belong to the scene of the crimes, or what's been different recently among the homeless people affected. Have there been any new people hanging around where the homeless congregate, particularly people who stand out because of their appearance or actions? Any distinctive vehicles parked there for a long time? Has anyone been advertising a new service that homeless people might be drawn to, e.g. a shelter, free kitchen, or medical clinic?

 

Are there any similarities among the kidnapped homeless that indicate a particular type is being targetted, such as age, gender, race, or health? Are the disappearances clustered around a particular area? That would give your PCs a place to start their search, or possible future victims to watch out for.

 

Have any remains of the victims turned up? If so, the dumpsite for the bodies might be proximate to the murder scene, or the method of disposal could give clues as to what facilities were used to kill them, e.g. burning, dismemberment, or savaging by fang or claw. Given the motivations you describe there may be distinctive traces on the remains, such as surgical wounds, chemicals or drugs, or mystic or religious symbols.

 

If the criminals have done this before coming to the site of your campaign, there may be a record of previous disappearances or murders that would point your PCs to a place or person. There may also be traces left at the scene of the crimes that could be traced: DNA, distinctive flora or fauna, or substances typical of a particular location or activity.

[Lucius]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

Hi!

 

Homeless people are vanishing and the culprits are a devil-worshipper in need of victims for a human sacrifice and a scientist who needs test subjects. They don't know each other and are in no way connected.

 

The scientist is probably paying someone working at a homeless shelter to choose suitable victims and has them abducted by criminals or a street gang. I don't know yet how the devil-worshipper finds his victims.

 

What clues will lead the PCs to both criminals?

 

Thanks for your input!

 

 

They get victims in different ways. The mad scientist for example may be hiring thugs to bring vicitms - a weak link that will probably be her undoing when one of the cirminals turns on her.

 

Alternatively, she may be openly on the street providing medical service to the homeless. The investigators would meet her early, because she is someone the homeless and destitute talk to freely and trust - and she will of course give the most misleading information possible. By using "medicine" that enhances suggestibility and a little hypnosis, she can plant a suggestion that will cause a person to put themselves in the right place and time for abduction, without having told anyone where they were going. This throws off the suspicion that would be aroused if people just vanished after going to visit her.

 

 

The diabolist may have a small cult that does her bidding. Although more loyal than hirelings, they may also prove a weakness. They may also be sacrificed in a final confrontation to permit their priestess to escape.

 

Or if the game includes such things, there may be a servitor demon that does the snatching. It may show up to menace the investigators....or even to drop cryptic clues that lead them to her. "She summoned a demon of betrayal - what did she expect?"

 

Or the diabolist can "call" a victim after acquiring something of theirs; a hair, a button, a scrap of clothing. Or the ceremony drawing them could depend on having a likeness (in which case the street artist sketching and/or photographing homeless people will turn out to be the villain, or in league with her) or even just knowing the victim's name.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary doesn't think Lucius is really finished yet

[Lucius]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

Have any remains of the victims turned up? If so, the dumpsite for the bodies might be proximate to the murder scene, or the method of disposal could give clues as to what facilities were used to kill them, e.g. burning, dismemberment, or savaging by fang or claw. Given the motivations you describe there may be distinctive traces on the remains, such as surgical wounds, chemicals or drugs, or mystic or religious symbols.

 

That's where I was going next.

 

Evidence of competent (if insane) surgery or strange chemicals in the bodies would be evidence of the mad scientist's work.

 

Strange symbols carved into the flesh, or the marks of fangs and claws that match no animal known to science, point to the diabolist.

 

Of course, bodies showing up that obviously fall into these two seperate catagories is almost too plain a clue that there are two seperate ongoing criminal enterprises, so if you want to keep them guessing for a while and thinking there's just one perpetrator, don't make it too obvious.

 

 

You might even try having three classes of victims - the mad scientist is running two or more parallel experiments, or the diabolist has different needs - possible large strong men to turn into mindless "zombies" (not necessarily undead) who do further snatching, and innocent children for sacrifice.

 

 

Oh, one last idea - if the victims are being kept for a time (saving for a mass sacrifice, or ongoing experimentation) there will need to be facilities for them and they obviously need things like food. Supplies being delivered to a supposedly abandoned warehouse migth be one clue that could be found.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary thinks Lucius can now finally turn his attention to something else.

[Steffen]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

They'll be choosing different victims.

 

A lot depends on what they specifically want. I would say the mad scientist wants subjects for her experiments to be as "normal" and healthy as possible.

 

That's a good thought. A friend suggested that the scientist or one of his henchman is working on an ambulance that regularly visits several homeless shelters gathering blood donations and giving free treatment in return. That way the scientist could gather information about suitable subjects.

 

The scientist is working on a gene therapy that's supposed to improve the regeneration of human body tissue. So far he mainly caused his victims to die from an accelerated form of cancer. Only two test subjects survived with increased muscle mass and heightened strength. Unfortunately they are completely disfigured and driven insane by constant pain. The scientist can control them a little by administering pain killers.

 

 

The diabolator may simply want blood and souls' date=' or may want something special such as innocent children. Perhaps a given ritual or demon requires something specific, such as white haired men. If one of the investigators has occult skills or knowledge, they may be able to find a clue as to what entity is being evoked; perhaps graffitti found near the disappearances matches the sigil of the demon Bladandisignos, who prefers gray or white haired sacrifices.[/quote']

 

Maybe all of his victims are very religious people that have been abducted shortly before full moon. The PCs should be able to find that out.

[Steffen]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

I guess this is where my viewing of police procedural television dramas comes in handy.

 

Start by looking for what doesn't belong to the scene of the crimes, or what's been different recently among the homeless people affected. Have there been any new people hanging around where the homeless congregate, particularly people who stand out because of their appearance or actions? Any distinctive vehicles parked there for a long time? Has anyone been advertising a new service that homeless people might be drawn to, e.g. a shelter, free kitchen, or medical clinic?

 

Are there any similarities among the kidnapped homeless that indicate a particular type is being targetted, such as age, gender, race, or health? Are the disappearances clustered around a particular area? That would give your PCs a place to start their search, or possible future victims to watch out for.

 

Have any remains of the victims turned up? If so, the dumpsite for the bodies might be proximate to the murder scene, or the method of disposal could give clues as to what facilities were used to kill them, e.g. burning, dismemberment, or savaging by fang or claw. Given the motivations you describe there may be distinctive traces on the remains, such as surgical wounds, chemicals or drugs, or mystic or religious symbols.

 

If the criminals have done this before coming to the site of your campaign, there may be a record of previous disappearances or murders that would point your PCs to a place or person. There may also be traces left at the scene of the crimes that could be traced: DNA, distinctive flora or fauna, or substances typical of a particular location or activity.

 

Thanks, that's quite a lot to think about. I'll have to consider if any bodies turned up. Maybe only the scientist's victims resurfaced, covered with ulcers and unidentifiable. A closer examination may reveal an unknown virus in their blood.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

the devil worshipers masquerade as a much more wholesome church group some of there victims have some sort of leaflet for the cults outreach program or maybe napkins from the bakery across the street.

 

the scientist is developing a new super serum shes hanging around the bus station and and other transport hubs looking for young runaways and offering them a place to stay there are no bodies recovered which is why no ones realized that the cases are separate. clues are pretty simple a woman in disguise different wigs etc picking up kids in a succession of hire cars rented by a front company. picking up kids but with the cops concentrating on the looking in the homeless neighbor-hoods after the bodies from the demon summoners turn up its not been followed up.

[Bolon]

Re: Need clues for an investigation

 

With the concept of "super serum" and "zombies" are common to both criminals, you can play that angle for a while. The disfigured survivors and zombies could be very similiar in nature and be used as the battle at the crime hunches. These creatures can fight the heroes and get away/ cops arrive so no investigation and then later investigation to show 2 different types. The super serum victims can go homicidal and the zombies can have controlled methods to show a sort of difference too. Each have different motives or usages so they will not be easy to run this masquerade for long.

 

The 2 criminals will have distinctly different profiles and actions so I don't understand why you would want to "trick" your players. The game master is not an adversary but controls the world and allows for all to have a good time with co-operative story-telling. Watch when you deceive your players as you create distrust and anger. You also need to balance giving them clues versus drawing it out so the players keep interest. I once drew it out too long and lost the players.

 

Your best clues can be incidents of escapees or witness/victims that were not aware of the danger before but know now. The scientist who is finding subjects would be considered bad news or dangerous when a number of street people vanish. The street people will know this but not share it easily with the players. The cultists would be the same if using a ruse. You can only trick people so many times especially when those people might be suffering from mental illness including paranoia. They might have a number of false suspicions though like aliens etc.

 

Finding a hunting ground or safehouse might be next. After a number of incidents, you will see a pattern for the kidnapping by location and can find out where the hunting area is and where it is not. That where it is not, creates a safe zone that criminals will not hunt in as it is too close for their safety. The overlapping patterns might throw someone off for a while but would be solved once 2 criminals is established. The more incidents, the better the results via mathematical profiling.

 

I would personally look for a series of incidents that would give the heroes the clues for the next action. Each event results in a clue and leads to the next. You might want to map it from the final battle backwards to the first incidents. Then you will have a pace to release the info.