Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Kennethray Feb 27, 2015 13:26:54	Hey guys, I will lead with the general question then follow with the info, I can be a bit long winded.   Any suggestions on how to run a trial. 2 PCs are the ones on trial and A PC is their lawyer. Crimes are Murder and Stealing a high dollar drug that was a cure that lead to other deaths. A Justice (Judge) will determine guilt and punshiment (due to plot stuff both are well within being exucuted punshiment).  Overwheliming evedince on the theft, circumstantial evidence on the murder.         6 months in game time and about the same real time during the first night of our game the crimes in question were commited. A female human fighter wanted to visit a friend in hopes of getting free stuff. The Drow Druid tagged along. The fighter named Talon found out that her friend was in a sick house and not doing to well, so she went to visit her. A Dwarf Healer (A close friend of another PC) led the two to the room of the sick friend. Standing outside the room looking in through the glass on the door they could tell the friend was not doing too well. The Druid decided to stay outside.   Talon entered the room and tried to speak to her long lost friend but it was obvious that he was delirious and in pain. Not knowing what her friend was suffering from she still decided that it was best to put him out of his misery. Using a Pillow she smothered him and left.   While that was going on, the druid noticed some type of medication just sitting on a table outside the suffering mans room. She decided that it would be better if she took them and use them for herself. (Her flaw was something about having a drug problem).   They left and forgot about the deed. Now they are on their way back towards the Capital where it happened and just found out that there is a bounty on them. Being one of only 3-4 drows in the land, the druid sticks out. One of the other PCs is related to the King and feels duty bound to deliver them up for a Trial but to repersent them and try to get a lesser punishment or a misstrial.   The PC related to the King knows about a magical security system in the Capital (told during the first night of the game). A Magical Orb underground that looks like a giant Eye with invisible stalks that burrow through the ground with small eyes all over the public areas in the Capital.   There is a "picture" of the two leaving the Sick house with the drugs in the druids hands. Only evidence to the murder is the witness that saw the two as the last people with the sick person and the fact that the person was indeed not dying.   So what do you guys think?   I have about 2 weeks to finnish this up before they "should" make it back to the Capital. My current plan is to first find out if they are going to plead guilty or not. Then let the trial happen with the evidence being presented and arguments from their "Lawyer". If it is good then they should brought down to just some sort of "probation". If it sucks.. well guess we see if they try a jail break. If its off the wall strange, then its up to the Dice.     Thanks for any advice/Help.   K-Ray
#2 CCS Feb 27, 2015 14:29:18	Drugs, theft, murder, Drow.... Plus hard evidence. Yeah, this'll end well for the PCs. So have any npcs done things like cast Speak with Dead, Commune, or other types of divination? Seriously though, all the evidence will reveal them as guilty. So spend most of the session stringing this along trial wise. The verdict comes back guilty, sentance: death. They may choose death by hanging, beheading, quartering, fireball, lightning, polymorph, etcetcetc. Execute them. Start with a fresh batch of characters next session & see if the players have learned anything (like how not to be stupid & that actions have consequences).
#3 Kayal Feb 27, 2015 16:29:45	Is the trial processes being modeled after a modern TV courtroom drama? Or after real medieval trials?
#4 BRJN Feb 27, 2015 16:52:45	Don't worry about how to run a trial, in the sense of 201x USA.  The legal "process" is designed to be long, hard, complicated, and bankruptcy-inducing. Instead, create a simple process that even an uneducated peasant can understand: A Jury is picked at random (more or less).  The judge announces the charges.  The Prosecutor explains to the Court his evidence that shows this person did commit that act.  The Defense (or a lawyer, if one can be hired) explains why the Prosecutor is wrong.  A good Defense will also explain what the accused really was doing.  The Judge tells the Jury anything else they need to know about the Law of the Land.  The Jury goes into a back room to talk it over and decide.  When they have convinced each other to agree to a verdict, they come back out and tell the Judge their verdict, and what they think of it all.  (A jury can declare that a law is inherently so unjust that they will never convict a person of breaking it - for instance, 'any person caught walking the streets after dark shall be fined a year's wages'.)  If guilt is found, the punishment will happen quickly; no society has the spare wealth available to support an extensive appeals process.  Serious punishments (death) might get an automatic appeal to an experienced Judge.  In most cases, the punishment will be carried out before the gossip about the crime happening can die down.   I can't help the medicine-stealer.  Well, I can, but he won't like it: He is sentenced to a detox facility.  He cannot get out until the staff is persuaded that he really wants to stay clean and sober even when The Law is not looking over his shoulder.   The "murderer" can claim that he was ending suffering, more or less ala Jack Kevorkian.  This may be good for probation and an XL weregild ("blood money") payment, not a Get Off Scot-Free card.   Both characters should think about moving to a foreign country, or beginning a new life on some unexplored frontier area.   My question for you (the DM) is, Why did you decide to bring this back up?
#5 MechaPilot Feb 27, 2015 17:34:13	Kennethray wrote:
#6 Kennethray Feb 28, 2015 18:00:55	I had no plan on having them killed, there will be several work arounds, but I do want it to seem like they are in fact looking at dying. I did not bring this back up, it has been sitting there waiting on them. They did do the deed, there was the evedince and a bounty put out on them just waiting at the capital. All I have done is given them warning of whats waiting on them. I don't force my party to do or not do anything, I do however have consequences for their actions or inactions. I do alot of throwing stuff out there for them and see how they react and then go with the flow. I have several dungeons created that they have entered, found to be a bit tough for them, and they just leave. I have my main story line that takes place with or without them, though they could improve the outcome. If they decide to run off somewhere else to other things, thats fine. We all have fun. They will have options, both legal and illegal to get out of this jam, I was more looking for fun ideas the forums had on running the Trial.   K-Ray
#7 KlaudisRex Mar 01, 2015 7:20:36	It really depends on the legal system of your city or world.  Is it corrupt? Or fair? You should decide that first and what type of judge or jury the players will have to convince.   I would make their fate depend on a persuasion (or intimidate check if they're evil characters bullying the judges) and see what happens...that is, unless your world is so complex that they speak through a lawyer which in that case, just tell them the result of their case.
#8 bawylie Mar 01, 2015 22:59:19	Trials aren't fun. The legal system isn't helpful in that regard - it's procedural - and it takes Sam Jackson (or a total disregard of the procedure) to make it watchable.    Trial by combat, though? Not a terrible idea.
#9 Archon007 Mar 01, 2015 23:59:40	Watch the trail in game of thrones season 4. That should give you the right idea if you ant to go through with it. Based on the evidence I think you might be heading to a hardship. What are the players going to get out of roleplayin the trail when based on the evidence they are guilty. I think it's going to end badly to RP the trail and tun them get off or not.    I would recommend the narrate most of it and the base the next stage on if the players want to continue or not. If they do maybe a plea deal for service to the kingdom or escape adventure is in order.
#10 Regin_Vargtass Mar 02, 2015 0:29:33	Perhaps a corrupt noble tries to grab the opportunity of framing the suspects for his own nefarious activities, as they seem appropriate scapegpats? There could be all kinds of dilemmas that can add tension to the trial - trial by combat is already mentioned. Bribery, odd favours, succumbing to or perpetrating blackmail are others. Perhaps the justice system is somewhat archaic: guilt is decided by which side can assemble the least number of supporters willing to swear to theor innocence. I agree that unless you have an exciting case with an uncertain outcome, the actual proceedings should be kept brief, more like an intro to the session, to frame the ensuing action.
#11 Castillo_de_Santiago Mar 02, 2015 17:28:43	I just put my players through a trial scenario as a added subplot in HotDQ, and while everyone had fun, I wouldn't do it again.   I purposely tried to keep it simple- magistrate, defendant's advocate and witnesses, no jury or prosecutor- and the player's preconceptions and misconceptions about how "The Law" works made it difficult to roleplay. It was impossible to script anything because they kept trying to apply American justice (read "tv pop culture") to the process.   One of my regulars is a lawyer and I'm pretty sure he would have spent the session banging his head on the table if he'd been there.