Framed! - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Framed!

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
gaaran
May 11, 2010 18:50:19 So I'm starting off my campaign with the party being framed for treason, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. I was wondering if that has run something like this has any advice for handling planted evidence, prison breaks, the trial (if it comes to that), or anything like that. Basically just looking for examples of if you ran an adventure where you framed your pcs for something, and how you handled it.
#2
paulstrait
May 12, 2010 2:36:57 Use a skill challenge for the trial. I ran a trial once in which the arbiter was a magical oracle that could detect dishonesty. But, the party's opponents manipulated the arbiter to frame the party. Skill challenge -- diplomacy to plead your case, bluff to get out of inconvenient facts, history to know something about the court, or to know some other pertinent historical fact that might help, arcana and religion to try to get the oracle to work properly, or maybe even thievery if you could touch the oracle.
#3
gaaran
May 12, 2010 2:41:46 That sounds like a pretty cool idea. Probably should've pointed out that I'm running 3.5 rather than 4th. Your skills ideas can still work though. Anyone have any ideas an what to setup and what the pcs can do to prevent themselves from going to trial? We're going to start the game with the PC sgetting thrown in jail, and I'm expecting them to break out to try to prove their innocence.
#4
paulstrait
May 12, 2010 3:01:51 Frame them for murder. Then give them time to investigate before their trial to gather evidence to help exhonerate them.
#5
Grimbus
May 12, 2010 17:13:53 It depends entirely upon how you want the trial to work. If it is the local noble who is framing th eplayers, then there will almost certainly be "straw men" at the trial. Basically witnesses paid to implicate the PCs. So one option for the PCs would be to track down the witnesses and give them a compelling reason to tell the truth.
#6
gaaran
May 12, 2010 20:35:51 Good idea Grimbus, I like the straw men idea, thanks! That gives me a bunch of ideas for mini-missions getting the straw men to not testify.
#7
sfurtwangler
May 13, 2010 7:25:51 It also depends on if you're interested in the PCs having a *fair* trial, or whether it is important for your story for them to be found guilty. Having a skill-chllenge-like trial sounds good, but if the PCs rock it out, and are found guilty, anyway, it will be fairly transparent that it didn't matter how well they did at the trial. If they're being set up at the trial, make it fairly obvious that they are being set up so that they get the impression that their pleas are falling on deaf ears, and not that they are doing well.

Also, after hearing the other ideas here, I think it might be funny to have a few mini-adventures where the PCs are able to talk to these "witnesses" or hunt around for evidence... but at the trial, it should come to light that they were basically trying to intimidate or bribe witnesses, and were further spotted at the crime scene "tampering" with evidence. :-)

I'm sure your town's legal system is not as sophisticated as a modern day system, but it is probably never a good idea to let suspected murderers muck around at their own eleged crime scene, or to hand them a (hit) list of people who can place them there at the time of the murder - particularly to do so ahead of the trial. I think these could be fun mini-adventures, in themselves, but the PCs should have to come by this information through less-than-legal means, I think. Maybe the first part of this series of mini-adventures could be to bribe an official or somehow steal the list of witnesses. Later, if they want to look for evidence at the crime scene, they might likewise have to bribe someone to be allowed anywhere near it, or use stealth to sneak in unnoticed, or maybe even fight their way in if they are despirate (although they better be careful not to kill anyone in an attempt to prove they aren't murderers).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 gaaran May 11, 2010 18:50:19	So I'm starting off my campaign with the party being framed for treason, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. I was wondering if that has run something like this has any advice for handling planted evidence, prison breaks, the trial (if it comes to that), or anything like that. Basically just looking for examples of if you ran an adventure where you framed your pcs for something, and how you handled it.
#2 paulstrait May 12, 2010 2:36:57	Use a skill challenge for the trial. I ran a trial once in which the arbiter was a magical oracle that could detect dishonesty. But, the party's opponents manipulated the arbiter to frame the party. Skill challenge -- diplomacy to plead your case, bluff to get out of inconvenient facts, history to know something about the court, or to know some other pertinent historical fact that might help, arcana and religion to try to get the oracle to work properly, or maybe even thievery if you could touch the oracle.
#3 gaaran May 12, 2010 2:41:46	That sounds like a pretty cool idea. Probably should've pointed out that I'm running 3.5 rather than 4th. Your skills ideas can still work though. Anyone have any ideas an what to setup and what the pcs can do to prevent themselves from going to trial? We're going to start the game with the PC sgetting thrown in jail, and I'm expecting them to break out to try to prove their innocence.
#4 paulstrait May 12, 2010 3:01:51	Frame them for murder. Then give them time to investigate before their trial to gather evidence to help exhonerate them.
#5 Grimbus May 12, 2010 17:13:53	It depends entirely upon how you want the trial to work. If it is the local noble who is framing th eplayers, then there will almost certainly be "straw men" at the trial. Basically witnesses paid to implicate the PCs. So one option for the PCs would be to track down the witnesses and give them a compelling reason to tell the truth.
#6 gaaran May 12, 2010 20:35:51	Good idea Grimbus, I like the straw men idea, thanks! That gives me a bunch of ideas for mini-missions getting the straw men to not testify.
#7 sfurtwangler May 13, 2010 7:25:51	It also depends on if you're interested in the PCs having a fair trial, or whether it is important for your story for them to be found guilty. Having a skill-chllenge-like trial sounds good, but if the PCs rock it out, and are found guilty, anyway, it will be fairly transparent that it didn't matter how well they did at the trial. If they're being set up at the trial, make it fairly obvious that they are being set up so that they get the impression that their pleas are falling on deaf ears, and not that they are doing well. Also, after hearing the other ideas here, I think it might be funny to have a few mini-adventures where the PCs are able to talk to these "witnesses" or hunt around for evidence... but at the trial, it should come to light that they were basically trying to intimidate or bribe witnesses, and were further spotted at the crime scene "tampering" with evidence. :-) I'm sure your town's legal system is not as sophisticated as a modern day system, but it is probably never a good idea to let suspected murderers muck around at their own eleged crime scene, or to hand them a (hit) list of people who can place them there at the time of the murder - particularly to do so ahead of the trial. I think these could be fun mini-adventures, in themselves, but the PCs should have to come by this information through less-than-legal means, I think. Maybe the first part of this series of mini-adventures could be to bribe an official or somehow steal the list of witnesses. Later, if they want to look for evidence at the crime scene, they might likewise have to bribe someone to be allowed anywhere near it, or use stealth to sneak in unnoticed, or maybe even fight their way in if they are despirate (although they better be careful not to kill anyone in an attempt to prove they aren't murderers).