Campaign Starter: Catching the Killer for D&D or RPGs
This adventure can be can be easily customized to a party of any size or level, or run as a level 3 adventure for 5 players. It can work as a small side adventure in an existing campaign, as a standalone one-shot, or the start of a new adventure. Use the links to the tools in their relevant section to customize the adventure to your party.
Hin Creek has the headquarters of a major trade company and a large thieves' guild. A wide variety of colorful and exotic flowers grow in abundance.
The PCs stumble upon a crime scene. If they investigate the sheriff tells them that a series of murders are being committed with the MO of a killer that was already executed. He suspects a copycat killer but is unsure. All the victims have their eyes removed.
The sheriff will tell the PCs that there's a reward for any information that leads to the killer, or an even bigger reward for the killer. He'll tell the PCs that Frug Tarkelby was the previous detective on the old killer case, and if the PCs investigate will find he's out on patrol in the forest. The sheriff will also mention that Quelenna Yaeldrin was the last person to talk to the victim, but he doesn't know where she is. With some investigating the PCs can learn she's at a wedding.
Frug Tarkelby
Description: He stands about 3'2" and wears light armors faded through time and improper care. His left hand appears badly burned and disfigured. His auburn hair is matted, messy, and big. His half smiles and brown eyes are beguile and draw you in.
Personality: Eccentric and domineering, Frug will drive conversation. He will do just about anything if he becomes convinced it is for someone's true love, of this he is easily convinced. Voice: Spanish accent
Frug was the detective on the previous case, and is currently out on patrol in the forest. He can be tracked down with a DC 15 Survival check. When discovered, he's being attacked by a group of monsters. Use this for combat.
If rescued, Frug will reveal that the MO of the old killer was never revealed to the public, so this new killer had some sort of connection to the previous case. He'll also be suspicious of Ilga Beverly, knowing her to have a connection to the thieves guild and involved in black market trade of unusual ingredients.
Quelenna Yaeldrin
Description: She tends to wear a tan poncho over her likewise colored trousers and shirt, and she perpetually has her greatsword ready. Her silver hair is lengthy and is close to two feet long. Her gray eyes dart from person to person to random spaces in the air.
Personality: She is not truly malevolent, but she is obsessed with singing. She constantly tries to fill her life with singing. Her brief stint in the army gave her the idea she was invincible and that she is the toughest woman alive. Voice: Irish accent
Quelenna was the last person seen talking to the most recent victim before they died. She's attending a private wedding that will be going on for a couple days. If the PCs decide to wait it out, the killer will claim more victims. Guests have tickets to get into the wedding, so PCs can either steal a ticket (Stealth/Sleight of Hand), convince someone to give up theirs (Persuasion/Intimidation), or sneak into the wedding (Stealth). Once in the wedding, they'll have to find Quelenna without drawing too much suspicion (Deception).
Once found, Quelenna doesn't want to speak with the PCs and will need to be convinced (DC 15 Persuasion or DC 12 Intimidation). She was close friends with the victim, and has nothing to do with their death. Quelenna can also reveal that someone broke into her family crypt, and if investigated, other crypts as well. Nothing was stolen, but if Quelenna is asked if any of the corpses have eyeballs, she'll confirm that no one has eyes, even her sister's child who passed recently. If asked about anyone unusual that the victim was talking to, she'll mention the victim buying medicine from someone named Ilga.
Ilga Beverly
Description: 4'10" and muscular, this eastern woman wears loose pants and a collared shirt complete with sweater beneath her coat. Her chestnut hair is still thick. Her eyes are violet and catlike.
Personality: She has two modes she varies between. On the job she is cold, steely and emotionless. Off the job she is a party animal. She has a taste for the finer things and spends a great deal of money on luxuries, some more exotic than others. Voice: Speaks in third person
Ilga Beverly trades on the black market and has bought and sold strange items such as body parts. When the PCs go to question Ilga, she runs into the sewers. PCs need to navigate the sewers with a DC 15 Survival check. Ilga fleeing to the thieves guild, which is ready for hostile pursuers. Once they near the hideout, the PCs will be attacked: use this for the combat.
Once defeating or escaping the ambush, the PCs will find the thieves guild and have to talk or sneak their way inside (DC 13 Persuasion, DC 18 Stealth) in order to reach Ilga. Once confronted, Ilga confirms that she works for the thieves guild and will buy and sell anything, which includes body parts for spell ingredients, but she doesn't kill anyone. She hasn't bought and sold eyes in a long time, largely due to their scarcity lately, but can tell the PCs that eyes are a useful component in necromancy, but it's unclear if the killer is a necromancer or collects them for a different reason.
Showdown
With all the clues collected, the PCs will need to investigate crypts that haven't yet been raided in order to catch the killer. If the PCs can't figure this out, then presenting the clues they've gathered to either the sheriff or Frug will tell them the solution. You can have multiple crypts to investigate, but the one that will lead to the killer is the Swiftwhistle family crypt.
Within the crypt is the killer, Jak Swiftwhistle, a male halfling. Relatively heavier built than your average man, he is not imposing. He wears a red vest with golden trim over his white shirt. His pastel leather gloves and pants are well-kept, and his red boots flare out at the collars. He has done his best to style his red hair to look like a famous performer. His face possesses mild wrinkles. His smile is extraordinarily sincere though he does not smile often.
Jak is collecting eyes for a ritual to raise his family from the dead within the large crypt. This new killer is the brother of the old killer, and the ritual is raising ALL the dead, which claw at the walls and dig through the earth to reach the ritual site, destabilizing the crypt and the soil around it.
The crypt is slowly sinking as the dead embalmed within and around rise with a hungry vengeance. Every round the crypt sinks deeper, but the villain prioritizes stopping any PCs that try to escape. Zombies spawn on the edges of the battle and slowly shamble their way toward the PCs.
Use this for the showdown with the killer: combat with the killer. Jak uses the Spy's statblock, and will try to avoid being targeted as much as possible.
With the killer beaten and the mystery solved, the PCs are reward with 300 gp each and can find a a Hat of Disguise on the killer. If they don't stop the ritual then the undead will overrun the town and they'll receive no reward since the sheriff will be killed.
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