GURPS - 4th Edition - Mysteries

There are three basic approaches to a Accomplices
witness: approaching him openly, using a
ruse to trick him, and intimidating him. “You, Mr. Accomplice, should be very fearful, so long as this guy is on the
Each approach has different benefits and loose. The odds on your life are very, very short. Your only chance is to turn your-
risks, described below. self, and him, in. That way, you at least get the legal process as protection, some-
thing you’re not going to get from him.”
Openly Approaching a
Witness – John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, The Anatomy of Motive

“Oh, there’s just one more thing . . .” A criminal may not be able to complete his crimes alone. He may have
– Lt. Columbo friends or confidants who helped him plan or execute the crime in exchange
for a portion of the profits. He may have contacts or friends who provided him
Here, the PC truthfully identifies with information or contraband needed to commit the crime. Generally, the
himself to the witness as a police officer, adventure’s villain will be the dominant personality in the crime. The accom-
private investigator, reporter, or other plices will generally be less assertive, less self-confident persons.
professional and asks the witness to talk
to him. Amateur sleuths can also use Once police begin to focus attention on the crime, the accomplice has a
this method, but it is harder. A witness large incentive to try to sell out his boss to earn immunity from prosecution or
might be willing to answer questions for at least reduced charges. As the quote above suggests, the police approach to
the victim’s brother or husband, but an accomplice is to suggest that the leader let things get out of control and is
might not be willing to help a group of losing control again because of the investigation. The leader may turn on his
earnest young people traveling around partners before they can sell him out. Thus, the accomplice is persuaded to
in a psychedelic van. betray the leader first.

Typical approaches include appealing Private detectives cannot offer police protection, but they can offer their
to the witness’ civic duty; explaining the own protection and to “put in a good word” with police contacts. Amateur
vital importance of the witness’ state- detectives likewise have less bargaining power than police, but if they are
ment and testimony; suggesting the risk related to the victim they may be able to appeal to an accomplice’s guilt or
to the community if the villain isn’t compassion.
caught; and emphasizing the need to
help or avenge the victim. Bystanders In general, an accomplice will be easier to crack than the leader himself.
may be reluctant to cooperate with offi- However, investigators should be wary about accepting any story at face value
cial investigators because they are afraid that is told by a participant in a crime.
of reprisals from a criminal or his asso-
ciates if their cooperation is discovered; their own family or friends might be in to be harmless or feckless to get a witness
are afraid of media attention; do not danger if the perpetrator isn’t stopped. to underestimate him. He can even uses
want to take the time to give a written The type of suspect may also provide a ruses with Interrogation; police are
statement and testify at trial; or just transferred modifier; a detective working allowed to lie to arrestees and prisoners.
dislike police, reporters, or detectives. to clear an accused child-killer will get
much less cooperation than one working Because the witness knows he’s being
The primary skill for questioning a to clear a popular folk hero. Conversely, interviewed, the investigator can ask
witness is Diplomacy, modified by the detective working to convict the him to write a statement, or the investi-
Reputation, Status, and possibly child-killer will get more cooperation gator can write a statement and ask the
Administrative Rank. (Witnesses often than the one trying to convict the folk witness to sign it. He can use a tape
expect to be interviewed by patrol offi- hero. recorder or videotape the statement, or
cers or detectives, not by senior officers; the entire interview. In a game, the GM
add a +1 to the witness’ reaction per 3 Police officers and private investiga- probably won’t write or record an entire
levels of Rank above what he expected.) tors working for an attorney can threat- statement, but he may encourage play-
Interrogation is only used with arrested en a witness with a subpoena, forcing ers to take notes during an open inter-
or convicted prisoners. Charisma and him to testify in front of a judge or grand view. The GM could also assume the
Voice are helpful. If the investigator is jury, and risking fines or even jail if he investigators are taking notes or making
not what he claims to be, then a Fast- does not cooperate. Police can also get a recording and offer them an IQ or
Talk (for brief interactions) or Acting search warrants to look for evidence in Writing roll later if they need to recall an
(for prolonged interactions) roll is need- private homes and businesses. A private important clue or find it in their reports.
ed to convince the witness to accept the investigator working on his own, or an If the mystery occurs over several game
investigator’s assertion without trying amateur sleuth, can threaten “not to go sessions, the GM could even write a
to verify his credentials with the away” and to keep coming back until the summary report of the statement taken
appropriate authorities. witness cooperates. by an NPC assistant to remind the play-
ers of key remarks or encourage the
Once the investigator asks about a When an investigator is openly ques- players to prepare their character’s
specific crime, suspect, or victim, decide tioning a witness, he can use all the ques- report. (If the players prepare the report,
whether the incident itself provides reac- tioning methods he’s been trained in. it will give the GM useful insight into
tion modifiers. Witnesses are often more Even though he has identified himself, what they recall and what they thought
willing to help stop “outrageous” crimes he can use some ruses. He can pretend to was important.)
like serial murder, rapes, or crimes know less (or more) than he does to get a
against children, especially if they believe witness to explain things. He can pretend

GURPS MYSTERIES 51

Using Trickery and Ruses feigning indifference and incredulity, to threat. Investigators who have scars, are
on a Witness get a quarrelsome man to give him infor- fit, and have higher than normal
mation while correcting Dr. Watson’s strength can intimidate targets more
Trickery and ruses are good methods “mistake.” easily than those who are overweight
for investigators to obtain information and wear eyeglasses. Violent actions,
from a witness without revealing their The primary skill used in a ruse is like punching a recalcitrant witness or
identity or true interest in the informa- Fast-Talk. The primary modifiers are flashing a weapon, also provide positive
tion. Ruses are usually used with minor Charisma and Voice. If the investigator modifiers.
witnesses to obtain background infor- is making a prolonged effort to befriend
mation, or for an undercover investiga- the NPC with small talk, then Acting is The detective’s goal should be to
tion. Since the witness doesn’t know he’s the primary skill; use Carousing if the intimidate the witness into answering
being interviewed, he may provide infor- attempt is at a bar or party. Any appro- without actually provoking a fight.
mation he’d be reluctant to tell an offi- priate knowledge or “hobby” skill may Threats are just words. Broken bones,
cial investigator or even an interested give the investigator some common bloody noses, and black eyes will sub-
amateur. On the other hand, since there’s ground for small talk. (This is a good stantiate the witness’ story if he com-
no recording, there is no way to prove way to reward PCs who have hobby plains. Choose the location for the con-
what the witness said if he later denies it. skills or established backgrounds by giv- frontation with care. A target who is con-
(The legal rules about recording conver- ing them a point in common with a wit- fronted in a public place, or in front of
sations without both parties’ knowledge ness.) One especially indirect method his girlfriend, peers, or employer, may
are complex; it is often illegal for anyone used in a Sayers novel involved an inves- feel that he can’t back down without an
but a police officer to do so, and there tigator using Fortune-Telling to pretend actual fight. (The investigator’s goal in
are restrictions on an officer’s actions.) to be a medium to trick the target into this scene may not be to intimidate the
telling her about the family’s history and person he fights, but to intimidate the
Ruses work particularly well with a help her find a missing will. girlfriend, peer, or employer.)
suspect or victims’ family, friends, ser-
vants, or staff, who would all be expect- The indirect approach can be a brief GMs can use intimidation scenes to
ed to respond loyally, not honestly, to an scene, or it may take hours or even days. add action to an adventure. Intimidating
official investigator. Former servants Generally, roll once for the scene, no a witness is usually a quick scene and
and staff, disaffected family members, matter how long it takes. If the attempt may involve a punch or two, rarely a
and so forth may be as willing to talk to fails, the investigator will need to wait a detailed melee. But the intimidation
an official as to answer a seemingly while (as long as appropriate) before may have ramifications later in the
casual query. trying again. adventure. Intimidated witnesses may
have family, friends, or patrons who will
The investigator may wish to be dis- Intimidating a Witness try to retaliate for the aggressor’s
guised or use an associate while con- actions. The intimidated witness may
ducting a ruse, especially if he has a rep- Some investigators are “tough guys” also be hurt, or killed, by the person he
utation or has already been introduced or hard-boiled detectives who prefer to was afraid of betraying. The GM should
to the target. A disguise may also prevent get information by bullying witnesses. decide ahead of time how much the
ill feelings if the target is introduced to Intimidation, like ruses, is mostly used investigators will be haunted by their
the detective later and realizes that he’s on minor witnesses for background rough-and-ready methods.
been tricked. (Roll a Quick Contest information, or against witnesses who
between against the lower of Disguise can’t, or won’t, testify in court, like illegal Dealing With Bureaucrats
(for physical changes), Fast-Talk (for immigrants, criminals, ex-convicts, and
brief interactions), or Acting (for pro- some minority groups. (These targets There’s a great deal of personal infor-
longed interactions) and the IQ of the also are unlikely to complain to the mation readily available from third par-
target of the ruse to prevent the target authorities or the PCs’ superiors or ties, like tellers, clerks, and customer
from recognizing someone he’s met employers.) There’s no recording. The service representatives, which can be
before.) investigator will rarely even admit that useful to an investigation. Sometimes,
the encounter took place. the GM will leave a clue, like a bank
Ruses work especially well for inves- statement, which suggests to the alert
tigators who do not fit the stereotypical Investigators can openly threaten or investigator that trying to get more bank
image of the rumpled white male detec- even beat up a reluctant witness. They information would be useful.
tive. One of Hercule Poirot’s tricks to get can use any official status to threaten Sometimes PCs decide that they want
answers from witnesses who are only arrest, searches, and adverse publicity. information the GM was not expecting
bystanders is to make a statement in They can directly, or through hirelings, to generate.
front of them, perhaps in a shop or bar, shadow the witness obviously (a “rough
about a rumor he heard (often a prepos- shadow”). All of these are intended to Sweet-talking or tricking information
terous version of the incident). Hastings, make the witness more afraid of the from third parties who shouldn’t provide
his assistant, then enters the conversa- investigator than of the consequences of it to the investigator is just another form
tion, as if he does not know Poirot, and revealing information. of ruse. Contacts may be useful, but
makes a contradictory claim. Generally, expensive point-wise. An investigator
the target will then get involved in the Streetwise and Intimidation are the needs a passing acquaintance with
argument between the two investigators primary skills used to frighten a witness minor bureaucrats in dozens, even hun-
to show off his superior knowledge. into talking. The primary modifiers are dreds, of organizations to reliably find
Sherlock Holmes uses a similar trick, Reputation and the PC’s physical or useful information.
social ability to carry out the implied

52 GURPS MYSTERIES

Use a combination of Research In reality, getting key information Computer hacking is generally either
(libraries, directories, and paper may take several hours and several dif- a slow process of research and experi-
records) and Administration (knowing ferent telephone calls to gather seeming- mentation, or a simple matter of using
who to talk to in large organizations) to ly innocuous information from dozens widely available hacking programs to
figure out who is most likely to have the of minor bureaucrats. For game purpos- exploit known security holes in common
needed information and is most willing es, a roll or two should suffice for most software. (See pp. B184, 472) Cinematic
to disclose it. Roll the lower of requests. hacking, generally found in thrillers, is
Administration and Research to find an usually much faster than hacking in real
appropriate functionary. Add the higher An investigator can try the open, offi- life (See p. CV37).
of Status or suitable Administrative cial approach with a bureaucrat.
Rank to the roll. Generally the initial response will be “no” Keep in mind these key factors:
to any request that seems extraordinary. Access: How does the hacker commu-
Once the investigator has found an This is just a reflex, not a final rejection. nicate with the target computer? Is it
appropriate functionary, roll a reaction The investigator needs to get the initial connected to the Internet? Can he
roll, adding a +2 modifier for receptionist or clerk to pass him to a bypass any firewalls?
Administration 15 or higher; an addition- supervisor or senior person who may be Passwords: What does the hacker
al +1 for any appropriate Professional able to provide the information. Roll the need to do to break into the target com-
Skill (especially one related to banking, lower of Administration or Diplomacy to puter? Can he get the password from an
credit, finance, insurance, or telecommu- find an appropriate functionary. Then authorized user? Can he guess it?
nications) at 12 or higher; and an addi- make a reaction roll, as above. Rather System Access: Once the hacker is in
tional +1 to +3 if the investigator already than providing sensitive information, a the system, what information can he
has some appropriate private informa- functionary may be willing to “acciden- access? What requests will alert admin-
tion about the target of the query (having tally” leave the investigator alone in an istrators or automated security to a
a bank account number and looking for office with the appropriate file. problem?
the balance, for example). If necessary, Locating Data: Once he has the right
roll Fast-Talk if the investigator is pre- Hacking access, can the hacker find the data he
tending to be someone entitled to the seeks? Is the system well indexed? Is the
information and tries to obtain it after Private eyes and computer specialists information stored in encrypted files? Is
some minor small talk. This kind of casu- may find it easier to hack information it intentionally hidden, and if so, how?
al research only works for relatively rou- from a computer rather than obtain it Defenses: Police seeking evidence
tine information like account numbers, from a bureaucrat. Police may need to from a suspect’s computer may find that
bank balances, credit ratings, addresses, hack into a suspect’s computer, with an the information is protected by hard-
and very basic health information. Rolls appropriate search warrant, to find evi- ware or software so that it will destroy
to obtain sensitive information, or infor- dence of a crime. Private eyes in a GURPS itself if not accessed properly.
mation that requires the target bureau- Cyberpunk game may even specialize in Investigators may also find their own
crat to do some research (and thus have hacking. This is a kind of ruse, where the systems being targeted by criminals,
time to think about the request), are at -1 target is a machine, not a person. spies, or other adversaries, especially in
to -5 or more. thriller-style adventures.

EXPANDED INFLUENCE AND

REACTION RULES

The Diplomacy, Fast-Talk, Intimidation, divergent
GURPS Savoir-Faire, Sex Appeal, or reaction
Basic Set Streetwise roll for a reaction roll; modifiers, keep
offers very gen- however, substitution usually limits track of an NPC’s
eral rules for social the results to “Good” or “Bad,” not reaction to the PC
interactions using the full range offered in the table. group and to one or two
Influence rolls (p. B359), (Diplomacy is an exception. Roll the specific PCs.
reaction rolls (pp. B494- reaction roll first. The result of the sub- To get the full range of
496), and the Reaction stituted Diplomacy roll can never be possible reactions when using
Table (pp. B559-561). It is worse than that result.) Interrogation Influence skills, roll the usual Quick
possible to substitute a can also be used with these mechanics. Contest between the investigator’s
The GM can pre-designate the NPCs’ Influence skill and the target’s Will,
reaction to investigators who take an applying any appropriate modifiers from
open or neutral approach. Most NPCs the Reaction Table, plus the additional
should start with a reaction between optional modifiers below, then look up
Poor and Good; usually it will be the margin by which he won or lost the
Neutral. If a group of PCs have widely Contest on the table below.

GURPS MYSTERIES 53

Modifier Result possible modifiers, not provide an rank and department reputation or the
exhaustive list. An experienced investiga- investigator’s own. The investigator can
+8 or more Excellent tor will adjust his approach to optimize ask for help from political contacts or
or Critical Success bonuses to his skill and create as many allies, but they are not usually as helpful
Very Good penalties to the target’s resistance roll as as law enforcement contacts. Apply the
+6 Good possible. investigator’s own reputation if any. (If
+4 Neutral the target officer has Jealousy, the inves-
+0 Poor WORKING WITH tigator’s reputation is a penalty, not a
-2 Bad POLICE bonus.)
-4 Very Bad
-6 Disastrous A “civilian” investigator
-8 or more often needs the assistance of
or Critical Failure police to get access to evi-
dence, reports, and some-
It is not difficult for a character to times even suspects. Some
amass a large number of positive modi- detectives have police officer
fiers from advantages, skills, and situa- Contacts or Allies, like
tion modifiers. In some cases, the modi- Poirot’s Chief Inspector
fiers reach the point where a typical NPC Japp and Holmes’ Inspector
stands no chance of resisting the detec- Lestrade, who will give them
tive’s approach and would, by the rules, access to official informa-
spill everything he knows. This can make tion in return for their help
a mystery adventure unchallenging. in difficult cases.

To prevent the adventure from being If an investigator does
short-circuited by too many modifiers, not have a contact, he can
GMs could apply The Rule of 16 (p. approach the detective in
B349) to influence skills. Another option charge of a case with
would be to limit the applicable modi- Diplomacy. Apply as a bonus
fiers, including modifiers from advan- any Courtesy Rank the
tages, disadvantages, other skills, and investigator might have as a
situation modifiers, to no more than +5. former police officer.
Any excess bonus can be used to offset (Reduce the bonus if the
penalties. Similarly, GMs may want to investigator’s home depart-
limit penalties to the resistance roll to -5, ment is a long distance away
using any excess to offset any bonuses. or has a bad reputation.) If
Either approach gives a typical NPC the investigator has a law
with an IQ of 10, no Will modifier, and a enforcement contact or ally
few situation modifiers a chance of who can vouch for him with
resisting questioning even from the most local authorities, he can use
skilled interrogator. the higher of that officer’s

The tables below are optional modi-
fiers. The lists are intended to illustrate

Optional Modifiers to Investigator’s Skill Roll

Modifier Result

+1 to +3 Investigator has prepared at least one hour for interview and has significant information about
witness and/or crime.
+1 to +3
Investigator has, or can feign, sympathetic or understanding demeanor (“anybody in your situation
+1 to +2 would do that”) (roll Acting-3).

-1 per 5 points Investigator is using an official or intimidating approach and has control over the location and
-1 witness’ perceived freedom to eat, drink, sleep, smoke, or leave. (Having this control is a prerequisite
for using Interrogation and does not provide any additional bonuses to that skill.)
-1 per point of fatigue
-1 per point of injury Investigator has Intolerance or other similar disadvantage that affects his reaction to the target.
Investigator has the Bad Temper disadvantage, is busy, or is pressured for a quick solution to the case.
-1 Investigator is suffering from missed sleep or meals (maximum -3).
Investigator is injured (modifier doubled for Low Pain Threshold) (maximum -3).
Investigator is suffering withdrawal from a Addiction; -3 for withdrawal from more serious

Addictions (see pp. B440-441).

The Influence roll is resisted by the target’s Will. Anything that would normally affect a Will roll applies to this roll.
In addition, consider the following modifiers.

54 GURPS MYSTERIES

Optional Modifiers to Target’s Resistance

Modifier Result

+1 Burdensome or convoluted question or request.
+3 or more Persistent, repeated requests for information within a short period of time.
Target has Streetwise 14+, Psychology 14+, Interrogation 14+, or any other significant
+1
training or experience with formal questioning.
+1 Target is Callous and has no personal reason to cooperate.
+3 Target believes his life or livelihood would be endangered by cooperating (do not aggregate

+1 per -5 points this with a Code of Honor or Secret modifier, apply the highest value modifier only).
+1 per -5 points No modifier if target has Fearlessness or On the Edge.
+1 per -5 points Answering violates target’s Code of Honor, Duty, or Sense of Duty.
Target has Intolerance or other similar disadvantage that affects his reaction to the investigator.
+1 per -5 points Target has Shyness and reasonably expects cooperation to lead to testifying in court and/or
press attention (double the modifier if the case attracts national press attention), unless the
+1 to +3 target does not realize that he’s being questioned or is reasonably assured of anonymity.
-1 to -3 Answer discloses a Secret or a confidence with similar effects to that disadvantage, unless the
investigator convinces the target that no harm will be caused by the disclosure because the
-1 to -5 secret is protected by a privilege (investigator is a member of the clergy, a lawyer, or other
professional legally bound to secrecy) or that the investigator already knows most of the secret
-1 (“the cat’s out of the bag”).
Answer concerns a matter that is private or taboo, but not necessary “secret” per the disadvantage.
-1 to -3 Appropriate bribe (which may include money, favors, or disguised bribes like theater tickets or
-1 per 2 years dinner) offered to target. If the target has the Greed disadvantage, double the modifier or roll a
1 per point of fatigue separate Will roll per p. B33.
-1 per point of injury Target confronted with evidence of guilt such as fingerprints, trace evidence, and/or an
accomplice confession. (If the investigator is lying about the evidence, roll separately for his
-1 Fast Talk skill).
Target has the Bad Temper disadvantage, is busy, or otherwise hopes that a quick answer will
-3 per -5 points get rid of the investigator.
Target is intoxicated (see pp. B428, 439-440).
Target’s age below 18, max -6.
Target is suffering from missed sleep or meals (maximum -3).
Target is injured (modifier doubled for Low Pain Threshold) (maximum -3).
Target is suffering withdrawal from a Addiction; -3 for withdrawal from more serious
Addictions (see pp. B440-441).
Target has the Gullibility or Honesty disadvantage and is being approached in an official manner.

Add the target officer’s own On a Poor or worse result, the target and how broadly they interpret the
Administrative Rank to his resistance. If officer will do whatever he can to impede request also depends on reaction
the target officer thinks the investigator the investigator’s work. On a Neutral modifiers.
is hiding information from him, add a result, the target officer will provide infor-
+1 to +3 bonus to the resistance roll, mation that has already been reported in DETECTING LIES
depending on how important the target the media, which at least assures the
thinks the information is. If the investi- investigator that the news reports are Detect Lies and Body Language can
gation is likely to cause political trouble, accurate. On a Good result, the target be used in any interview, and in casual
add a +1 to +3 bonus to his resistance officer will provide information that is and social situations, to tell whether an
roll. Add a +2 to +5 bonus to resistance if not yet public. On a Very Good or better NPC is lying to the investigator. Detect
the investigator’s work risks exposing an result, the target officer will share theo- Lies gauges vocal cues, Body Language
undercover officer or ongoing investiga- ries, information that is not in written reads facial expression and posture. If
tion. If the police investigation has been reports, and possibly details the police are both of these skills would apply (e.g., the
tainted by incompetence, corruption, or intentionally keeping secret to distinguish interviewer can see and hear the subject),
other misdeeds, add a +1 bonus for every real suspects from attention seekers and the user can choose the better roll.
-5 points the target officer has in a police false confessions. Interrogation is used in formal question-
Code of Honor (which generally ing only. Normally the GM rolls the
includes protecting one’s department If the investigator is working for an Quick Contest with the IQ or Fast-Talk
with silence) or a +1 for every -5 points attorney defending a suspect in a crimi- skill of the target and give the player a
the target officer has in Secret if he is nal case, American police are legally “yes” or “no” about whether the inter-
directly involved in the corruption or required to provide all reports with any viewer thinks the target is lying. The GM
incompetence. exculpatory information to the defense can also make the roll in secret and use
through the prosecutor when requested. the results to exaggerate his tone or
How quickly police provide the reports

GURPS MYSTERIES 55

mannerisms to give the player a roleplay- first round of interviews for a second can try again after a reasonable period of
ing hint that the witness is being evasive round, taking to each person in a prede- time or try a different approach (p.
or lying. Once the character knows the termined order and checking their sto- B495. Significant intervening events (a
target is lying, he can choose to confront ries against each other. The suggested second murder, for example) are also a
the target, or can play along to establish rules in the previous section provide good excuse to try again. If the PCs
a rapport. Sometimes the lie the target modifiers that investigators can use to return to the same target too often, apply
tells is as illuminating as the truth. their advantage once they understand a a cumulative -2 to each reaction roll
suspect better. If, for example, Mr. after the first. Many people resent being
Remember that Detect Lies and Brown refuses to answer the interview- questioned multiple times, suspecting
Interrogation only detect deliberate lies. ers’ questions, and they later discover (often rightly) that the investigator is
If the target misperceived the informa- that he suspects his son Mike was unsatisfied with their answers and (often
tion or recalls it incorrectly, he may be involved in the crime, then during the wrongly) that the investigator’s prior
telling the truth as he believes it, even second round of questioning, they can questioning was incomplete or incompe-
though he is wrong. Detect Lies and try to gain his cooperation by assuring tent. If the target is a client, victim, or
Interrogation usually do not detect sub- him that Mike is not one of their major family member, the investigator may be
conscious lies. For example, an alcoholic suspects and that his information could able to cover up a return visit in the
may state that he does not have a drink- help clear his son. guise of reporting progress and asking
ing problem and, if sincere, will not the target if he has any thoughts about
appear to be lying. The GURPS Basic Set notes that a the situation.
PC who does not like an NPC’s reaction
Detectives, fictional and real, use a
target’s body language to gauge his Using Social Skills on PCs
veracity. Some authors claim that left-
brained individuals (right-handed peo- Influence rolls are designed to allow PCs to affect NPC reactions (p. B359)
ple) look in specific directions when they The GM should not make Influence rolls on behalf of NPCs and tell the play-
are searching their memories – up and to ers how to react. However, NPCs can use their skills to affect PC reactions and
the left (visually dominant); directly left perceptions.
(auditory dominant), and down and to
the right (physically dominant) – and The GM can portray the NPC’s behavior according to the results of the roll,
look in the opposite directions (up right; to draw the proper response from the investigators. This requires some acting
side right; down left) when inventing or skill on the GM’s part and it can be a problem if two PCs will have vastly dif-
imagining information. GMs probably ferent reactions to the same NPC. It is hard to convince players to roleplay a
won’t be able to use this consciously, but good reaction toward an NPC they do not like or trust because of the GM’s por-
they can describe what the PCs notice – trayal.
“you think Jenkins might be lying to you
by the way his eyes shift up and to the Use the roll to establish the result of the situation, but not the character’s
right as he describes the murder.” reaction to the results. If, for example, Strong-Jawed Jim is being interrogat-
ed by a pair of the FBI’s finest agents, and the agents’ Interrogation roll beats
Since the GM is portraying a wholly Jim’s Will by three, the agents will get some useful information from Jim. How
imaginary adventure, the players proba- Jim reacts to that is up to his player.
bly won’t be able to use most body lan-
guage methods against him. However, A player who has taken a disadvantage for his character like Greed,
unless he is a trained actor, players who Lecherousness, or a Phobia, has indicated a willingness to roleplay a certain
have known him for a long time may reaction and adhere to a game mechanic that enforces that reaction. When an
have a subconscious sense of his style of NPC makes a successful Influence roll against a PC, the GM should apply the
plotting and portraying NPCs, and may NPC’s margin of victory as a bonus or penalty (as appropriate) to the PC’s die
figure out who the villain is from his rolls when dealing with that NPC. For instance, if the beautiful-client-in-dis-
body language. tress beats Strong-Jawed Jim’s Will by three using Sex Appeal, Jim might suf-
fer -3 on self-controls roll for his Lecherousness and -3 to his Detect Lies skill
Overuse of Detect Lies and Body where the client is concerned.
Language can dramatically slow down
an encounter, especially if they are rolled If the gangster’s thugs have made a successful Intimidation roll vs. Jim, his
after every major statement. Use them as player may be reluctant to have Jim back down. A GM could apply the margin
a guide, rather than after every sentence. of victory as a penalty to Jim’s rolls to Fast Talk the thugs or perhaps to his
Brawling rolls should Jim decide to fight back.
SUBSEQUENT
INTERACTIONS Be sensitive to the PC’s established nature and conduct. If Strong-Jawed
Jim didn’t take Lecherousness and has been portrayed by the player as devot-
The PCs will probably interact with ed to his wife and family, he should get a situation bonus to resist a Sex Appeal
each major suspect at least twice. attempt, even if he doesn’t have a specific advantage or disadvantage on his
Typically, investigators meet all of the character sheet that applies. On the other hand, if an interrogator suggests that
suspects once at the beginning of the Strong-Jawed Jim’s family would be embarrassed or that his wife might lose
case. They gather the basic facts and get her job if Jim doesn’t own up to his misdeeds and mitigate the damage to his
a sense of each suspect and witness. reputation, he should get a situation penalty to resisting the interrogation.
Then they use what they learned in that

56 GURPS MYSTERIES

CHAPTER FOUR

OATHS AND
ORDEALS – LOW-
TECH MYSTERIES

“They are bandits who plunder the swears he was in another part of the New a year after William Rufus died, Duke
homes of the people, Forest and fled Winchester for his life. Robert of Normandy (his brother) invad-
ed England. There is no reason to think
But a fierce watchdog am I. “My brother, little Henry, was crowned he sought or needed any justification for
Money and possessions are all they king at Westminster last month while we the attack beyond his brother’s usurpa-
desire, traveled back from Outremer. That throne tion of the throne. If Duke Robert had
But never shall they keep this hound is mine – William made me his heir nine wanted proof, there were no police
from tracking them down.” months ago. I will have it, and avenge my detectives he could turn to, nor any pro-
brother. fessional investigators at all. No one had
– Judge Pao any legal obligation to investigate
(Traditional Chinese courtroom drama) “Find me proof enough to convince the William Rufus’ death.
Archbishop of Canterbury that a murderer
(c. 1234-1368) sits upon the English throne, Sir Geoffrey, This chapter, and the following two
and I will make you a wealthy man.” chapters, discuss mysteries in various
“Sir Geoffrey,” his liege began, “A fine specific settings to examine the specific
homecoming this is. My brother William So where does the hypothetical Sir tools they require and challenges they
is dead. A hunting accident, they say. An Geoffrey begin? The underlying mystery provide.
errant arrow fired by Walter of Poix. is historical, but the conversation is both
fictional and anachronistic. In July 1101,
“Yet Walter Tirel of Poix swears upon
the relics that he did not fire that shot. He

LOW-TECH MYSTERIES

The investigators in historical mys- that Henry usurped the throne. The play- from his own status and from that of his
teries set before the mid-19th century ers are likely familiar with the “employer.”
will be amateur sleuths. They will pri- relationships between Norman nobles
marily solve cases by talking to people and the role of an archbishop. If this A low-tech mystery investigator will
and working with rumor and gossip, same adventure were set in Imperial typically be someone with a close con-
supported by ordeals and torture, with- Rome, the GM might have to make sure nection to the case – a trusted vassal,
out any forensic tools. The lack of foren- the titles and powers of the major char- friend, or relative of the victim or of the
sic science does not make their results acters were understood. The details can accused. This makes it easy to work a
unreliable. GMs will have to rely more be filled in as the adventure progresses. mystery into any other kind of low-tech
on the verbal interaction between inves- campaign. In the absence of profession-
tigators and witnesses, and the sugges- THE LOW-TECH al police, anyone around the PCs might
tions in Chapter 3 for resolving social INVESTIGATOR ask them to help solve a problem. That
skill checks. makes it harder to create a Mysteries
Sir Geoffrey is an intelligent, obser- campaign, however. Sir Geoffrey was
The low-tech setting may be a famil- vant knight. His strongest resources are chosen because he is a trusted ally of his
iar one, like medieval Europe. It may be social. He has the wealth and status of a employer. It would be unlikely for him to
more exotic, like ancient China, or a cul- knight, a reputation, contacts, and long be asked to do similar work for some
ture of the GM’s invention. Whatever the experience with human nature. He is not other noble. Medieval clergy have more
setting, the GM needs to make sure that a professional investigator and does not freedom – Peters’ Brother Cadfael solves
any cultural norms or customs that pro- have any formal training in that field. He mysteries in and around his English
vide key clues are clearly understood. is a vassal of someone with a personal abbey – but few clergy are free to travel
The example at the start of this chapter interest in the outcome of the investiga- widely and only a limited number of
sets up the facts right up front – that tion. His power to compel people to help mysterious events can plausibly happen
Duke Robert suspects his brother Henry him and answer his questions comes to the same group of people, even in a
assassinated their brother William, and city.

GURPS MYSTERIES 57

There are some low-tech professional Amateur Sleuths
investigators. Chinese and Indian judges
from the late 13th century onward were Amateur sleuths – from Christie’s Miss Marple, to Peters’ Brother Cadfael,
appointed officials who served as both to Murder, She Wrote’s Jessica Fletcher, to Scooby-Doo and his friends – are
judges and investigators. A few mystery typically nosy and inquisitive people, not associated with law enforcement or
stories survive from that time, pre-dat- formally trained as investigators, who get caught up in mysteries. Amateurs
ing Poe by five centuries. The Inquisition are generally regarded as meddling annoyances by the authorities and grossly
in Western Europe was also a kind of underestimated by their opponents.
official investigation, although the
priests’ goals and methods were very dif- Amateur characters, like many players, do not have any formal training in
ferent from those of later police forces. deduction. Thus, they may not know what is important, nor how to logically
Those investigators relied heavily on investigate a crime, nor how to best question witnesses. The GM may need to
their experience with human nature, not provide more structure and more obvious paths and clues in a case involving
on the sorts of detailed indexes, record- amateurs than in a case involving experienced players or experienced
keeping, and physical evidence used characters.
by modern investigators. Thief-takers
(p. 65) appear near the modern era, and The amateur sleuth can have a wide range of abilities. Good perception,
could be considered a kind of private good memory, and social skills are important. The amateur generally will not
investigator. have any formal training in criminology, forensic science, law, or medicine.
Many of his deductions involve common sense, human nature, and intuition.
Players who want to create a “profes-
sional” investigator as a character A GM should make sure that clues don’t depend on forensic skills the PCs
should think about how he fits into the do not have. For example, Brother Cadfael is busy burying bodies in One
local jurisdiction, customs, and social Corpse Too Many when he notices that one of the bodies is not like the others
situation. – the ligature mark around the neck is straight, not angled, which he infers to
mean that this body was strangled and not executed by hanging. Cadfael does
Status not need to know anything about forensic science in order to realize that
something is wrong, and to make logical inferences. Similarly, a GM could use
To be effective, an investigator needs multiple examples of bodies or persons in an adventure to make it easier for
social standing – such as Clerical the PCs, and their players, to realize that something is odd.
Investment, noble rank, or a royal office
– that lets him travel freely and ask intru- appear as a person of appropriate status Sir Geoffrey faces a maze of overlap-
sive questions in areas where he has no to ask questions However, many have a ping jurisdictions and jealously-guarded
legal or institutional powers. Clients and keen sense of accent, vocabulary, cloth- traditional rights that affect his investi-
confidential witnesses are more likely to ing, and manner, honed by the absence gation. The aldermen of a town, for
talk if they think he can keep their confi- of official documentation, which they example, may only have jurisdiction
dences because he can’t be easily ques- use to decide if a person is who he over the residents in certain parts of the
tioned himself and has a duty (religious claims to be. The penalties for getting area within the walls. The local bishop
or personal honor) not to betray them. caught may range from mere embar- may have the exclusive right to investi-
He’ll also need some way to establish his rassment to being beaten to being gate and punish any crime affecting
identity and his status, which may imprisoned until the character’s real clergy and tenants in buildings owned
involve reputation, contacts, or some identity is sorted out. by the church. University students may
obvious token of authority that would be be subject to neither the town elders nor
difficult to steal or forge. A group of investigators should have the bishop, and may have privileges
members with different social advan- against anyone but their own rector and
He probably won’t be paid, at least tages. A high born character may have a the papacy. Port towns highly depend-
not in cash, for his work (although he sharp-eared ally of low status, perhaps a ent on trade may have colonies of resi-
might get favors from pleased “clients”), reformed criminal, who can talk to the dents from major trading centers like
so he needs sufficient income to allow common folk, intimidate servants and Genoa or Venice who, within the
him to travel and investigate. discretely shadow suspects. bounds of their neighborhoods, are
legally subject only to the colony’s
He will also need a way to ask ques- Jurisdiction administrator and ultimately to the
tions from servants and peasants and get leaders of the colony’s home town. In
useful answers. An aristocrat can’t ask As a vassal of the Duke of Normandy, some places, Jews may be royal subjects
questions of servants, beggars, prosti- Sir Geoffrey does not have any legal who are protected by the crown against
tutes, and woodsmen in an ale-house – authority to investigate William Rufus’ anyone other than their own leaders
at least not without arousing a lot of death, to compel witnesses to speak to and royal officials. In short, Sir
comment. A servant or a merchant who him, or to arrest a suspect anywhere out- Geoffrey’s powers are limited by who he
asks too many nosy questions about his side the Duke’s lands. He needs to per- wants to question, where he wants to
“betters” may get whipped or killed. suade appropriate local authorities to question them, and the political
help him, or at least not interfere with allegiances of the local authorities.
An investigator can use Disguise skill him.
or other social skills to pretend to a posi-
tion that he doesn’t have. Some of the
fictional Chinese judges, for example,
were masters of disguise and could

58 GURPS MYSTERIES

about handwriting, such as the skill of

Adapting Plots the author, and about the authenticity of
written documents.

The English cozy mystery works well in a low-tech environment. The clas- • Foresters and shepherds may be
sic amateur investigator uses human nature and social relationships, not able to follow tracks or make some
forensic science and detailed railroad timetables, to solve the puzzle. deductions about the kind of person or
beast who left certain tracks. They may
The hardboiled story invokes the myth of the knight errant who lives by his also be able to tell what kind of animal
own code and does justice as he sees it. This chivalric myth works well in a made certain wounds.
low-tech setting where success depends on the investigator’s dogged determi-

nation, not scientific methods. The hardboiled detective’s toughness and In the example, Sir Geoffrey discovers
intimidation approach work well in the mean streets and dark alleys of a low- a key clue: there’s something suspicious
tech setting. about the theory that Walter Tirel, an
expert archer, killed the king by accident.
The police procedural story is difficult to do in the absence of formal police. Most nobles know something about
A version of it could be done centered around official investigators like papal hunting and archery, even if they are not
inquisitors or a Chinese judge. specialists. Accidentally hitting the king
in the chest at a range of 65 yards with a
The thriller can fit into the low-tech setting, as long as the plot raises the single fatal wound strains credibility. Sir
stakes high enough; e.g., the investigators must prevent armies from coming Geoffrey’s player could work this out by
together in battle, expose a plot to murder the king and overthrow the
government, or halt an invasion.

looking at the combat statistics for a Bow

(p. B275), or the GM could have planted

This maze of custom and authority is were aimed. As an accident, loosed after a this clue in an earlier adventure where
a key feature of the setting, although running stag?” Sir Geoffrey needed to make a similar
rival jurisdictions and agencies plague shot in a competition or combat. Sir
modern investigators too. This maze can The woodsman spat. “Tis possible, my Geoffrey will also consider whether Tirel
be used to give the players a tactical puz- lord, but only just.” could have deliberately killed the king
zle in finding allies or in luring or kid- with that shot. Once again, the combat
napping suspects to places where they Visiting the crime scene is an investi- statistics make it unlikely.
can ask questions with impunity. The gator’s obvious first step. The low-tech
GM may need to give players who are investigator, however, should not expect The investigator can also find out
unfamiliar with this aspect of the setting to find too many useful physical clues. mundane details. Here, Sir Geoffrey has
some hints about how their characters To the extent the scene is undisturbed, learned who the eight nobles involved
can proceed if they seem stalled and many clues can’t be easily found or inter- were, where they were standing, who was
unable to think of a way to confront a preted. It is not just that the crime scene with each, and who could see and hear
key witness. tools familiar to modern investigators what from each position. Sir Geoffrey can
don’t exist; the recorded observations to look for one who might have been alone
THE LOW-TECH make sense of them do not exist either. with a bow and with arrows similar to the
CRIME SCENE Investigators can learn things that they, fatal one. This gives him some inkling of
themselves, would plausibly be familiar means and opportunity.
“The peasants avoid the area,” said the with. Some examples:
forester. “‘Malwood,’ they call it. It has an Another problem for the would-be
ill repute. A stag killed William Rufus’ elder • Nobles and soldiers are likely to be crime scene analyst is that a long time
brother Richard here, a few years back.” familiar with the performance of may pass before the investigators get to
weapons, the kinds of wounds they the scene. Crime scenes attract the mor-
Sir Geoffrey shook his head impatient- inflict, and what dead bodies look like at bidly curious. Without police to keep
ly. “Show me where the eight hunters various stages of decomposition. unauthorized people away, the scene will
stood, fellow.” be quickly trampled by curious neigh-
• Priests, merchants, and scholars, bors, the victim’s relatives, and local offi-
may be able to make simple deductions

“Here . . . and here . . . and here . . .” The

woodsman pointed. “To

await the deer being Other Times and Places
driven southward by
the beaters. Tirel was Medieval settings are popular for mysteries, but there are many other his-
over yonder by the beech torical settings worth exploring. There are several popular mystery series set
stand.” in ancient Rome. An Imperial Rome campaign could be readily combined
Sir Geoffrey strode to the with Steven Saylor’s Gordianus the Finder or Lindsay Davis’ Marcus Didius
clump of trees and stared Falco. Similarly, there are several series set in Ancient Egypt, in Victorian
northward. “Five-and-sixty London, and in many other times and places. The scholarship of these books
yards to where the king was varies, but the stories may inspire GMs and players with some idea of how to
slain, with a single arrow to the explore the settings during an adventure.
heart. No mean shot, even if it

GURPS MYSTERIES 59

cials. Physical evidence like blood pools Why Can’t I Invent
and spatters, tracks, and bits of torn fab- Fingerprints?
ric will be gone, or mingled with materi-
als left by the onlookers. The body itself Frustrated with low-tech tools, a player may want his character to invent
will likely be moved as soon as it is dis- or apply modern techniques to low-tech investigations. Some modern ideas,
covered, with no attention paid to its like isolating witnesses, using good questioning methods, and reading a state-
original position. ment to a witness for his approval before relying on it are anachronisms, but
do not violate the conventions of the low-tech genre and may give the players
If the investigators are at the scene a more confident feeling about their investigation.
immediately they may learn more. They
may hear the initial outcry and know Other concepts, like Holmes’ encyclopedic knowledge of molds and dirt,
who made it and what they said. are hard to justify in the absence of widespread education, books collecting
Spontaneous reactions may be very observations, and logical, scientific methods. While a low-tech investigator
important. The investigators can com- could use some of Holmes’ methods, the organization and rigor that Holmes
pare the reaction of suspects as they first applied would be seen as highly odd.
learn about the crime.
When a player wants to apply a modern technique, the GM can just say
The body would be fresh. Anyone with “no” – the idea would not occur to the character or does not fit the genre. This
battlefield experience will be able to make response is rarely satisfying to the player.
some rough guesses about time of death.
These may be limited to – recent (body’s The GM can avoid it by not creating clues that the character cannot use. If
warm, blood’s still uncongealed); within a the crime scene doesn’t have a bloody fingerprint on the door, the investiga-
day (body cold, livor mortis complete, tor’s player is not going to chafe at not being able to compare the fingerprint
rigor mortis complete), and dead for a to the suspects’ hands. Describe the mark as an irregular stain or blotch, and
while (putrefaction in progress). The the problem is lessened. Rather than describe a set of muddy boot prints, let
investigator will normally be limited to an the deceased’s favorite hound growl when the villain appears.
external observation of the body. An
autopsy would be unheard of. European If the player insists that the modern technique is possible in the setting,
medical students rarely were allowed to take a look at the next chapter’s timeline on the introduction of various tech-
dissect bodies, and even then were limit- niques. There was a great deal of incentive for 19th-and 20th-century scientists
ed to the bodies of the poor and crimi- to invent methods for detecting crime. But many of the methods could not be
nals. To dissect a noble’s body would be a invented until underlying tools and techniques were invented. Let the player
significant insult. A Chinese judge would do the work of figuring out which tools are needed and which of them fit into
be similarly limited – any mutilation of the campaign.
the body which prevents it from being
buried whole had serious theological Authorities tend to be conservative when crime and execution is at stake. A
ramifications in medieval Chinese belief. PC is going to have to work hard to show that his insight is better than the
If the investigators are more than a day existing tried-and-true methods. It will not be easy to convince a skeptical
away, any body is likely to be buried, or at Elizabethan sheriff to arrest a coal magnate based merely on a few marks on
least preserved by having the organs a pane of glass. The sheriff is much more likely to round up the usual suspects
removed and the body packed in salt. and threaten and batter them until someone confesses.
This is a normal low-tech practice. Bodies
rot quickly without refrigeration. start with the people around him, like his job and wealth, and many details of each
patron and his friends and allies who other’s lives. Rumors are a good way for
The investigators may catch sight of a might know something about the crime the GM to introduce some of the key
fleeing suspect, although a clever killer and the suspects. He will quickly collect NPCs before the investigators meet them
may run toward the disturbance as if he rumors about the suspects’ reputation, in person.
was as innocent as a newborn lamb. habits, significant skills, and perhaps
insights into their vices, and flaws that he In this example, Sir Geoffrey can
THE LOW-TECH can use against them in questioning. By learn that Walter Tirel was the only
INVESTIGATION starting with people he knows and trusts, “stranger” in the hunting party.
the investigator may have more faith in Strangers are automatic suspects
“Did you know, Sir Geoffrey,” said the his information than in information he because they do not have the intimate
monk slyly, “that the repute of this King gets from strangers. links of family, patrons, and neighbors to
Henry is none of the best? Aye, men say verify their character. Strangers need to
that he killed a man in Rouen, during the The rumors are likely to be accurate. prove their identity through acquain-
troubles these nine years past.” Communities are small and privacy is tances or relatives who immigrated from
rare. Most people stay in the same place their home area, by memory for com-
Sir Geoffrey suppressed an urge to for their entire lives. Even in the largest mon events, by letters of recommenda-
throttle the man. “Indeed, good Brother cities, most residents are linked by a web tion, by dress, manner, and accent. In
Anselm? Please, say on.” of guilds, parishes, friends, patrons, and the example, Walter Tirel was intro-
neighbors. Secrets are hard to keep. duced to the court by his brother-in-law,
Questioning witnesses about the crime Everyone knows each other’s family his- Gilbert Clare, the Earl of Tunbridge. The
is the primary tool available to low-tech tory, past deeds and misdeeds, current earl was also present at the hunt, which
investigators. An investigator will likely

60 GURPS MYSTERIES

A knight or noble has many good

The Veil of Night excuses to visit other nobles. He can
gossip with them at the tournament
Night, in the pre-industrial era, is the time of thieves and assassins. In field, or over a meal, listening to their
Europe, an evening church bell marks the end of the working day. (Only a few recollections that fateful evening. Some
trades were allowed to work by candlelight.) Workers made their way home, clergy would likewise be free to travel,
often stopping for a drink at an ale-house or tavern. The gates to the cities were but might have fewer excuses to casual-
locked. Some cities required local residents to take their turn as watchmen ly speak with a noble. Unlike a modern
either on the walls and gates, or wandering the streets in groups with lanterns. detective, Sir Geoffrey is probably not
Some cities set chains across the narrow, crooked streets to block fleeing literate. He won’t keep notes about what
criminals. Others released packs of trained mastiffs. each witness says. Instead, he’ll rely on
his memory. If he did have a clerk
Soon after dusk, most people would be in their homes. Travelers would set- accompany him, the clerk would para-
tle into the common rooms of inns if they could not find shelter with friends, phrase the statement and likely trans-
family, or colleagues. Those who had no homes would settle into dry corners late it into Latin. The witness would not
to sleep for the night. ever see the note, or have it read to him,
making inaccuracies inevitable.
The city would be dark and quiet. Any traveler who had to be about in the
streets on legitimate business would travel, if possible, in a large group with Sir Geoffrey must rely on his witness’
torches. Nighttime travel was dangerous. Louis, the Duke of Orléons was perceptions and memories without much
assassinated one night in November, 1407, when he was lured into the dark by physical evidence to guide him. Here,
a false summons from the king. Louis’ escort of two squires and six servants, Robert fitz-Harmon does not specify how
all with torches, was ambushed by 18 men waiting for him with swords and many arrows William and Walter were
axes hidden under their cloaks. given. They were not made in standard
lots like modern mass-manufactured
The poor, brigands, and those engaged in nocturnal love affairs would not goods. (Other measures like bushels,
be the only ones moving without light. Gangs of young men or students might quarts, yards, and so on will be similarly
travel about, throwing stones at houses, vandalizing property, and causing imprecise. Each market town may have
trouble under cover of night. Some young men broke into houses to steal its own standard measure.) It was not
goods and rape women they found within. Occasionally, a noble or clergyman important how many arrows Walter
might lead some household soldiers against a mob of students, but it was dif- received, only that he received the honor
ficult to tell friend from foe in the darkness. and gift from the king. Robert probably
could not identify the fletcher either. He
Night is an element in a low-tech adventure that makes it distinct from would not be likely to pay much attention
modern settings. Many of the crimes they might investigate will happen at to someone else’s servant.
night. The investigators may need to interview suspects at dusk, when they fin-
ish work. They may be lured into the night to chase a suspect or to be There are some people an investiga-
ambushed by the suspect’s allies.

tor wouldn’t think to question and

wouldn’t rely upon if they volunteered

makes it unlikely that Tirel was an Winchester tournament field. “I was the information. Traditionally, the testimony
impostor. He can also learn that Tirel is first to see the King,” he said softly. “I of heretics, excommunicated persons,
known as a skilled archer, but has no wanted to die. I had nothing left to live notorious evildoers and criminals, ser-
known reason to dislike William Rufus. for.” vants testifying against their masters,
and spouses testifying against each other
Henry, on the other hand, has a bad “He had fallen on the arrow which had was not deemed reliable. On that
reputation for an ill temper and for pierced his heart and broken it.” ground, Sir Geoffrey might mistrust one
betrayals. The monk’s story involves of Henry’s servants who might offer
Henry capturing a prominent citizen “Of course, I recognized the arrow. I information implicating the king. An
who was a leader of a rebellion in was there when a fletcher gave some
newly made arrows to his Majesty. He

Rouen, courteously treating him as a

guest, then pushing him off the city wall

to his death, having brought him there Even in the largest cities, most residents are
ostensibly to admire the view. Sir

Geoffrey can also learn from his patron linked by a web of guilds, parishes, friends, patrons,
that William Rufus had promised Robert and neighbors. Secrets are hard to keep.
that he would be king if William died

childless. However, Henry has broken

that agreement and seized the English

throne for himself.

Questioning Witnesses gave a few to Walter Tirel and said ‘The investigator of high status might not
best arrows for the best shot.’ I’d seen him think to interview servants and peasants,
Sir Robert fitz-Harmon leaned against hunt over those few days. Tirel was easily whom he might think of as beneath his
the wooden stands and looked over the the best archer of us all.” status and intrinsically untrustworthy. If
he did listen to them, he would still look

GURPS MYSTERIES 61

for other sources, since the word of a guilty conscience might try to abandon help him seize his suspect and a quiet
servant would be of little weight against him in the deep woods. A baron might place to question him. Neither man has
the word of a noble. try to push him off the battlements or a legal right to hold the prisoner, but
have his knights beat him. An important there’s no police force to investigate
Sir Geoffrey would be far less suspi- witness might flee, forcing Sir Geoffrey Ranulf’s disappearance and try to find
cious about gossip, rumor, and hearsay to catch him before he gains sanctuary in him. Sir Geoffrey can use torture to
than a modern investigator. Since litera- a church or escapes to a less friendly force Ranulf to confess, but he will need
cy is rare, Sir Geoffrey is used to relying jurisdiction. He might have to kidnap a Ranulf to repeat the confession after-
on oral statements and memory for most suspect from a place of safety and bring ward to Duke Robert and to any poten-
of his important decisions. He would him to Normandy where Sir Geoffrey tial ally against King Henry. If he kills
also be willing to listen to informants can hold and question him with relative Ranulf during the torture without get-
who denounce suspects anonymously, or impunity. Bandits might assail him on ting the confession, he will have to flee
for a share of their property if they are the roads. Jealous rivals might denounce England or face charges of murder.
convicted as heretics or traitors. He him at court or to local authorities.
might ask witnesses to take oaths on reli- The investigators could arrange a ver-
gious books and relics. Perjury and THE sion of a drawing-room confrontation in
divine retribution are taken more seri- CONFRONTATION a medieval feast hall. Ideally, the con-
ously in low-tech cultures than in mod- frontation would be in front of a noble
ern ones. Indeed, the villain may himself Ranulf de Aquis glowered at his captor. with the authority to arrest the villain
be deeply troubled by having committed “You have taken no small risk in seizing and try or execute him. If the investiga-
a crime that he dares not confess, and me,” he snarled. “Don’t you know that I’m tors have sufficient status to request an
risking eternal damnation if he dies the king’s chief huntsman?” audience with an appropriate noble,
unshriven. If the villain does confess, his then the scene will be easy to set up. If
admission is protected by the seal of the Sir Geoffrey shrugged. “Sir Robert fitz- they are not nobles, however, they may
confessional, but the villain would need Harmon has many questions about King have to bribe a court functionary or per-
to judge his confessor well to avoid gos- Henry’s deeds. As have I. And it is his
sip reaching the priest’s superiors. castle you are in.” suade someone to listen to them before
they can even get their audience.
Action Scenes As mentioned above, jurisdiction and
status can present all sorts of problems A low-tech arrest does not require a
Sir Geoffrey’s investigation might also for investigators. Here, the investigator formal standard of proof, but the
include action scenes. A forester with a has found an ally who provided men to accused’s status, reputation, legal privi-
leges, allies, and enemies matter a great
Gossip deal. Sir Robert would, for example, be
much more willing to help Sir Geoffrey
Men and women in pre-modern societies used gossip differently. This was seize a former royal officer who is not a
especially true in societies where women were excluded from formal govern- noble than to help Sir Geoffrey confront
ment and power. For men, gossip was one of many tactics used in political and Walter Tirel’s brother-in-law, Gilbert
legal struggles. For women, gossip was a major weapon used by and against Clare, the Earl of Tunbridge. Had Sir
them. Women used gossip as a weapon because they had few other means to Geoffrey wished to seize even a minor
attack their social, legal, and political foes. Both men and women used gossip member of the clergy, he and anyone
against women because their reputations might be the only target available; who helped him would risk excommuni-
their husbands and fathers often controlled their property and income. Sexual cation for violating clerical privileges,
rumors were often used against women because they were held responsible for regardless of their reasons.
their sexual liaisons, whether or not they truly had any say in their choice of
partners. Gossip about women might also touch on how they behaved toward Once seized, the accused will be pre-
their husbands and how well they kept house – be it cottage or castle. Gossip sumed guilty. Every effort will be made
about men included rumors about money, property, trade, or sex (infidelity, to convince him to confess. Getting a
impotence, etc.). confession using low-tech methods is
relatively easy. Getting a true confession
Since men and women used gossip for different purposes, the gossip that is another matter. False confessions are
an investigator gets from a group of men in an alehouse will be different in frighteningly easy to produce in modern
tone and content from the gossip of a group of women in a birthing room. If settings where the ability of police to use
an investigator is looking for gossip about a man, he may get a wide range of physical coercion is limited. The risk is
rumors. If he is looking for gossip about a woman, he is only likely to get much higher in a time where physical
gossip about her sexual conduct and home life. torture, secret accusations, and limited
oversight are common. Medieval
Male investigators may not take women’s gossip seriously. Even if a man is inquisitors were well aware of the coer-
interested in hearing it, he may have trouble getting access to the network of cive effects of torture. To avoid false con-
birthing rooms, communal chores, and other gatherings where women speak fessions, they required the accused to
freely among themselves. affirm the confession the day after being
tortured. Of course, if the accused
refused to affirm, then he could be tor-

62 GURPS MYSTERIES

tured again. Chinese courts similarly Undercover Investigations
permitted torture with few limits.
Many low-tech societies are very status-sensitive. People tend to be very
There are other ways to get a confes- conscious of status, rank, privilege, and custom. This makes it hard for a sin-
sion. The Biblical story of King gle investigator (or group of investigators of similar status) to question some
Solomon’s threat to cut a child in half to witnesses. Purkiss the charcoal burner is unlikely to be very helpful to Sir
determine the mother was well known. Geoffrey, assuming that Geoffrey even understands his Saxon dialect and
Rival claimants to an item can be asked doesn’t just speak Norman French.
characteristic details about its manufac-
ture or asked what an animal was last In Chinese courtroom stories, the judge is sometimes a master of disguise.
fed before the item is opened up or the This allows him to become someone a witness might confide in, like a doctor
animal given a purgative. A clever trick or a merchant. Of course, unless the investigator has created and maintained
may not only work, but may give the a consistent alternate identity, he will have to contend with the usual suspicion
investigator using it a reputation for about strangers and may have to prove himself to gain admittance to a town,
quick thinking as the story is repeated. or even to an inn.

Trial If discovered, the disguised investigator may be in for a great deal of trou-
ble, ranging from social disgrace to arrest. A knight discovered by the city
A low-tech trial is held before a noble watch masquerading as a merchant could claim to be secretly visiting his mis-
or an appointed officer. In a Chinese tress. Given the lack of privacy and interconnections of family, guild, and
trial, the judge conducts all the question- parish, the rumor would quickly spread around town. A merchant disguised
ing while the accused kneels on the floor as a knight, on the other hand, might face more serious troubles . . . he could
in front of him. The judge collects and be suspected of an affair with a woman above his station, or other nefarious
calls all the witnesses. Lawyers are for- deeds.
bidden for both plaintiffs and defen-
dants. In Chinese stories, the judge fre- If undiscovered, the investigator may find himself contending with his own
quently orders witnesses whipped if he underlings, who may mistreat him, with bandits who bully him, and with ser-
suspects they are lying, or not showing vants who tease and taunt a seeming commoner in a way they would not dare
proper deference. If, however, the judge speak to a court official. GMs and players can have fun with these scenes and
orders the accused killed by torture and explore parts of the setting they would never otherwise experience.
the accused is later proven innocent, the
judge and all of his court personnel are and clergy are more formal, but still cultures, the accused was made to touch
themselves executed. A sentence of exe- based upon custom and reputation more the victim’s body so that the body could
cution needs to be ratified by the than any written code of law or index of indicate the killer with a sign like fresh
Imperial Throne unless the judge has a prior decisions. blood flowing from a wound. Some cul-
specific, rare grant of imperial authority tures allowed an accused to swear an
to execute without any recourse. A low-tech court tends to be less for- oath on holy relics, often accompanied by
mal than a modern courtroom. There the oaths of friends and neighbors (com-
A European trial by the Inquisition is are fewer restrictions on who can talk or purgators) who vouched for the accused’s
private. The accused need not be told the prohibitions against multiple people innocence and honor. A few cultures per-
specific charges against him. If the talking at once. This allows GMs to mitted trial by combat, either by the
investigators deem the evidence against avoid one of the problems of a modern accused or a champion. Divine favor was
him to be strong, he could be tortured courtroom confrontation; that only one expected to aid the innocent fighter.
until he confessed and named his PC can be active at a time. Since there is
accomplices. The trial itself is held often less emphasis on legal rules, inves- Accused characters can use ordeals to
before a group of inquisitors, clergy tigators are also more free to state their prove their innocence of a crime. Ordeals
from outside the Holy Office, and lay case using their reputations, gossip, that involve physical tests, like hot irons
consultants from the royal court. The hearsay, and whatever evidence they or stones, are usually based on involun-
evidence is the written reports of the have to hand. tary body responses, like excessive sweat-
inquisitors, including transcripts taken ing or salivating, which are associated
by their scribes of the witness’ state- Ordeals and Oaths with guilt. In a physical ordeal, ask for
ments and of confessions. The accused is Will or Body Control rolls. If the PC is
not present during the evidence, deliber- Ordeals, oaths, and trial by combat innocent, he should get a bonus to the
ations, or verdict. make interesting alternative confronta- roll. If he believes himself guilty, then
tion scenes. Many cultures had tradition- assign an appropriate penalty.
A European trial before a noble, or al ordeals that an accused could use to
his designee, varies dramatically. prove his innocence by divine providence. Defendants who have strong religious
Generally, a noble will hold court peri- Typical ordeals included swallowing con- faith, Duty, or appropriate Codes of
odically. At the village level, often the secrated bread; touching, holding, or Honor may need to make a Will roll to
entire village attends court. Locals who walking across hot stones or irons; and knowingly make a false oath on relics or
have disputes among themselves or who ordeals by water in which the guilty float- other important symbols.
have violated local customs give testimo- ed and the innocent sank (and were
ny and receive the judgment of the noble fished out before they drowned). In some If a defendant is a champion in a bat-
or his officer. There is no practical right tle, the GM may wish to give him a small
of appeal. Courts of the higher nobility morale bonus to Will and Health rolls if he

GURPS MYSTERIES 63

believes he is on the right side and a small for example, was a companion of Jeanne powers of arrest, imprisonment, interro-
penalty if he has doubts about his actions. d’Arc, Marshall of France, a favorite of gation, and, effectively, execution.
the French king, and a powerful baron.
PUNISHMENT When he ran afoul of his family and the An Inquisition investigation began
Duke of Brittany over gambling debts, when a group of inquisitors came to an
In a muddy field near the town of his family physically seized some of his area. They presented their credentials to
Alton in southern England, the invading castles to prevent creditors from selling the local priest and to the highest-rank-
and defending soldiers waited as their them. In those castles, they found the ing local noble. On the next Sunday or
commanders talked. bodies of young children that Gilles had feast-day, the Inquisitors would require
killed over several years. The local peas- all residents to attend the service. After
“Well done, Sir Geoffrey!” Duke Robert ants had no one to complain to and thus the sermon or the creed, an Inquisitor
was practically purring as he entered the the crimes had remained undiscovered. would hold up a crucifix and ask the
tent. “Gramercy for your aid.” The Bishop of Nantes became involved in congregation to raise their right hands
the dispute, which lead to Gilles’ trial for and repeat a solemn oath to support the
“How is the parley going, my lord,” heresy, his excommunication, and his Inquisition and its ministers.
asked Sir Geoffrey. execution. The nature of the crimes
An inquisitor then preached a ser-
“Well enough. The Church is standing mon and recited a list of heresies.
behind King Henry.” The Duke began
stripping off his mail. “We have the larger If, however, the judge orders the accused killed by
host, and could gain the victory, but I will torture and the accused is later proven innocent, the
not be excommunicated for it. But with judge and all of his court personnel are themselves
d’Aquis in hand, I have the leverage I executed.
need. He revealed everything – named not
only little Henry, but the Earl as well.” made it difficult for any of Gilles’ former Anyone who wished to clear their con-
allies to support him; none came to his science could come forward to the
“What terms has Henry offered?” defense. inquisitors and denounce themselves or
Duke Robert chuckled. “He offers others, including any accomplices who
2,000 pounds a year, in fee for ceding my SAMPLE participated in heresy or incited it.
claim to the throne. Much owing to your ORGANIZATION: Anyone who did so within 30 or 40 days
work, Sir Geoffrey. Go back to your home THE INQUISITION after the sermon – a period of grace –
and wife with the thanks of your liege – would be absolved and reconciled to the
and this.” In a mystery campaign, players may Church without suffering serious penal-
Sir Geoffrey caught the heavy purse want to make their investigators mem- ties. Those who did not take advantage
that Robert tossed to him. Weighing it in bers of an appropriate detective organi- of the grace period risked serious
his hand, he grinned appreciatively. “It is zation. Or the GM may want a historical punishment or death.
well to know that justice was done!” he model for an organization that can keep
said. the investigators in check if they stray Over the next two months, the
too far outside the law. inquisitors gathered information from
Low tech justice does not necessarily those who confessed, from witnesses,
look like “justice” to modern eyes. What The Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) and from informants. The Inquisition
happens to the guilty part depends as is the closest European low-tech analog depended on local residents to denounce
much on his rank, allies, and the politi- to a professional detective agency. The their neighbors’ heresies. Residents
cal situation – and on who is doing the Holy Office was international in scope. often confessed out of fear of what their
punishing – as it does on the misdeeds Its members were drawn from the neighbors, relatives, and enemies might
themselves. Franciscan and Dominican orders and say about them. Petty denunciations
charged by the papacy, through the were used to settle old scores. The tri-
Peasants, merchants, and the lower Spanish monarchy, with uncovering bunals occasionally suspended trials
nobility are likely to be punished swiftly, heretics among the laity, extracting con- when they believed the accusations were
often by execution, maiming, or brand- fessions, and giving appropriate false, but they believed false accusations
ing. Those with significant Status, penance. were rare. The consequences for perjury
Wealth, Clerical Investment, and power- were light, although burning, scourging,
ful allies may escape any serious punish- The Inquisition had some aspects of a and sentence to the galleys could be
ment for their misdeeds, paying bribes to police force. It worked for the govern- imposed.
their foes in money, land, titles, property, ment, not for private citizens, and it had
and privileges. When someone made a denuncia-
tion, the inquisitors presented the state-
Small communities may resist a solu- ments to a group of theologians who
tion that conflicts with the local consen-
sus. The locals have to live with the vil-
lain’s family, allies, and friends. Proving
the case to the community’s satisfaction,
and working out a punishment that the
community can accept may be difficult.

The investigators can, with hard
work, turn political patrons and allies
against a guilty suspect, causing them to
withdraw their protection. Gilles de Rais,

64 GURPS MYSTERIES

determined whether the accused was a ance was used to fund the inquisition Henry Felding, a justice of the peace
heretic. If the theologians agreed there itself. at the Bow Street Court, persuaded a
was proof of heresy, the prosecutor drew half-dozen thief-takers to work directly
up a demand for the accused’s arrest. SAMPLE under his control. His men spent as
ORGANIZATION: much time eavesdropping in the taverns
The accused was taken into custody VICTORIAN THIEF- by the docks in various disguises as they
and his property “sequestered” and used TAKERS did competing for customers among the
to pay for the accused’s imprisonment. merchants and wealthy clients. His thief-
The accused’s relatives could ask for an Prior to the creation of Sir Robert takers depended heavily on contacts,
allowance to support themselves. Once Peel’s police, London depended on thief- bribes, and threats to uncover thieves
arrested, the accused was presumed takers to capture criminals and prevent and recover stolen property. Henry’s
guilty. If he proved his innocence, he was crime. In a busy city like London, the half-brother, Sir John Felding, published
immediately released. Prisoners were local merchants no longer had the time a nationwide broadsheet called “Hue
held in ecclesiastical jails, often isolated to answer a hue-and-cry. (The tradition- and Cry” which listed and described
from each other. Those who were al common law duty of anyone hearing a stolen articles, making them harder to
released had to swear an oath not to tell call for help to come running to catch fence, and listed names and descriptions
what they had experienced in jail. the thief.) Instead they offered rewards of suspects and wanted criminals.
to local thief-takers to recover stolen
Inquisitors approached the accused goods. A thief-taker who didn’t work for a
three times over the next two weeks, judge usually had a favorite magistrate
exhorting him to confess. Only in the Thief-takers captured their quarry, whom he preferred to hear his cases.
last warning was the accused told the sometimes in an ambush, sometimes by Some magistrates tried their case imme-
actual charges and a summary of the pursuit when a merchant raised a cry. diately, holding court in their homes or
evidence. Then he was required to The thief was arraigned before a justice, taverns. A prompt trial and conviction
plead. After he pled, he could request an and then imprisoned for trial. Trial ses- meant no delay in the magistrate and the
advocate from a list approved by the sions occurred every month, less often in thief-taker getting their fees, but made it
inquisition tribunal. the outlying suburbs where justices trav- difficult for the accused to defend him-
eled on circuit. For his efforts, the thief- self. (There was no privilege against self-
The accused was interrogated in the taker received a reward from the mer- incrimination, but a defendant was not
presence of an inquisitor, a secretary, chant, a price from the crown, and the allowed to testify at trial because it was
and a notary. Torture was allowed thief’s goods (if any) were forfeit to him. assumed he’d be tempted to lie and add
according to “the conscience and will of (The justice, either a court magistrate or perjury to his other sins.)
the appointed judges, following law, rea- an itinerant “trading” justice, also
son, and good conscience. Inquisitors received a fee for each criminal sen- As a patron, a single thief-taker
should take great care that the sentence tenced and a share of any forfeited employs a small team of intimidating
of torture is justified and follows prece- goods.) A public hanging was the thugs, talented investigators, and inform-
dent.” Torture was used in a minority of punishment for most crimes. ants, perfect roles for many period PCs.
cases, to question suspects, not to pun- Most of the team will work as needed,
ish them. In most cases, the threat was Of course, a few thief-takers were leaving time for other adventures. A
sufficient. Confessions made under tor- corrupt and tried to exploit the system patron magistrate often employs several
ture were not deemed valid. The accused by essentially fencing property back to thief-takers and their associated teams.
had to ratify the confession the day after its original owner and splitting the fee As an officer of the crown, a magistrate
the ordeal. The rules forbade anyone to with the thief. Jonathan Wild, the self- can offer better prestige and pay, but will
be tortured more than once, however, a proclaimed Thief-Taker General of Great generally supervise his staff closely to
session could be suspended and Britain and Ireland, was executed for protect his own job and reputation.
resumed. The torturers were not allowed conspiring with highwaymen, burglars,
to kill the accused, nor draw blood. and thieves. Among Wild’s schemes was As foes, most thief-takers have power
a system of capturing uncooperative, disproportionate to their social role.
After investigation and interrogation, greedy, or low-ranking thieves in order They are often owed favors by important
the case was considered by a tribunal of to maintain an appearance of actual people whose goods they have recov-
judges without the accused’s presence. deterrence. The victims were hung by ered. Through their informants, they are
The accused could be acquitted; fined; the courts. often aware of smuggling, visits to pros-
given penance or reconciled; or burned titutes, and other fodder for extorting
(in person or effigy). The trial could also Another scheme, common after action against a rival or foe. Killing or
be suspended, and the accused released, Wild’s death, was for thieves to recruit seriously injuring a thief-taker will gen-
with the warning the trial could be young people into crime so the takers erally prompt an investigation and retri-
resumed at any time. There was a very could capture the young criminals and bution by his peers and allies. A magis-
limited right to appeal. As a technical punish them for the misdeeds of older trate is a dangerous foe; he has the judi-
matter, those unrepentant or relapsed guild members. Thieves also often cial power to send enemies of lower class
heretics sentenced to death were bribed the thief-takers. After a series of than him to prison or to the scaffold.
“relaxed” to the secular court as the scandals, more efforts were made to Socially attacking a magistrate is diffi-
clergy were forbidden to kill. reform the thief-taker system. cult due to the magistrate’s own status,
wealth, and political position. Physically
After trial, the tribunal could order attacking one is the same as attacking
the heretic’s property confiscated. the king’s person. Regardless of how
Informers could claim a portion of the
accused’s property as a reward. The bal-

GURPS MYSTERIES 65

CHAPTER FIVE

THE MODERN
DETECTIVE

“It looks to me like a case that will her parents are going to take it well, but an investigation that quickly ended
probably never be solved by exhibits or tes- shouldn’t they decide whether you should when the medical examiner decided that
timony on facts. The cops have had plen- keep digging?” she committed suicide.
ty of good men on it, and if they had got
anything usable on footprints, or finger- “They hired me to find out what hap- Private detectives are not police. They
prints, or getting the steak knife from the pened to her, and that’s what I’m going to often become involved when the client
drawer, or alibis or timetables, or some- do.” wishes to keep the problem a secret,
thing like shoes that had been worn in the when the problem is not yet a crime,
woods, someone would have been arrest- Jack Williams is the stereotypical when police are unable or unwilling to
ed long ago.” rumpled modern private eye. He was get involved, or when someone is not
hired to find a missing young woman, satisfied with the official government
– Archie Goodwin, and now has a possible homicide on his answer. Most private investigators are
In the Best Families hands. He’s a detective in the classic themselves former police officers,
hard-boiled tradition. Once he’s found a trained in police methods, with contacts
“Look, Jack,” the sergeant said, “It’s a puzzle, he’ll see it through, whether or in various departments and professions.
suicide. Dr. McDonald says so right here.” not he’s being paid to do so.
Williams understands forensic evi-
“I know that’s what it says, Cecilia, but Williams’ homicide case was initially dence. However, in this case, forensic
I talked to her parents and her friends investigated by the police, but the police science mostly tells him what didn’t hap-
when she vanished – grad student, decent have limited resources. If Williams’ pen. If the police had solid evidence sug-
grades, no recent break-ups, no depres- clients had gone to the police about their gesting a homicide, then they would still
sion. Why would she kill herself, and why adult daughter’s disappearance, the offi- be investigating the case. Since he works
in the reservoir in Wrighton? Something cers would likely not have taken the case alone, not through a bureaucracy, he has
just doesn’t seem right.” very seriously unless there was some evi- more leeway to follow his instinct that
dence of an abduction or other foul play. something is wrong.
“Jack, I was there when the divers Once her body was found, police began
dragged her out. She’s dead. I don’t expect

MODERN MYSTERIES

It is hard to overstate the changes made it possible to know who a stranger business, medicine, and religion. And, of
between low-tech and modern investiga- was and to identify repeat criminals. course, it was the dawn of the hard-
tions. The close of the 19th century Physical evidence began to reveal the boiled genre exemplified by writers like
brought the first uniformed police problems with eyewitness testimony and Dashiell Hammett and Raymond
departments and the first plain clothes fallible human memory. Chandler. These classic writers are still
police detectives. The end of the 19th widely imitated by modern authors.
century also brought the first private The close of the 19th century also cre-
detective agencies, providing investiga- ated the first Western detective stories The modern mystery is the easiest
tion and security services. Finally, the and a new kind of literary and real-world genre to adapt to RPGs. GMs and players
creation of police forces brought about a hero. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his are already familiar with the modern
steady stream of advances in forensic imitators created the genre of the world. They can approach the mystery
science, and new methods (ranging from “genius detective.” Newspapers, “true with all the tools and ideas they have
mug shots to fingerprints to DNA) to crime” stories, and magazines thrilled heard about on the nightly news, in
find criminals from the witnesses and the public with the exploits of Allen newspapers and magazines, and in their
trace evidence they leave behind at Pinkerton’s operatives and the detectives favorite books, movies, and television
crime scenes. of Scotland Yard. shows. In fact, they may have problems
clearing up popular misconceptions
The development of full-time profes- The Golden Age of mystery fiction about what forensics can reveal.
sional police and detective agencies, dis- (1920-1945) was the heyday of Agatha
cussed in more detail in GURPS Cops, Christie and her “genius detective,” Keep in mind that mystery adven-
established the idea that justice was a Hercule Poirot, and of John Dickson tures are not reality. As discussed in
matter for governments, not privately Carr’s locked room puzzles. It was also Chapter 1, there are conventions to the
settled by revenge, vendetta, and private the heyday of more realistic stories that mystery genre that make it close to
lawsuits. Reliable identification methods utilized the emerging forensic sciences reality, but more dramatic.
and used the mystery genre to explore

66 GURPS MYSTERIES

The players may be tempted to rely investigators with some professional investigator), undergoing a background
on the police. Their characters pay taxes, training. Solving their client’s problems, check, and maintaining some liability
after all. The police should be able to or preventing crimes, is their job. They insurance. Jurisdiction doesn’t prevent
handle routine problems. Unless this is a rarely know anything about the client, investigators from following leads into
procedural adventure, the adventure the victim, or the suspects before the other states or countries; it primarily lim-
should present a problem that the police incident, and may never encounter them its where the investigator can advertise,
cannot or will not solve alone. If the again afterward. This model gives the have an office, and accept cases. Police,
answer was easy and obvious, or the GM a fresh slate for each adventure, but on the other hand, do have jurisdiction
police could solve the case using routine also means that the suspects and wit- limits. Outside of his jurisdiction, an offi-
police work, then there would be no nesses need to be interesting and memo- cer is just a private citizen, although he is
reason for the characters to be involved. rable so the players don’t lose track of likely to get some cooperation and help
who’s who. from local law enforcement. Amateur
Modern mysteries may be easier to
plan because GMs have access to a great Adapting Plots
deal of information. They can find city
maps, building plans, appropriate pho- The English cozy mystery is more common in adventures set before and
tographs, police crime scene procedure, during World War II. The fragmented, mobile nature of modern society makes
and more. They don’t need to create as it harder to sustain the web of social ties and secrets that characterize a clas-
much from scratch as they might in a sic English cozy. On the other hand, fragmentation has spawned subcultures
low-tech, fantasy, or SF mystery. On the that can support their own “cozies,” such as the SCA (Mary Pulver’s Murder at
other hand, the sleuths have legitimate the War) and science-fiction conventions (Sharyn McCrumb’s Bimbos of the
access to a great deal of information, Death Sun).
too. Managing information, and not let-
ting the need to be realistic overwhelm The hard-boiled story is a quintessential modern tale of anachronistic
the adventure or the characters, can be a honor in a modern setting. This genre works well in times of social upheaval,
problem. Remember that the adventure economic uncertainty, widespread corruption, and general cynicism.
comes first. The players will not be
impressed that the GM got the exact The police procedural story is also very common. Some versions focus on
plans for the Duke of Buckingham’s the dogged efforts of ordinary police detectives to keep the peace in their small
drawing room if they didn’t have part of the world. Other versions use the latest developments in forensic sci-
anything interesting to do in that ence to solve crimes.
location.
The thriller story is a perfect fit for modern adventures. This mystery genre
THE MODERN is among the most recent, and works best against a setting of shadowy organ-
INVESTIGATOR izations or evildoers pitched against heroes desperately trying to save an
unaware populace. Loss of privacy and the anonymity of modern life are two
“You’re a cop, Pat. You’re tied down by themes that frequently turn up in this genre. Thrillers also tend to have a high
rules and regulations. There’s someone level of technology, used both by and against the protagonists.
over you. I’m alone. I can slap someone in
the puss and they can’t do a damn thing. Investigators have access to a lot of detectives are just normal citizens,
No one can kick me out of my job. Maybe information in the modern era. jurisdiction is irrelevant to them.
there’s nobody to put up a huge fuss if I get Williams, who has a friendly relation-
gunned down, but then I still have a pri- ship with the Wrighton police, can look Class, social, and racial distinctions
vate cop’s license with the privilege to pack at autopsy reports, crime scene reports, remain important in some places and
a rod, and they’re afraid of me.” photographs, and other technical infor- times in the modern setting. Class dis-
mation. Consult Chapter 2 to generate or tinctions are less important in American
– Mike Hammer, interpret these sorts of records. Williams stories than in English ones. The
I, The Jury can call nearly anyone he wants to con- hypocrisy of social status is an impor-
sult about the case, and travel as far and tant theme in some hard-boiled stories,
Jack Williams is a typical modern pri- as quickly as his budget allows. It is and can appear in stories where middle-
vate investigator. He’s a retired police much harder for a suspect or witness to class detectives (private or police) inves-
detective from a small city, which means evade him without taking significant tigate high-society crimes. Racial dis-
he has several years’ experience as a uni- steps to disappear for a while. tinctions can be important, especially in
formed patrol officer, and a few years’ American stories. It is less common to
experience as a detective. He’s familiar Jurisdiction remains a concern, less see racial issues in a cozy than in a hard-
with forensic science and criminal law, so for private investigators than for boiled or procedural story, where race
as well as with human nature. He has a police detectives and federal agents. may be an important theme.
part-time secretary to keep his files and Most American states require private
send out his bills. He is familiar with investigators to be licensed, which The mystery example in this chapter
firearms and may carry one for his own involves proving some experience as a illustrates a ball-of-twine plot. Williams
protection. professional investigator (police officer was hired on a missing-persons case. His
or working for another licensed client told him the victim’s name, home
Although amateur investigators address, birth date, employer, and so on.
remain a staple of the fictional genre,
most modern mystery stories feature

GURPS MYSTERIES 67

That information gave Williams several fill her car’s gas tank and then kill herself? out how to convince someone in the
places to start, including a credit check Williams copied down the gas station’s department to officially, or unofficially,
for recent charges, a bank check for address. give them access to those records.
recent ATM withdrawals, and a driver’s
license check for recent tickets. The dri- The players should have some idea This can be an important scene in the
ver’s license check had turned up a what their investigators should do at a adventure. Police officers do not appre-
speeding ticket near Wrighton. While crime scene. Decades of movies, televi- ciate civilians poking around in their
waiting for the results of the other sion shows, and novels have made most cases. The presence of a private investi-
checks, Williams picks up that bit of people aware of how important it is to gator can be taken as a rebuke, a sign
twine and calls the department looking leave a crime scene undisturbed. That that the deceased’s family doesn’t have
for the patrol officer who issued the tick- doesn’t prevent crowds from morbidly confidence in the local police. If there
et. The officer passes him to Detective gathering around the yellow tape hoping really is a problem with the investiga-
McMahon, who investigated the to see something interesting. Nor does it tion, like corruption, incompetence, or
presumed suicide. prevent some bystanders from taking just bad publicity or political results
souvenirs from poorly-guarded crime from classifying a death as a homicide,
Since Williams is a retired police offi- scenes to keep or sell on eBay. then police may try to discourage the
cer himself, he can get more cooperation investigator from proceeding. Think
from the average officer than a detective The modern investigator can hope for about how the local police will react to
without that past. Here, however, he is a crime scene that was mostly undis- the interlopers. The investigators need to
fortunate to have known Cecilia turbed when the police arrived, and was find an approach to solve this tactical
McMahon before the case, and to have a processed professionally. Police depart- puzzle and get the appropriate informa-
personal friendship that will get him ments have limited personnel and funds, tion. If they do badly and alienate the
additional information. For game pur- so a crime scene will generally get only local police, they may get key informa-
poses, she could be someone Williams’ the attention it seems to merit. If the tion by other means, but they should
player mentioned in the character’s cause of death and culprit seem obvious, expect a more difficult challenge.
background, a holdover from a previous few departments will take the time to
adventure, a Contact, or just an NPC the look for minor bits of trace evidence. If a Identifying an unknown body is easi-
GM created for color. man’s body is found with a knife buried er for the modern investigator. In this
in his chest and his wife’s fingerprints on chapter’s example, Oliver’s body was
THE MODERN the knife, it will be treated as a routine identified by circumstance. Her car was
CRIME SCENE domestic homicide. Obvious crimes parked by the reservoir. Her wallet was
don’t normally get turned into RPG found in the pants pocket of a drowned
Nancy Oliver’s car sat in a corner of the adventures unless there’s something body of the correct gender, ethnicity,
impound lot. Williams walked around it more to the case than meets the eye. This weight, height, apparent age, and hair
thoughtfully. He looked at the pictures of can lead the players into meta-game color. Her fingerprints were taken, but
it at the scene. No one had gone to great thinking. They know that the GM proba- were not on file. If there was any con-
effort processing it. There was nothing bly didn’t spend a week preparing for a cern about misidentification, a dental
obvious to find. Television aside, DNA simple homicide. There’s got to be a trick record comparison or a DNA test could
tests, hair and fiber analysis, even lumi- or twist somewhere. be done. Prolonged immersion in water
nol, all cost money and time. Not some- makes it hard to make a reliable visual
thing the Wrighton force could afford to Modern forensic tools provide many identification, so Williams should keep
waste. Williams’ client could not afford places to hide that twist. The characters in mind that without confirming the
costly tests either. can look for and find all sorts of inter- identification with dental records or
esting evidence. A skilled criminologist DNA, this might not be Oliver’s body. So
Williams looked under and over the car with a large budget can virtually recon- far, he has no reason to doubt the
at the mud and brush, hoping to see some- struct the crime, step-by-step, using identification.
thing interesting. Nothing unusual. He blood spatter analysis, fingerprints,
looked at the department’s inventory – wound patterns, and other evidence. Experts will be able to estimate time
standard procedure to search the car when Players can drown in that sea of infor- of death to within an hour or two with
it was impounded. Nothing unusual. mation if they don’t have some idea how reasonable accuracy. The modern setting
to prioritize and categorize it. A mystery can support adventures involving
The police had found Oliver’s keys still adventure should provide enough red detailed alibis with railroad schedules,
in her pocket when they recovered the herrings to make the puzzle a challenge, ATM withdrawals, cell phone calls, and
body. Williams used them to open the but not so many that the players can’t so forth. Checking alibis can get tedious.
trunk. A tire. Some tools. A snow shovel. remember the important details. Players, and the investigators they are
He looked carefully at the rug for stains. portraying, may get bored trying to com-
None. He opened the car door and rifled If the PCs are not police officers, a pare all the various details. A trustwor-
through the glove compartment and over key NPC will be the police detective in thy assistant can handle this in the back-
the visors. Students’ cars were usually charge of any obvious crime scene. The ground while the main characters are
messier – text books, papers, computer department will have generated a huge busy with other leads. The GM might
disks, CDs. This one was clean except for quantity of reports, sketches, photo- also summarize the background investi-
a few receipts – one for the Turnpike, one graphs, physical evidence, and laborato- gation with a quick summary like “four
for gas. He put the key in the ignition to ry results. Getting access to that infor- hours of telephone calls later, you’ve
look at the gas gauge. Why would anyone mation can be critical to an investiga- confirmed all the details but one.”
tion. The investigators will need to figure

68 GURPS MYSTERIES

Experts will also be able to find a witness’ uncertainty or demonstrated Over the register, a television screen con-
great deal of information from third- unreliability. That same convention stantly flicked between images from the
party records. Some players will want to applies to the possibility of forensic mis- security cameras inside and outside. The
describe their investigators’ search takes. In a mystery, there’s no chance of clerk didn’t know how long the videos
through these kinds of records in great lab error unless there’s some reason to were kept, but he was willing to call his
detail. Others will prefer a summary of expect it, like an obviously careless lab boss about them.
their results. If they offer some sugges- technician or a visibly cluttered and
tions for research, the GM may reward poorly maintained lab space. Williams showed the harried man his
any clever ideas with useful clues. Many license. He explained that he was investi-
gating the death of a woman who had
The presence of a private investigator can be bought gas at the station the day she’d
taken as a rebuke, a sign that the deceased’s family died. He had the time from the receipt.
doesn’t have confidence in the local police. Looking at the video wouldn’t take more
than a few minutes. The manager sighed
people leave a trail of their daily lives as On the other hand, the odds that and got his keys for the storeroom. The gas
they use credit and debit cards, cell some evidence has been forged or plant- station video flicked between grainy
phones, e-mail, and other devices that ed are higher in fiction than in reality. images: Oliver’s car. Oliver filling her tank.
record the time and content of their Clever incarcerated criminals have tried A car pulling in behind Oliver. A man talk-
transactions. Growing numbers of busi- to plant their own DNA or fingerprints at ing to her. The camera angle was high and
nesses have security cameras that record a crime scene to create the perfect alibi. the man wore a hat, concealing his face.
every person who enters their stores There are no known cases of criminals Both Oliver and the man looking at a map
(and often those who pass their win- leaving false or forged fingerprints; and together. Oliver coming in to pay. The man
dows). London and some other cities only a few known cases of planting swiping a credit card at the gas pump.
even have cameras in public places to someone else’s DNA at a crime scene,
deter street crime. This makes it harder although fictional bad guys do both fre- Williams looked at the manager. “Can
for criminals to create a false alibi, and quently. Since the false evidence has to you tell me who charged the gas on that
provides lots of potential sources for be taken or molded from a real person, second car?”
information about the crime scene and the investigators may realize something
its surroundings. is wrong if they find out the other person Williams began his missing persons
would not have committed the crime or case by talking to the people who knew
The modern setting also yields more they discover a suspect with unusual Oliver best and who saw her last. He
sophisticated villains. The same movies, skills or interest in forensic evidence. talked to her friends, family, co-workers,
television shows, and books that make and students. He looked around her
most people aware of the need to pre- There have been a few cases of apartment, her cube, and her lab. When
serve crime scenes make potential crim- overzealous police officers or crime he could, he asked witnesses to show
inals aware of potential forensic evi- scene technicians taking a suspect’s fin- him receipts, phone records, store secu-
dence. Only people acting in the heat of gerprints from another location and rity videos, and anything else that might
sudden emotion or intoxication will falsely claiming to have found them at help confirm their story and help him
commit a crime without wearing gloves the crime scene. Some departments figure out what happened. In a game, a
or wiping down the scene afterward. have been accused of planting suspects’ great deal of this can be handled through
Criminals are more careful about blood blood and DNA at scenes as well. There summaries of the investigators’ results,
and other bodily fluids. Many know to should be some hints if the investigators only roleplaying a key scene or two.
wash their hands after handling a should not trust their own experts. The
firearm to clean off gunpowder residue. investigators should be wary if they find Williams keeps a notebook with
This awareness can make a crime more an undisclosed connection between the details of his interviews. Some he
challenging for investigators. expert and a suspect – a family member, records on a tape recorder he keeps in
Experienced investigators may realize friend, secret affair, rivalry, jealousy, etc. his car. This isn’t the kind of investiga-
that a lack of forensic evidence points to – or if the expert is abnormally fixated tion where he has witnesses give formal
an experienced or thorough perpetrator. on the suspect and refuses to consider statements. That’s more often a job for
The carefully planned crime scene any alternative theories. police.
should contrast sharply with more
typical scenes. THE MODERN Williams isn’t looking for evidence,
INVESTIGATION he’s looking for information. That’s a big
On the other hand, the mystery genre difference. Evidence is dependable infor-
makes some evidence more reliable in The clerk remembered nothing, of mation that can be used in an eventual
fiction than in the real world. Chapter 3 course. The station was the typical gas trial. There are legal rules about how it
discussed the real-world unreliability of station and mini-mart, with a constant can be gathered and by whom.
eyewitnesses and why, for dramatic pur- stream of customers from the highway. Information can come from anyone.
poses, most stories disregard witness Often Williams has to promise not to
mistakes or signal them through the reveal his sources. His reputation
depends on his honoring those promis-
es. Once a detective makes a promise to
protect a source, there is often a subse-
quent scene where someone else tries to
pressure him to break that promise.

GURPS MYSTERIES 69

Williams rarely breaks into a location detective who uses high-tech bugs and city might have 10,000 residents, all of
for evidence. If an investigator does tracking transmitters. The tracking whom have daily interactions with their
break into a location, this can be a good transmitter is legal. The bug isn’t. neighbors and with merchants, clergy,
action scene, particularly if a janitor, Williams knows who to hire for that sort and local officials. A typical 20th-century
security guard, or late-working employ- of job, but he does his work with binoc- city has millions, even tens of millions of
ee nearly catches the investigator in the ulars, and a camera with a telephoto residents, few of whom could reliably
act. A sleuth who prefers less action can, lens if he needs proof of what he’s seen. pick out the inhabitants of their own
like Williams, convince a bureaucrat or high-rise residences in a lineup. City size
clerk to tell him what he wants to know. Surveillance scenes are also good makes people more anonymous.
places for action; chasing after a person Modern people can more easily keep
Once Williams knows who Oliver was without getting spotted takes skill, luck, their lives secret from friends, family,
talking to, he decides to follow the sus- and a willingness to take risks. If the sus- and neighbors. The sheer number of
pect for a day. He needs more informa- pect spots the tail, the detective is likely customers in an urban store means that
tion before a confrontation. He glances burned and will have to stop. Expect only regular customers are likely to be
at his gas tank – nearly full – and pulls an obstacles – a slow driver, a nosy neigh- remembered, and may not be known by
energy bar out of his glove compart- bor, or a store detective wondering why name. Strangers come into frequent
ment. He will need to find a good loca- the investigator is so intent on a fellow contact, which allows more crimes
tion for a stakeout. During the day, espe- shopper. Other obstacles might include a where the victim and perpetrator meet
cially in a suburban neighborhood, he low tank of gas, gnawing hunger or by chance and are otherwise unrelated.
risks being spotted by some concerned thirst while unprepared on a stakeout, or
citizen who would report him to police having to decide whether to stay all Investigators, and others, depend
as a suspected stalker or pedophile. night to watch a suspect who’s gone more on identity documents than on
home. If there are multiple detectives people’s claims about who and what they
Williams keeps his car stocked and conducting surveillance, they can talk are. When not solving mysteries, profes-
ready for surveillance. Ideally, Williams about the case or bond while bored and sional private eyes spend a fair amount
would prefer to have a couple of assis- alone watching the suspect. of time doing background checks for
tants helping him. Following someone, employers on employees, and looking
especially someone who knows you, is Anonymity and Mobility for debtors and property with liens on it.
difficult alone. Using multiple cars, or
multiple people if on foot, makes it eas- A big change from the low-tech set- Modern society is also very mobile.
ier to follow the quarry, and harder to ting to the modern one is the size of Relatively few people spend their whole
get burned. Williams isn’t the kind of modern cities. A typical 14th-century lives in the same state, never mind the
same community. Ties of family and
Can I Invent Fingerprints friends are much looser than in low-tech
First? societies. Mobility makes people more
anonymous. It also allows criminals to
Players may want to use techniques that, by the timeline, are cutting edge strike far from their homes. Thieves and
for their setting. An expert could have heard of experiments with the tech- con artists can steal a person’s wallet and
nique (roll the lower of his Research and his appropriate science skill, at a -1 use his bank account or credit card num-
penalty for every year between the setting and the date the technique was offi- bers without ever setting foot in the vic-
cially introduced). He could also independently evolve the technique (roll tim’s home state, or even country.
appropriate science skill at -2 penalty per year).
Travel allows opportunities to move
In either case, the technique is still experimental. Using it requires a -3 to the investigators around. If they are get-
-5 penalty to the skill check, in addition to any penalties for the situation. If the ting too comfortable in one setting, the
investigator fails the check by just the penalty for it being experimental, some- GM can send them on a trip to another
thing has gone wrong with the test – he’s likely getting either a false positive or city or country for a publicity tour, or
false negative result. even a vacation, and let them solve a
mystery during the journey. If the char-
Once the technique is published, roll Research (normal check) to be aware acters are used to friendly relationships
of it. If the detective does not get training in the technique from an appropri- with their local police and experts, being
ate teacher, then apply a -3 penalty to the skill use within the first one to two in a foreign land, or even another state,
years of the technique’s introduction. means they have to establish their bona
fides with locals who may resent fast-
After two years, the technique has become sufficiently reliable that anyone talking big-city experts.
who has the appropriate skill can use it without any penalty. Most forensic
methods are sufficiently complex that results obtained by those who do not
have significant skill and the proper equipment would not be admissible in
court, although the test may still provide useful information.

Those wishing more detail in a forensic expert oriented campaign may with
to adopt the New Inventions (pp. 473-74) and/or Gageteering rules (p. 475-77)
to forensics tests and techniques.

70 GURPS MYSTERIES

Forensic Science crime scenes looking for witnesses to describing their characters’ performance
interview for their stories. The more and their reputations as seen by the
Forensic science evolves during the interesting the crime, the more reporters sources quoted in the story.
“modern” setting. The timeline at the may show up to cover it. A dogged
end of the chapter gives the dates of pub- reporter investigating the case for the CONFRONTATIONS
lication or first successful use in a crim- evening news may give players an incen-
inal case of various important forensic tive to keep a case quiet and to find wit- The professor stared up at Williams,
tests. As Archie Goodwin observes in the nesses first. Press attention is often bad who loomed over him, his hands tight on
quote at the start of the chapter, forensic for an ongoing case. Once a case the arms of the professor’s chair. It had
science is usually not the key to a fic- becomes public, witnesses may refuse to taken a while to put it together.
tional mystery. If there were obvious talk for fear of press attention. Or they
clues that would point the police to a may refuse to talk to police or private “I know you went to the reservoir
suspect, then there would not be much investigators before they have made a together. I saw you on the gas station
of a puzzle. The detectives will need to deal for their story, or their videotape, security video. What did you tell her? That
interpret the forensic evidence they find with the media. Some witnesses may you needed samples of the bacteria in the
in order to solve the case. subconsciously conform their stories reservoir for your book?”
and perceptions to what they have heard
Forensics can point out what didn’t in the news. Other witnesses may give Williams didn’t wait for an answer.
happen, too. In many Christie novels, false testimony to be “helpful,” to get “She hadn’t figured it out yet. Her thesis
the experts can tell the detective roughly media attention, or to collect offered would have proven your project was a
when the victim died (useful for investi- rewards. fraud. You had to stop her. So you killed
gating alibis) and how the victim died (if her.”
it isn’t obvious). Experts can bring to GMs can also create newspaper sto-
light useful, but often misleading clues ries to summarize facts, or provide infor- “No!” The professor yelled. “It wasn’t
like fingerprints or boot impressions mation from minor witnesses or experts like that. She . . . she was blackmailing
outside a window. A mystery adventure the detectives missed in their prelimi- me, detective. Her thesis was crap. But if I
essentially requires that forensic science nary investigation. Articles and editori- didn’t help her, she was going to tell my
alone does not solve the case. The play- als can summarize past investigations or wife about our affair at that conference in
ers and their characters need to figure summarize an adversary’s trial and sen- Cancun. I didn’t have any choice. If I’d
out how to use the available data. tence as a postscript. Newspaper stories backed her thesis I’d be ruined. If she told
can give in-world feedback to players by my wife, I’d be divorced. I didn’t have any
The Press other choice. You have to understand.”

“When dealing with real people rather Defense Investigators
than institutions or politicians, empathy
is more important than intimidation or In the modern era, the United States and many other countries provide
subterfuge. If a reporter could win a per- public defenders and defense investigators to those accused of crimes who
son’s trust, the person would give up cannot afford their own lawyers and private investigators. Perry Mason and
almost anything you asked for, often a lot Horace Rumpole, both trial attorneys, investigate cases themselves, or with
more than you ever expected.” hired assistants, to prove their clients’ innocence. A convention of this genre is
that the client is almost always innocent, but has secrets to hide that make him
– Mitch Gelman, look guilty.
Crime Scene: On the Streets
with A Rookie Police Reporter Characters may find themselves cast as defense investigators if they, or
some NPC they care about, are accused of a crime. The defense investigator’s
Reporters, especially investigative job is fundamentally different from a police or prosecutor’s investigator. A
and muckraking reporters, are part of police detective determines that a crime occurs, investigates the crime to dis-
the modern setting. Players can use cover evidence leading to a suspect, then identifies and arrests the suspect. The
reporters as a background for “amateur” defense investigator, on the other hand, tries to find (not create) evidence sup-
investigators. GMs can use the press as a porting reasonable doubt that would require a jury to find the suspect not
way to put time pressure on the investi- guilty. Defense investigators confirm alibis, investigate alternative suspects,
gators to handle the case quickly, with a and examine the credibility of prosecution witnesses and physical evidence.
minimum of fuss. As soon as the police
know of a crime, reporters will learn A defense investigator starts with the police reports, laboratory reports,
about it through their police sources and crime scene information, and witness statements. The police will have done
through radio scanners tuned to police most of the preliminary investigation. The defense investigator is looking for
frequencies. Police may use reporters to holes and gaps in that work. Then the investigator meets with the suspect (his
publicize warnings or descriptions of client) to discuss his history and the prosecutor’s case. Often the investigator
criminals, to boost their own reputations goes to the crime scene to take additional measurements and photographs
through media coverage, or to settle (and to check the accuracy of the police work). He conducts background
scores with rival officers or departments investigations on all the witnesses, and may check the credentials of experts.
by selectively airing bad news.

Reporters can be rivals and foils for
the PCs. Reporters often respond to

GURPS MYSTERIES 71

Confrontations, for the modern Players may want to roleplay some of the suspect’s home or the detective’s
investigator, can be the traditional draw- these methods. An actual interrogation office. Hard-boiled detectives tend to
ing-room scene, bracing the suspect takes several hours. In a game, it can be favor the intimidating “maximization”
alone, or a police interrogation. There compressed into a few key scenes. approach. Detectives in cozies tend to
are more legal constraints on the mod- prefer the subtler minimization
ern investigator. Kidnapping and torture An investigator interrogating a sus- approach, with the implicit promise of
that was an accepted part of low-tech pect may try to scare him by overstating leniency if the suspect explains himself.
justice became unacceptable in modern the seriousness of the offense, magnify-
Western societies. The rubber-hose ing the possible punishments, and exag- The GM should consider how the
method of obtaining confessions was gerating the evidence against the sus- NPC will respond to these methods. The
outlawed in the United States in 1932. pect. The suspect feels trapped and confrontation scene is the climax of the
Instead of physical violence, modern frightened. Sometimes this will intimi- mystery adventure in the same way that
investigators often use a variety of psy- date a suspect into confessing in hopes the fight scene with the mastermind
chological methods to get incriminating of some mercy from police and the villain is the climax of an action
statements. courts. Another approach is to “soft sell” adventure.
the situation and lure the suspect into a
Modern investigators rarely shine false sense of security with offers of Trials
bright lights on suspects, grill them for sympathy, tolerance, face-saving excuses
24 hours a day, or beat them with rubber or justifications, blaming the victim or “Nobody won, the truth emerges some-
hoses. Courts no longer deem confes- an accomplice, and minimizing the seri- times, Inspector, even down the Old Bailey.”
sions obtained by those methods to be ousness of the evidence, charges, and
reliable. (Some societies still allow coer- punishment. Often a combination of the – Horace Rumpole,
cive methods to be used in emergencies, two methods is used, first terrifying the Rumpole of the Bailey
such as against terrorist bombers, but suspect, then offering him a face-saving
limit the use of the information received escape. American police are not allowed Criminal trials are not common in
at trial.) Modern techniques involve to bribe a suspect with direct promises fictional mysteries, unless the investiga-
feigned sympathy and friendship, and threats, but they can make nebulous tor is an attorney. For the most part, the
appeals to God and religion, using offers to “put in a good word” with the trial is an assumed postscript. If the
informants, confronting the witness prosecutor or the judge. criminal confesses, or at least makes
with true or false incriminating evi- incriminating admissions, then arrest
dence, the tried-and-true “good cop/bad The same basic techniques can be and eventual conviction are virtually
cop” routine, and other tricks. used to get a confession from a suspect assured. Even if the villain maintains his
in a confrontation between a private innocence, convincing physical evidence
detective and a suspect in the privacy of and witnesses can make a conviction
virtually certain.

Lawyering Up

“You have the right to remain silent. If you give up this of bluff, charm, and intimidation, often they can make a
right, what you say may be taken down and used in evidence suspect stay and talk longer than is in his best interests.
against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an
attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an Once a suspect realizes that the investigator is closing in
attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand on him, he should realistically hire an attorney and refuse
these rights?” to speak to an investigator without the attorney’s presence.
The attorney will generally insist on speaking only with
– Text of a standard Miranda warning police, on search warrants, and on not cooperating with
private investigators. This would bring an adventure to a
Since the Miranda decision by the United States dead end and move the action mostly into the hands of NPC
Supreme Court in 1966, American police officers must tell prosecutors and attorneys.
suspects about their rights before beginning any interroga-
tion. Most suspects waive their rights and try to talk their GMs should limit the times when a witness decides to
way out of trouble. Instead, they often talk their way into a “lawyer up” and insist on his rights. Let the suspects be
jail cell. arrogant, overconfident, or afraid of looking guilty. Let
them graciously let the investigators poke around, certain
Miranda only applies to an interrogation, which under that they have cleaned up any incriminating evidence.
American law means an interview under circumstances
when a reasonable person in the suspects’ shoes wouldn’t If the players are roleplaying poorly – relying too much
believe that he was free to go. If the police ask the suspect on intimidation, for example – then have a minor witness
to come down to the station voluntarily, a Miranda warning demand a lawyer in response to their approach. This will
isn’t required at that point. remind them of the dangers of their tactics, without creat-
ing a fatal dead end to the adventure. If the players persist,
Miranda only applies to police. Private detectives are just then have a key witness or suspect demand a lawyer. The
ordinary citizens with very little power to make a citizen’s case should still be solvable, despite the presence of the
arrest. They can’t legally detain someone, but by a mixture lawyer, but with much more effort.

72 GURPS MYSTERIES

If the GM wants to include parts of a school mock trials, which are available The early decades of the Pinkerton
criminal court proceeding, GURPS from any state bar association or at Agency, from 1855 to the 1920s, are a
Cops has some ideas about how to role- w w w. n a t i o n a l m o c k t r i a l . o r g / good example of a detective organiza-
play the dramatic parts of a criminal rules.htm.) tion in an early-modern setting. The
trial. Perry Mason, the archetypal present-day Pinkerton corporation,
lawyer/investigator, generally confronted Investigators can be involved in trials which is part of a multinational corpo-
and unmasked one of the prosecution’s behind the scenes too. They can search ration, is probably too large to allow the
witnesses as the true villain during for witnesses who have refused to characters a reasonable amount of flex-
cross-examination in his client’s trial. appear. They can find information to ibility. The Pinkertons are an example of
This scene is very similar to an interro- counter a last-minute surprise from a large patron detective agency suitable
gation; however, the attorney/investiga- their opponent. They can prevent a vil- for any setting where merchants and
tor has to lead the witness step-by-step lain from corrupting the trial by protect- businesses need private protection in
into a logical contradiction with a series ing witnesses from intimidation or the absence of a professional police
of questions. Horace Rumpole also wins harm. They can run background checks force.
by clever cross-examination, or by find- on jurors or even the judge.
ing new witnesses or evidence that the The Pinkerton Agency’s original
prosecutor has missed. The minutia of PUNISHMENT headquarters was in
procedural and evidence rules is not Chicago, where Allan
important; Mason and Rumpole rou- Punishment is also an epilogue to Pinkerton (1819-
tinely use tactics that would get a mod- a modern mystery. By the end of the 1884) ran it with a
ern American attorney held in contempt confrontation, or in a brief epilogue, careful eye. At first, he
or even disbarred. the PCs should be certain that they recruited each operative
have prevailed and justice has been
Setting up a climactic trial scene is done. Most modern murderers are and trained them in his
very difficult. First, only one PC (the imprisoned, not executed, which own style of disguise and investi-
attorney) is generally speaking, which provides opportunities for investiga- gation. Pinkerton was a firm
can be very boring for the other players. tors in ongoing campaigns to consult believer in scientific detection.
Also, there’s not much suspense if a with their former foes about new cases, The Chicago office maintained files of
player is portraying an attorney and the or old cases that they were not able to mug shots and notes about associates
GM is portraying everyone else. If the close. Minor criminals and former min- and habits (modus operandi) that could
characters are the defendants, then each ions who have been paroled or received be quickly sent to any field agent by tele-
of them in turn gets a chance to outwit probation may reappear as informants graph, and later telephone. Pinkerton
the prosecutor during cross-examina- offering information in return for money was also a believer in phrenology, and
tion, but again, having only one player or other favors. Major criminals may once rejected a suitor for his daughter
active at a time can be boring for the escape or eventually finish their sen- because of the size of the man’s head.
others. tences and return to cause more trouble. His operatives needed to be men, and
women, of somber habits and good
If players have nothing to do during a SAMPLE character, but he did not require any spe-
trial, try casting them as prosecutors or ORGANIZATION: cial training or background. He pre-
even the judge. Often Rumpole finds THE PINKERTON ferred his operatives to abstain from
himself defending a case that another AGENCY liquor, except under extreme situations
member of his chambers is prosecuting. necessary to their work. He prohibited
Sometimes, the trial is taking place “The individual detective of former “profane and obscene language” among
before a tribunal presided over by yet a days has passed away, or, if he exists, has his operatives. He prohibited gambling,
third member of his chambers. (This is become corrupt. In order to capture the lending money between operatives, and
not allowed in an American trial due to a perpetrators of crime in this immense any discussion of politics or religion
conflict-of-interests rules.) The only country, peopled by every nationality on within the office.
problem with this set-up is that the GM the globe, it has become necessary to The agency provided railroad police
may need to separate the players so that establish large agencies, conducted with to protect railroads from robbery, theft,
each attorney can investigate his case the most perfect system. In tracing crimi- and sabotage by outsiders and employ-
without necessarily disclosing his leads nals, the manager of an agency, like the ees. Pinkerton undercover investigators
and results to the opposing players and general of an army, lays out the plans and watched for employee embezzlement, a
their attorneys. Because the judge has selects the men to carry them out; some- new crime in the 1850s, and thefts by
little to do until the trial scene, consider times, in important matters, going to the employees of mail and customer proper-
recruiting an outside player, one who field of operations to direct, in person, but ty. The railroads also crossed through
knows nothing about the investigation, generally giving his instructions from the many jurisdictions; in the absence of
to roleplay the jury or judge. Since this main office, where he has hundreds of national and statewide police forces,
person doesn’t know the story, there’s cases to look after at a time.” only a private agency could or would
narrative tension about whether the pursue a criminal who could easily flee
characters will be able to persuade a – Allan Pinkerton, local or county police. Pinkerton’s con-
neutral outsider to support their side. Claude Melnotte as a Detective tacts with the Illinois Central Railroad
(For more information on how to set up led to the agency’s wartime work in mil-
an adventure in this format, look at the and Other Stories itary intelligence and as temporary
simplified rules for American high bodyguards for President Lincoln.

GURPS MYSTERIES 73

In 1858, the Pinkertons created the underground operatives to investigate relations cases. In general, it avoided
uniformed Protective Police Patrol, workplaces, but its uniformed men were cases that would bring it into conflict
which provided night watchmen for limited to race tracks and other less with the federal government or powerful
banks and businesses for 50 cents a dangerous sites. corporations.
week. The agency investigated bank rob-
beries, frauds, and embezzlement. After In the late 1880s, the Pinkertons PCs who are Pinkerton operatives will
the war, it fought against gangs of bank began protecting groups of jewelers and have a reputation for professionalism
robbers and raiders, often Civil War vet- groups of banks from thefts. The agency and tenacity. Business leaders will gener-
erans, who attacked banks and railroads. began training small businesses in loss ally react favorably; union organizers
It condoned vigilante reprisals against prevention and precautions. Signs with suspicion; and police with mixed
robbers who were otherwise unprose- prominently warned thieves which busi- respect and rivalry. Male and female
cutable. One such attack led to the death nesses were under Pinkerton protection. operatives will be trained in disguise and
of Jesse James’ mother and his eight- Safecrackers vied with safe makers. long-term undercover work. They will be
year-old half-brother in 1875, which When robbers succeeded, the Pinkertons expected to give frequent written reports
resulted in a flood of bad publicity for the tried to track down the thieves and to be read by their supervisors and the
firm. recover the lost money. The agency also client.
pursued con artists and forgers who
The agency became allied with busi- defrauded its clients. Operatives will be expected to be on
ness leaders during various labor dis- call at all times, and to behave well both
putes. Undercover operatives infiltrated By 1907, the agency had 20 offices on duty and at home. They may chafe at
both union organizers and often-violent around the country and was divided into Pinkerton’s obsessive oversight and spy-
secret societies of laborers, including the three divisions – New York, Chicago, and ing on his own employees, but they will
Molly Maguires (1875-76). The agency’s Denver. An office was divided into four gain valuable experience and contacts.
uniformed watchmen expanded from a sections: clerical (accountants, janitors,
Chicago patrol to guarding race tracks, cashiers, stenographers), criminal As adversaries, the Pinkertons’
businesses involved in strikes, even (record keeping), operations (two or bureaucratic, organized methods and
Coney Island. Pinkerton watchmen were more detectives, plus undercover opera- relentless pursuit of criminals who
blamed for the deaths of strikers and tives), and executive (superintendent attack their protected businesses make
bystanders in several strikes. The agency and 1-2 assistants). them dangerous foes. For crooks used to
also began recruiting strikebreakers and bribing corrupt police and politicians,
scab labor for its clients. Following the At the turn of the century, a typical and running from jurisdictions that get
death of three Pinkerton guards and 10 Pinkerton operative charged $6 to $8 per too “hot,” the Pinkertons can come as
strikers in the Homestead strike (1892) day on a strict “per diem” basis and quite a shock. Their expertise at under-
and subsequent congressional investiga- received a salary of $13 to $16 per week, cover operations; indexed records on
tions, the agency decided that supplying a bit less than an urban police detective. criminals, their methods, and their asso-
guards for labor disputes was dangerous (Valuable informants were paid $12 per ciates; and wide array of contacts will
and unprofitable. It still supplied week.) He was not allowed to collect make it difficult for criminals to escape
rewards or bonuses for his efforts. The from scrutiny for any sustained period.
SCIENCE firm refused divorce and marital

FICTION MYSTERIES

“Justice, Elijah, is that which exists John W. Campbell, the noted science mystery writer, confused carbon dioxide
when all the laws are enforced.” fiction editor, once wrote that it was and carbon monoxide, his reader might
impossible to write a science fiction forgive the error as long as the story was
Fastolfe nodded. “A good definition, mystery. He opined that the author still entertaining. If the GM makes a
Mr. Bailey, for a robot. The desire to see all would be too tempted to give the detec- similar mistake while running a science
laws enforced has been built into R. tive extraordinary powers to advance fiction mystery he may see his adven-
Daneel, now. Justice is a very concrete the plot. Certainly that’s one problem. In ture, and perhaps his campaign setting,
term to him since it is based on law an RPG, if the detective can have cyber- collapse.
enforcement, which is in turn based upon netic implants or biotech enhance-
the existence of specific and definite laws. ments, or be something entirely non- Isaac Asimov took up Campbell’s
There is nothing abstract about it. A human like an alien species, infomorph challenge and wrote several science fic-
human being can recognize the fact that, (see pp. TS119-120), or even a being of tion mysteries and short stories.
on the basis of an abstract moral code, pure thought, it’s hard to create a chal- Asimov’s focus was not on the technolo-
some laws may be bad ones and their lenging puzzle for him. It can also be gy of his setting, but on sound reasoning
enforcement unjust. What do you say R. difficult for a player to know what to do mixed with familiar high-school science
Daneel? with a character so far from the player’s principles. Following Asimov’s example
own experience. and making the mystery turn on familiar
“An unjust law,” said R. Daneel evenly, principles rather than setting-specific
“is a contradiction in terms.” Another problem with the science technology or background history may
–Dr. Han Fastolfe and R. Daneel Olivaw, fiction mystery is making sure the sci- help GMs create solvable puzzles for
ence stays consistent and plausible. If their players.
The Caves of Steel John Dickson Carr, noted locked-room

74 GURPS MYSTERIES

The science fiction mystery is an Adapting Plots
extension of the modern mystery.
Science, logic, and deduction are still the The English cozy mystery translates easily to isolated space stations, under-
investigator’s basic tools. GURPS offers sea colonies, and space-ship crews on long journeys. It is harder to adapt on a
so many possible technologies and soci- densely populated future-tech world.
eties, ranging from Bio-Tech and Ultra-
Tech to specific settings like Prime The hard-boiled detective story adapts easily to a cyberpunk setting, or
Directive, GURPS Traveller, and other settings with corrupt governments and inept or ineffective law enforce-
Transhuman Space, that it is difficult to ment.
talk about all the specifics in one book.
(The term “super-science” in this chapter Police procedurals also adapt easily to the super-science setting. New tech-
refers to any of the advanced technolo- nology will create new crimes and new methods of detection, but the tried and
gies in such source books.) This chapter true techniques of law enforcement, like questioning witnesses and interro-
can only give GMs an overview of the gating suspects, will always be needed.
generic problems and themes they may
encounter in creating a science fiction Thrillers work well in high-tech settings, crowded populations, and with
mystery adventure. themes of man against unfeeling forces, whether they be computers, aliens, or
giant bureaucracies.
THE SCIENCE
FICTION The familiar iconic investigators can changes to those rules should be fore-
INVESTIGATOR all be used in a science fiction setting. shadowed – if one of the suspects is a
The eccentric genius detective, like top government scientist working on
A classic theme of science fiction is Sherlock Holmes, may still be able to classified military technology, for exam-
defining the essence of humanity. That’s notice details that even a powerful AI ple, then the investigators are fore-
a key theme of Transhuman Space and would ignore or misunderstand. A warned that he or his foes may have
of many other futuristic settings. Despite Poirot-like deep understanding of human access to equipment far beyond what
the miracles promised by advanced tech- nature absent any tools may befuddle a they’d expect in everyday investigations.
nology, people are still basically the villainous hacker who is prepared to
same. They still kill each other for pas- counter a more technological approach. Super-science may allow an investi-
sion or profit. They still steal, cheat, lie, Private security and private investigators gator to carry a full forensics lab in a
and deceive their spouses. In order to still have their place, often as beacons of briefcase (see p. UTT26) or less (see
solve essentially human misdeeds, the integrity in an otherwise impersonal and Forensic Nano, p. UTT83). However, the
investigator must have a basic under- bureaucratic future. Police and special- investigator must make sense of the
standing of human nature. ists are natural character choices in results provided, including accounting
many science fiction settings. for crime scene contamination by
Super-science can give a player’s bystanders or investigating officers.
investigator amazing powers and tools. THE SCIENCE Expert systems may be able to make that
He can be a quintessential outsider like FICTION CRIME decision, but the investigator should be
an android, sentient computer, or being SCENE cautious about relying on algorithms
of pure thought. He might be enhanced that may discard important data, assum-
with mechanical or genetic implants to Advanced technology will create ing it to be contamination, not a vital
make him smarter or more observant new opportunities for criminals and clue. Infomorphs and AIs have personal-
than any normal human. Or he might be provide investigators with even more ities – they may not be objective in their
a normal human called upon to solve a powerful tools to find clues. The GM data analysis and may miss or downplay
mystery where the suspects’ nature, abil- needs to give the investigators a sense of vital clues that don’t conform to their
ities, and motives are wholly or partly the limits governing technology within theories.
alien. the setting. The players, and their char-
acters, need a sense of how difficult it Cheap data storage may allow an
Super-science changes the skills an would be to forge key crime scene data, investigator to collect information from
investigator needs. Advanced technology and how hard it would be to detect a all sorts of systems. For example, a space
might further professionalize detective forgery. They need a sense of what ship or an advanced building may keep
work, leaving even less room for talented measures a typical police detective track of its internal temperature, humid-
amateurs and cynical shamuses in their might take, and how reliable the society ity, and even CO2 on a room-by-room
rumpled raincoats. On the other hand, deems that official investigation. Any basis, allowing an investigator to tell
easy-to-use “expert” computers may which rooms were occupied, even if he
make it possible for anyone to duplicate does not have a video recording of who
the results of a modern forensic labora- was present. An investigator might also
tory, leaving ample room for diligent be able to use logs for computers and
amateurs who can integrate physical evi- communications terminals to see who
dence with a broad understanding of was using equipment at the time, even if
human nature and human weakness. the contents of those communications
are protected by privacy laws.

GURPS MYSTERIES 75

Advances in cloning and genetic engi- materials, or in handouts or e-mail that knows to explain his actions. In a game,
neering may make it possible to recon- can be provided outside of the game ses- the characters are the detectives, and
struct the image of a suspect from recov- sion. Infodumps are useful, but GMs they need to know pertinent information
ered DNA, or even clone the whole body should not depend on players recalling to proceed.
(although a clone would not have the details at key moments.
memories of the original). On the other
hand, bodysculpting and other cosmetic Bio-Tech and Other Genre
surgery (p. BIO61) may give a suspect an Books
appearance that barely resembles his
DNA. Bodysculpting may even allow a When the GM is working with a specific genre book, the mystery and the
villain to match a dupe’s fingerprints and adventure should be targeted at the strengths and weaknesses of that genre. In
deposit his DNA, or allow an accomplice Bio-Tech, for example, the mystery might involve organlegging, stealing genet-
to appear as the villain and create a ic material or a stored braintape, homicides using tailored viruses, thrillers
perfect alibi. about killer diseases, and falsified DNA. The investigators will likely have
genetic or surgical modifications that give them superhuman abilities. The
Cloning and braintaping (p. BIO116) GM will need to adjust the power of their opponents accordingly.
create numerous possibilities for faking
one’s own death, and create difficult eth- Conversely, a GM could set his mystery against type. The killer uses an
ical questions about homicide when the archaic weapon, perhaps a slingshot, and is careful to remove traces of his
deceased can be resurrected nearly as DNA from the stone. Because he has not used a method they were expecting,
good as new. It may also create ques- the detectives may have to rely on interviews and basic forensics instead of
tions about punishment when police specialized Bio-Tech tools.
arrest the clone or ghostcomp of some-
one who committed a crime, then died. One type of infodump is the recap, THE SCIENCE
often preceded by “when last we left our FICTION
The means of committing crimes heroes” or “previously,” where the GM INVESTIGATION
may get esoteric. Target-seeking summarizes key scenes or information
pathogens (p. BIO89), for example, from earlier adventures so that the Super-science gives an investigator
allow killers to create a disease that can details are fresh in the players’ minds. access to massive amounts of informa-
be carried by anyone, which can only This is also useful for new players or tion nearly instantly. Investigators might
harm one person with a specific DNA players who were not at all of the ses- easily expect to have displays of crime
pattern. Tracing an otherwise benign sions relevant to the adventure at hand. scene sketches, floor plans of buildings,
virus back to its creator would be a displays from security cameras, login
Herculean task for a skilled investigator. Try to make infodumps interesting records from identity cards and comput-
and short. A mock newspaper clipping er stations, and a full genetic profile of
“AS YOU KNOW, can provide key information in one every suspect matched to the bits of
BOB . . .” – THE “story” and put related information DNA evidence found around the crime
PERILS OF nearby. Newspapers and magazines scene. This level of monitoring and
EXPOSITION often provide their readers with useful information can make adventure
maps, graphics, diagrams, timelines, preparation very difficult.
“As you know, Bob” is a hoary exposi- and other simple background informa-
tory device where one character lectures tion. Try creating excerpts from fake Don’t let the science, or the informa-
another on something they both should textbooks, the Encyclopedia Universal, tion, drive the adventure. Answer the
know, but the audience doesn’t. The expo- or library databases. If the investigators players’ questions and let them make
sition is usually important to the plot or use expert systems, a counterpart to the deductions. GMs can give any level of
the puzzle, but there’s no in-story reason Microsoft paperclip can provide “help- detail that seems appropriate and neces-
for the two characters to be discussing it. ful” exposition – “I see you are trying to sary. If an investigator is using the
This is a problem for any setting, but analyze Crystal Gibson. Crystal Gibson records kept by a life-support system of
more so for original science fiction set- is highly toxic to humanoids if touched room-by-room conditions to try to place
tings where the players don’t know any- or inhaled. Do you want to continue?” his suspects, for example, the GM could
thing about the world beyond what’s in tell him that the system showed changes
materials given to them. GMs may find Dr. Watson, Col. Hastings, and Archie in temperature, humidity, and CO2 at
themselves preparing “as you know, Bob” Goodwin often provide this service for specific locations and times. This pro-
dialog because the fact the investigators readers by explaining things that genius vides useful information, but the detec-
need to know isn’t part of the source or detectives like Holmes, Poirot, and Wolfe tive still needs to figure out whether the
background material, or the GM wants to take for granted. While “viewpoint” NPCs presumed people in each location were
make sure they remember the fact. are a good fictional device, they may not the rooms’ registered users, or other
work as well in a game. Watson, guests.
There are other ways to handle vital Hastings, and Goodwin are telling the
exposition. A traditional method is the reader things that the detective already
“infodump.” Unlike the fiction writer, a
GM can provide this to the players in
background material, in the game

76 GURPS MYSTERIES

1984 AND THE seamless web of monitoring to commit about why it might be hard to dispose of
DEATH OF impossible crimes. a body on a space station.
PRIVACY
Another option is to choose a setting If technological systems have safe-
Many science fiction settings assume that limits the characters’ super-tech guards, investigators will likely check for
the death of personal privacy. Various tools. If they are sent to investigate a tampering using their own skills or a
computer databases already keep track murder on a frontier colony, the colony hired expert. If they find tampering, then
of one’s bank accounts, credit cards, tele- may not maintain the sort of super-sci- they will begin looking for suspects with
phone calls, and utility charges for ence records they are used to at home. the technical skills to tamper, or the con-
billing purposes. Add to that the data- Thus, the investigators may have some tacts and resources to hire an expert. If
bases that use “affinity cards” to keep tools, like briefcase labs, that help move an unregistered or novel device was used,
track of grocery and other cash and the story along more quickly, but not detectives will be looking for someone
credit card purchases for marketing rea- tools that make a satisfying adventure with the resources to build or procure the
sons, and a very complete picture is difficult or impossible. item.
already available.
Similarly, while super-science makes Psychoprobes and Truth
Many cellular telephone networks it easier to identify a person using DNA Devices
can pinpoint a user to within a few feet. analysis, huge databases, or face recog-
Some governments require networks to nition software, the size of the campaign Another staple of science fiction that
make that location data available to pub- setting may be so large that old fash- can make a plot more complicated is an
lic safety agencies in case they need to ioned skip-tracing and background inexpensive, reliable, safe truth device or
locate the telephone user in an emer- checks are still needed. In a setting as drug. In Bujold’s Vorkosigan series, a
gency. It would be possible to maintain a large and varied as, say, Traveller’s drug called “fast-penta” is a safe, reliable
database to track telephones whenever Imperium, it is still possible for a villain truth serum that allows the target to
they are turned on. Future societies may or witness to flee as fast as the news of babble without restraint. (Credaline (p.
track similar devices, or implanted the crime, and disappear into huge pop- UT97) has similar effects.) The author
health monitoring devices that automat- ulations on frontier or lower-tech limits her protagonists’ ability to “fast-
ically call for help if the user is injured or worlds. penta” every suspect in sight by social
incapacitated. Even more advanced soci- customs and laws. She limits her antag-
eties might equip their citizens with Space is Big – Body onists’ ability to use it on her protago-
Recorder Implants (p. UT107) to track Disposal and Other nists and their allies by allowing intelli-
their perceptions and even thoughts. Problems gence services and criminals to create a
fatal allergy to the drug, and by giving
Tiny RFID microchips (“smart tags”) If the high-tech setting includes trips her protagonist a unique reaction to it
are being developed to keep track of into deep space, disintegration that will not kill him, but makes the drug
store inventories and prevent shoplift- weapons, matter transporters, or other useless against him.
ing. If the tags are not deactivated, they means of destroying or disposing of
could be used to track an item from bodies and other evidence without a Place similar limits on truth devices
manufacture to disposal. A smart-tag trace, a GM may have problems creat- and drugs that are established in a cam-
equipped meal could tell an oven how to ing a solvable mystery. Set the boundary paign. The internal reason is to protect
cook it, or tell a refrigerator when it rules carefully. Often an idea that cre- the privacy of individuals. Many people
passes its “sell-by” date so it could be dis- ates a good adventure early in the cam- have confidences and secrets they do not
carded. A smart-tag-equipped soda can paign – like using a transporter to want exposed to the public. Thus, the
found at a crime scene could tell an reverse aging or to accidentally clone a investigator may need to justify using
investigator where it was purchased and character – can cause problems later if the device or drug to some superior or
by whom. the device doesn’t work that way in a official by showing some evidence that
mystery or other puzzle. the suspect is guilty or concealing infor-
Combining pervasive security cam- mation critical to protecting the public.
eras in stores, banks, and various public Keep in mind that ways to control or If the suspect has social status, impor-
places with facial recognition software limit these kinds of devices will evolve as tant allies, or a powerful patron, using
could allow a computer to track a per- the devices become widespread. truth devices or drugs on him may have
son’s movements with ease. The movie Weapons may be registered and social or political repercussions.
version of Philip K. Dick’s Minority equipped with intricate safety and
Report includes ubiquitous iris scanners record-keeping systems. There may be
that customize advertising as the cus- sensors that look for the unique energy
tomer walks past, and can be used by discharge of weapons and immediately
the police to track a suspect’s every alert security forces upon their detec-
movement. tion. Matter transporters may have com-
plex built-in safeguards to prevent acci-
The PCs will likely wish to thwart dents or misuse. Although space is big,
these sorts of Orwellian measures for there may be customs inspections or
their own adventures. Criminals will do other searches to keep track of who is in
likewise, altering databases, creating space on what vessel. Ethan of Athos, by
false alibis, and otherwise using the Lois McMaster Bujold, has good details

GURPS MYSTERIES 77

Even if the investigators are allowed authorities focus on the wrong clues or who can evade both at once is a power-
to administer a truth drug to a suspect, cannot find the crime scene or victim. ful adversary for cross-time agents.
they still have to ask the right questions.
They may have the killer or a key witness If the investigators are using time Here, as in other SF and Fantasy gen-
and miss that fact through poor ques- travel merely to observe the past, with res, if solving the mystery depends on
tioning. Truth drugs and devices in sci- the intention of arresting the criminal in some feature of the setting that is not
ence fiction rarely make the subject tell the traveler’s present, the technology familiar to the players and their charac-
the questioner what he wants to know, may tempt the characters to intervene in ters, the GM needs to make sure that
just the answers to what he asks. the past. If, for example, they are track- clue is fairly presented early in the
ing a serial killer and are observing an adventure.
A variation on the truth device is early victim’s death, they might try to
computer-assisted lie detectors. In intervene, thus creating a paradox. GMs CONFRONTATIONS
Vernor Vinge’s A Deepness in the Sky, net- considering time travel adventures
works of nano-sensors allow some char- should read GURPS Time Travel for Despite instant and near-instant com-
acters to spy on every word and action in other cautions and plot ideas. munications ranging from e-mail to
a small colony. The networks even allow holodecks, an adventure should end
skilled users to see tiny changes in a sus- Infinite Worlds with a face-to-face confrontation
pect’s blood pressure, eye movements, between the investigators and the crimi-
and brain waves. While not a perfectly The Infinite Worlds setting lets the nal, or as close to that as may be possi-
reliable truth device, such sensors would GM change fundamental assumptions ble if their foe is a computer program or
provide a bonus to the Detect Lies skill about what is possible in each alternate otherwise disembodied. Personal inter-
similar to that given by the Empathy world. Physical laws may not work as actions add tension to a confrontation
advantage. (See pp. B65, UTT82-83.) the characters expect. Psionics or magic scene, which is vital to making the RPG
may exist instead of science. Cross-time mystery satisfying to the players.
Generally, someone legally using a investigators face a number of practical
truth device or lie detector must only ask difficulties. Stunning (see pp. UT55-56, UT67)
questions relevant to the crime, and non- and entangling (see p. UT51) devices –
controversial background questions to When the investigators are investi- essentially super-science versions of the
establish a baseline for the target’s gating natives of the setting, they may blackjack and handcuffs – give detec-
responses. Often, fictional interrogators have an advantage in technology or tives more options for capturing foes
accidentally discover more than they information, but it can be offset by the alive. In a hardboiled setting, they make
expected in an assisted interrogation. villains’ local knowledge and the investi- it easier for criminals to capture or tem-
For example, a person may reveal an gators’ difficulty figuring out where to porarily disable the private eye without
unsuspected romantic interest, embar- start looking for information on how to permanent injury.
rassing family secrets like an affair or distinguish this world’s normal and
out-of-wedlock child, or financial trou- abnormal conduct. Natives of the set- The high-tech trial may involve tri-
bles. In one real-world case, a police ting who do not know about parachron- bunals of telepaths, artificial intelli-
officer being interviewed for the CIA was ic travel will not take precautions gences, expert judging systems, or tradi-
asked if he’d ever committed a crime against such investigators when plan- tional courts, judges, and juries.
during a routine lie detector background ning their crimes, but they will take pre- Punishments may range from imprison-
check. The officer proudly admitted that cautions against normal law enforce- ment to execution to brain editing (see
he and some of his co-workers had man- ment methods in their setting, which p. BIO121), psychosurgery (see pp.
ufactured false fingerprint evidence may coincidentally be effective against BIO71-72), cryogenic suspension (see
against suspects they “knew” were the investigators. pp. BIO113-14), psionic personality
guilty. Needless to say, the officer did not reconstruction, mandatory organ dona-
get the job – he and his co-workers were Investigating world-traveling crimi- tion, or exile to prison planets. The trial
sent to jail, and several of their victims nals poses different problems. The vil- and sentence serve the same purpose in
were exonerated in retrials. lain must quickly learn how to thwart the high tech setting that they do in
the world’s law enforcement and navi- other mysteries. Unless the confronta-
Time Travel gate its society, then take precautions, as tion occurs in the trial itself, it is just a
resources permit, against both native postscript to the adventure. The villain’s
Technology or magic may allow char- authorities and parachronic investiga- punishment is likewise a postscript, as
acters to view the past, or travel back in tors and bounty-hunters. A savvy villain long as it is suitable and certain.
time to examine it. There are very few
examples of a time-travel mystery story; Alien Outlooks
such stories are fraught with practical
difficulties. The Influence skill rules (see pp. 53, B359) are based on human psycholo-
gy. Androids, artificial intelligences, and aliens may have vastly different
If time-travel, or past-viewing, tech- needs, drives, and instincts. Many science fiction stories treat aliens as
nology is publicly known, then adver- humans with makeup. This makes it much easier for the players to figure out
saries will account for it in their crimes. the alien’s motive and means. On the other hand, trying to decide which of
They may wear disguises while commit- several truly alien suspects committed a crime could be a fascinating puzzle.
ting the crime, or try to disguise the time
or location of the crime so that the

78 GURPS MYSTERIES

Players and their characters may SAMPLE large claims. SIU investigators are
argue about suitable punishments. In ORGANIZATION: trained in forensics and investigation.
Larry Niven’s short story Cruel and UNIVERSAL Most are skilled at accounting, finance,
Unusual, a kidnapped alien accidentally COVERAGE medicine, and fire investigations.
suffocates over the course of three days INSURERS Investigators also rely heavily on expert
due to an allergic reaction to humans. systems and laboratories-in-a-pocket,
The guilty kidnappers are in turn slowly Detective agencies in the super-sci- which allow sophisticated evidence pro-
suffocated by the alien executioners, who ence setting are often extrapolations of cessing on even the most backward
clinically inflict the exact same amount modern companies, tweaked to fit the asteroid.
of pain on the kidnappers, in front of tone of the setting. As the name implies,
reporters who can verify the fairness of Universal provides insurance for nearly SIU investigators have a wide range
the sentence. The aliens, of course, do any property on any planet in the of surveillance equipment, second in
not understand why the humans are so Confederation. When a client needs to quality only to military and major law
horrified at the proportionality of the file a claim, Universal advertises that its enforcement agencies. Investigators
punishment. courteous, efficient claims representa- often carry out long-term surveillance
tives will get him his check as soon as (in person, by drone, and by analyzing
Similar disagreements can arise possible. public data) of disability claimants to see
about punishing a clone, mind emula- if they are actually as injured as they
tion, or ghost-comp for something that As the ads suggest, Universal does claim. In extreme cases, where local law
the original did. If, for example, one exe- have a crack team of claims adjusters permits, they may implant a chip to
cutes a criminal who has a clone whose and appraisers who review and process report on the claimants activities.
braintape was made before the crime claims. What it does not mention is its
was committed, can the criminal’s estate crack team of AI software that reviews As a patron, Universal provides its
activate the clone after his death? each claim looking for fraud. Universal sterling reputation and access to top-
is able to hold its rates down by assign- notch equipment. In return, it expects
Rather than exploring these options ing investigators to any fraudulent results. If the AI suspects fraud, then
at the end of the adventure, a GM may claim. investigators are expected to find it.
want to use these ethical dilemmas as a Investigators are encouraged to take an
set-up at the start of an adventure. The Universal’s Special Investigative Unit aggressive, guilty-until-proven innocent
clone of the executed criminal is sus- has agents in every major transport hub. approach to deter the suspicious
pected of a subsequent murder, but They handle any claims where the AI, or claimant from needlessly fighting the
claims to be innocent. He comes to the the adjuster, suspect there might be denial. If the agent does not find fraud,
investigators asking for help – could he fraud or a crime, like arson, false dis- he is expected to provide a full report so
be innocent, or did he kill someone act- ability claims, staged accidents and that the AI can be adjusted to avoid
ing in conformity with his predecessor’s thefts, or unnecessary medical care. SIU further embarrassing mistakes.
behavior? investigators work closely with local law
enforcement, but their goal is first and As an adversary, Universal is formida-
foremost to protect the company from ble. People who take a loan to purchase
an unnecessary payment. expensive equipment, like a starship,
may have to insure it. If the ship is dam-
SIU investigators have access to a aged and a claim is made, a typical
number of specialized databases con- adventurer’s activities are likely to inter-
taining information about the policy- est the claims AI, resulting in a visit from
holder, information about the item or a stern SIU investigator. Once the inves-
person covered, and interagency data- tigator opens the ship’s mandatory black
bases on policyholders who have made box, things may get even more interest-
ing. Of course, Universal will make
TIMELINE prompt, on-the-spot payment in matters
of a clear, unsuspicious loss.

1248 Hsi Yüan Lu, a work on forensic medicine, published in China.
1285 Spectacles invented in Europe; magnifying lenses of various types had been known of since Greek and Roman days.
1600 Microscope invented in Europe around 1590-1610.
1608 Telescope invented in Europe.
1663 Thomas Bartholin creates test for determining if infant was stillborn, first standardized forensic medical test.
1665 Robert Hooke uses microscope and identifies cells.
1673 Antony van Leeuwenhoek uses microscope to discover bacteria, sperm cells, and blood cells.
1692 English Highwayman Act makes buying and selling stolen goods a crime, and creates rewards for those who

capture thieves or give evidence leading to their conviction.
1724 Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the first mercury thermometer.
1725 Jonathan Wild, “Thief-Taker General of Great Britain and Ireland,” hanged for robbery.

GURPS MYSTERIES 79

1807 First commercially available compound microscope.
1814 Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila, a Spanish chemist, publishes Traité des poisons, a textbook on poisons.
1809 Eugène François Vidocq helps create the French Súreté.
1819 René Laënnec invents stethoscope.
1822 Vidocq orders the first forensic autopsy.
1825 J. P. Lemiere invents the binocular telescope.
1827 Joseph Nicéphore Niépce creates first fixed photographic image.
1832 Vidocq retires from the Súreté and thereafter creates the first private detective agency, which lasts until 1847.
1835 Marie Guillaume Alphone Devergie publishes Médicine légale, théorique and practique, an early forensic medical text.
1836 James Marsh publishes a test for arsenic in fluids and body tissues (the “Marsh test”).
1839 Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre sells the rights to his photographic process to French government.
1840 Orfila uses the “Marsh test” for arsenic to solve the murder of Charles Lafarge, a French industrialist:

Belgian police began using photographs to record criminals’ faces.
1841 Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” published (first modern Western detective story).
1842 English create undercover detective force based at Scotland Yard.
1847 French detectives use hair as evidence in a criminal case.
1850 John Webster tried for murder of George Packman, a Boston professor, in the first significant use of forensic

science in American case; Allen Pinkerton founds his famous detective agency in Chicago.
1851 Albert Florence develops test for presence of semen in stains; Jean Servais Stas develops test for vegetable

alkaloid poisons like nicotine and hemlock.
1854 Ignatio Porro patents a prism system for binoculars.
1856 Pinkerton & Co. hires Kate Warne as its first female private detective.
1858 Pinkerton Agency (formerly Pinkerton & Co.) creates its uniformed guard service.
1859 Two German scientists discover that a spectrometer, which separates light into component wavelengths, can be

used to analyze organic materials and their unique parts.
1860 First American divorce case involving testimony by private detective about spouse’s sexual immorality.
1867 First practical typewriter invented.
1872 Alphonse Bertillon invents a system of anthropomorphic measurements for identifying criminals,

later called Bertillonage.
1873 Pinkerton operative Jamie McParlan begins undercover operations against the Molly Maguires in the

Pennsylvania coal mines. Microscope optics theory developed.
1874 Newspapers nationwide criticize Pinkerton Agency for involvement in ill-fated vigilante raid on Jesse James’

gang’s hideout, killing James’ mother and eight-year-old half-brother.
1875 Difference in blood types discovered, but no reliable test developed.
1877 Ten members of the Molly Maguires executed after convictions based on Pinkerton operative Jamie McParlan’s

testimony; New York City creates Bureau of Fire Marshals within its Fire Department (first American fire marshals).
1878 Alexandre Lacassagne publishes Précis de médicine (Medical Abstract) discussing, among other topics, using

livor mortis and rigor mortis to estimate time of death.
1880 Faulds and Herschel both claim to have discovered fingerprint identification methods.
1881 London Metropolitan Police issue portrait of wanted man to press; Alexander Graham Bell invents first

metal detector.
1883 Paris police test and adopt Bertillon anthropometric system.
1887 Arthur Conan Doyle publishes A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes story; first flash powder for photography.
1888 Hanns Gross publishes Criminal Investigations, the first treatise on scientific criminology.
1889 George Eastman invents photographic film.
1892 First conviction based on fingerprint evidence made in Argentina; Henry Galton publishes Fingerprints (first treatise

on fingerprinting); scuffle between union members and Pinkerton operatives at Carnegie steelworks in Homestead,
Pennsylvania, kills 10 men and injures dozens.
1894 London Metropolitan Police adopt Bertillon anthropometric system; Vuetich fingerprint classification system
developed.
1895 Lambroso begins measuring pulse rate and blood pressure of crime suspects; X-rays discovered;
four states (Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania) pass licensing laws for private detectives.
1897 Galton/Henry fingerprint classification system developed.
1900 Landsteiner creates test for blood types A, B, & O.
1901 Paul Uhlenhuth invents test for determining if dried blood is human; Scotland Yard opens fingerprint branch;
Pinkerton Agency recovers Gainsborough’s Duchess of Devonshire, stolen by Adam Worth in 1876.
1902 James Mackenzie invents the polygraph.
1903 Simultaneous incarceration of two men named William West with identical Bertillonage measurements but
different fingerprints is death knell of Bertillonage system.
1904 First commercial microscope to see ultraviolet invented.
1908 America creates federal Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to the FBI).

80 GURPS MYSTERIES

1908 Jeanne Weber declared insane after being acquitted of five murders due to errors by Parisian pathologist, then
caught in the midst of committing a sixth murder.

1910 Edmond Locard creates first police crime laboratory in Lyons, France.
1912 Isabella Goodwin, a NYC police matron, promoted to first-grade detective as reward for undercover work

(first female police detective).
1915 International Association for Criminal Identification founded as the first professional organization for fingerprint

examiners and other criminalists; Dr. Bernard Spilsbury discovers method George Joseph Smith used to drown
three of his wives by lifting their feet suddenly in the bath; Smith is convicted of murder and executed.
c. 1916 William Moulton Marston begins marketing a polygraph in America. (Marston may be better known as the creator
of DC Comic’s Wonder Woman.)
1917 Connecticut establishes first state public defender’s office.
1918 New York establishes Medical Examiner’s Office.
1920 Agatha Christie publishes “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” the first Hercule Poirot story.
1923 U.S. Supreme Court holds polygraph evidence inadmissible in American trials.
1925 Tests developed to determine blood type from other bodily fluids and tissue like tears, saliva, semen, skin, and urine
(80% of the population are “secretors” and produce these characteristics in their non-blood tissues); Sydney Smith
publishes Text-Book of Forensic Medicine, discussing ballistics and gunshot wounds.
1927 Calvin Goddard publishes article on using comparison microscope to match bullets to firearms.
1929 Goddard uses his firearms matching techniques to investigate the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago.
1930 First commercially available flashbulb.
1931 Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska invent first electron microscope.
1932 U.S. Supreme Court outlaws use of physical force to obtain confessions; Bureau of Investigation founds its crime lab;
test developed for blood types in dried blood; light meter and zoom lens invented.

1935 London Metropolitan Police create forensic laboratory; Congress passes the Wagner Act protecting workers’ rights to
unionize and eliminating most corporate spying on union activists; Kodachrome (first color film) first sold.

1936 Fiber match at homicide scene used to pressure NYC suspect to confess.
1939 Electron microscope first becomes commercially available.
1940 Landsteiner discovers the rhesus factor in blood (Rh) dividing it into Rh+ and Rh-.
c. 1940s Leonarde Keeler pioneers using polygraph on candidates for, and holders of, American security clearances.
1955 Udo Undeutsch creates statement analysis theory with the hypothesis: “Statements that are the product of experience

will contain characteristics that are generally absent from statements that are the product of imagination.”
1956 First conviction for intentional poisoning with barbiturates.
1957 Dr. Brussell, a psychiatrist, creates a psychiatric profile to catch a NYC bomber; first conviction for murder using

fatal injection of insulin.
1958 California homicide suspect convicted using neutron activation analysis to compare recovered hair strands

clenched in victim’s hands with suspect.
1960 Dirt/dust analysis used in New York homicide investigation.
1969 Pollen evidence used in Danish homicide investigation.
1970 California passes first “no-fault” divorce law; previously, married couples had to prove adultery, extreme cruelty,

willful desertion, willful neglect, habitual intemperance, conviction of a felony, or incurable insanity to obtain
a divorce.
1982 Bombing attack seriously wounds Irish forensic scientist, primary suspect is never charged or convicted (one of
very few direct, serious, and successful attacks on forensic experts).
1983 Kary Mullis invents DNA testing method (PCR) for tiny amounts of bodily material.
1985 Alec Jeffreys first uses DNA evidence in an English criminal case; South Dakota is last American state to pass a
“no-fault” divorce law.
1991 Boston police create “Cold Case Squad” to re-investigate unsolved homicides.
1992 IRA bombs Forensic Science Lab in Northern Ireland, temporarily closing it.
1993 West Virginia Supreme Court releases report on misconduct in dozens of cases by Fred Zain, former head of
serology for the state police crime lab.
1994 Ralph Erdmann, forensic pathologist, pleads guilty to seven felonies regarding falsified evidence and erroneous
autopsies in three Texas counties.
1997 Department of Justice Inspector General issues report criticizing FBI laboratory.
2001 War on Terrorism begins after attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon.
2004 FBI falsely identifies Oregon attorney as a suspect in a terrorist bombing in Spain. First major fingerprinting
error to come to public attention.

GURPS MYSTERIES 81

CHAPTER SIX

PARANORMAL
MYSTERIES

“There is, in every criminal scheme, act for explicable reasons. Faith, not discovering the monster’s weakness is
one little point that only Fate can decide – logic, may be the only way to defeat often a vital part of the horror adventure.
either to hitch or to smooth out – to bring them. The mystery universe, on the other
success and riches or whistling policemen hand, assumes that logical deduction will If psionic powers are well known to
and Brixton Gaol!” inevitably lead to exposing the guilty society and the characters, then a psion-
party. The mystery setting is inherently ics mystery is similar to a fantasy mys-
– Moris Klaw, orderly – when a crime occurs, it upsets tery. Psionic powers have predicable and
The Dream Detective that order, which the investigators must repeatable effects, and well-established
act to restore. The horror setting is often boundaries. If, on the other hand, the
Fantasy, horror, and psionics cam- inherently disorderly – only the constant verifiable existence of psionic powers is
paigns are all good backgrounds for a efforts of the investigators hold back a secret known only to a few, then a
paranormal mystery. Each of these has nightmarish horrors. psionics mystery may be more similar to
its own rules and themes, some of which a horror mystery. The investigators will
conflict with the classic mystery setting. Combining a mystery with horror can be less certain that they understand all
weaken both genres. Horror becomes of the underlying powers and limits of
In fantasy, for example, fate, destiny, less scary when the players and charac- psionic villains, and the world at large
divine favor, and the “narrative impera- ters realize that there are logical rules by will be ignorant of psionic effects.
tive” (the power of story) are more which the monsters work. Rules imply
important than the dogged skills of an limits. Limited monsters are not as scary Tone is also important. Combining a
investigator. Part of the essence of the as a monster that can do anything. On mystery with the paranormal depends
fantasy setting is its opposition to the the other hand, since the rules are often on the style of the setting. A hardboiled
orderly, predictable, rational modern unknown or uncertain, it is harder for adventure may work very well with a
world. However, the basic rules for a fan- the investigator to solve the case, or even gritty mud ‘n’ magic fantasy setting, but
tasy RPG setting are well established. to know what clues are significant. it may conflict in theme and tone with a
Magic, especially the GURPS Magic sys- Running a successful mystery in a horror Tolkien-esque world or an Arthurian-
tem, often has a consistent set of possi- setting, or in any paranormal setting, style knights-and-quests setting. The
ble spells with effects which are as requires the GM to set some rules gov- cozy, with its genius investigator, works
dependable, in their own way, as modern erning the paranormal and stick to them. well with many fantasy, horror, and
science. The players and characters do not need psionics settings. A police procedural
to know what those rules are at first – may be more difficult to create and sus-
The horror universe is even more tain in any setting where the paranormal
explicitly an irrational place. Paranormal is not known to society at large.
creatures need not obey rational laws or

FANTASY MYSTERIES

In a fantasy setting, the GM must spells in GURPS Magic are potentially near the Bards’ Guild hall by the evening
establish the rules and boundaries for available to anyone with the prerequi- watch. Puncture wound to the chest, no
magic. Is magic common or uncom- sites. It also touches on mysteries using weapon found.”
mon? Is it publicly acknowledged or a GURPS Spirits. For GMs using their
secret? Are all of the spells from GURPS own magic system, or one of the systems “Witnesses?”
Magic available, or has the GM cus- in another GURPS book, many of the “None so far.”
tomized the magic system? What sort of same suggestions and cautions apply. Lady McKelvery sighed wearily and
magic is used by whatever law enforce- began casting. It was going to be a long
ment exists within the setting? What THE FANTASY night.
sorts of routine precautions might a INVESTIGATOR
criminal take against typical “law Lady McKelvery is a specialist in
enforcement” magic? “Tell me what we have, Sergeant,” said criminal investigations. She has a wide
Lady McKelvery. array of investigative spells from Magic.
This section covers mysteries set in It is likely that at least one of the investi-
fantasy worlds where magic is as com- “Elven female, age 225 more or less, gators in a magical setting will have some
mon as modern science, and all of the height and weight average, found dead spells, but they may not be optimized for
forensic and investigative magic. Solving

82 GURPS MYSTERIES

the crime should not depend on the PCs

having, or using, a specific spell. The GM Technomancer
should also set up problems that require
the skills and talents of non-spellcasters. Technomancer complicates investigations significantly by including both a
large amount of magic and some forensic science. It is likely that most foren-
Killing otherwise unreachable foes sic analysis in a Technomancer setting is done by magic instead of mundane
without getting caught is one of the old- science, but GMs will need to think about what sorts of useful forensic spells
est, and most common, purposes for might have been invented. (See pp. T81-82 for Technomancer investigator and
magic. Theft, fraud, and creating vast police templates.)
wealth from straw or lead run a close
second. Thus magic, and the myriad Some particular spells to be aware of:
opportunities it provides for the Manipulate DNA (p. T28): Might be used to change a target’s DNA so that
unscrupulous, may result in official he leaves misleading trace evidence.
police becoming established earlier than Spoof Sensor (p. T27): Can cause a sensor to display what the caster desires.
in the real world. The force may not

resemble a modern police department.

Its members may be solely clerics and

mages, responsible only for “magical” Improvised magic (see pp. M201, unenhanced alertness, she will cast Keen
crimes. It could follow the model of his- SPI82) is more flexible and more vari- (Sense) (p. M133) before examining the
torical “women’s precincts” and have able. An improvised Spirits ritual is crime scene and before interviewing a
units of elves, dwarves, and other non- based on what feels right when it is suspect or witness.
human races that solely investigate needed, not on long-standing procedures
crimes caused by and against each passed down from master to apprentice. THE FANTASY
group. It could include private mages or Any combination of verb and noun in an CRIME SCENE
guild enforcers (see p. 88). improvised spell can yield dozens of
results, making it less likely that rune “Vic?” Lady McKelvery called out.
If the magic system has consistent masters would logically develop any “How long has she been dead?”
rules and repeatable effects, then it may quasi-scientific principles.
lead to a version of the scientific “Couple of hours,” her assistant
method, and thus a form of forensics, at A large city will likely have a magical replied. “Body’s slightly warm, only a little
an earlier point than in the real world. A crime squad, including specialists in a stiff.” On top of her bag, an animated quill
hermetic magic system, like Magic, is variety of useful spells, equipped with wrote down their words.
quasi-scientific; although the tools and powerstones and useful magical equip-
assumptions of forensic wizards may be ment. A private investigator, on the other “Over an hour, less than half a day.
very different from those of modern evi- hand, will likely be a generalist with a Typical,” Lady McKelvery thought as she
dence technicians, both could reach the smattering of useful spells and items, took out her baton and began casting.
same results. Randall Garrett’s Lord depending on the typical investigations
Darcy series has good examples of he makes. With no reflective surfaces to work
forensics based on magical principles. with, she had to start with sounds. As the
Lady McKelvery, like most wizards, spell unfolded, she heard the sounds of
starts with a high IQ. In addition to her walking feet, snatches of conversation,
now four hours past, all from the vantage

point of the corpse’s clothing. Meanwhile,

she set a second spell in motion and

Adapting Plots frowned; nothing deliberately hidden near-
by. She and Vic began slowly searching the

The English cozy mystery can readily translate to most fantasy settings, so area around the body, looking for any
long as transportation magic is not extremely common. Many fantasy settings scrap of cloth or hair from the attacker.
are set in a pseudo-medieval Europe, where isolated villages and monasteries
dot the countryside. Half an hour later, she heard her spell
replaying an angry shout, the sounds of
The hard-boiled detective story can be adapted to fantasy, although by spell casting, a scream, then running feet.
invoking the myth of the knight errant, it may find itself in conflict with the She cast a spell to confirm the elapsed
archetypal paladins already common in fantasy settings. time.

As in the low-tech setting, the police procedural story generally requires “Vic, time of death, 3 hours 20 minutes
some type of formal law enforcement. This is easier to justify in fantasy set- before I cast. Male wizard casting Ice
tings, where magic substitutes for technology and allows larger cities and Dagger.”
more mobility than the common tech level might suggest.
“Did you get a direction?”
Thrillers are rare in fantasy, especially if the setting is low-tech. To create Lady McKelvery recast near the mouth
the appropriate atmosphere, there must be time pressure, escalating danger, of the alley, specifying the exact time, and
shadowy forces at work, and a climactic showdown between good and evil. Be listened carefully. “UnWiz (Unknown
careful that these elements don’t drift from “thriller” to “epic” – the protago- Wizard) stood about 10 feet from the body,
nists should have to overcome the threat alone, not with an army at their ran toward the alley mouth, then toward
backs. the docks.”

GURPS MYSTERIES 83

Magical Trace Evidence While letting Echoes replay the
sounds, she also cast See Secrets (p.
Locard’s Exchange Principle, “every contact leaves a trace” or “no M107) to look for intentionally hidden
contact without transfer,” published in 1910, is a fundamental principle of evidence like a murder weapon stuffed
modern forensics. In sum, people leave behind traces of themselves wherever into a pile of trash, but did not find any-
they go (hair, fingerprints, DNA, etc.) and pick up bits of their environment in thing. This is a common type of fantasy
their travels (fur, pollen, soil, fibers, etc.). Objects in contact can leave marks spell. Criminals who understand magic
(paint scrapes and scratches) on each other. As discussed in Chapter 2, an may be smart enough to hide or dispose
investigator can use this trace evidence to figure out who was at a specific of evidence well away from the crime
crime scene. scene. She might also cast Clean (p.
M116) if it can be used in this setting to
Magic breaks that rule. In this chapter’s example, the villain strikes sweep all the dust, debris, and trace evi-
from range with an ice dagger, which creates the murder weapon, which then dence into a neat pile for collection. If, in
vanishes. There’s no toolmarks, no knife to match, no way to tell which of this setting, it destroys dust and dirt, a
potentially hundreds of wizards cast that specific spell. smart criminal might case it before
departing.
Spells like Impression Blocker and Seeker imply that people leave
impressions on objects and places. Various information spells are hard to Until she knows more, Lady
recast, or cannot be recast within certain times, implying that the spell dis- McKelvery cannot try Seeker (p. M105).
rupts or destroys the impressions. The duration of magical impressions and The more information she has, the bet-
whether they accumulate or overwrite each other is left intentionally vague in ter. If the spell fails, she cannot cast it
Magic. Because impressions are likely to be important in a mystery, the GM again on that target for a week, giving
should give the matter some thought. the murderer ample time to escape.

Getting rid of impressions is also a matter for some thought. Magic Her logical next step would be to
does not have a canonical way to do so. The GM may wish to modify Remove have someone at the morgue cast
Aura to permanently break tangential associations for a person — the equivalent Summon Spirit (p. M150), since it seems
of a thorough magical shower — but not longstanding impressions. likely the deceased knew her attacker.
Sadly, the morgue is backlogged; it will
The GM could also decide that each caster has a unique signature, have to wait. Speaking with a dead vic-
like a magical fingerprint, that can be found using Analyze Magic (for ongo- tim, either to his spirit or to him after
ing spells) or Reconstruct Spell (for past castings). Alternately, there may be being resurrected, adds a whole new
specific flavors to different traditions. Pupils of one grandmaster may all have source of information to fantasy and
a different signature from pupils of a different grandmaster. paranormal mysteries (see p. 85). GMs
who wish to limit use of this spell might
Lady McKelvery has begun her inves- examine the event. This is an expensive create cultural, religious, or social
tigation using a series of spells and item. Not every city could spend the taboos about disturbing the dead.
items. Many magic systems have spells resources for it, but using it requires
that will let the caster see into the past, nothing more than a qualified and If Lady McKelvery were using the
often with limitations on time, power, patient user. Spirits magic system, she would be
target object, and recasting. The Images skilled in the Path of Knowledge (pp.
of the Past (p. M107, 89) normally Many magical systems also provide SPI96-97). She would likely start with
requires a reflective surface, which she handy tools. Lady McKelvery has an ani- History (p. SPI97), if her player’s GM
did not find in the alley. Echoes of the mated pen (see Scribe, p. M174) that permitted it to be cast on the corpse (cer-
Past (p. M107), on the other hand, can takes notes of the investigation. Her tainly inanimate once dead). She might
be cast on any object, including the assistant, Vic Grigner, had already cast also try Read Memories (p. SPI97), if the
corpse’s clothing. Since both spells are Mapmaker (p. M118) to sketch the GM allowed it to be used on a recently
expensive to maintain, and recasting on scene. If the adventure were set in anoth- deceased body. If neither were permit-
the same item is more difficult, her er magical system, she might have a ted, she might just try to Summon (pp.
investigator’s baton allows her to cast familiar or other companion creature to SPI104, 107) the spirit of the dead elf
both spells, and is partially self-powered. take notes, make sketches, and do other and question it.
Both spells’ costs depend on the elapsed leg-work for her.
time since the period being targeted. INVESTIGATIONS
Spells that project the caster’s senses USING MAGIC
Lady McKelvery expects to come into the past or which bring those sense
across crime scenes within 1 to 10 hours impressions into the present, like Images “Tell it again, Weezold,” Vic ordered as
of the incident. Therefore, her equip- and Echoes, can be fooled by illusions and Lady McKelvery came into the interroga-
ment is designed so that within that mundane disguises. The caster should be tion cell.
period, she can maintain the spell indef- aware of the limitations of his vantage
initely and cast from the earliest logical point, just as he would consider any wit- “Well, you see, ah,” the tiny goblin fid-
point and listen or watch forward (see p. ness’ ability to perceive an event. In this geted. “I didn’t expect a truth spell.”
M107 and below). Once she has an exact case, Lady McKelvery doesn’t have any
time, she can recast if necessary to re- reason to suspect such complications, but “Tell it again.”
it is early in the investigation. “Yessir. A posh wizard came into Vulk’s
place. The wiz was scared. I could tell he’d

84 GURPS MYSTERIES

range, and they have reason to believe

the target is trying to flee, they may feel

Time Modifiers pressured to try the spell quickly, before
their target can escape.

Time Cost Modifier Magic systems that have scrying and
locating spells also have spells that count-
Within 1 minute 4 0 er them. A wise criminal will cast, or have
1 to 10 minutes 6 -1 cast, Scryguard, Scryfool, or Remove
10 minutes to 1 hour 8 -2 Aura as quickly as possible to protect him-
1 to 10 hours 10 -3 self from Seeker. When cast on an object,
10 hours to 4 days 12 -4 Remove Aura breaks the association so
4 to 40 days 14 -5 Seeker is cast at -5. Cast on a person, how-
40 days to 1 year 16 -6 ever, the spell only lasts for a day.
1 to 10 years 18 -7
10 to 100 years 20 -8 Magic offers a few spells to replace
Each further 10+ +2 -1 forensic pathology. There are no stan-
dard spells for determining time or

cause of death. With all of the other

magical tools available, spell-casters

never been in a place like Vulk’s before. same target if it fails. This should may never have found a need for some of
Paid lots of money to have Vulk’s wiz cast encourage the investigators to try to find the tools used by modern forensic tech-
a spell on him.” Lady McKelvery sighed. as much information as possible before nicians. The GM will have to decide
Vulk the Fang had managed to buy an casting, so that they have the best whether Body-Reading (p. M88) can be
alderman’s seat as head of the Brewer’s chance of success with the spell. On the used on a corpse, or only on the living.
Guild, but most trouble led to back to him other hand, if the spell has a limited
and to his pet wizard, who never asked A forensic magician might not use
Detect Poison (p. M166) very often.

why someone needed to forget the last day

or two, or needed his Aura removed.

“Describe this wizard.”

“Elf man. You know, blond, white Questioning the Dead
skin, pointed ears. They all look alike.”

“Distinguishing marks.” Summon Spirit (p. M150) allows the caster to ask the deceased a limited

“Ah . . . he had a tattoo. Green linden number of questions. The PCs can establish a rough time of death, the

leaf under his right eye. Big cloak. Shiny deceased’s last actions and perceptions, and who the deceased thinks had

brass cloak pins. “ motive to kill him. The spirit’s testimony may be sufficient for prosecution, or

“And?” it may need to be verified, especially if a summoned spirit can lie.

“Well . . . you said you’d forget about In a Spirits setting, an investigator can get similar information by ques-

that smuggling charge?” tioning the victim’s ghost, if it remains for any time. In supernatural mysteries

“If we find this wizard.” and horror stories, murder victims are likely to leave behind restless spirits, at

“I picked this off his belt,” Weezold least for a short time.

proudly admitted and handed Vic an This is a good chance to roleplay the victim. In most mysteries, the investi-

intricately embroidered lady’s favor. gator rarely gets to interact with the victim directly, since he’s often dead when

In the absence of solid leads, Vic and the investigator first appears in the story. The GM should decide ahead of time
Lady McKelvery are using standard whether the spirit can lie to the investigator. If, for example, the victim was
police work – in this case, an informant. killed by a mugger on the way home from visiting his mistress, he might not
The description, combined with an item want to explain why he was in that part of town at that hour. Even if the spir-
owned by their likely killer, may be it cannot lie, the GM must also decide what he saw and how he interpreted it.
enough for a Seeker spell to find him. The victim might not have seen his killer, but might have convinced himself
that the murderer was a known enemy.
Seeker, and its counterpart locating
spells in other systems, can derail many Spirits and ghosts may try to take an active role in solving and avenging
plots if the GM doesn’t take it into their own murders, especially in a Spirits setting. In traditional Chinese detec-
account when planning the adventure. tive stories, for example, the ghosts of the dead lurk around the crime scene
Most scrying and locating spells impose and their graves, and will aid investigators! Restless ghosts may haunt their
hefty penalties to casting unless the cast- families demanding that they avenge the murder, or they may haunt their
er has something associated with the tar- killers.
get, or at least a name and a good
description. Seeker requires the caster to Things get even more interesting if the magic system permits the dead to
know the target’s name, or know him be raised easily. In Steven Brust’s Dragaera novels, assassins kill people as a
well. It can also work on objects if one warning. (There are weapons that will inflict “true” death, but they are rare.)
has a scrap of cloth, paint chip, or some If death is a temporary inconvenience in an RPG campaign setting, one of the
other bit of trace evidence, at -5. investigators may himself be the victim. Killing someone may be considered
only a more serious version of assault.

Usually, there are limits to how often

a location spell can be recast on the

GURPS MYSTERIES 85

Poisons, while often very powerful in a spells that detect lies and enhance mem- Aura (p. M101) and Sense Emotion (p.
fantasy setting, are often easily detected ory. Lady McKelvery could use Recall (p. M45) may be unreliable.
and countered by spells and items that M106) and Restore Memory (p. M92) if
are usually common, at least among the she thought it would help Weezold recall MAGICAL
wealthy. (It is up to the GM whether the elven wizard. Of course, she is not CONFRONTATIONS
Detect Poison and Test Food work on the likely to use those spells unless she has
individual components of multi-stage some reason to think that Weezold’s Lady McKelvery sighed. Trying to inter-
poisons or on small doses of cumulative memory is not accurate or not complete. rogate a killer who honestly didn’t remem-
poisons which are, in isolation, not dan- Time is, of course, of the essence in cast- ber his misdeeds was nearly pointless.
gerous.) Detect Poison is only useful ing Recall. There is also the possibility Breaking the Permanent Forgetfulness
after the fact if no one cast Neutralize that a critical failure would cause a false cast by Mr. “the Fang’s” minion would
Poison (p. M92) in an attempt to save the or distorted memory. take luck. Vulk had enough money to
dying victim, or after death to destroy make sure his wizards were more skilled
evidence. Similarly, almost every magical sys- than any public servant. Although Lady
tem has spells for detecting lies and McKelvery would dearly like to expose
If all else fails, the investigator can try compelling the target to speak truthfully. Vulk as a criminal, he was too wealthy,
Divination (pp. M108). Divination spells Here, Lady McKelvery cast Compel powerful, and well-connected.
typically consult omniscient neutral Truth (p. M47) to make sure that
entities who have access to the objective Weezold did not lie to her when he But she had established the means,
truth. The GM can decide that these repeated his story. Since he’s a known motive, and opportunity for Vulk’s client,
entities are not neutral in his world. criminal in an interrogation cell, no one the elf. Guild records showed he was
Spirit advisors may have their own bias- is likely to complain. There may be limi- trained in Ice Dagger – means. The
es, gaps in their understanding, or an tations in her world on using Compel deceased had given him her favor when he
inability to convey information in any- Truth, Mind-Reading (p. M46), Mind- courted her a half-century or so ago.
thing other than cryptic riddles and Search (p. M46) and Truthsayer (p. M45) They’d fought bitterly over her announce-
clues. In most mysteries, Divination on seemingly upstanding members of ment that she was engaged to another, a
should provide merely guidance, not a the community. human no less – motive. By virtue of the
solution to the case. spell, he couldn’t account for his where-
If the caster is interrogating a crimi- abouts that night. His friends said both he
More powerful investigators may nal or well-prepared adversary, the tar- and she were at the Bards’ Guild, sepa-
have spirit advisors, or be able to travel get might have had his memories altered rately, for a performance – opportunity.
to other planes. In some traditional with spells like False Memory (p. M139),
Chinese stories, for example, the investi- Forgetfulness (p. M135) or Permanent But it was all circumstance. The spirit’s
gating judge may travel in dreams to the Forgetfulness (p. M138). The target of testimony corroborated the story, but there
Netherworld to consult with famous these spells would appear to be telling had been bad blood between them. Still not
judges who preside in the Chinese the truth, since he does not remember good enough for the magistrate . . .
Inferno. anything else. This limits Lady unless . . .
McKelvery’s ability to trust truth spells
Magic also makes interviewing live when she finds her suspect. Similarly, “Vic, bring him in, and make sure you
witnesses easier by offering a variety of get those bronze cloak pins. I can get an
image from those.”
Spells and Skills
Against an unprepared villain, or one
Many magical spells cannot be countered by skills — even an assassin with without means, spells like Compel Truth,
Poisons-20 will be thwarted by Detect Poisons or Test Food. A con artist with Mind-Reading, Mind-Search, and
Fast-Talk-20 will be automatically caught by Sense Emotion, Compel Truth, Truthsayer all make an investigator’s job
and Truthsayer. This can make it difficult to create villains who are not them- easier. Cozy-style mysteries become
selves magicians, particularly in settings where only a few people know about much simpler when the detective can
or have access to magic. gather all of the suspects and go over
each of their stories with a simple spell.
Conversely, an extremely skilled investigator may be thwarted by magic if If the GM wants to avoid having these
his skills offer no chance against spells like Poison (which may leave no traces spells destroy his adventure, keep in
of a toxin), Hide Emotion, or Clean (which could destroy all trace evidence at mind that Compel Truth and Truthsayer
a crime scene). are concerned with the target’s subjec-
tive intent to lie. The target may be hon-
A GM could allow a skill check to mislead or defeat a spell. It should be very estly wrong, or make an honest assump-
difficult — the modifier could be a flat -10, based on the energy in the spell tion, and be telling the truth as far as the
(equal to twice the energy put into the spell), or require a critical success. spell is concerned. The GM could also
Alternatively, the GM could create hard techniques (see pp. B229-33) designed allow a critical success on Fast-Talk to
to counter specific spells. slip a partial truth, or a blatant lie, past
truth-detecting spells.
Which method you use depends on the campaign and how reliable magic
is in the setting. Here, as with super-tech truth
devices, there may be social rules
restricting who can learn these spells,

86 GURPS MYSTERIES

when they can be used, and on whom. es, and promises of future deeds and proceeding. Since people and cameras
Fantasy societies often have a version of might be, in effect, bribed to acquit a can be easily fooled by illusion and
the medieval aristocracy, who will guilty criminal. body-altering spells, eyewitness evidence
object strongly to having their honor would be less important and less trust-
impugned by a truth spell, especially if On the other hand, if there is dissen- worthy and counter-illusion spells would
the caster is not a noble. Where obvious sion within the pantheon, suspects may be essential to law enforcement. Police
spells are prohibited, spells that passive- resist placing their fate in the hands of in that setting would routinely use “non-
ly detect the target’s mood or nature, certain clergy, particularly if the suspects invasive” mental magic like Sense Foes
like Aura and Sense Emotion, may give worship a god who is a rival or foe of that or Aura when stopping suspects or
an investigator a discreet edge; however, church. There may be alternative “civil” before entering a building. Various scry-
an investigator himself may be the tar- systems for lesser crimes or for people of ing spells would be used with a warrant,
get of truth spells to affirm that he hon- certain social status, like worshipers of like mundane surveillance equipment.
estly and completely reported the other faiths, nobles, or magicians. Law-enforcement officers could use
results of his spells and did not use invasive mind-reading spells, with court
improper measures when questioning a Trial by magic is unlikely to be the cli- permission, as well.
suspect. max of an adventure unless the PCs are,
for example, the champions chosen by Private investigators in that setting
A competent villain will take steps to the God of Truth to battle the champion might be licensed to use some investiga-
counter whatever investigative magic he of the suspect to prove his guilt, or the tion spells. When not involved in solving
could reasonably anticipate, just as a spellcasters actually judging or trying crimes, they might be valued as counter-
competent modern criminal will wear the case. If the investigators are not par- surveillance experts – protecting wealthy
gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. ticipants in the trial, they may still be clients from scrying spells and invasive
False Memory, Forgetfulness, and involved in ensuring that the trial is fair mind reading.
Permanent Forgetfulness are excellent and that no one assassinates, possesses,
countermeasures for villains trying to or otherwise tampers with witnesses or
escape detection, at least in cases where judges before the trial is over.
forgetting the crime doesn’t deprive the
criminal of the benefits of his deeds. Gods of Thieves and Secrets
Permanent Forgetfulness is the most
powerful and useful of these spells, but “Magic is fickle. Any time you cast a spell, you are using powers that you do
also the most difficult to learn, making it not fully understand, and exposing yourself to the whim of the fates.”
hard to find an appropriate caster.
Thieves’ Guilds might train and teach – GURPS Magic
specialists in this spell, and Remove
Aura, in order to foil the guard or watch. Fantasy worlds are often full of good and evil gods battling each other
through their followers. Magic need not be an impartial force. The powers that
Magic also offers spells to influence create it may play favorites. They might accept a bribe to protect a criminal
the target, often without his awareness. from detection by the authorities. (It might be easier to bribe the authorities,
Persuasion (p. M45) can convince reluc- though.)
tant witnesses to give a statement. It
could be used to persuade a target to con- Thieves and assassins who routinely sacrifice to gods like Loki, Hermes, or
fess, but there may be social restrictions Kali might receive partial protection from truth spells and Seeker. Such spells
on using it in that way. might not function if the target is within the sanctuary of a god of thieves or
of secrets. Gods may protect their faithful worshipers or blessed fanatical
In settings where torture is accept- assassins from magical detection by followers of other gods.
able, magic systems offer a variety of
spells for inflicting pain and damage, and There may be religious rituals to dedicate stolen goods or misdeeds to an
for healing tortured suspects’ wounds, appropriate god, which will make them undetectable by anyone less than
perhaps even fatal ones. Spells such as powerful priests of an opposing god, or even minions of that god himself.
Itch (p. M35), Pain (p. M36), Hunger (p.
M38), Retch (p. M38), and Choke (p. Campaigns set in a quasi-medieval FANTASTIC
M40) permit an investigator to torture a Europe will have very different trial sys- PUNISHMENTS
witness or suspect while leaving few tem than those based on modern
physical traces. Western courts. A noble’s court generally “And you shall spend eternity in the pit
will not get involved in detailed ques- of darkness, cut off from any light or liv-
Trial tions of procedure and minute points of ing thing, with your heart burned forever
law. There will be no jury and likely no to ash. May the demons take your soul,”
The confrontation scene could come lawyers. If the campaign follows a mod- invoked the magistrate. Two huge fiends
in a trial, which can take many forms in ern template and includes magic, con- appeared in the summoning circle next to
a fantasy setting. Priests of the gods of sider the suggestions in Technomancer the elf, then vanished with him, grinning
truth and justice might hold trials by (see p. T100). Compel Truth would wickedly.
ordeal wherein an innocent party cannot become part of any standard court
possibly be convicted. On the other
hand, gods may be susceptible to flat-
tery, offerings, reminders of past servic-

GURPS MYSTERIES 87

Punishment in a fantasy universe can methods, and the same adventure could goods – a potent power often
be very creative and need not end with be used in nearly any police procedural. used against magical goods
the villain’s death. Evildoers may face If a GM wants experienced magical made in other cities – and to
horrible fates in the afterlife, and their investigators without such a direct hom- search for, seize, and destroy
suffering may be well publicized in order age to the NYPD and Scotland Yard, and magical goods made outside
to deter other malefactors. In some set- the setting has a guild of magicians, then the city and sold at retail in
tings, the gods may even punish crimi- consider using part of the guild as a violation of the guild’s
nals by making their ghosts or their ani- detective organization. monopoly.
mated bodies serve the families of their
victims, or serve the investigators. The Guild of Seekers, commonly The Guild does not have
called the Mages’ Guild, is many things. paid professional staff. It
Gods may not stop with punishing At its heart it is an extended family; relies on its members to serve
the malefactor. Greek gods often pun- members help each other in illness and as officers for yearly terms.
ished the offender’s family, associates, death, avenge wrongs by outsiders, and Among its officials are five
and sometimes generations of descen- stand together against other authorities. Wardens, master magicians
dants. Gods are patient. An evildoer may The Guild is part self-help society, part appointed for one-year terms
prosper for decades before his downfall. club, part trade union, part prayer who are charged with inspect-
Those punished may try to mitigate their group. It has some legal powers to disci- ing each member’s shop,
fate through good deeds, sacrifice, and pline its own members and to enforce its enforcing the guild’s regula-
prayers. Or they may take a “damned economic monopoly. tions, and searching for and
and I know it” attitude and commit their seizing competing smuggled
own crime sprees, knowing nothing Like other craft guilds, the Guild of goods. The Wardens are also
worse can happen to them. Seekers’ rights come from a royal char- often sent to other cities to
ter. It controls the import and export of represent Guild members in
SAMPLE all enchanted goods and items of prima- trouble elsewhere and to
ORGANIZATION: rily magical significance within the city. enforce the Guild’s monopoly.
THE GUILD OF It purchases raw materials for its mem- Wardens are not paid, but
SEEKERS bers in bulk and prevents speculation or they can make some money
cartels. It sets the number of appren- through fees. Most members
The fictional example involving Lady tices, journeymen, and masters in the consider the job a bother. They can make
McKelvery and Vic Grigner assumes a magical arts and regulates their training. more money working in their shops.
fantasy society with a somewhat modern It regulates quality, requires trademarks, Thus, they often try to avoid being elect-
police force. Change a few words and and forbids mixing used materials with ed to the post. (If elected, a master can
new materials and other false advertis- be fined for refusing to do his duty.)
ing. The guild even has the legal power Any PC who is a master magician and
to seize and destroy any “defective” member of the Guild could be elected as
a Warden for a year. He would become a
sort of private security investigator and
could easily become embroiled in all
sorts of scams, schemes and rivalries.
Solving mysteries such as burglaries,
frauds, and any homicide that might
occur will be part of his difficult job.
Since the Guild has its own court, which
meets as needed, he might also find him-
self acting as a prosecutor or a detective
investigating charges brought by mem-
bers against each other. (Under the
Guild’s charter, members must seek jus-
tice there before proceeding to the town
or royal courts.)
Some masters take the time to learn
spells useful for investigations and inter-
rogations. Others rely on whatever spells
they happen to know, and try to cadge
help from other guild magicians when
they need a specific spell cast. As adver-
saries, the Guild Wardens will vary dras-
tically in skill, honesty, and persever-
ance. PCs who encounter a lax Warden
may be in for a rude surprise if they later
run afoul of one of the more dedicated
officers.

88 GURPS MYSTERIES

A COMPENDIUM OF USEFUL
GURPS SPELLS

These are some of the more useful the GM’s discretion. If it can be used to Echoes of the Past
spells for investigators found in Magic. gather the foreign matter into a neat p. M107
Many of these spells have counterparts pile, it is a useful investigator’s tool. If it
in other fantasy settings. destroys the foreign matter, it becomes a Replays sounds from the past.
villain’s tool to destroy trace evidence.
FOR History
INVESTIGATORS Compel Truth p. M106
p. M47
Alertness Can be used to determine recent
p. M133 The subject is permitted to keep history of an object.
silent or tell partial truths, but may not
(VH) Useful for noticing evidence, make any statement he believes to be Identify Spell
but only lasts 10 minutes. untrue. Can be fooled by illusions, p. M102
mistakes, assumptions, and altered
Analyze Magic memories. (See p. 86.) Like Detect Magic, generally useful
p. M102 only for ongoing or very recently cast
Detect Magic spells.
Useful if there is any active magic on p. M101
a subject. A GM may wish to rule that Images of the Past
certain spells like Conceal Magic, Hide A useful spell for detecting ongoing p. M107
Thoughts, Remove Aura, etc., are not magic.
revealed by Analyze Magic, Detect Plays back whatever images a reflec-
Magic, Identify Spell, and Reconstruct Detect Poison tive surface may have seen. At the GM’s
Spell except on a critical success. p. M166 option, it can be used on any object or
surface, but this may make the spell too
Aura Detects toxins. Most adversaries will powerful for Mysteries. Remove
p. M101 anticipate its use by the victim, if Reflection may, at the GM’s option,
wealthy or a spell caster, and by any make the target invisible to Images of
A simple spell that can give an inves- investigators. the Past if cast using a reflective surface.
tigator insight into a suspect or witness.
Divination Keen (Sense)
Awaken p. M108 p. M133
p. M90
Very useful for “yes-or-no” answers to All useful for noticing evidence.
A useful spell for remaining alert questions. Accuracy depends on the These spells last 30 minutes per casting,
during long investigations or stake-outs. knowledge and biases of the source of and are preferable in most situations to
the information. Alertness.
Body-Reading
p.M88 Earth Vision Know Recipe
p. M51 p. M78
Useful for diagnosis and autopsies (if
the GM allows it to be used on the Useful for finding buried bodies and Can be used, at the GM’s option, for
deceased). The caster will need medical evidence. Water Vision (p. M187) is chemical and drug analysis.
skills to interpret the information. The similarly useful in the appropriate
GM may wish to rule that the information situations. Mapmaker
is retained as per Know Recipe. p. M118

Cleansing Useful for creating detailed crime
p.M94 scene sketches, to scale.

Removes foreign matter from a Measurement
person and might work on a corpse at p. M100

Useful for analyzing a crime scene.

GURPS MYSTERIES 89

Memorize Scents of the Past Summon Spirit
p. M105 p. M107 p. M150

Useful for memorizing a crime scene Replays smells from the past. Allows the caster to talk to the
before disturbing it. deceased, with a limited number of
Scribe questions. The deceased may be mistak-
Mind-Reading p. M174 en, or wrong about what happened. The
p. M46 GM must decide whether the deceased
A busy investigator’s best friend for can lie.
Allows the caster to read the surface recording impressions at a crime scene
thoughts of any target, without the tar- or filling out reports. (Only records the Timeport
get’s knowledge, except on a critical caster, or, for additional cost, other p. M81
failure. people it has been attuned to.)
(VH) Allows the caster to move into
Mind-Search See Secrets the past. (Time travel is its own GMing
p. M46 p. M107 headache apart from its ability to derail
a mystery plot.)
(VH) Allows the caster to deeply Useful for finding deliberately hidden
probe the target’s memories, without the evidence at a crime scene or other Trace
target’s knowledge, except on a critical location. p. M106
failure.
Seeker Generally used in combination with
Persuasion p. M105 Seeker to keep track of a suspect or item.
p. M45
Useful for finding suspects and lost Trace Teleport
A useful spell for gaining a suspect’s items. (See p. 83.) p. M84
cooperation and trust.
Sense Emotion Allows an investigator to track some-
Possession p. M45 one who is using various transportation
p. M49 spells.
A spell with only one prerequisite
(VH) Allows the caster full access to that can be used to help discern whether Truthsayer
the target’s memories, but generally a target is, for example, actually mourn- p. M45
overkill for a criminal investigation. ing or merely feigning grief. Many peo-
ple will be nervous, hostile, or angry if A useful spell for determining
Recall they are aware they are the subject of whether the target has lied, but could be
p. M106 this spell, which limits its usefulness. fooled by partial truths or mistaken
memories.
Allows the subject to recall a single Sense Foes
forgotten or obscured fact or event. p. M44 FOR CRIMINALS

Reconstruct Spell A simple spell with no prerequisites Almost any spell can be turned to
p. M106 that tells the investigator if a specific nefarious purposes, but these are
person, or someone within an area, is especially useful.
Used to determine what spells were hostile to him. If he is known as an
cast on the target in the past. investigator or government official, Alter Body
many people may be hostile to him for p. M41
Repair reasons wholly unrelated to the crime at
p. M118 hand. Although it has a number of
prerequisites, this spell is very useful for
Repairs destroyed or burned Spellguard a disguise.
documents and other evidence. p. M127
Alter Visage
Restore Memory (VH) This spell may be necessary in p. M41
p. M92 some settings to ensure that the
investigator’s other detection spells Although it has a number of
Can cure minor memory loss. work. prerequisites, this spell is very useful for
a disguise.

90 GURPS MYSTERIES

Apportation False Aura Illusion Disguise
p. M142 p. M122 p. M96

A good way to move an object with- Useful to thwart information spells. Useful to create an alibi or fool
out leaving fingerprints or trace witnesses.
evidence. False Memory
p. M139 Imitate Voice
Beast-Soother p. M172
p. M29 A good spell for diverting or
discrediting a witness. Useful to create an alibi or fool
Useful for pacifying guard dogs and witnesses.
other watch-beasts. False Tracks
p. M163 Impression Blocker
Body of Air “locked room” p. M60
p. M24 Useful for diverting suspicion to
another. A useful way to transport stolen
Defeats many goods or weapons for an intended mur-
situations. Forgetfulness der while making it hard for Seeker and
p. M135 related spells to find the owner. The GM
Clean needs to decide how impressions work
p. M116 Causes the target to forget a fact for a in his setting.
moderate time. Useful for thwarting
Useful for getting rid of fingerprints, truth spells in an interrogation. Insignificance
bloodstains, or other bits of trace evi- Permanent Forgetfulness (p. M138) is p. M48
dence. If the spell can be used to gather much more useful, but could be detected
up the “dirt” into a neat pile instead of as an ongoing spell. Causes people to ignore and/or
destroying it, it may be an investigator’s disregard the target.
tool. Hide
p. M113 Invisibility
Conceal Magic p. M114
p. M122 Useful for not being noticed.
Useful for spying, assassination, and
Useful for avoiding various informa- Hide Emotion theft.
tion spells. Presumably, it also interferes p. M45
with spells that would detect the spell Locksmith
itself. Useful for thwarting Aura, Sense p. M143
Emotion and (at GM’s option) Sense
Create Warrior Foes. Unfortunately, the appearance of Useful for opening locks and for fine
p. M98 calmness may not be appropriate for the manipulation without leaving finger-
situation and may just indicate that the prints or trace evidence.
A good way to create a temporary caster has something to hide.
assassin. Manipulate
Hide Object p. M145
Daze p. M86
p. M134 Useful for manipulating larger
Hides non-living objects in an other- objects than permitted by Locksmith.
A very useful spell to cause a dimensional space.
potential witness not to notice what’s Neutralize Poison
happening around him. Hide Thoughts p. M92
p. M46
Devitalize Air A very useful spell for covering one’s
p. M25 A useful spell for protecting against tracks after an attempted or successful
mind-reading and thought-control spells. poisoning since it “eliminates all traces”
A nearly-untraceable way to kill, leav- A wealthy person or official in a magical of the poison.
ing no trace of poison behind. In a clas- setting may use this spell routinely to
sic medieval-ish setting, its dampening protect his own secrets. No-Smell
effect on candles and fires might be a p. M24
handy clue. Hush
p. M172 Useful for avoiding tracking animals
and Scents of the Past.
Useful for thieves and assassins.

GURPS MYSTERIES 91

Odor Ruin Simple Illusion
p. M24 p. M118 p. M95

Might be used to create a false scent If it works on a corpse, it would be a May be useful in defeating clairvoy-
of a red herring or dupe at a crime scene. good way to dispose of a body. ance and retrocognition spells and abili-
ties directed at a crime scene. It could be
Poison Food Sanctuary used to create an illusionary tableau in
p. M78 p. M86 order to establish an alibi for eyewit-
nesses. Complex and Perfect Illusion can
A useful assassination tool; however, (VH) The ultimate hide-out, at least do this with less chance of failure.
many wealthy persons or officials in a for a short time.
magical setting will routinely cast Test Soilproof
Food (p. M77) or have an item that does Scryfool p. M116
so. Test Food would probably not tell an p. M123
investigator whether partially digested A very useful spell for avoiding stains,
stomach contents or vomitus contain Diverts a variety of information spells spatters, and other evidence from a
poison, since the substance is probably to a chosen subject. At the GM’s option, crime scene.
no longer good to eat. this spell could work against Test Food
or Detect Poison. Suggestion
Remove Aura p. M140
p. M127 Scryguard
p. M121 Another good spell for diverting or
Useful for erasing existing auras; discrediting a witness.
although the spell is “permanent” it is A common spell to avoid being locat-
not magical teflon which will prevent the ed by information spells. Wealthy per- Voices
object from thereafter acquiring new sons or officials may routinely cast this p. M172
Auras. At the GM’s option, this spell spell or Scrywall (p. M122), or have it
could be used to protect objects against cast, to protect their privacy. Could be used to create an illusionary
analysis spells like Know Recipe or conversation in order to establish an
Schematic. Scryguard can be used to protect an alibi for eavesdroppers.
object from Know Recipe or Schematic.
Repel (Animal) At the GM’s option, this spell could work Walk Through Earth
p. M31 against Test Food or Detect Poison. p. M52

Could be used to keep insects away Sense Observation Defeats many “locked room”
from a body to thwart or confuse p. M167 situations.
an entomology based time-of-death
determination. Detects magical and mundane sur-
veillance efforts. Wealthy persons or offi-
cials may routinely cast this spell, or
have it cast, to protect their privacy.

HORROR MYSTERIES

“The most merciful thing in the world, A horror story uses many of the same the players and the investigators know
I think, is the inability of the human mind elements as a typical mystery. There’s that the fantastic exists. Both have some
to correlate all its contents. We live in a often a series of odd, grisly crimes. idea about the capacity of magic and
placid island of ignorance in the midst of Investigators apply traditional (and not fantastic creatures. And the setting’s
black seas of infinity, and it was not so traditional) methods to analyze the society at large has evolved to take these
meant that we should voyage far. The sci- crime scene and try to figure out what things into account.
ences, each straining in its own direction, happened and why. Secrets are often
have hitherto harmed us little; but some revealed, sometimes even in the drawing Conversely, the investigators (and less
day the piecing together of dissociated room of an isolated English country commonly the players) may start a hor-
knowledge will open up such terrifying house. But horror adventures are differ- ror adventure without even knowing
vistas of reality, and of our frightful posi- ent from other mysteries in some subtle that something paranormal is possible.
tion therein, that we shall either go mad but important ways. As observed previously, horror is often
from the revelation or flee from the deadly more effective and more frightening
light into the peace and safety of a new The key difference between the hor- when the investigators do not know any-
dark age.” ror setting and the fantasy setting thing about the monster’s capabilities. In
described above is what the players, and the course of the horror mystery, they
– H. P. Lovecraft, their characters, know about the para- will have to learn about their adversary.
The Call of Cthulhu normal. In a typical fantasy setting, both

92 GURPS MYSTERIES

This implies that logic and deduction gation skills and depend on their reason- if the players are not expecting the para-
will be important to the investigators’ ing and social skills to solve the case. normal, introducing it without warning
success, which is itself a limit on the hor- may damage their belief in, and thus
ror setting. If the creature from beyond Unlike the typical mundane horror their enjoyment of, the game world.
can be rationally comprehended and pre- PC, however, the mundane investigator
dicted, it becomes less fearsome. Bear is generally not the target of the monster. Horror mysteries may also involve
this in mind when creating a horror The investigator usually arrives on the experienced “fearless monster hunters.”
adventure. scene after the monster has begun prey- These investigators have skills and expe-
ing on its victims. The investigator may rience with occult threats, appropriate
THE HORROR become a target during the adventure, of weapons to counter these threats, and
INVESTIGATOR course. This means that the investigator often some paranormal abilities.
must have some motive to wrestle with Monster hunters can secretly work with-
“I used to think I helped the police out dangerous paranormal forces other than in mundane law enforcement agencies
of a sense of justice, a desire to protect the personal survival – i.e. curiosity, revenge, and private detective bureaus. Or they
innocent, maybe even a hero complex, or a duty or sense of duty to the victims. can openly advertise themselves as para-
but, lately, I’m beginning to understand normal experts. Like any other investiga-
that sometimes I want to solve the case for When a horror mystery involves a PC tors, they may be motivated by the intel-
a much more selfish reason. So I don’t who does not believe in the paranormal, lectual puzzle, a keen sense of justice, or
ever have to walk through another crime the GM must present clues to show the just the money.
scene as bad as the one I just saw.” character that all is not as it seems. One
option is to tell players what kind of The players will, of course, be aware
– Anita Blake, Cerulean Sins adventure they are in before the start of that the paranormal exists when creat-
the adventure. Meta-game thinking will ing fearless monster hunters. Meta-game
One horror approach is to begin with generally lead the players to create and thinking may lead them to the converse
an investigator who has not encountered portray characters who are open to the problem – ignoring mundane clues
anything unmistakably supernatural possibility of the paranormal. On the while searching for the paranormal
before the start of the adventure. other hand, the players often will want a aspects to each adventure.
Adventures involving “just plain folks” chance for their characters to develop
caught up in horrific events are slightly and use paranormal powers themselves. THE HORROR
different from those involving amateur CRIME SCENE
investigators in typical mysteries. The Another option is to surprise the play-
mundane horror investigator may be a ers and their characters with the para- Horror crime scenes can be grue-
very competent investigator, even though normal part of the adventure. Here, some. The scene may look like the work
he lacks the specific paranormal or meta-game thinking may work against of a deranged killer, with lots of blood
occult tools for this case. Amateur inves- the GM. If the players “know” that they and body parts scattered around. This
tigators generally lack scientific investi- are in a very realistic Cops campaign, for can be the place to explain, in detail, the
example, they may strongly resist consid- wounds the victim suffered, the smell of
ering the paranormal clues. In addition, blood and decay, and the gore clinging to
the investigators’ shoes. Horror crime
Adapting Plots scenes can also be subtle, with a series of
small unsettling things that just don’t
The English cozy mystery converts easily into a horror/mystery setting. make sense to the PCs because the vil-
Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, for example, takes place in an inbred lain’s supernatural abilities allow him to
New England town. The cozy style provides a small cast of characters with the do something otherwise impossible.
sort of intimate relationships and shared past that could easily hide supernat- Either tone works well in horror.
ural as well as mundane secrets.
Include in the crime scene some clues
The hardboiled story style suits the horror protagonist’s lonely battle that will alert the detectives that some-
against paranormal evil in the face of an uncaring or ignorant world. The lone thing is amiss. The clues do not need to
“good monster” protecting an unaware humanity from darker evils, like P. N. be obvious. If, for example, the killer
Elrod’s Jack Fleming or Forever Knight’s Nick Knight, fits easily into the hard- paused to cover or break every mirrored
boiled trope. surface in the room, it could mean that
he is self-conscious about his appear-
The police procedural story can investigate supernatural events. However, ance, like Harris’ killer in Red Dragon, or
the GM will have to work hard to keep the detectives from getting any scien- it could be a vampire who cannot bear
tific proof of their supernatural foes, or find good reasons for them to keep the his lack of reflection.
secret from their superiors. The X-files uses some elements of police proce-
dure to investigate supernatural menaces. Keeping the investigators in doubt
about whether they are dealing with a
Thrillers work very well in a horror setting; the two genres are closely relat- human psychopath or a supernatural
ed. The investigators should feel that they are on their own, even if they are menace is a powerful technique for
surrounded by people or are part of an organization. They can’t ask for help, keeping them uncertain and uneasy.
either because they won’t be believed, or because it would endanger others. However, at some point during the inves-
Keep the tension mounting and orchestrate a climactic confrontation. tigation, the PCs must find enough clues
to decide which is which.

GURPS MYSTERIES 93

MONSTER Monsters as Investigators
HUNTING
“Sure I was a vampire, but like everyone else on the planet I’m still only
“There’s something else we should human.”
never forget, Captain; that even when we
go chasing our ghosts, we should do it by – Jack Fleming,
the rules, without letting guilt affect our A Chill in the Blood
judgment.”
The monster protagonist has become a popular mystery hero. Usually, the
– Det. Nick Knight, monster investigator is a hardboiled detective, although a cozy or procedural
Forever Knight: Fatal Mistake investigator who is secretly a monster is also possible. Monster characters gen-
erally enhance the hardboiled detective’s isolation by adding struggles against
GURPS Horror suggests “five Rs” for their own monstrous nature, self-doubt and self-hatred, temptation, and lots
investigators: Recon (crime scene analy- of angst. Often the monster investigator views his investigations as a way to
sis), Research (looking for similar hap- keep away from, or atone for, the evil in his own soul.
penings); Routine (looking for patterns),
Rationale (motives), and Records (keep- Monster investigators, especially vampires, may have difficulty questioning
ing notes). (See pp. H28, 100-104.) In witnesses in their homes and offices during daylight hours. Generally, they need
effect, these are the traditional questions to keep their true nature secret from all but their closest allies, leaving them
about means, motive, and opportunity open to blackmail by criminals who learn of their nature, and their weaknesses.
that an investigator would be asking in
any setting. When applied to the horror Some examples include: Nick Knight of Forever Knight, Hamilton’s Anita
adventure, an investigator unaware of Blake, Elrod’s Jack Fleming, and Angel of Joss Whedon’s Angel.
the paranormal may find answers that
don’t make any sense. Characters who start as fearless mon- collection of useful reference materials. A
ster hunters, on the other hand, are like- character can only use the Research skill
At some point, the GM must lay clues ly to already have experts as contacts or if the answer can be found in the place he
that will lead the investigators to consid- patrons. Rather than leading the investi- is searching. If the only source for infor-
er paranormal research. If the victim gators to experts, the GM will need to mation on a particular monster or haunt-
expected an occult threat, he may have generate experts for them to consult. ing is in one particular university library,
had books and materials on the occult in then it is off to that library the investiga-
his home. He might have placed protec- Generally, the expert will provide tors must go. Getting access to closed
tive drawings or items around doors and some, but not all, answers. A monster’s stacks and rare books may involve strug-
windows. He might have entrusted a means are often greater than a mortal’s, gles with library bureaucrats, a counter-
powerful object to a friend or family but it is usually subject to various limita- part to the investigator’s usual efforts to
member to protect it from capture or tions. If the investigators can find the get financial and background data from
destruction. The villain may have left monster’s vulnerabilities, then they may banks and credit agencies.
behind something odd, like a tarot card have a chance to actually destroy it. The
or a voodoo doll, which the PCs must investigation may become more The GM can use Language skills to
take to an occult consultant to analyze. involved with researching the occult complicate the investigation. Research
than with the usual witness interviews may help the investigators find the right
Any of these routes will lead the and forensic testing. tome, but they may also need to find the
investigators to an expert, such as an one academic in the city who can read
academic or occult-shop owner, who can In an ongoing horror campaign, the that dialect of ancient Sanskrit. If the vil-
try to persuade them that they are not expert is often a recurring character, pro- lain is also looking for that same aca-
dealing with a hoax or a normal crimi- viding expository dialog to keep the demic, then the investigators may have a
nal. In general, players, and their char- adventure moving. If the GM does not chance to confront him or his minions.
acters, are more open to the possibility intend to use the paranormal often in Alternately, tomes in odd languages can
of the paranormal than a real-world the game, or wants the investigators to be an opportunity for a player to use
detective might be. If they are resistant discover the “rules” governing paranor- obscure skills he bought as part of his
to the idea, the GM may have to make mal activity slowly, then this character character’s background, job, or hobbies.
the clues very blatant. must be an NPC. As the players learn
about the setting, their characters will Detectives with strong Streetwise and
An occult expert may seek out the likely develop sufficient knowledge to Intimidation skills may be able to uncov-
investigators. The victim’s ghost may dispense with the expert and may make er useful information by questioning
haunt the crime scene or its family. The contact with more powerful and knowl- semi-loyal minions, or criminal figures
family may call in a medium, a fortune- edgeable sources. At that point, the who supply goats, blood, and other odd
teller, or a member of the clergy to quell expert may remain a contact, or may be items to cultists and monsters. A crimi-
the disturbance or to contact their lost threatened by monsters for all the aid he nal who has seen “things man was not
loved one. If an occult expert arrives at provided to the PCs in the past. meant to know” may be harder to intim-
the investigators’ door with detailed idate than a typical thug, but an investi-
knowledge of the crime (and a good A character with Occultism (p. B61) gator will generally find a way to make
alibi), the investigators may be willing to will have some knowledge about mysteri- himself more intimidating than the
listen and consider the paranormal ous and supernatural events. He may criminal’s dark masters.
option. also have Research skill, and his own

94 GURPS MYSTERIES

Does Cthulhu Have generally should have lower IQ, Will, and
Fingerprints? Sense rolls than a typical investigator.

In a modern adventure, player characters may ask all sorts of inconvenient Investigating a “faux horror” plot will
questions about whether an eldrich horror leaves fingerprints, what the were- often involve research into who benefits
wolf’s DNA looks like, and whether a vampire shows up on a video camera. from the “monster’s” actions.
The answers should be consistent, but need not be logical. Paranormal crea- Investigators may wish to look at inheri-
tures are, by definition, unnatural and not subject to normal scientific rules. tance, land ownership, profits, and pub-
licity. They may also want to look at
When investigators do find evidence, a laboratory is more likely to believe competitors to the person or place being
that the evidence is tainted or spoiled than that the evidence provides proof of haunted. Insurance fraud investigators
the paranormal. Crime scene evidence is often gathered under less-than-ideal often find that people remove their valu-
conditions. Odd results are more likely the result of improper gathering, or ables from their houses before setting a
accidental contamination by bystanders. fire, replace the new tires on their cars
with old ones before torching or wreck-
The GM can resort to having a secret conspiracy of monsters, their min- ing the car, and remove valuable fittings
ions, or shadowy government figures who steal or suppress the investigators’ from boats before sinking them. Greed
proof. The investigators may be diverted into trying to protect their evidence, may get the better of those planning a
however, instead of following the adventure the GM planned. “faux horror” scam, too.

GMs may want to give their investigators an incentive to maintain the CONFRONTING
secret of the paranormal. This is easiest if one of them is himself a monster MONSTERS
and wants to keep the world from knowing that such creatures exist. Even
those who are not full-fledged paranormal monsters may have paranormal “We attack the Mayor with hummus.”
abilities and be concerned about being taken from their jobs for study by “top – Oz,
men” in industry or the government.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
The government may even be aware of the paranormal, and prefer that it Graduation (Part 2)
not be made public for fear of scaring the populace. Investigators who fre-
quently come into contact with the paranormal may get a “friendly” visit from A horror confrontation tends to
government agents advising them that the government is grateful for their resemble the action climax of a hard-
service, and would be even more grateful for their silence. boiled adventure or a thriller (see p. 25).
It is possible to set up an English draw-
Faux Horror monsters were a cover for a variety of ing room scene where the investigators
con artists. reveal which of the assembled villagers
Players are often predisposed to is a murderous monster, and capture,
accept paranormal influence in an RPG A “faux horror” plot has the same dispatch, or dispel him without a fight.
setting. Their characters may offer only structure as a typical mystery. One of the Such climaxes are rare, however.
token skeptical resistance to the notion key sleights-of-hand is to prevent the
that the crime might have been commit- investigators from getting a good look at GMs should give horror investigators
ted by a vampire or a telekinetic. GMs the “monster” until the critical unveiling fair warning that they are dealing with
may want to interweave seemingly- scene. Use dim lighting and distance to the paranormal before the confrontation
supernatural mysteries which have a reduce perception rolls. Witnesses who scene. If they choose to ignore the fairly-
mundane motive and cause with para- encounter the monster at closer ranges presented clues, then they have no one to
normal mysteries in order to promote a blame but themselves when the mild-
healthy skepticism in the players and mannered embezzler suddenly trans-
their characters. forms into his 7-foot-tall heavily-muscled
“Hyde” persona and grins at them.
A player’s willingness to explore
supernatural explanations for mysteri-
ous events can be a powerful GMing
tool. Doyle’s The Hound of the
Baskervilles was one of the earliest detec-
tive stories in which a villain tried to
pass off a homicide as a supernatural
event. In several of Rohmer’s The Dream
Detective stories, the psychic detective
also found that the solution to seeming-
ly-mysterious events was a mundane vil-
lain’s tricks. Scooby-Doo, at least in its
original incarnation, was an entire series
about investigators who found that

GURPS MYSTERIES 95

Horror investigators are often vigi- The mystery genre generally ends with Without bodies, no one is willing to spec-
lantes. Horror antagonists are notori- the villain’s death or imprisonment. Once ulate about a serial killer. A few of the
ously hard to bring to a public trial. The the adventure ends, all the loose ends are detectives have seen
investigator’s proof often depends on wrapped up. Horror adventures rarely things they cannot
matters not normally deemed reliable end so cleanly. If one unnatural monster rationally explain
evidence, like occult knowledge and can wreak havoc, why not another? Did or prove. Some
paranormal powers. The antagonist’s the investigators really destroy the mon- have allied with
nature is often such that normal jail ster, or will it rise again when it has a Prescott College
cells could not hold it, even if it were regained its strength? Did they destroy all professor who has
arrested and taken into custody. of the cultists, or will their dread master been investigating
Wealthy investigators like Bruce Wayne just recruit another group? the Asa Snow
or Lamont Cranston may be patrons of ghost legend, but
asylums with staff trained in restraining Leaving these questions open tends he is generally
paranormal entities and removing their to strengthen the uncertainty of the hor- regarded as an
powers, but most paranormal investiga- ror genre. If the monsters can be beaten eccentric with tenure.
tors do not have those resources. They fully and completely, then they are less
will generally need to kill or banish their frightening. On the other hand, if the Dana’s detectives are all former patrol
monstrous foes and cultist supporters. investigators cannot set things right, at officers, either from the town or from
least for a time, then what is the point of the local area. Many are content to
This leaves the GM with some difficult solving the mystery? remain in the area, although a few aspire
decisions. Generally, the investigators will to jobs in the big city or even with a fed-
be on solid moral grounds in their actions The GM will have to strike a careful eral agency like the FBI. Most detectives
– stopping horror monsters is usually self- balance in the closing of an adventure, work a day shift, but there are detectives
defense. However, the authorities gener- leaving enough unanswered questions to on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a
ally will not understand the danger and keep the feel of horror, while tying up week. The department is too small to
may see the investigators as dangerously enough loose ends to satisfy the players specialize into different units – the detec-
deluded. Not all supernatural menaces that the mystery is well and truly solved. tives mostly work on narcotics, burgla-
will obligingly turn into dust, melt away, ries, robberies, stolen cars, sexual
or disappear into their home dimension. SAMPLE assaults, and Dana’s small street gangs.
Body disposal may be a serious problem ORGANIZATION: They handle a few homicides and disap-
for the investigator. Ongoing paranormal DANA DETECTIVE pearances, often with the help of the
campaigns may involve a competition DIVISION state police. Dana does not have a crime
between the investigator, who is busy bat- lab. Fingerprints can be developed in-
tling supernatural menaces, and local A police procedural is not the typical house, but DNA and other complex evi-
authorities who see the effects of the setting for a horror mystery; however, dence must go to the state police lab for
investigator’s vigilante actions and sus- the Dana Police Department’s detective processing.
pect him of being a murderer, arsonist, division is one possible patron or
terrorist, dangerous lunatic, or all of the employer for experienced investigators If the GM wants to include patrol
above. Here, the investigator may need to encountering the supernatural for the officer characters, Dana’s patrol officers
use all of his experience not only to solve first time. work in three shifts – days, evenings, and
the crime, but to avoid leaving clues to his night. Most officers work a two-day-on,
own actions. Dana is a typical mill town in Western one-day-off pattern, although extra offi-
Massachusetts, with typical problems of cers are often on duty on weekend
If the investigators are reasonably cir- drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic vio- nights, especially when the Prescott
cumspect in their actions, traditionally lence, and feuds between local residents College teams are playing at home and
they are not caught and punished by and the students of nearby Prescott doing well.
investigating authorities. Often, there is College. The Dana police department is a
a particular nemesis – a police detective typical small-town force of 30 patrol offi- The Dana department is a good setting
or a reporter – who is certain that the cers, five sergeants, five detectives, three for rural horror adventures. While not as
investigator is hiding something, but lieutenants, a captain, and a chief serving isolated as Steven King’s Maine, the Swift
cannot prove it. The existence of the a population of 30,000. River valley is a good setting for rural
nemesis gives the heroes reason to be monsters that prey on hunters and hikers.
careful, and not overzealous in their use The Dana detectives have become The town is suitable for some urban mon-
of weapons and explosives. increasingly aware that they have a prob- sters, and the college adds the possibility
lem. It started with a series of unex- of professors experimenting with danger-
CLOSURE plained disappearances among Prescott ous technology or the occult. Also, a small
College students. Local lore attributes the town creates potential conflicts between
“It would have been mine, if it hadn’t vanished students to the ghost of Asa the detectives, who may want to warn the
been for those meddling kids!” “Popcorn” Snow, a vegetarian known for public about dangers, and town leaders,
his love of popcorn who died on who will generally prefer to keep odd
– Professor Wayne, November 15, 1872. Most townspeople events quiet so as not to scare away busi-
Scooby-Doo: Scooby’s Night attributed the disappearances to students ness, tourists, and students. This tension
who have run away due to college stress. is one conflict in Peter Benchley’s Jaws
with a Frozen Fright and in other similar novels.

96 GURPS MYSTERIES

The detective unit is small enough at religious services and carrying appro- ient time. A detective might be notified
that the majority, or even all, of the priate symbols of their faith as reassur- about odd requests for access to valu-
officers could be PCs. Many of the detec- ance. A detective spends a lot of time in able books in the closed stacks or to arti-
tives are likely married, with spouses dark alleys, and there are some places in facts in the anthropology department
that work in town or at the college. They town where radio reception is spotty. collection. The town is large enough so
are likely to know, or know of, the miss- that newcomers are not immediately
ing students and others who might fall As adversaries, the Dana detectives obvious, but neighbors and beat officers
victim to the paranormal. At this point, a have enough suspicions about the para- will notice new cars on the street and
few of the officers have begun to consid- normal to ask difficult questions if new people at the local shops, and
er the possibility of the occult, but none outside investigators start using strange might begin to ask uncomfortable ques-
have any significant knowledge or expe- abilities in their jurisdiction. Detectives tions about those funny holes in the car
rience. Those who suspect something could get enough key information about fender and odd stains on the sidewalk.
odd is going on are spending more time occult activities from college contacts to
interrupt investigators at an inconven-

PSIONIC MYSTERIES

“Tenser, said the Tensor. use. A psychic detective will be someone arrest warrant. Any clues a psychic
Tensor, said the Tenser. of impeccable moral character, guaran- offers must be verified by other means.
Tension, apprehension, and dissension teed by background checks, since no Departments are generally loath to
have begun.” non-psychic could verify or contradict admit that they have consulted a psy-
his testimony about what he perceived. chic; psychics often avoid publicity to
– Ben Reich, Criminals will be aware of the possibili- avoid threats to themselves and their
The Demolished Man ty of psionic investigation and will take families.
what precautions they can to minimize
If psionics are an openly-acknowl- psionic clues. There may be psionic Psionic characters can make it hard
edged part of society, then the psionic criminals who can alter the witnesses’ to create a challenging mystery. Where
mystery will be similar to a fantasy or memories after the incident or otherwise psionics are public knowledge, legal and
science fiction mystery. The GM will actively negate the investigators’ social restrictions may force the investi-
need to take into account specific psion- methods. gator to build most of his case through
ic powers, but the investigators will be traditional investigative methods.
aware of the basic rules governing what If psychic powers are rare and hid- Telepathy or other powers that invade
is and is not possible. If psionics are a den, the investigator may understand his someone’s mental privacy might only be
secret, then the structure of the adven- own powers, but may be uncertain about allowed after the investigator convinces
ture may be similar to a horror mystery, the workings or existence of other pow- a judge or supervisor that he has good
with the need for an expert or research ers. Similarly, a psionic villain may be and sufficient reason to be certain the
to figure out the abilities of the villain. aware of the potential for psionic inves- suspect is guilty, and cannot prove it by
tigation, but may not expect such an less intrusive means. If psionics are
Detectives with paranormal powers adversary and may take incomplete pre- secret, then the investigator’s conscience
are not common as fictional investiga- cautions. Against an ungifted foe, a psy- and code of honor are the only thing that
tors. In some cases, the investigator’s chic detective may easily figure out who may limit his ability to invade others’
powers are rare, thus cannot be antici- committed the crime using his talents. privacy on a whim.
pated by the antagonist. Sax Rohmer’s Proving guilt, without revealing the
Morris Klaw sleeps overnight at crime source of the character’s information, Psionic abilities may be limited by
scenes and gets clues from psychometry may be another matter entirely. technology. If psionic abilities are very
in his dreams. Larry Niven’s Gil the Arm common, then artificial mind shields
has limited telekinesis, and is supported There are a few people who claim to may be equally common, used by those
by his police department’s resident have psychic powers and offer their help who have secrets they want to protect
telepath. James Schmitz’ Telzey to police in real-world investigations. and by those who are concerned for their
Amberdon is a telepath who uses her Psychics say that their offers of help are privacy. The average user will balance the
secret abilities to solve crimes. In other generally met with skepticism at best, cost of the device and the annoyance of
stories, psionic powers are openly and accusations of being an accessory at using it against the value of his privacy,
acknowledged within the society and worst. Some report being tested by just as modern computer and cell-phone
criminals take the possibility of psionic departments who intermingle actual evi- users balance their privacy against con-
investigation into account when plan- dence with objects taken from detectives venience when deciding how to protect
ning their crimes. Alfred Bester’s Lincoln in order to verify the psychic’s abilities. If their e-mail and telephone calls.
Powell, Babylon 5’s Bester the Psi-Cop, a psychic provides information that is
and Philip K. Dick’s John Anderton are verifiable and could not have been Finally, most mystery adventures pit
all official detectives who openly use known beforehand, his assistance may investigators against criminals of equal
psionic abilities, or have employees with be more welcome. Regardless of a psy- cleverness and capacity. A psionic investi-
psionic abilities, or both. chic’s track record, psychic visions are gator is more likely to find himself facing
not admissible evidence in court and psionic criminals who use their talents to
If the powers and limits of psychic cannot form the basis for a search or commit seemingly impossible crimes.
powers are widely known, there will be
laws and social customs governing their

GURPS MYSTERIES 97

Four-Color Mysteries and if so, what modifiers apply. Detect
(associated person or object) could be
Like a psionic mystery, a Supers mystery that involves relatively low-power, used to find someone based on a scrap of
low-profile superheroes like Batman or Daredevil has a different tone and dif- clothing, photograph, or other focus.
ferent style than one involving world-famous, blatant superheroes like
Superman or the Avengers. Empathy (p. B51), Mind Control (p.
B68), and Mind Reading (p. B69), are all
In addition to the obvious problem of providing a mystery that cannot be traditional powers used by detectives like
instantly solved using the PCs’ super-powers, GMs may have some trouble moti- James Schmitz’ Telzey Amberdon and
vating their PCs to follow up on clues left after the big battle. Supervillains are Alfred Bester’s Lincoln Powell for inter-
active; superheroes are reactive. Some Supers PCs seem content to sit in their views and interrogations. Ben Reich, the
headquarters waiting for news of trouble on CNN or for a call from the police. murderer in Bester’s The Demolished
Man, defeats Powell’s casual telepathic
GMs should talk with their players when designing the adventure. If the scans by “accidentally” encountering a
PCs should actively investigate, not just react, be clear about that. catchy musical tune which dominates his
surface thoughts and masks his inten-
Require characters to have investigation skills when they are created. tions. Mind Probe (p. B69) is less com-
Encourage PCs to have secret identities such as police officers, reporters, pri- mon; and tends to be used only when the
vate investigators, or other people who get involved in mysteries as part of psionic investigator has no other way to
their job. get important information.

GMs may need to make clues in the four-color setting very obvious. Super- PSIONIC
villains often have themes like riddles, or a particular animal, or a penchant for CRIME SCENES
doubles and the number two. PCs are more likely to follow up on a
clearly stated theme, which will lead them to the villain and his dastardly scheme. A psionic crime scene may not
appear abnormal at first glance. On the
PSIONIC Clairsentience (p. B42) are nearly- other hand, telekenesis and other similar
INVESTIGATORS untraceable shadowing and surveillance powers may create locked room myster-
tools which allow an investigator, or his ies and corpses with no visible cause of
The Psionics rules (pp. B254-57) offer foe, to follow a target or search a room. death common.
a number of useful powers and skills for Criminals with such powers can use
investigators and villains alike. Publicly- them to spy on the investigators or to If the villain’s powers are still being
known psionic investigators may be cer- case targets for robberies or murders. actively used, then Detect (psionic activ-
tified and classified by a testing agency. ity) may reveal his presence and ability.
Anyone who wants to know about their Precognition (p. B77) is a very useful Psychometry or Detect (psychic residue)
abilities may be able to find out with power, but limited in GURPS. It would may find traces of the villain, assuming
some simple background investigation. be difficult to create precognitives who that the GM decides that mental powers
Investigators who keep their psionic can dependably predict crimes with suf- leave such traces. Psychometry can also
powers a secret may gain a reputation ficient time to prevent them, as in Philip give the investigator clues about the
for their “hunches,” tipping off a clever K. Dick’s novella Minority Report (adapt- crime scene itself or about weapons and
criminal. An adversary who is looking ed into a movie). Reliable precognition items used in the crime. Although a
for other hidden psionics may be able to also creates interesting philosophical corpse may technically be an inanimate
find out about the investigator by dis- problems about free will and about the object, GMs may want to rule that it
creetly reviewing some of his cases in the effect that knowing about the prediction cannot be the target of this ability; oth-
newspapers and in official files. has on its accuracy. erwise it might be too difficult to create
a successful adventure. Generally, the
Detect (psis) and Detect (psionic Psychometry (p. B78) is similar to Sax investigator only gets a brief impression
activity) (pp. B48, B256) are a critical Rohmer’s Morris Klaw’s ability to learn from this skill, which makes it far less
basic abilities for investigators who are about a crime by sleeping at the scene, powerful than the counterpart magical
looking for the misuse of psionic pow- using a special pillow that enhances his spells.
ers. The former detects people with abilities. The GM has a great deal of con-
psionic advantages, the latter detects trol over what the character sees. Using INVESTIGATING
powers in use. Detect (psychic residues) those limits carefully, he can provide the PSIS
could be used to find traces of past character with important clues without
psionic powers. The GM may need to necessarily providing the answer to the Empathy, Mind Control, Mind Probe,
decide which psionic powers have mystery. As written, psychometry only and Mind Reading, like their magical
detectable signatures (see p. B106), how affects places and inanimate objects. counterparts, all make it much easier for
quickly signatures decay , whether sig- a gifted investigator to question witness-
natures are overwritten by later power Telesend (p. B91) makes contacting es and suspects and determine guilt. In
uses, whether they can be erased or witnesses and missing persons much the absence of social and legal restric-
forged, and so on. easier. GMs should think about whether tions, investigators may be tempted to
Telesend can be used to reach someone use these abilities indiscriminately.
Astral Projection (a form of the psi has never met and may only
Insubstantiality (p. B62) and know by name, description, or from
some object associated with the person,

98 GURPS MYSTERIES

Adapting Plots Trained and employed by the Station
management, they work directly with
The English cozy mystery is difficult to adapt into a psionic setting. Unless attorneys to help defend accused sus-
the suspects all have psionic powers, their small number makes it relatively pects. A psi-vestigator is, of course, a
easy for an investigator to discover their secrets with his own gifts. On the trained psionic public investigator with
other hand, a cozy within a psionic training academy or retirement home talent in ESP and Telepathy. In addition,
could provide investigators used to dealing primarily with un-gifted suspects he is given three weeks of training in
with a difficult challenge. legal investigations and a month-long
apprenticeship with a senior investiga-
The hardboiled story style suits a secret psionic powers campaign. The iso- tor. He is not allowed to accept outside
lated group of gifted investigators with a strong moral code dedicated to pro- work. About half of Tau Station’s public
tecting an ignorant world from equally gifted villains, fits easily into the hard- investigators are psi-vestigators of vary-
boiled trope. ing power and skill.

A police procedural story works best when psionics are public knowledge. Because public investigators work
The investigators may be part of an agency dedicated to investigating psionic directly for attorneys, all of the psi-vesti-
crimes, or they may be involved in both normal and paranormal investigations. gator’s work is protected from police dis-
covery by Tau Station’s attorney-client
A thriller story can work well with either open or hidden psionics. The privilege. Investigators are sworn to pro-
secrecy and danger of a psionic antagonist loosed among an unaware popu- tect their client’s secrets and to work
lace closely replicates the feel of a classic thriller, where the villain usually has zealously in their client’s best interests.
overwhelming power because of technology. Alternatively, having the heroes Attorneys ask them to locate witnesses,
be ostracized and feared because of their own psionic powers can create the investigate leads, take statements from
friendless desperation required in a thriller. clients, and otherwise assist them in
preparing a case for trial.
Keep in mind the problems of per- At its end, all the loose ends need to be
ception and memory. A witness may wrapped up and the antagonist defeated Absent their psionics, the Tau Station
seem perfectly honest, but be utterly and punished. investigators have the same duties as typ-
mistaken. Witnesses and suspects may ical American public defense investiga-
have many secrets they are trying to pro- In a campaign where psionics are a tors for a large city. If the GM wants the
tect other than information about the secret, as in a horror campaign, the PCs to have steady employment and a
crime the investigator is trying to solve. investigators may be vigilantes if the constant supply of criminal cases to
In fiction, a character who has a single normal justice system cannot imprison investigate, then this may be a good job
idea dominating his thoughts, like Ben and punish a powerful psionic criminal. for them. In every case they will have a
Reich’s rhyme in The Demolished Man, On the other hand, if psionic powers client to defend. In a cinematic cam-
cannot be probed more deeply. have a biological source, a skilled sur- paign, the defenders, like Perry Mason,
Witnesses and victims of violent crimes geon might be able to destroy the crimi- may always get clients who are really
may dwell upon one image or nal’s powers, leaving him suitable for innocent, or at least guilty of much lesser
thought about the incident, mundane imprisonment. Someone who offenses than they are being charged
making it difficult for the is extremely skilled with Mind Control with. For a more dramatic campaign, the
investigator to scan past defenders can be dedicated to the ideal of
that single idea to using Conditioning (pp. B68-69) may a fair trial for even the most appalling
find out more be able to erase an adversary’s ability to criminal, and to trying to make a differ-
about the case. control his own powers, implant com- ence in the lives of their clients and their
pulsions against using those powers, client’s families, whether the accused are
CONFRONTATIONS remove mental disadvantages, or even guilty or not. Psi-vestigators, unlike their
create an entirely new personality and ungifted counterparts, might at least
A psionic confrontation need not be memories, thus “killing” the evildoer know for certain whether their client is
face-to-face. Mind-to-mind encounters without destroying his body. guilty or innocent.
between powerful telepaths or those
using astral projection can take place at SAMPLE For campaigns based around court-
great distances from their physical bod- ORGANIZATION: room mysteries, public investigators
ies. If the confrontation takes place at a TAU STATION provide a good combination of fieldwork
distance, it still needs to be conclusive. PUBLIC and courtroom work, while having a dif-
PSI-VESTIGATORS ferent point of view from the police and
the prosecutor. Public defenders are usu-
Public investigators are the right- ally not appointed until after the client
hand of Tau Station’s public defenders. has been arrested and brought to court.
Tau Station has 60 full-time public Thus, public investigators generally face
defenders and 30 public investigators. cold leads, crime scenes already
processed by police and released to their
owners, and witnesses predisposed to
believe the client is guilty because his
arrest was reported in the news.

GURPS MYSTERIES 99

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHARACTERS

“Has it never struck you that a man they have apprenticed for several years can justify the sorts of skills and contacts
who does next to nothing but hear men’s by working with a more senior licensed useful for a mystery investigator.
real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware private detective. (British private investi-
of human evil?” gators are not licensed – anyone can call Motivation is also important. The best
himself a P.I.) Teen investigators are the characters for this kind of adventure or
– Father Brown, exception to this rule, but many, like the campaign are those who are interested in
The Blue Cross Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, have par- solving puzzles. Think about why a per-
ents who are attorneys or police officers son might be interested in mysteries. Is
As the prior chapters have discussed, and may have taught them some skills. this just his job? Does he have a personal
mysteries are not about car chases, dead- stake in the case? Does the victim, if a
eye shooting, or exotic martial arts. They Characters in a mystery adventure stranger, have something in common
are about logical thinking, empathy, per- within some other style of campaign with him or with someone he cares
ception, and deduction. Your investiga- must rely on their existing skills. about? Does he have a strong sense of
tors can be anyone who is curious about Characters being created for a Mysteries justice or a need for vengeance? If he’s an
human nature. campaign, or even one where mysteries amateur, what will keep him from just
will be common, should have relevant leaving the problem to whatever profes-
Back story is important to character prior histories. Characters who are, or sionals might exist in the setting?
creation. With a few exceptions, investi- were, police detectives, professional
gators are experienced older people who criminals, reporters, prosecutors, crimi- Answering these questions may help
have worked as police detectives (follow- nal defense attorneys, forensic experts, the GM create better adventures and help
ing several years as a patrol officer), fed- and even, as Father Brown notes, priests, the players create better investigators.
eral agents, or investigative reporters, or
POLICE
PRIVATE EYES AND

“You’re trying to make a fink out of me. for attorneys are protected by the attor- As discussed earlier (see p. 12), police
Maybe I’m obstinate, or even sentimental, ney’s privilege; see p. 72.) The only thing and private investigators don’t necessari-
but I’m practical too. Suppose you had to a private investigator’s license does is to ly get along. Some have a relationship of
hire a private eye – yeah, yeah, I know you give the holder a semblance of legitima- mutual respect, like Sherlock Holmes
would hate the idea – but just suppose you cy when, for example, a patrol officer and Inspector Lestrade or Hercule
were where it was your only out. Would wants to know why a middle-aged man Poirot and Inspector Japp. Others, like
you want the one that finked on his has been staking out a neighborhood Marlowe, often seem to make an effort
friends?” playground. to annoy and alienate any police officers
with whom they come into contact.
– Philip Marlowe,
The Long Good-Bye At best, a skilled private investigator
with a reputation for solving difficult
A private investigator is not a cop. cases is a rival. Likely both Inspector
P.I.s are just normal citizens with some Lestrade and Inspector Japp would pre-
experience and training. Private investi- fer to solve their cases solely using their
gators don’t have extraordinary powers own experts. Circumstances require
to question people, search their homes them to rely instead on outsiders. When
and offices, shadow them, or intimidate a private investigator is not a genius
them. They do not have the power to renowned for his monographs or “little
arrest people. They do not have a radio gray cells,” police detectives may view
and immediate backup when they get him as an intruder in their domain, as
into trouble. someone who might interfere with their
investigations, contaminate or tamper
Private investigators do not have any with evidence, expose matters the detec-
legal obligation to help the police, but tives would rather keep secret, or just
they can be charged with obstruction of embarrass the department by solving a
justice for hiding evidence, interfering crime they did not. Investigators work-
with an investigation, or lying to police ing for a client who is a police suspect
officers. Their homes, offices, and files are sometimes seen as the enemy, trying
are not protected from subpoena or to protect someone the police feel is
search warrant by an investigator-client guilty.
privilege. (Private investigators working

100 GURPS MYSTERIES