Mystery Module

The template’s metadata:

---
# Template metadata
id: module_mystery
title: Mystery Module
type: module_mystery
level: module
purpose: Investigation-focused adventure with clue trails, suspects, and revelations
author: Mimir Team

# Module-specific metadata
module_number: 1
theme: "[Theme]"
tone: "Mystery"
estimated_hours: 6

# Catalog references (machine-readable)
monsters:
  # Mysteries often have fewer combat encounters
  - encounter: confrontation
    name: "[Culprit's Muscle]"
    source: MM
    quantity: 2
    notes: "Guards or henchmen"
  - encounter: final_showdown
    name: "[Culprit or Creature]"
    source: MM
    quantity: 1
    notes: "The real threat"

npcs:
  # Mysteries are NPC-heavy - suspects, witnesses, victims
  - role: victim
    name: "[Victim Name]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Crime Scene]"
    notes: "What happened to them"
  - role: suspect
    name: "[Suspect 1]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Their Territory]"
    notes: "Motive: [Why they'd do it]"
  - role: suspect
    name: "[Suspect 2]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Their Territory]"
    notes: "Motive: [Why they'd do it]"
  - role: suspect
    name: "[Suspect 3]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Their Territory]"
    notes: "Motive: [Why they'd do it]"
  - role: culprit
    name: "[The Real Culprit]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Their Territory]"
    notes: "Secret: [How they did it]"
  - role: informant
    name: "[Key Witness]"
    source: campaign
    location: "[Location]"
    notes: "Knows: [Crucial information]"

items:
  - location: crime_scene
    name: "[Evidence Item]"
    source: campaign
    quantity: 1
    notes: "Key physical evidence"
  - location: reward
    name: "[Payment/Treasure]"
    source: DMG
    quantity: 1
    notes: "For solving the case"

variables:
  - name: mystery_name
    type: string
    description: Name of the mystery
    default: "[Mystery Name]"
    required: true
  - name: module_number
    type: number
    description: Module number in campaign sequence
    default: 1
    required: true
---

Module {{module_number}}: {{mystery_name}}

Investigation-focused adventure

1. Overview

Pitch: [One sentence describing the mystery]

Central Mystery: [What question must be answered?]

The Truth: [What actually happened - DM only]

Red Herring: [The believable false lead]

Estimated Play Time: [X hours]

The Hook

The Crime/Event: [What happened that draws players in]

Why Now: [Why this must be solved immediately]

Who Hired Them: [Who wants the truth and why]

Module Structure

[CRIME] → [INVESTIGATION] → [REVELATIONS] → [CONFRONTATION]
 (hook)    (suspects/clues)   (truth emerges)   (resolution)

2. The Crime/Event

What Happened: [The inciting incident]

When: [Timeline of events]

Where: [Location(s) involved]

Visible Evidence: [What’s immediately obvious]

Hidden Truth: [What’s actually going on]

3. Cast of Characters

The Victim(s)

Aspect	Details
Name	[Full name and title]
Role	[Their place in community]
What Everyone Thinks	[Common assumption about what happened]
The Real Story	[What actually happened to them]

Suspects

Suspect 1: [Name]

Aspect	Details
Public Face	[How they present themselves]
Motive	[Why they’d commit the crime]
Opportunity	[Could they have done it?]
Alibi	[Their story for the time in question]
Secret	[What they’re actually hiding - may not be the crime]
Clues They Provide	[What investigating them reveals]

Suspect 2: [Name]

Aspect	Details
Public Face	[How they present themselves]
Motive	[Why they’d commit the crime]
Opportunity	[Could they have done it?]
Alibi	[Their story]
Secret	[What they’re hiding]
Clues They Provide	[What investigating them reveals]

Suspect 3: [Name]

Aspect	Details
Public Face	[How they present themselves]
Motive	[Why they’d commit the crime]
Opportunity	[Could they have done it?]
Alibi	[Their story]
Secret	[What they’re hiding]
Clues They Provide	[What investigating them reveals]

The Real Culprit: [Name]

Aspect	Details
Public Face	[How they seem innocent]
True Motive	[Why they really did it]
The Method	[How they did it]
The Cover-Up	[How they’re hiding their guilt]
Fatal Flaw	[What will ultimately give them away]

4. Investigation Locations

Primary Crime Scene: [Location Name]

Obvious Clues:

[Clue]: [What it suggests]
[Clue]: [What it suggests]

Hidden Clues: (require searching/skills)

[Clue]: Investigation DC [X]
[Clue]: Perception DC [X]

Secondary Location: [Location Name]

Access: [How PCs learn about it]

What They Find: [Clues and information available]

Guardian/Obstacle: [Who/what makes it difficult]

Secret Location: [Location Name]

Discovery: [How it’s found - requires breakthrough]

Significance: [Why it matters to the case]

Danger: [What threatens PCs here]

5. Clue Structure (Three-Clue Rule)

Essential Clues

Conclusion	Source A	Source B	Source C
[What PCs must realize]	[How to find it]	[Alternative source]	[Third source]
[What PCs must realize]	[How to find it]	[Alternative source]	[Third source]
[What PCs must realize]	[How to find it]	[Alternative source]	[Third source]

Clue Layers

Layer 1: Surface Clues

Physical evidence at the scene
Witness accounts (may be unreliable)
Initial assumptions (often wrong)

Layer 2: Investigation Clues

Contradictions in stories
Hidden connections between suspects
Timeline inconsistencies

Layer 3: Breakthrough Clues

The key realization that solves everything
Hidden evidence the culprit concealed
The true motive revealed

6. Adventure Content

Part 1: The Discovery

Setup: [How players encounter the mystery - hired, witness, stumble upon it]

Read Aloud: “[Description of the crime scene or initial situation. Set the mood - something is clearly wrong. Engage multiple senses. Who’s present? What’s the emotional atmosphere?]”

Features:

[Key detail that players should notice]
[Environmental element that sets the tone]
[NPC reactions to the situation]

Initial Investigation:

What Perception/Investigation reveals at various DCs
Who can be questioned immediately
What official presence exists (guards, authorities)

Outcomes:

Thorough Search: Players find surface clues, enough to begin investigation
Quick Look: Miss some clues but can return later
Transition: Which suspects/locations become available

Part 2: Suspect Interviews

Setup: Players track down and question suspects

Interview: [Suspect 1 Name]

Read Aloud: “[Description of where this suspect is found and their initial demeanor]”

Roleplaying Notes:

How they speak (nervous? Arrogant? Helpful?)
Physical tells when lying
What makes them open up

Key Questions to Anticipate:

Question	Their Response	The Truth
[Likely question]	[What they say]	[Reality]
[Likely question]	[What they say]	[Reality]

Insight/Deception DCs:

DC [X] to notice [specific tell]
DC [X] to catch them in a lie about [topic]

Interview: [Suspect 2 Name]

Read Aloud: “[Description of where this suspect is found]”

Roleplaying Notes:

[How to portray them]

Key Information:

[What they know that’s useful]
[How to get them to share it]

Part 3: The Investigation Deepens

Setup: Following clues to secondary locations, discovering contradictions

Read Aloud: “[Description of a key investigation location - perhaps the culprit’s secret meeting place, a hidden room, or evidence cache]”

Features:

[What makes this location significant]
[Hidden elements requiring skill checks]

Discoveries:

[Clue that eliminates a red herring]
[Clue that points toward the truth]
[Complication that raises stakes]

Outcomes:

Major Breakthrough: Players connect the dots
Partial Understanding: Some pieces fit, others don’t
Transition: The culprit becomes aware they’re being investigated

Part 4: Confrontation

Setup: Players have enough evidence to confront the culprit

Read Aloud: “[Description of the confrontation location - dramatic and appropriate for the showdown]”

The Confrontation:

How the culprit reacts when accused
What evidence they try to deny
When they resort to violence (if applicable)

Encounter: final_showdown

Tactics: [How the culprit fights or tries to escape]
Environment: [Factors that affect the confrontation]
Complications: [Third parties, time pressure, hostages]

Resolution Options:

Outcome	How It Happens	Consequences
Justice	Culprit captured and tried	[What changes]
Escape	Culprit flees	[Sets up sequel]
Tragic	Culprit dies or wins	[Dark ending]
Twist	Bigger conspiracy revealed	[Leads to more]

7. Escalation Timeline

If PCs Investigate Quickly:

Culprit gets nervous, makes mistakes
Additional evidence surfaces before it’s destroyed
Witnesses become more helpful

If PCs Investigate Slowly:

More crimes occur
Evidence disappears
Culprit grows bolder
Witnesses get threatened or killed

8. DM Notes

Pacing

Let players theorize - don’t rush to the answer
Drop clues at a steady pace, accelerate near the end
If players are stuck, have a new incident occur
The “aha moment” should feel earned

Running Investigations

Present information, don’t solve the puzzle for them
Reward creative questioning and approaches
Have NPCs react to player theories (some correctly, some not)
Use Investigation vs. Insight for different discoveries

Common Pitfalls

Players fixate on wrong suspect: Have that suspect do something that proves innocence (while players watch)
Players are completely stuck: A new witness comes forward, or the culprit makes a mistake
Players guess too quickly: Add a layer - they’re right about who but wrong about why

Scaling

Shorter Mystery: Reduce suspects to 2, compress timeline
Longer Mystery: Add more layers, false conclusions, rival investigators

9. Connections

From Previous Module

[What plot threads or relationships carry forward]

To Next Module

[What this mystery reveals about larger plots, or new hooks discovered]

Campaign Themes

[How this mystery reinforces overarching campaign themes]

10. Post-Module Notes

What Happened

Who did players suspect first?
Which clues did they find/miss?
How did they confront the culprit?
What was the final resolution?

Continuity Notes

[Important facts for future modules - relationships changed, secrets learned]

Player Engagement

[Which investigation techniques worked well? What to do differently?]

Mystery Maintenance Checklist

All suspects have believable motives
Red herring is compelling but disprovable
Each crucial clue can be found multiple ways
Timeline makes logical sense
Culprit’s plan has a fatal flaw
Players can solve without lucky guesses
Failure leads somewhere interesting (not dead end)

Status: [Planning / Ready / Active / Complete] Started: [Date] Completed: [Date]