YOU ARE A TEAM OF SPELLCASTING PRIVATE EYES (who also happen to be MONSTERS). Your mission is to investigate arcane mysteries, get information from creatures both friendly and deadly, and discover the truth behind mind-bending crimes. You have been called by your client to INVESTIGATE A TERRIBLE MURDER.
PLAYERS: CREATE CHARACTERS
- Choose a Monster for your character:
- Lycanthrope (Werewolf, Shifter, Were-anything)
- Undead (Vampire, Skeleton)
- Spirit (Ghoul, Lich, Ghost)
- Beastfolk (Minotaur, Dragonborn)
- Hordeling (Orc, Bugbear, Goblin)
- Blighted (Tiefling, Demon)
- Choose a source of Magic for your character:
- Knowledge (Wizard)
- Technology (Artificer)
- Faith and Oaths (Clerics and Paladins)
- Nature (Druid)
- Chaos (Sorcerer)
- Pact (Warlock)
- Choose your number, from 2 to 5.
- A high number means you’re better at MAGIC (rationality; calm, precise action; spellcasting; diplomacy; mental faculties).
- A low number means you’re better at being a MONSTER (physical strength; agility; keen senses; seduction; wild, passionate action).
You have: An analysis gem (detects magic and clues within a five-foot radius), an immovable rod, a healing potion, and your monstrous features (claws, fangs, etc.) You can also choose to equip a weapon, but you must choose whether it is MAGIC or MONSTROUS in nature.
Player goal: Get your character involved in magical mysteries and solve them, however haphazardly you deem necessary.
Character goal: Choose one or create your own: Meet New Monsters, Discover New Magic, Stop a Dangerous Criminal, Prove Your Cleverness, or Keep Being Awesome (you have nothing to prove).
Bonus: Name your organization something cool. (Tusk Brothers Private Eyes, Phylacteries Found, etc.)
ROLLING THE DICE
When you do something risky, roll 1d6 to find out how it goes. Roll +1d if you’re prepared and +1d if you’re an expert. (The GM tells you how many dice to roll, based on your character and the situation.)
Roll your dice and compare each die result to your number. If you’re using MAGIC (intelligence, wisdom), you want to roll under your number. If you’re using MONSTERS, (passion, strength) you want to roll over your number.
0 If none of your dice succeed, it goes wrong. The GM says how things get worse somehow.
1 If one die succeeds, you barely manage it. The GM inflicts a complication, harm, or cost.
2 If two dice succeed, you do it well. Good job!
3 If three dice succeed, you get a critical success! The GM tells you some extra effect you get.
M If you roll your number exactly, you have MONSTROUS MAGIC.
You get a special insight into what’s going on. Ask the GM a question about the scene you’re in and they’ll answer you honestly. In return, your surge of magic and/or monstrosity might get out of hand, at the GM’s discretion.
Some good questions: What is this person hiding? What should I be on the lookout for? What’s the best way to [blank]? What’s really going on here?
(A roll of MONSTROUS MAGIC counts as a success. One condition: You can’t just ask who the murderer is.)
HELPING: If you want to help someone else who’s rolling, say how you try to help and make a roll. If you succeed, give them +1d.
The game ends when the MYSTERY is solved and everyone is out of danger!
GM: BUILD A MYSTERY
Roll or choose on the tables below as needed to build your mystery or introduce new clues:
Who:
| 1 | Lycanthrope |
| 2 | Undead |
| 3 | Spirit |
| 4 | Beastfolk |
| 5 | Hordeling |
| 6 | Blighted |
Why:
| 1 | Money (via inheritance, lack of business competition, etc.) |
| 2 | Revenge |
| 3 | Self-Defense |
| 4 | A Fucked-Up Moral Philosophy |
| 5 | Protecting a Loved One |
| 6 | Protecting a Terrible Secret |
Where:
| 1 | The Seedy Back Alley Behind a Tavern |
| 2 | Atop a Wizard’s Tower |
| 3 | In The Basement of The Town Priory |
| 4 | Backstage at The Local Theater |
| 5 | Deep Within An Ancient Ruin |
| 6 | A Room Locked For Hours Before |
How:
| 1 | Teleportation Mishap |
| 2 | Magical Weapon |
| 3 | A Great Fall |
| 4 | Barely-Detectable Poison |
| 5 | Frightened To Death |
| 6 | Necromantic Energy |
GM: RUN THE GAME
Play to find out how the players solve the mystery. Introduce the mystery by leading the players to the scene of the crime and letting them investigate.
Before something dangerous happens to the characters, show signs that it’s about to happen, then ask them what they do.
- “Your contact begins speaking in ancient tongues. What do you do?”
- “Korella lights a cigarette and slips her arm around your waist. What do you do?”
Call for a roll when the situation is uncertain. Don’t pre-plan outcomes—let the chips fall where they may. Use failures to push the action forward. The situation always changes after a roll, for good or ill. Ask questions and build on the answers. “Have any of you encountered a celestial warlock before? Where? What happened?”
If a player discovers a clue related to your rolls from building the mystery, follow the narrative through the player’s discovery. Don’t be afraid to change or shift the mystery so the players can follow their leads—introduce a witness, another clue or a new motivation.
MMM is a hack based on Lasers and Feelings by John Harper
This game is licensed under a CC BY-NCSA 3.0 license
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
Orcanist 