Page 79 - Chronicles of Darkness

shoulders. It will also help to cater the story to their specific
interests and biases. When they succeed, ask them, “What do
you find?” and let their answers inform the direction of your Investigation
story. If you have a culprit in mind, that’s fine. However, let
the players help guide the path to that culprit if at all possible. Quick Reference
No Binary Rolls • Step One: Decide the Scope of the
Investigation
If your chronicle’s integrity or pacing would be negatively • Step Two: Determine the Potential Clue
impacted by a failure, don’t let that failure act as binary
stakes in an investigation. In popular fiction, particularly the • Step Three: Establish Interval
kind the Chronicles of Darkness emulate, the protagonists • Step Four: Create the Dice Pool
will generally end up figuring out the mystery. This doesn’t • Step Five: Uncover the Clue
intuitively map to the success/failure nature of Storytelling
system dice rolls. Play with stakes. Maybe failure at a given
stage means the protagonists still find their Clue, but the
antagonist realizes he’s being pursued. Maybe finding that
Clue takes longer than expected, so the culprit can get away they may help in the court room when seeking conviction.
with another stage of his plan. A good investigation story They could even offer valuable insights which could protect
needs to maintain momentum, lest it become frustrating. potential victims from the perpetrator. Once fully expended,
In this system, Clues offer dice advantages for later rolls. a Clue cannot offer its benefits again.
Failure doesn’t inherently mean the Clue isn’t uncovered; it If the characters aren’t looking to solve a centralized puzzle
just means it can’t offer a dice benefit later. It’s up to you to with Clues, they can be stockpiled and used at other times.
determine just why that is. Is the evidence tainted? Is there For example, players may use these investigation rules in order
a mitigating twist? to dig up blackmail material; each item of blackmail material
would count as one specific Clue, and its elements could be
Frame the Action used as Leverage in a Social Maneuver (see p. 81). Clues can
go above the normal +5 limit on dice bonuses; they’re limited
Unlike most actions in the Chronicles of Darkness, this only by the character’s Investigation Skill.
style of extended investigation assumes the characters do a Clues are best represented visually at your table. Index
myriad of things across the course of the effort. It should cards are a good place to start, with ticks or glass beads to
never just be a series of rolls; you always want to give as represent the available elements on each. This way, players
much context as possible between each step, with each Clue. can see what their characters have to draw from. They can
This is more than just explaining Clues; you want to space also be handed from character to character.
out the events with action scenes, social scenes, and events
that further the plot and maintain momentum. This serves Relevant Traits
two main purposes. First, it mixes up the action and offers
variety. Second, it builds a sense of stakes. If the world turns In an investigation, characters may use a variety of game
while the investigation proceeds, then real things happen and traits, Attributes, Skills, Merits, and otherwise. This is
time is of the essence. Sure, the characters might get closer particularly important to note, because while characters all
to the murderer if they push the investigation forward. But possess an Investigation Skill, many different character types
what about the cultists threatening to tear into the fabric of can benefit an investigation without actually being investiga-
reality? A Storytelling game is about choice, and this gives tors. For example, lab technicians might assist in uncovering
your players choices of what to engage. Clues with Science or Medicine without even a single dot
What is a Clue? of the Investigation Skill, and those Clues are very valuable
when handed off to a principle investigator.
Having a number of specialists with a variety of Skills can
Clues, in the scope of these rules, are a specialized type make for a potent series of Clues, with numerous elements
of equipment (see p. 100). However, the existence of a Clue of which to take advantage.
isn’t always tied to an actual object with which a character
can interact. Sometimes, a Clue is an important fact, or even Investigation
a series of well-connected dots. Clues are different from most
equipment in that their advantages are resources which can Investigation is still an integral Skill in investigation ef-
be expended. These resources, called elements, can be used forts. It allows characters to tie Clues together, and to utilize
for anything pertaining to that Clue or the investigation at them practically. Characters may only draw from one Clue
large. They may help a principle investigator pursue a culprit; in a given action by default, or one Clue for each dot of
Investigation she possesses.

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infernal engines -dramatic systems