Page 80 - Chronicles of Darkness

Step One: Decide the to string an investigation out over an extended period. For
You can use out-of-character designations if you want
Scope of the Investigation example, you may allow for one Clue per game session. This
would support a “season arc” like in popular television shows.
First off, you need to determine the full scope of the Every “episode” the characters can get a little closer to the
investigation. What are the characters ultimately looking final reveal. If the characters uncover the truth faster than
for? What’s their end game? This will often take multiple expected, that gives you more time at the end of the arc to
Clues before it becomes viable. For most stories, one to explore the ramifications and implications of the truth. If
five Clues should be sufficient, where five Clues indicates they’re moving quickly, you can offer side stories and personal
a consuming task. If you want the investigation to be the exploration stories.
thrust of an extended chronicle, the target number should
be at least half the number of planned chapters to allow for Step Four:
deviation in the plot, or up to twice the total number in a
highly-focused chronicle. Create Dice Pool
Once characters reach the required number of Clues,
they’re able to Uncover the Truth if that’s their goal. They By now, you should have an idea of what the character is
can do so without any additional rolls if they spend a number doing to establish the Clue. This could mean research, foren-
of Clue elements (divided however they like) equal to the sics work, interviewing witnesses, or any other action pertain-
required Clues for the investigation. See below for more on ing to the investigation. Establish a dice pool pertaining to
Uncovering the Truth. that action. Allow the player some input here; there’s a good
chance she has a dice pool in mind already when determining
Step Two: Determine the her character’s action. Look to the suggested modifiers for
some examples of what might modify this dice pool.
Potential Clue Step Five:

Once the characters go digging for Clues, you have to
determine what they find and what it means. Ask some simple Uncover the Clue
questions of the player. “Where is she searching?” “What does
she hope to uncover here?” “How does she think he did it?” With the roll, the character uncovers the Clue.
Those are just some basic examples. Pay close attention to
the context, and ask questions based on that. Consider what Uncovering the Clue
matters, what the character already knows, and what she The dice pool depends on how the characters approach
values. Let the player’s answers guide the search for a Clue. the pursuit. Each time the same Skill is used to uncover
Step Three: Clues in an investigation, the dice pool suffers a cumula-
tive -1 penalty. A diverse, holistic approach always helps in
Establish Interval investigations. Continuing with the same approach offers
diminishing returns.
Dice Pool: Special
Next, you have to determine how long the search takes.
This is governed in part by context, and in part by the needs Action: Instant
of your story. Searching for a Clue is technically an instant Dramatic Failure: In addition to imposing a negative
action, but can take a span of time. If the end result of an Condition at the Storyteller’s discretion, one Clue from the
investigation is the focus of an extended chronicle, you might investigation gets the Tainted tag.
want the players to stretch out their efforts, for example. If Failure: The character finds a Clue, but it gets the
the character is casing a room from which a monster fled, Incomplete tag.
it might only take a few minutes. If she’s diving to a sunken Success: The character has uncovered a Clue. It gets a base
ship to find a specific chipped goblet owned by the monster, element, plus any additional elements as needed (see below).
that could take an hour or more. Exceptional Success: Not only does the character uncover
Don’t be afraid to add story framing to the search for a Clue with an extra element, she creates a Condition to
a Clue. In our previous examples, maybe the monster left benefit the search. Common examples include Informed
behind a dangerous contaminant the characters have to (see p. 289) or Inspired (see p. 289). Don’t be limited to
overcome to case the scene. Or for our wrecked ship, perhaps those, though.
the characters have to traverse shark-infested waters to get Suggested Modifiers: Crime scene over a day old (-1), over
where they need to be. If the characters perform particularly a week old (-3), over a year old (-5), tenacious questioning
well in these efforts, consider offering bonuses to the effort (+1), thorough canvassing (+2), personal grudge (-2), relevant
to find the Clue. superstitions (+ or – 1 to 3), too emotionally invested (-2),
unrestricted access to the scene (+2), someone tampered with

79
Investigation