Who Killed the Young Housewife?

Hannah Brymann had seemed to all to be the perfect wife--happily staying at home and hosting gatherings for the friends and neighbors. Everyone claims to have loved her... but someone must be lying, because someone murdered her.

It's been a while, but here's another one of our Random Murder Mysteries. The idea is that you roll an eight-sided die against the tables below to randomly generate the outline of a murder mystery for the player characters in your roleplaying game campaign to solve. Some of the main results have sub-results that must also be generated. (If some results don't seem to match, you can either re-roll, or use them to deepen the mystery... or make the murderer seem more insane or evil.

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?

   1. In the backyard.
   2. In the master bedroom.
   3. In the dining room.
   4. In the kitchen.
   5. In the garage.
   6. In the bathroom.
   7. In the trunk of her car.
   8. Stuffed into the yard waste recycling bin.


HOW WAS SHE DRESSED?
   1-2. What she commonly wore around the house.
   3-4. Exercise clothes.
   5-6. Clothes for working in the yard.
   7. Underwear and dressing gown..
   8. A bath towel.


HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
   1. Hanged.
   2. Drowned in the bath tub (1-6); in the pool (7-8).
   3. Strangled with a power cord (1-2); blinds cord (3-4); scarf (5-7); bed sheet (8).
   4. Head bashed in with a (1-3) meat tenderizer; (4-6) hammer; (7-8) silver candlestick.
   5. Suffocated with a throw pillow.
   6. Throat slit.
   7. Run over with her car.
   8. Stabbed 1-8 times.


WHO KILLED HER?
   1. Her Husband.
   2. Her Mother-in-Law.
   3. The Postman.
   4. The Poolboy
   5. The Pastor.
   6. The Police Officer.
   7. Her Ex (1-4) Boyfriend; (5-6) Girlfriend; (7-8) Husband.
   8. Her Estranged Step-Sister.


WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
   1. Revenge. (Roll on the Dark Secrets table.)
   2. Jealousy.
   3. So she wouldn't reveal killer's secret. (Roll on Dark Secrets table.)
   4. So her soul could be married to a demon in a paranormal shotgun-style wedding.
   5. She rebuffed the murderer's sexual advances.
   6. She was the latest victim of a serial killer. Another victim will die in 1-8 days.
   7. Revenge for her husband's betraying a (1-3) drug cartel; (4-5) demonic cult; (6-8) secret assassins guild.
   8. She was blackmailing the killer with pictures of kinky sex acts. (If the Husband was indicated as the killer, he is being framed by the actual killer. Roll again on the Who Killed Her table to see who it is. Ignore and reroll additional results of 1.)


WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
   1-3. The Young Housewife had been given a new identity after testifying against a mob hitman who was sent to prison for the rest of his life. She was recognized by the killer, and he killed her for the bounty the mob put on her.
   4-5. The killer and the Young Housewife were members of the same cult devoted to serving and worshipping a demonic entity. She wanted to leave the cult behind.
   6-7. The Young Housewife and the killer were con-artist partners, and she was supposed to rob her husband of all his money. She truly fell in love with him, and she wanted nothing more to do with the killer. (If the Husband is the killer, he murdered her in a fit of rage, and is framing her partner for her death. Roll on the Who Killed Her table to determine who the partner in the con was.)
   8. The Young Housewife was raised and trained to be an assassin and agent for an international cabal, but she wanted to leave that life behind. The killer was sent to eliminate her... and will target investigators when they start snooping around.

--
If you found this post useful and entertaining, check out Murder Most Random, a collection of 12 random murder mystery outline generators. Sales will encourage us to make more... as would comments on this post. For example, is there a generic type of person you'd like to see made a murder victim? Let us know!

The Mystery of Becker's Pond

People are vanishing in the woods near Becker's Pond. Why? How? You and the player characters in your roleplaying game campaign can find out in a scenario inspired by an illustration by Bryan Baugh that you can create based on a randomly generated outline.

How do the Player Characters Become Involved (Roll 1d6)
  1-2. They hear rumors of strange happenings near Becker's Pond.
  3-4. A friend asks them to find a loved one who has disappeared near Becker's Pond.
  5-6. They hear a friend has vanished near Becker's Pond.

How Many Disappearances Once the PC's are Involved? (Roll 1d6)
  1-2. 1d2+1 results off "Who Vanishes First", the proceed to "Who Vanishes Next?".
  3-4. 1d3+2, with "Who Vanishes First" checked once, then "Who Vanishes Next?" once, then the rest on "Who Vanishes First".
  5. Alternate between "Who Vanishes First?" and "Who Vanishes Next?" until a result is duplicated on the "Who Vanishes Next?" table, or the player characters are attacked.
  6. Check "Who Vanishes First?" twice, then roll on "Who Vanishes Next?" until a result is duplicated or the PCs are attacked.

Who Vanishes First? (Roll 1d6)
  1. 1d3+1 skinny dipping teenagers.
  2. 1d2+1 fishermen.
  3. 1d3 hunters.
  4. 1d3+1 bird watchers.
  5. 1d2 couples at Makeout Rock.
  6. 1d2 hikers.

When Do People Disappear? (Roll 1d6)
    1-2. Middle of the night.
    3. Shortly before sunrise.
    4. Shortly after sunset.
    5. During the daytime.
    6. No predictable time. Roll on this table each time a disappearance is to occur in order to determine when the next one happens. Ignore and reroll additional results of "6".
.

How Long Between Disappearances? (Roll 1d6)
  1-2. 1d6+4 days.
  3-4. 1d6+1 days.
  5. 1d+6 hours.
  6. Roll after each disappearance to determine when the next will happen.

Who Vanishes Next? (Roll 1d6)
  1. The local conspiracy theorist.
  2. The minister's daughter.
  3. The Instragram model.
  4. 1d2 hunters.
  5. 1d4+1 frat boys.
  6. The player characters are attacked, either a single individual or as a group. If they lose the fight, they are among the vanished. (Player characters investigating the pond are the ones attacked. If none are investigating the pond, the smallest group of them that are together are attacked. Roll on "What is Responsible for the Disappearances?" to see what attacks the player characters.)

What Is Responsible for the Disappearances? (Roll 1d6)
  1. A creature that's escaped from the secret lab of a man scientist (use earth elemental stats).
  2. The vengeful spirits of two bullied teens who drowned themselves in Becker's Pond in a suicide pact have returned to exact revenge (use wraith stats)
  3. A cult of devil worshipers (1d6+1 together at any given time--unless their numbers are reduced through combat with the PCs and/or having been arrested; total of 13 cult members).
  4. Space aliens have a secret base underneath the pond. The vanished people are being subjected to hideous experiments.  (Vanished victims are still alive and may be rescued if the PC's enter Hell if a 1 is rolled on a six-sided die. Roll for each victim.)
  5. Pollution in the pond has coalesced into a monster that is oozing from it in search of prey (use water elemental stats).
  6. A gate to Hell has opened in the pond. Victims are being seized by demons and dragged into the underworld. (Vanished victims are still alive and may be rescued if the PC's enter Hell if a 1 is rolled on a six-sided die. Roll for each victim.)

How Can the Disappearances Be Stopped? (Roll 1d6)
  1-2. The evil must be destroyed.
  3-4. The powerful international conspiracy that is truly behind the disappearances must be exposed.
  5. The pond and forest must be cleansed with the magic generated by two Native American artifacts when they are brought together.
  6. Atlantean druids must bless the pond and forest around it. And then the evil must be destroyed.

Christmas is Here: What Ruins It for the Heroes?

A little Christmas-y content for your enjoyment!
Even heroes celebrate Christmas, but they rarely get to have the quiet parties they hope for--something or someoone dangerous always pops up to ruin it for them. Which is why their Christmas adventures feature themes like this:



Here's a table to randomly generate the threat that ruins the heroes' Christmas. You may not have time to run it this year (unless you actually know what the Twelve Days of Christmas are), but maybe next year. Or maybe for "Christmas in July"!


WHAT RUINS THE HEROES' CHRISTMAS? (Roll 1d12)
  1. An old foe they thought long gone returns for revenge.
  2. An old foe they tought long dead returns at the head of an army of zombies.
  3. An old foe begs for their help to stop an even worse evil.
  4. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and fire elementals escape onto the Prime Material Plane.
  5. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and reanimates the Christmas meal as a feiry, murderous beast-zombie.
  6. While dinner is cooking, the oven mysteriously malfunctions and causes everyone gathering for the Christmas dinner (and the entire house they're in) to be transported to Hell.
  7. Santa has been kidnapped by vengeful Martians, and it's up to the heroes to save him and Christmas!
  8. Santa's Daughter, Sugarplum, has been kidnapped by her crazed ex-boyfriend and Santa has come to the heroes for help.
  9. Cultists have summoned Narlahohohotep--the Caroler Out of Space--at Nakatomi Plaza.
 10. Santa's Reindeer have been stolen.
 11. A serial killer is on the loose!
 12. Roll two more times on the table, ignoring and rerolling duplicate results and additional results of 12. Both things converge to ruin the heroes' Christmas!


And while the heroes may feel like they're Two Steps from Hell, it's Christmas! So everything will hopefully turn out right in the end!

By Boris Vallejo

The Santa Slayings

Here's a Christmas Season-appropriate random mystery/horror adventure outline generator that was inspired by a combination of a drawing by Bryan Baugh and a spooky version of "Carol of the Bells" by rock group Halocene. (The video and song can be enjoyed at the bottom of this post.)


THE SANTA SLAYINGS
The beautiful people are being hacked to death with an axe and various objects associated with Christmas are left scattered about the bodies. Witnesses report a decidedly non-jolly, white bearded man has been spotted near each of the murders. Can the heroes stop the slaughter before the happy goes completely out of the holidays for everyone?

WHEN DO THE MURDERS START? (Roll 1d6)
   1. July 24 ("Christmas in July")
   2-3. November 20.
   4-5. December 12 ("The 12th Day of Christmas")
   6. December 25 ("The 12 Days of Christmas")

WHO IS KILLED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. A Family (Mother, Father 1-6 children)
   2. Drunken Partiers (1d6+1 Guys, 1d6+1 Girls)
   3. Sexy Santas (1d6 Girls, 1d6-1 Guys)
   4. Church Choir Members (2d6 Guys, 2d6 Girls)
   5. Toy Company Executives (1d6)
   6. Activists (1-3 Pro Christmas, 1d6 killed; 4-6 Anti Christmas, 1d6 killed)

HOW OFTEN DOES THE KILLER STRIKE? (Roll 1d6)
   1. Every 1d6 hours.
   2. Every 2d6 hours.
   3. Every other day until 12 days have passed. He then goes quiet until next Christmas.
   4. Every third day until 12 days have passed. He then goes quiet until next Christmas.
   5. Every third day until stopped.
   6. The strikes three times, 2d6 hours between killings. He then comes for the player characters.

WHO IS KILLED NEXT?
   Roll 1d6 on the WHO IS KILLED table each time the killer strikes. There are 1d6-1 survivors who describe the killer as "Santa Claus."

WHO IS THE KILLER, AND WHY DOES HE KILL? (Roll 1d6)
  1-2. A Psychopathic Mall Santa Who's Blossomed into a Serial Killer Who Hates Those Who Love Christmas.
   3-4. An Insane Religious Fanatic Who Punishes Those Who Aren't Keeping Christmas Holy.
   5. A Demon Who Was Accidentially Summoned By a Church Group Who Was Praying for God to Punish Those Who Don't Observe the Proper Christmas Spirit. (They were actually the first victims, and the party may discover this during their investigation.)
   6. It's Santa Claus Who Has Snapped and Decided That Anyone Who Is Naughty Must Die.

HOW IS THE KILLER STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. By making him understand the meaning of Christmas, so he will willingly be brought to justice.
   2. By killing him.
   3. By cornering him and forcing him to surrender to be brought to justice.
   4. By killing him.
   5. By performing a magical ritual involving milk and cookies that will calm the murderous creature and make him regret what he has done and allow him to return to his . (Works only on the Demon and Santa.)
   6. By killing him.

Who's Poisoning American Vegans?

Here's a random adventure outline generator ripped from the headlines! Roll on the following tables to generate the skeleton of a mystery adventure for your player characters in a modern-day or near-future setting to solve.

THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has warned all Americans to not eat Romaine lettuce, citing a severe danger from e.coli. But is that all there is to it? Are people being sickened from supposed e.coli bacteria just the beginning? It's up to the player characters to investigate and get to the bottom of the mystery... only they can learn if there's a hidden hand and agenda behind the outbreak, or if it's just one of those things.

OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. It's their job; they are investigators for the CDC.
   2. It's their job: they are reporters for the Weekly Weird News.
   3. It's their job; they are investigators for the Kolchak Institute of Paranormal and Cryptid Research
   4. A loved one of a party member, who was a Vegan, died from a mysterious ailment that resembled an e.coli infection.
   5. A one-time foe (1-3)/old friend (4-6) contacted them about having discovered a monstrous conspiracy and he wanted to them about it. When they arrive where they were to meet him, they find his dead body, half-eaten. An autopsy shows his internal organs and veins were strangly swollen. Go  to WHAT IS THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
   6. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6 and duplicated results. Both reasons apply.

IS THERE A CONSPIRACY TO POISON LETTUCE? (Roll 1d6)
   1-4. Yes. And more. Go to WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY.
   5-6. No. Go to WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK.

WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY?
(Roll 1d6)
Whatever result is indicated below, people who eat some green leafy vegetables (like lettuce) are falling ill, those who eat lots of the stuff are being poisoned, and those who live entirely off vegetables are dying in a horrible fashion: their internal organs and blood veins swell and they develop a high fever that cooks their innards even as they are crushed against their own skeleton.
   1. A rogue element within the U.S. government is testing a bio-weapon by spraying it on green leafy vegetables. When it reaches critical mass in the person's body, they die an agonozing death.
   2. As above, except its terrorists backed by Iran (1-2)/North Korea (3-4)/Russia (5-6) spreading the bio-weapon.
   3. A demon cult has been selling plants and seeds infused with demonic to American farmers through Morning Glory Agriculture, and the souls of those who eat too much of the tainted greens are immediately damned to Hell.
   4. As above, except Morning Glory Agriculture is a front for the extremist group Stop Plant Abuse Today. They hope to scare Vegans into eating fewer fruits and vegetables.
   5. Morning Glory Agriculture's genetically modified romaine lettuce is killing people. The company is working on a solution, and in the meantine, they will want to silence anyone who discovers what's going on. Including the player characters.
   6. Venusian are in the final stages of preparing to invade and take over Earth. They are testing ways to turn Earthlings into the perfect food source... and they like the taste of the pure Vegan flesh.


Artwork by Bryan Baugh

WHAT IS THE REAL REASON LETTUCE IS MAKING PEOPLE SICK?
(Roll 1d6)
1-2. It's e.coli, plain and simple. Sometimes shit happens.
3-4. An alien strain of lettuce has arrived on Earth via a meteor, and those who eat too much of it will become AstroZombies!
5-6. Roll on WHO IS BEHIND THE VEGAN DEATH CONSPIRACY, because, contrary to appearances, there IS a conspiracy to kill American Vegans. Just as the party thinks they've figured out it is indeed just a massive e.coli outbreak, they are given information that hints at the conspiracy.

The Curse of the Watery Shroud

Here's another series of random tables to let you generate the outline for an adventure that was partly inspired by a drawing from Bryan Baugh.

THE CURSE OF THE WATERY SHROUD
The Whitehead family has been suffering under a curse since 1688 when the Angelina, the eldest daughter of Lord Elwyn Whitehead drowned mysteriously in water overflow tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead on what was both her 17th birthday and the celebration of her betrothal. Ever since then, if the eldest daughter of the Whitehead family has been unmarried on her 17th birthday, she has come to a tragic end by drowning.

This curse last asserted itself in the Spring of 1918, and it was ruled an accident. Now, just over 100 years later, another girl carrying the Whitehead family blood, Ashley Whitehead, has died in the waterlogged tunnels under Castle Whitehead. Is the curse real? And if so, what's behind it? Can the player characters solve the mystery and save a life... because Ashley's twin sister Emily has yet to fall victim to the curse!

OPTIONAL: HOW DOES THE PARTY GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. They are friends of Emily.
   2. There were friends of Ashley.
   3. They are hired by the family to figure out what happened and save Emily.
   4. They are brought in by a contact in law enforcement.
   5. A contact in the paranormal investigation community asks the party to solve the mystery.
   6. One of the characters is a distant relative of the Whitehead family, and there have been mysterios deaths of teenaged girls in his family as well.


IS THE CURSE REAL? (Roll 1d6)
   1-3. Yes. Got to WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE
   4-6. No. Go to WHO KILLED ASHLEY


WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CURSE? (Roll 1d6)
   1-2. Angelina committed suicide to avoid her forced nuptials. Ever since, her restless and bitter spirit is killing to stop other Whitehead girls from having the happiness she never did.
   3. Angelina was murdered by a jealous and jilted suitor whom she managed to kill even as he murdered her. His restless and evil spirit has been hunting and killing Whitehead girls ever since.
   4. Angelina hated the man she was being forced to marry. She conducted a dark ritual that called for a water demon, but instead of killing her would-be husband it killed her. And it's been claiming the lives of virginal Whitehead girls who don't marry young ever since.
   5- 6. Lord Elwyn made a deal with the Water Elemental Lord: He would be unaging until the life force of 333 girls of his line were claimed by creature as virgins on their 17th birthdays.

HOW CAN THE CURSE BE LIFTED? (Roll 1d6)
   1. A temple to the Water Elemental Lord at the center of the water-logged tunnels beneath Castle Whitehead must be destroyed, possibly collapsing the castle in the process.
   2. The water-logged tunnels underneath the castle must be excorsized of water elemental spirits, as well as the hate-filled ghost of Angelina (1-3), the man who murdered Angelina (4-6).
   3. Lord Elwynn Whitehead, who has been made unaging by the life force of each girl killed must be brought to the temple to the Water Elemental Lord under Castle Whitehead. Here, the angry ghosts of victims will destroy him and the curse will be lifted.
   4. The restless ghost of Angelina must be destroyed.
   5. The spirits of all the dead girls must be rescued from the grip of the Elemental Water Lord.
   6. Roll twice on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 6. Both steps must be taken to lift the curse.

WHO KILLED ASHLEY? (Roll 1d6)
   1. Her secret boyfriend who got her pregnant and didn't want a scandal.
   2. A madwoman who believes she's the rightful heir to the Whitehead fortune if the twins are gone.
   3. A cultist who wanted to summon the legendary Water Elemental Lord and used her as a human sacrifice.
   4. Her psychopathic older brother wants to turn the castle into a "supernatural tourism" destination, and he murdered his sister to revive the legend of the Watery Shroud.
   5. Ashley isn't dead--Emily is. Ashley killed her sister and took her place.
   6. The butler did it. Ashley discovered he was replacing family art treasures with forgeries.

Ghostbusting: The Haunting of Mary-Anne Sanders

Here's another post partially inspired by a drawing by Bryan Baugh. This one includes tables for randomly generating an outline for a "ghostbusting" adventure plot, as well as a starting occupation that's equally useful in settings where the paranormal is reality or fantasy.
   The player characters become involved with the events because they are either connected to the victim of the haunting, or because they are paranormal investigators/ghostbusters.

THE HAUNTING OF MARY-ANNE SANDERS
For weeks, Mary-Anne felt uneasy in her own home. First, she thought small things were being moved ever so slightly. Then, she kept feeling like someone else present, watching her, even though she knew she was alone. Soon after that, she started seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, no one was there. Two nights ago, she was laying in her bed when something swept through the room and she felt cold hands pawing at her, tearing open her nightgown. Then, invisible iron talons locked around her and she was flung violently from the bed. As she struggled to her feet, she saw an indistinct shape at the head of the bed... indistinct aside from glowing eyes and twitching claws. As it faded away, she began to scream...

OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED?
(Roll 1d6)
1-2. Mary-Anne calls them for help.
3-4. A mutual friend reaches out to one of the player characters.
5. One of the player characters hears about what's happening to her, and it sounds like a case that's worth investigating.
6. A clue uncovered during another case leads the player characters to Mary-Anne.

WHO IS MARY-ANNE TO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. An old friend or lover to one or more of them, but has been out of touch for years.
3. A one-time associate of a rival or enemy, but she has parted ways with that nefarious figure.
4-5. There is no prior connection.
6. She is (or formerly was) in the same line of work as one or more of the player characters, but is known to them by reputation only. (Roll 1d6: 1-2. Favorable reputation, 3-4. Negative reputation, 5-6. Dangerous reputation.)

WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? (Roll 1d6)
1. Widow raising 1d3 children, living off proceeds of a tech company sold years ago.
2. Police detective.
3. Call girl.
4. School teacher.
5. Paranormal Investigator.
6. Social Worker.

WHO IS HAUNTING MARY-ANNE? (Roll 1d6)
1. The ghost of an ex-lover.
2. The ghost of a stalker.
3. The ghost of a former occupant of the home.
4. A spirit bound to a knickknack she recently bought at a thrift shop.
5. An evil spirit summoned by local cultists who want revenge on Mary-Anne. Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S SECRET? to learn why.
6. It's a hoax. An 1-3 ex-lover (1-3) rival (4-6); is trying to embarrass her (1-2) drive her insane (3-4)  discredit her (5-6). Roll on the table again, ignoring and rerolling results of 5 and 6 (or use a d4).
   Roll on the table again. A few days after the hoax is revealed, Mary-Anne's terror begins again. There had been a real haunting that had gone unnoticed due to the hoaxter, and the party still has a ghost to put to rest. If 6 is rolled again, Mary-Anne is now haunting herself; the previous experience drove her insane.

HOW IS THE HAUNTING STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. Discovering the ghost's identity and convincing it to move onto the next plane, possibly burying its body in a proper grave.
3-4. Destroying or binding the ghost through usual Ghostbusting methods.
5. Discovering the ghost's identity and bringing a living relative and mutual acquaintance of the ghost and Mary-Anne to speak to it and tell it all is forgiven. Roll on WHAT DOES MARY-ANNE DO FOR A LIVING? to see who this person is.
6. Discovering Mary-Anne's dark secret and revealing it to the public (or, at the very least law enforcement). Roll on WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? Ignore and re-roll results of 6; the result is actually the ghost's dark secret, and it wants Mary-Anne to reveal it, so those it hurt in life can have justice. Mary-Anne has been too frightened to tell anyone what she discovered shortly before the ghost died.

WHAT IS MARY-ANNE'S DARK SECRET? (Roll 1d6)
1. She killed the ghost by accident and covered it up.
2. She's a serial killer.
3. She's a "talent scout" for a slave sex ring.
4. She's the leader of a cult that practices human sacrifice.
5. She's a retired assassin.
6. She doesn't have any serious dark secret; she is the victim she appears to be.
--

NEW STARTING OCCUPATION 
(for OGL Modern and other d20 System Games)
The rest of the text in this post after is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.

Paranormal Researcher
Prerequisite: Age 16+, Charisma 12+
Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Craft (electronics), Gather Information, Knowledge (arcane lore, behavorial science, history, physical sciences, technology, theology and philosophy), Research, Sense Motive, Search, or Spot.
Bonus Feats: Choose one of the following feats to gain as a bonus feat. All prerequisites must be met before the feat can be selected. Alertness, Ectoplasmic Dominator, Ghost Spotter, Ghost Whisperer.
Wealth Bonus: +1

The Terror of the Ouija Ghost

Here's a randomly generated horror plot based on a drawing by Bryan Baugh. It's purpose is to provide a framework and spur your imagination to create an adventure of your own, for whatever game system you prefer.

OPTIONAL: HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS GET INVOLVED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. One or more of the Ouija Ghost's victims were friends or family of a party member.
3-4. The party has been tracking the cursed items that are rumored to cause the Ouija Ghost to manifest.
5-6. One of the player characters witnessed his or her friends be murdered by the Quija Ghost as a teen and he or she recognizes the pattern of its attacks.

THE TERROR OF THE QUIJA GHOST
A group of friends spend the night with some food, some alcohol, and a Quija board. They awakened something terrible, and the player characters must discover what and return it where it came from.

WHO PLAYED WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1. 1d3+1 Cheerleaders
2. 1d3+1 Sorority Girls
3. 1d3+1 Supermodels
4. 1d3+1 Goth Chicks
5. 1d3+1 Baristas
6. 1d3+1 Ballerinas

WHY DID THEY PLAY WITH THE OUIJA BOARD? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. For spooky fun.
3-4. To talk to the spirit of a recently deceased friend.
5-6. To scare one of their number who is a believer in spiritualism.

WHERE DID THE OUIJA BOARD COME FROM? (Roll 1d6)
1. The attic of a family home.
2. A pawn shop.
3. Abandoned on a rainy street.
4. A store specializing in occult items.
5. An antique store that was going out of business.
6. Found in the hallway; each girl assumed one of the others brought it.

WHAT IS THE QUIJA GHOST? (Roll 1d6)
1. A vengeful spirit, specifically after the girls.
2. A manifestiation of the curse upon the Quija board.
3. A manifestation of the curse upon the planchette.
4. A demon that took advantage of the game.
5. An urban legend made real through the psychic powers of one of the girls (and her secret hatred and jealousy of another member of the group).
6. The spirit of a serial killer that's been returned to the world.


WHAT HAPPENED TO THE GIRLS? (Roll 1d6)
1. All but one were driven insane.
2. All but one were brutally murdered; survivor driven insane.
3. All have vansihed without a trace. (1-3, they can found alive; 4, 1d3-1 can be found alive; 5-6, they can be found dead.)
4. One girl brutally murdered, the others injured but alive.
5. They are all comatose, the life mysteriously slowly draining from them.
6. 1d3-1 girls brutally murdered, the others missing. Those missing are now puppets of the Ouija Ghost.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE OUIJA GHOST ISN'T STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. Each night, 1d2 friends or families of the girls who played with the Ouija board are brutally murdered.
2. Roll on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD. 1d2 girls of the indicated group are brutally murdered each night.
3. Each night, 1d2 additional girls of the kind originally rolled on WHO PLAYED WITH THE QUIJA BOARD are brutally murdered.
4. One of the surviving girls, becomes possessed by the Ouija Ghost 1d3 nights later and goes on a killing spree. (If the girls had vanished without a trace, one reappears each 1d3 nights to brutally murder innocent people until the rest are found and rescued.)
5. Once the surviving girls are dead, the Ouija Ghost will start to target the player characters and their loved ones.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.

HOW IS THE QUIJA GHOST STOPPED? (Roll 1d6)
1. The Quija board must be reduced to fine ash in a sanctified place.
2. The planchette must be ground into fine dust and scattered on the grave of a murderer.
3. The truth about how it came to be a ghost must be revealed.
4. The Quija board and planchette must be destroyed with the horn of a unicorn.
5. A Jew, and Christian, and a Muslim must perform an anient ritual over the Quija board, forcing the Quija Ghost to go dormant again.
6. Roll two more times on this table, rerolling any results of 6. If the same result is rolled twice, then it is the only one that applies.

WHAT IS THE SURPRISE TWIST? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. There isn't one.
3. The Quija Ghost wasn't destroyed. It was spread into 13 different random Ouija boards within a 666 mile radius of the original killings.
4-5. There never was a Quija Ghost... it was all the work of one of dead or vanished girls who's a very clever, very psychopathic killer.
6. There never was a Quija Ghost. It was a ruse by a Satanic cult that sacrificed the girls and staged the Quija Ghost situations to lure the player characters to their deaths.

Who Killed the Radio Star?

Roland Mann's voice was known to millions, and the news and rumors and just plain weirdness he discussed on his award-winning radio show amused, outraged, or angered those who listened for four hours every week day. But his voice has been brutally silenced. Forever.
Roll 1d12 against each of the tables below to randomly generate an outline for a murder mystery adventure that you can flesh out for the player characters in your campaign to solve.

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. On the roof of the broadcast center.
2. In the recording studio.
3. In the engineering booth.
4. In the program director's office.
5. The parking garage.
6. Onboard his yacht.
7. In his living room.
8. In his backyard.
9. In the trunk of his car.
10. In his ex-wife's bedroom. (Roll for which ex-wife: 1-3. #1, 4-6, #2, 7-9, #3, 10-12, #4.)
11. In his agent's office.
12. In his lover's condo.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Electrocuted.
2. Stabbed 1d12 times.
3. Shot 1d6 times.
4. Hanged.
5. Strangled with a microphone cord.
6. Head bashed in with with one of his Radio Personality of the Year awards.
7. Poisoned.
8. Drug overdose.
9. Suffocated.
10. Beaten to death with a 1-5. baseball bat, 6-10. hammer, 11-12, bare hands.
11. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 11 and 12. Both means of attack caused his death. If you roll the same result twice, the killer was REALLY throrough.
12. Roll three more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 11 and 12. All three means of attack caused his death.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Wife.
2. His Ex-Wife. (Roll for which ex-wife: 1-3. #1, 4-6, #2, 7-9. #3, 10-12. #4.)
3. His Lover. (Roll for which sex. 1-8. Female, 9-12. Male.)
4. His Agent.
5. His Producer.
6. His Chief Rival.
7. The Television Producer.
8. The Investigative Reporter.
9. The Senator.
10. The Retired FBI Agent.
11. The Drug Dealer to the Stars
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling any results of 12. If the same result is rolled twice, it indicates just one character, but he or she is being framed for the murder. Everyone BUT the indicated characters were involved with committing the murder.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Hatred.
2. Jealousy.
3. Lust.
4. Greed.
5. He broke a promise to the killer for the last time.
6. He was blackmailing the killer.
7. He was going to reveal the existence of a cult and had to be silenced. (Roll for the nature of the cult. 1-3. World domination through demon worship and subliminal messages in broadcasts, 4-5. Personal wealth and power through demon worship, 6-10. Eternal youth through human sacrifices, 11-12. World destruction through the worship of the Old Ones.
8. He was going to reveal the existence of a child sex abuse ring.
9. He was going to unmask the killer as being a foreign agent devoted to sowing distrust and discord among the American people.
10. To be a sacrifice to a demonic entity.
11. He was going to tell the world about his status as a foreign agent dedicated to distablizing American society, and the killer was his handler.
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring and rerolling results of 12.

Who Killed the Dealer?

To a few, she was Lady Luck personified. To most, she was merely the one who dealt the cards and took their chips. Now she's dead.

Melissa Blacktongue has been murdered, and the players in your game can solve the mystery surrounding her death. The basics of the case can be generated by rolling 1d12 against the tables below, and you can develop them into an adventure for your campaign.

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?
1. In the Pit Boss's Office.
2. At the Back of the Cash Cage.
3. In the Casino's Vault.
4. On the Casino's Loading Dock.
5. In the High Roller Suite at the Casino's Hotel.
6. In the High Roller Suite at a Rival Casino's Hotel.
7. In the Casino Hotel's Swimming Pool.
8. On the Ancient Indian Burial Ground.
9. In Her Living Room.
10. On a Remote Desert Highway.
11. Behind the Strip Club.
12. In the VIP Lounge at the Strip Club.

HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Strangled.
2. Stabbed 1d12 times.
3. Shot 1d6 times.
4. Skull crushed by 1d6 blows.
5. Beaten to death with 1-5. a baseball bat, 6-10. a hammer, 11-12, bare hands.
6. Poisoned.
7. Drug Overdose.
8. Sulphuric Acid Poured Down Throat.
9. Slender Spoke Driven Through the Left Ear and Into Her Brain.
10. Electrocuted.
11. Throat Slit.
12. Roll two more times on this table, re-rolling any results of 12. She was killed by a combination of the indicated methods.

WHO KILLED HER?
1. The Pit Boss.
2. The Degenerate Gambler.
3. The Illusionist.
4. The Exotic Dancer.
5. The Prostitute. (1-6. Male, 7-12. Female)
6. The Gangster.
7. The Con Artist
8. The Drug Dealer.
9. The Thief
10. The Private Detective.
11. Her Ex-Lover. (1-9. Male, 10-12. Female)
12. Her Current Lover (1-9. Male, 10-12. Female)

WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Hatred.
2. Lust.
3. Greed.
4. Revenge.
5. The murderer thought she was having an affair with his/her spouse. (Roll two more time on the  WHO KILLED HER table to see who the spouse is. If the same result comes up again, they share professions/descriptors but there are still two people. If the spouse result is rolled twice, the Dealer was having an affair... if it doesn't, she was not cheating with the spouse.)
6. She tried to blackmail the murderer because he was having an affair. (Roll again on the WHO KILLED HER table to determine who he/she was having the affair with. If the murderer is rolled again, ignore and re-roll.
7. She discovered the killer was planning to rob the casino. (Roll three more times on the WHO KILLED HER table to determine who else was in on the plot. Do no re-roll duplicate results.)
8. She shared a plan to rob the casino with the killer, who killed her and took it.
9. She discovered the casino's game's are rigged.
10. To stop her from revealing the killer's dark secret. (Roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table to determine what it is.)
11. She was the illegitimate child of a billionaire who left her a sizable protion of his fortune. The killer is also an heir, and he/she would get the her portion if she can't be located by the estate alive.
12. As above, except the killer frames the Private Detective for the murder. (He had identified the dealer as their heir but had not had a chance to notify the estate or make contact with her yet.)

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1-2. The killer is about to complete a ritual that will reanimate 1d12+12 of the dead in the ancient indian burial groud and cause them to attack the living. (Use wight statistics, or whatever other undead creature is suitable in your game system.)
3-6. The killer is looting a cave of Spanish gold and other artifacts that belong to the Native American tribe on the reservation.
7-10. The killer is a corrupt federal agent who has been helping the mob rig the casino games and steal winnings.
11-12. The killer raped and murdered the dealer's sister.


--
If you liked this post, you may also like Along the Way. It's one of our actual published products, and it lets you randomly generate adventures for player characters who are traveling. Click here to buy a copy and encourage us to make more like it!

Who Killed the Banker?

Peter Davis Blane's small bank was known for its fairness in giving loans, and even for sometimes being generous with extensions if a debtor fell behind in payments... but he never let kindness threaten the profitability of his business.  He ran his bank like he ran his life--efficiently and with a velvet-covered iron fist on the tiller. And now he's dead.


Can the player characters catch the killer in the dramatic adventure that can be created around the outline that can be randomly generated with these tables?

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?

1. In the bank vault.

2. In his office.

3. In his bedroom.
4. In his misstress's bedroom.
5. In the Impressionists gallery at the art museum.
6. In the VIP lounge at the strip club.
7. Behind the orphanage.
8. In the crackhouse.
9. In the sauna at the health club.
10. In the kitchen of his beach house.
11. In the park.
12. On a dock at the marina.


HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Decapitated.
2. Stabbed through the heart with a gold-plated letter opener.
3. Shot in the back of the head, execution style.
4. Shot 1d6 times.
5. Stabbed 1d12 times.
6. Suffocated.
7. Choked by pages of Das Kaptial shoved down his throat.
8. Broken Neck.
9. Drug Overdose.
10. Skull Crushed with a Heavy Object.
11. Beaten to Death with Fists.
12. Forced to Drink Bleach.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Wife.
2. His Mistress.
3. His Drug-Addicted Son.
4. His Rebellious Daughter.
5. His Secretary.
6. The Professional Hitman.
7. The Bankrupt Business Owner.
8. The Foreclosed-on Farmer.
9. The Anarchist.
10. The Terrorist.
11. The Bank Robber.
12. Roll two more times on this table, re-rolling any additional results of 12. The first result is being framed for the murder. The second result is the actual killer.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Greed.
2. Jealousy.
3. Hatred.
4. Revenge.
5. He refused to cooperate with the killer in robbing the bank.
6. He refused to cooperate with the killer in embezzling money from the bank.
7. He cheated the killer out of his full share of money stolen from the bank.
8. He took money from a account belonging to a dead person that he thought no one knew existed.
9. The killer was hired by someone else. (Roll again on the "Who Killed Him" table, as well as on the Dark Secrets table to learn why the killer wanted the banker dead.)
10. He was going to come clean to the world about his own dark secret, and the killer had to stop him. (Roll on the Dark Secrets table to determine what the secret was.)
11. The murderer is insane, and will kill the other people on the "Who Killed Him" list every three days until the party stops the slaughter. (All the victims knew both the banker and the killer.)
12. As 11, but roll on the Dark Secrets table to see why the murderer is on a killing spree.


WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. The bank is funded with Nazi gold (and the same is true of the banker's personal fortune).
2. The bank's main business is laundering money for a drug cartel.
3. The bank's main business is to manage CIA black budget funds, including all expenses relating to black-bag torture sites.
4. The bank's main business is funneling money to terrorist groups and "rogue regimes".
5. The killer comitted rape and the banker covered it up.
6. The killer comitted rape and got tired of paying blackmail to the banker, who had witnessed it.
7. The banker operates a child pornography and sex slave ring.
8. The killer was sexually abused by the banker years ago.
9. The banker could no longer bear keeping the secret that he (1-8 accidentially, 9-12 intentionally) killed the murderer's best friend years ago.
10. His mistress was pregant with their child.
11. He forced his mistress to abort their love child.
12. The banker killed a girl while in college, and killer had been blackmailing him about it. He was going to turn himself and the killer in to the authories.

Who Killed the Triathlete?

Marlon Booker had never met a sport he didn't like and didn't engage in at least once. He skied and swam and bike-raced and played hockey and basketball and soccer and baseball, and so on and so forth. His claim to fame, though, were marathons and triathlons, and everyone felt he was guaranteed to win the Guardian City Triathlon and thus the greatest completion of his life.

But on the eve of the big event, he was found dead.

Can the heroes discover who killed the triathlete in this randomly generated mystery adventure?

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. Floating in the lake.
2. In the high school gymnasium.
3. In the stadium parking lot.
4. In the strip club.
5. Outside the headquarters of the sports apparel manufacturer.
6. Outside his coach's home.
7. In his main competitor's living room.
8. In his bedroom.
9. In his shower.
10. In his living room.
11. In the doctor's office.
12. In the alley behind the health club.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1.Drug Overdose.
2. Heart attack (induced with an undetectable drug).
3. Stabbed 1d12 times.
4. Shot 1d6 times.
5. Hanged.
6. Suffocated.
7. Hit by a car.
8. Bludgeoned to death with a sports trophy.
9. Choked on Speedo swimwear forced down his throat.
10. Beaten to death with his bicycle.
11. His organs were harvested, his blood drained.
12. Garroted.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Coach.
2. His Main Competitor
3. The Sports Company Ad Executive.
4. The High School Science Teacher.
5. The High School Cheerleader.
6. The Sports Reporter
7. The Conspiracy Theorist.
8. The Retired Marine.
9. The Cultist.
10. His Wife (1-6. Current, 7-12. Former).
11. His Physician.
12. Roll two more times on this table. Ignore and re-roll results of 12. The first result is being framed for murder. The second result is the actual killer.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Jealousy.
2. Hatred.
3. For the Life Insurance Money.
4. Revenge.
5. Extremely Unhealthy Competition.
6. To Protect a Loved One.
7. To Prevent a Scandal.
8. To Preserve the Existence of an Evil Secret Society. (Roll 1d12. 1-3. He was a member; 7-12. He was not a member but learned of its existence.)
9. Because he was going to expose the murderer's dark secret. (Roll on the What is the Dark Secret table to find out what it was.)
10. Because was going to tell the world about his dark secret, and the murderer wanted him silenced. (Roll on the What is the Dark Secret table to find out what it was.)
11. It was part of a larger cover-up. (Roll on the What is the Dark Secret table to determine what is being covered up. Roll three times on the Who Killed Him table, ignoring results of 12. The killer and the indicated characters are involved in the cover up.)
12. Roll two more times on this table. Ignore and re-roll results of 12.

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. Teachers at the local high school are grooming cheerleaders and student athletes for nefarious purposes. (Roll a d12 to find out what: 1-3. Indoctrination into a demonic cult, 4-6. Recruitment into a secret super assassin training program, 7-9. Vessels for alien minds, 10-12. Sex slaves.)
2. Teachers are dealing drugs to the students at the local high school.
3. A teacher at the local high school is having an affair. (Roll d12 to determine with whom: 1-4. The triathlete, 5-6. The Cheerleader, 7-9. The Science Teacher, 10-12. The Sports Company Ad Executive.)
4. A High School Cheerleader who apparently died in an accident was murdered to cover up the fact that (1-4. he, 5-12 she) was assaulted and raped.
5. The Physician has been testing experimental steroids on his patients without their knowledge or permission.
6. Aliens are using the local health club as a source of bodies to transfer the minds of their overlords into.
7. The Triathlete was a secret agent. (Roll 1d12 to determine who he was working for. 1-3. A CIA assassin, 4-6. Russian intelligence agent sent to undermine US society and unity, 7-9. US Marine in secret task force devoted to stopping a hidden alien invasion, 10-12. Enforcer for a cult devoted to bringing about the end of the world).
8. The Sports Company Ad Executive is inserting subliminal mind-control messages into his company's marketing materials. (Roll 1d12 to determine who he was working for. 1-3. The Russians, 4-6. The Iranians, 7-9. Aliens., 10-12. The Illuminati.)
9. The Triathlete and his murderer are superhuman because: (Roll 1d12 to determine the reason. 1-4. They were the product of a secret genetic engineering program, 5-8. The are human/alien hybrids, 9-12. They are literally the spawns of Satan--part human, part fallen angel.
10. A cult is performing rituals designed to open the Gates of Hell under the high school.
11. An artificial, undetectable endurance enhancer is being provided to athletes, but long-term use drives them insane.
12. Roll twice on this table, ignoring and re-rolling any results of 12. Both dark secrets were contributing factors to the Triathlete's murder.

--
A theme song for this murder mystery...

Who Killed the Psychic?

She told top movie stars and pop musicians which projects to pursue, she spoke to the spirits about the afterlife and the future... but she didn't foresee her own murder!

Zaynah, Clairvoyant to the Stars, has been killed, and it's up to the player characters to discover who did it and why in this randomly generated murder mystery!

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?
1. In a woodland grove, deep within a National Park.
2. In the celebrity chef's personal vegetable garden.
3. In the bedroom of a rival psychic.
4. In her bedroom.
5. In the parlor where she conducted her psychic readings.
6. In the shower at the gym.
7. On the altar at the cathedral.
8. Outside the state attorney's home.
9. In the famous director's pool.
10. In the VIP lounge at a hot night club (and rumored organized crime front)
11. In the ally next to a police station.
12. On the beach.

HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Strangled.
2. Beaten to death.
3. Stabbed.
4. Throat Slit.
5. Choked by Tarot cards shoved violently down her throat. (Roll 1d12 to see where the Tarot deck came from. 1-4. Her own Tarot cards. 5-8; Tarot cards belonging to a rival psychic; 9-12. An antique deck of Tarot cards that once belonged to a notorious devil worshiper.)
6. Skull bashed in with a crystal ball. (Roll 1d12 to see where the crystal ball came from. 1-4. Her own crystal ball; 5-8. A crystal ball belonging to a rival psychic; 9-12. A prop crystal ball from a horror movie.)
7. Drowned. (Roll 1d12 for the kind of water in her lungs. 1-4. Sea Water; 5-8. Chlorinated Pool Water; 9-12. Fresh Water.)
8 Shot 1d6 times.
9. Hanged.
10. Poisoned.
11. Impaled on an ancient spear with a tip made from a stag's antler and coated with juiced wolfsbane.
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring additional results of 12. She was killed by both methods. If the same result is rolled twice, the killer was particularly thorough and brutal.

WHO KILLED HER?
1. The up-and-coming 1-4 actor; 5-8 actress; 9-12. singer.
2. The has-been 1-4 actor; 5-8 actress; 9-12. singer.
3. The hot 1-3. actor; 4-6 actress; 7-8 singer; 9-12. director.
4. The television executive.
5. The celebrity chef.
6. The screen writer.
7. The priest.
8. Her lover. (Roll 1d12 to see status. 1-6. Current; 7-12. Former.)
9. The private detective.
10. The crimelord.
11. The rival psychic.
12. Roll two more times on this table, ignoring additional results of 12. The first result is the murderer. The second result is being framed as the murderer.

WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
1. Hatred
2. Jealousy
3. She spurned the murderer's romantic advances.
4. She was blackmailing the murderer. (Roll on WHAT WAS THE DARK SECRET to see what she knew.)
5. The murderer feared she had discovered his or her dark secret through her psychic powers.
6. She was the latest victim of a serial killer targeting psychics. (If the Rival Psychic isn't the murderer, he will be murdered in 1d3 days if the characters don't crack the case before then.)
7. The murderer was angry over a bad reading she gave.
8. The murderer wanted to make sure she never revealed her dark secret to anyone. (Roll on WHAT WAS THE DARK SECRET to see what it was.)
9. She was going to tell the murderer's spouse about the affair he or she was having. (Roll on the WHO KILLED HER table to determine who the murderer was having the affair with. Ignore rolls that duplicate the killer; if 12 is rolled, the killer was having multiple affairs.)
10. Revenge.
11. Greed.
12. For a ritual that required she be sacrificed to an evil god so that the murderer would gain her powers of Second Sight. (Roll 1d12. 1-4. The murderer is insane and there is no evil god; 5-8. The murderer gained her psychic powers and uses them in an attempt to avoid being caught by the party; 9-12. The evil god tricked the murderer, because the psychic was a fraud.

WHAT WAS THE DARK SECRET?
1. The big entertainment companies are infiltrated and mostly run by demon worshipers and actual demons, and they are using their products to spread corrupting magic around the world.
2. She was finishing a tell-all book about sexual harrassers and rapists in the entertainment business, and she was going to identify them all by name.
3. The psychic was selling information gleaned during her readings to tabloids and rival studios and recording companies.
4. She was preparing a ritual that would have opened the literal Gates of Hell and give Earth to Satan, but had a change of heart.
5. Her 1-4 Husband, 5-8 Male Lover, 9-12 Female Lover is a Russian agent devoted to disrupted US society through popular media, and his or her secret had to be protected. (The Russian agent may not even know that she was murdered to protect him or her.)
6. She was the heiress to a massive fortune, but was abducted as a young child. Her identity had been traced, and she was killed by those who have been benefitting from what should have been hers.
7. She not only told fortunes, but she also took money to cast curses that ruined careers and ended lives.
8. She was helping the government build cases against a variety of criminals who provided her clients with services.
9. She was once raped by the murderer, and she had decided to go public.
10. She was the literal daughter of Satan, but she refused to embrace her heritage and assume leadership of his servants.
11. She was the literal daughter of Satan and was about to help the Anti-Christ come to power.
12. She and the Rival Psychic were actually business partners who exchanged information on each other's clients and sold trade secrets and plot ideas and drafts of songs and artwork to competitors--but she only did it to those who were the rival's clients and visa-versa.

Who Killed the....?

Welcome to a very special edition of our ongoing series of Random Murder Mystery Outline Generators! This time, we're breaking a bit with the format, and the first step is to roll a random murder victim!

WHO WAS MURDERED? (Roll 1d6)
1-2. The Antifa Goon.
3-4. The Lion of Islam.
5-6. The White Supremecist.


WHERE WAS HE FOUND? (Roll 1d6)
1. In the park.
2-3. In his home.
4-5. In his parents' basement.
6. Outside the Masonic Temple.


HOW WAS HE KILLED? (Roll 1d6)
1. Choked on a ballgag.
2. Stabbed.
3. Poisoned.
4. Shot.
5. Improvised Explosive Device.
6. Impaled on a giant dildo.


WHY WAS HE KILLED? (Roll 1d6)
1. Hatred.
2. Disgust.
3. Revenge
4. It was an accident.
5-6. Does anyone really need a reason with an asshole like this?


WHO KILLED HIM?
1. His Lover. (Roll 1d6 for sex. 1-2. Female, 3-6. Male.)
2. His Child Bride.
3. No one. The dumb bastard killed himself by accident.
4. His Mother, who could no longer live with the shame of what she'd brought into this world.
5. Chuck Norris.
6. The Jews. Because it's ALWAYS the Jews.

Who Killed the Airline Pilot?

He flew jets through the friendly skies, but on the ground someone was decidedly unfriendly toward him... because they killed him.

Welcome to another Random Murder Mystery for your RPG campaigns. This one can even be easily converted to a sci-fi setting--just make the airline pilot a spaceship pilot. Roll 1d12 against the tables below to generate the outline for a murder mystery for the player characters to solve!

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. In the plane's cockpit.
2. In the first class restroom.
3. In an overhead bin in coach.
4. In the plane's rear storage compartment.
5. On a luggage carousel.
6. In the 1st Class departure lounge.
7. In the airport parking garage.
8. In a suite at the Airport Hilton.
9. In the alley behind a strip club.
10. In the ally behind a gay bar and sushi restaurant.
11. Outside the home of his ex-wife. (Roll 1d12 to see which one. 1-3. Ex-Wife #1, 4-6, Ex-Wife #2, 7-8 Ex-Wife #3, 9-12 Ex-Wife #4.)
12. Roll Two More Times. His body was found at the first location indicated, but he was actually murdered at the second. If the same result is rolled twice, the location where the body was found and the place he was murdered are the same. Ignore additional results of 12.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Electrocuted.
2. Strangled.
3. Drug Overdose.
4. Frozen to Death.
5. Stabbed Once.
6. Stabbed 1d12+2 times.
7. Shot Once.
8. Shot 1d6+1 times.
9. Asphyxiated.
10. Poisoned.
11. Drowned. (Roll 1d12 to see what kind of water he drowned in. 1-4. Chlorinated pool water, 5-8. Soapy bath water, 9-12. Fresh water fish tank.)
12. Roll Two More Times. His death resulted from a combination of methods. If the same number is rolled twice, there was only one reason for his death. Ignore additional results of 12.

WHO KILLED HIM?
1. The Ex-Wife. (Roll 1d12 to see which one. 1-3. Ex-Wife #1, 4-6, Ex-Wife #2, 7-8 Ex-Wife #3, 9-12 Ex-Wife #4.)
2. The Co-Pilot.
3. The Flight Attendant.
4. The Air Marshall.
5. The Frequent Flier.
6. The Congressman's Wife.
7. The Aircraft Mechanic.
8. The Rabbi.
9. The Safety Inspector.
10. The Luggage Handler.
11. The Has-Been Pop Star (1-6. Male, 7-12 Female).
12. His Current Wife.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. He spurned the murderer's romantic advances.
2. He discovered the killer's criminal past and was going to reveal it.
3. He discovered the killer was blackmailing one of the other suspects and started blackmailing both of them. (Roll 1d12 on "Who Killed Him" to see who was being blackmailed.)
4. He discovered the killer was being bribed and threatened to expose him or her (1-6); blackmailed him or her for a large portion of the money (7-12).
5. He discovered the killer's criminal past and was blackmailing him or her, and the killer finally had enough of his demands.
6. He discovered the killer was key to the effort to hid the existence of UFOs.
7. He discovered the killer was involved with an ongoing criminal enterprise. Roll 1d12 to determine what it is: 1-2. Smuggling Drugs, 3-4. Human Trafficking. 5-6. International Industrial Espionage. 7-8. Murder for Hire. 9-10. Kidnapping Ring. 11-12. Art Theft and/or Forgery.
9. Roll again on the "Who Killed Him" table. The pilot was having affairs with both people indicated. They found out and they teamed up to kill him and then to provide each other with alibis.
10. He broke off the affair with the killer, because he was also having an affair with one of the other suspects. (Roll 1d12 on "Who Killed Him" to determine who this other person was. If the result is the same as the killer, there was no other affair, just the pilot wanting to get away from an insane partner.)
11. Revenge for his well-compensated role in a cover-up of a mechanical issue that led to the crashes of several planes.
12. Roll two more times on "Why Was He Killed". Both reasons apply. Ignore additional results of 12. If you roll the same number twice, only one reason applies, but the killer was VERY strongly motivated by it.

--
And here's a theme song for this mystery: "Five Miles Out" by Mike Oldfield. Enjoy!

Who Killed the Pothead?

Everywhere he went, the unmistakable smell of ganja wafted through the air. Everyone he met was greeted with a friendly (if extremely mellow), "Hey, dude!". No one could imagine life-long pothead Laurel Yannay having an enemy in the world... and yet, someone has murdered him!

Use the tables below to generate an outline for a murder mystery for the player characters in your RPG campaign to solve! (Click here to see all the Random Murder Mysteries I've posted!)

WHERE WAS HE FOUND? (Roll 1d12)

1. On his couch.

2. On the beach.

3. In the park.

4. In the church parking lot.

5. Behind the smoke shop.

6. In the marijuana field.

7. In the congresswoman's office.
8. In  his pot-plot, in his parents' backyard shed.
9. In his mom's basement.
10. On the steps of city hall.
11. In the alley by the mosque.

12. Roll twice on this table. He was killed at the first location, but his body was left at the second. If the same result comes up twice, he was killed where he was found. Ignore additional results of 8.

HOW WAS HE KILLED? (Roll 1d12)

1. Crushed to death.

2. Strangled.

3. Poisoned.

4. Suffocated with hundreds of jelly beans.

5. Stabbed 1d12.

6. Shot 1d6 times.

7. Beaten to death.
8. Skull crushed with a blunt object.
9. Broken neck.
10. Electrocuted.
11. Thoat slit.

12. Roll two more times on this table; he died from both methods. If the same result comes up twice, he was killed by a single method, but MAN was the killer thorough. Ignore additional results of 8.

WHO KILLED HIM? (Roll 1d12)

1. His dealer.

2. His mother.

3. His lover. (Roll 1d8. 1-6 female, 7-12 male.)
4. His ex-lover. (Roll 1d12. 1-6. female, 7-12 male.)

5. The stripper. (Roll 1d12. 1-6 female, 7-12 male.)

6. The professional assassin.

7. The anti-legalization activist.
8. The pro-legalization activist.

9. The congress woman.
10.The congress woman's husband.
11. The DEA agent.

12. Roll two more times on this table. The first result is the killer. The second result is a person who helped over up the murder. Roll on the DARK SECRET table to determine the motivation as to why they worked together to kill the pothead. Ignore and reroll additional results of 8.

WHY WAS HE KILLED? (Roll 1d12)

1. Hatred.

2. Jealousy.

3. Greed.
4. Revenge

5. Dispute over who had eaten all the Doritos chips.

6. Crazed fanaticism. (Roll 1d12. 1-6 pro-pot legalization, 7-12 anti-pot legalization.)

7. Because his parents were sick of him living in their basement and growing pot in their tool shed.

8. As a sacrifice to a demon-possessed bong.
9. It was a mistake. The killer thought he was someone else. That person will be murdered in 1d4 days if the heroes don't solve the case. (Roll on the WHO KILLED HIM table to determine who the next victim will be. Ignore and re-roll if you roll the killer again.)
10. One of the player characters is the true victim. Killing the pothead was just a way for the killer to draw that person to a killing ground of his or her choosing.
11. The killer is a maniac who believes the pothead was possessed by an evil spirit. He now believes the spirit is in one of the other people on the WHO KILLED HIM table. He will kill another victim every three days until the party stops him. Roll on the "Who Killed Him" table after each death to determine the new victim. If a victim, or the killer, ever repeats, the next target is one of the player characters.

12. To stop him from revealing the dark secret. (Roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table?)

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? (Roll 1d12)

1. The pothead and the killer were having a secret love affair that he was going to reveal publicly.

2. The pothead was going to reveal that the killer is a Russian spy.

3. He had discovered a local dealer/store owner was lacing the pot with a highly addictive substance of mysterious origin.

4. He discovered a cult devoted to infusing bongs with evil spirits that would then possess users.

5. He was the illegitimate child of the killer, and he was going to reveal that fact to the world.

6. He was going to publicize the membership list of the secret society, Potheads for Trump.

7. He discovered the truth about the Eleven Herbs and Spices.

8. He had proof that Donald Trump's hair is an alien symbiote.
9. He had discovered a mixture of pot and 'shrooms that provided a non-addictive super high, and the killer wanted the rcipie to profit on by himself.
10. As 9, except the mixture of pot and 'shrooms is one that's been known to the Society of the Green Hand for thousands of years, and it allows for spirit travel to their secret meeting place. He had to silenced.
11. He was a police informant and the murderer thought he had dirt on him. (1-6 he did, 7-12 he did not.)
12. Roll two more times on this table. Both secrets apply. If you roll the same secret twice, roll again on the WHO KILLED HIM table. The indicated character also knew the secret and will be murdered in two days if the killer isn't unmasked. 

If you enjoyed this post, click here to see all the other Random Murder Mysteries!

And here's a song to help you get in the mood for the adventure...

Who Killed the Clown?

They say "Everybody loves a clown." Well, someone didn't love HoHo the Clown, because she's been murdered. Can the player characters unravel the mystery surrounding HoHo's death and catch the killer?

HoHo the Clown in Happier Times
(like the ones before she was murdered)

WHO KILLED THE CLOWN?
Roll 1d12 against the tables below to randomly generate a murder mystery adventure outline for your campaign.

WHERE WAS SHE FOUND?
  1. In a crate of uninflated balloons.
  2. Stuffed into a clown car.
  3. Inside the illusionist's "vanishing lady" trick box.
  4. On the playground.
  5. In the mailroom of a high-rise building of luxery condos.
  6. At home, in her bedroom.
  7. At home, in her shower.
  8. In the sauna at the health club.
  9. In the alley behind a seedy nightclub
 10. In the cemetery.
 11. On the beach.
 12. In the pool at the bank president's home.

HOW WAS SHE KILLED?
  1. Hanged.
  2. Stabbed.
  3. Choked by a balloon animal forced down her throat.
  4. Garrotted.
  5. Suffocated.
  6. Strangled.
  7. Multiple blows to the head.
  8. One blow to the head.
  9. Shot once through the back of the head.
 10. Shot once in the chest.
 11. Shot 1d4+1 times.
 12. Drowned. (Roll an additional 1d12 to see what kind of water she drowned in. 1-3. Chlorinated Water, 4-6. Salt Water. 7-9. Soapy Bathwater, 10-12. Fresh Water.)

WHO KILLED HER? (This is also a list of suspects.)
  1. The Retired Clown.
  2. The Up-and-Coming Clown.
  3. The Illusionist (for whom she had once been an assistant).
  4. Her Male Lover. (Roll an additional 1d12. 1-6 it’s her ex-lover.)
  5. Her Female Lover. (Roll an additional 1d12. 1-6 it’s her ex-lover.)
  6. Her Estranged Relative (Roll an additional 1d12 to determine which relative; she was estranged from her entire family. 1-2. Father, 3-4. Mother, 5-6. Brother, 7-8. Sister, 9-10. Uncle, 11-12. Aunt.)
  7. Her College Drama Instructor.
  8. The Bank President.
  9. The Television Producer.
 10. The Human Trafficker.
 11. The Baptist Minister.
 12. Killjoy the Demon Clown.


WHY WAS SHE KILLED?
  1. So she couldn’t reveal a dark secret to the world. (Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table.)
  2. To protect the killer’s dark secret. (Roll on WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET table.)
  3. To protect a secret organization.
  4. Shame.
  5. Jealousy.
  6. Revenge.
  7. Hatred.
  8. Lust.
  9. To stop her plan to open a clown-themed strip club.
 10. As a sacrifice to Killjoy the Demon Clown.
 11. It was an accident. The killer and the clown were engaged in a weird sex game that went horribly wrong. (Roll an additional 1d12 to determine the identity of the killer. 1-3 the Up-and-Coming Clown; 4-6 her Male Lover; 7-9 her Female Lover, 10-12. the Baptist Minister. The person originally indicated as the killer helped move the body--if the location and the method by which HoHo was killed don't line up--or otherwise helped cover up and serve as the killer's alibi. If the person she was having sex with is the same person as indicated here, the killer acted alone.)
 12. Roll again on this table. Both reasons apply for why she was killed. Ignore repeated results.


WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
  1. She had discovered that several of her fellow clowns were part of cult dedicated to Killjoy the Demon Clown. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is the cult's leader. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved with the cult, but the leader might not know who the murderer is, or even why HoHo was killed.
  2. HoHo was part of a cult that worshipped Killjoy the Demon Clown. She was killled to prevent her from performing the ritual that would make her displace Batty Boop in the Demon Clown Ranks.
  3. A terrorist and kidnapping-for-ransom cell is using party clowns to identify targets, and HoHo discovered this. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved, but the leader might not know who the murderer is or why HoHo was killed.
  4. She uncovered a plot to drive clowns insane using poisoned greasepaint. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved in the ring, but the leader might not know who the murderer is.
  5. The Human Trafficker is using circuses to transport victims, and HoHo was killed to stop her from revealing the enterprise. Roll on WHO KILLED HER to determine who is in charge of this evil enterprise. If it’s a different person than the killer, both characters are involved, but the leader might not know who the murderer is or why HoHo was killed.
  6. The Baptist Minister has a homosexual clown fetish, and HoHo was killed to put an end to her blackmailing him. The killer identified on the WHO KILLED HER table committed the murder on behalf of the Baptist Minister--with his full knowledge.
  7. The Bank President raped her as a teenager and she was going to go public. The killer identified on the WHO KILLED HER table committed the murder on behalf of the Bank President--with his full knowledge.
  8. She was going to reveal the Illusionists secrets on a TV special. The killer identified on the WHO KILLED HER table committed the murder on behalf of the Illusionist--with his full knowledge. If the killer is the TV Producer, HoHo was killed because she backed out of revealing the Illusionist's secrets.
 10. She found the long lost wreck of a Spanish galleon while skindiving in the Carribean. The killer murdered her to keep the entire treasure .
11. Her 1-4 Estranged Mother, 5-8 Male Lover, 9-12 College Drama Instructor is a Russian assassin, and his or her secret had to be protected.
 12. Roll twice on this table. The two results are intertwined in one monstrous conspiracy. Ignore repeated results and roll again.


--
This random murder mystery contains completely and totally unauthorized references to Full Moon's demonic clown characters from the Killjoy movie series. My apologies to Full Moon and Charles Band if they take offense. (Click here to read more about the films featuring Killjoy, Batty Boop, and the rest of the demonic clown gang at the Charles Band Collection.)

Who Killed the Gun Rights Activist?

It was the night of the big debate between anti-gun and pro-gun activists... but when showtime arrived, one podium was empty on the stage.
   "They're scared to face us," the debater who was present crowed, "because they know they don't have any real argument to support their extreme positions!"
   But it wasn't fear that had kept him away; it was death. Hours later, he was found murdered. And it's up to the player characters to solve the mystery of Who Killed the Gun Rights Activist!

WHO KILLED THE GUN RIGHTS ACTIVIST?
To randomly generate the outline of a mystery adventure, roll 1d12 against the each of the following tables.

WHERE WAS HE FOUND?
1. In the park, near the sight of a major protest.
2. In the parking lot.
3. In the men’s room.
4. In his office.
5. In his living room.
6. In his bedroom.
7. In a room at a seedy motel.
8. In the VIP lounge in the Blue Oyster Nightclub.
9. Outside a gun store.
10. At a gun range.
11. Outside the headquarters of an anti-gun group.
12. Roll Twice on this table. First result is where the body was found. Second result is where he was actually killed.

HOW WAS HE KILLED?
1. Poisoned.
2. Stabbed 1d12 times.
3. Shot 1d12 times.
4. Shot through the back of the head, execution style.
5. Bashed in the head 1d12 times.
6. Garrotted.
7. Hanged.
8. Electrocuted.
9. Suffocated.
10. Decapitated.
11. Beaten to death.
12. Roll twice on the table. He was killed by a combination of the indicated methods.

WHO KILLED HIM? (This is the list of suspects; the killer is among them.)
1. The Second Amendment Extremist (1-6 In Favor, 7-12 Against).
2. The Lobbyist.
3. The State Senator.
4. The Grieving Parent. (1-6 Dad, 7-12 Mom).
5. His Wife.
6. His Teenaged Daughter.
7. His Teenaged Son.
8. His Mistress (1-6 Current, 7-12 Former).
9. The Angry Protest Leader.
10. The Cult Leader.
11. The Prostitute.
12. Roll twice on the table. The two results worked together to commit the murder, and they serve as each other’s alibis. If you roll a duplicated result, roll again. Instead of working together, the first result is framing the second result for the murder.

WHY WAS HE KILLED?
1. Revenge.
2. Hatred.
3. Crazed Fanaticism (1-6 Pro-Gun Rights, 7-12 Anti-Gun Rights).
4. Jealousy.
5. To cover up a conspiracy to cause more gun violence.
6. Because he was about to switch sides in the gun debate.
7. Because he wouldn’t switch sides in the gun debate.
8. To keep the killer’s dark secret (Roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? table.)
9. To keep him from revealing a dark secret (Roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? table.)
10. To inflame tensions between Pro- and Anti-Gun Rights factions.
11. To stop him from revealing a dark secret held by a suspect other than the killer, but which the killer felt needed to be protected nonetheless. Roll on the WHO KILLED HIM TABLE?, and then the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? Table, to determine who has the secret and what it is.)
12. Roll twice on this table. He was killed for both reasons indicated. If a duplicate result is rolled, roll on the WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET? table. The indicated secret is why he was killed.

WHAT IS THE DARK SECRET?
1. He (or another indicated character) is the leader of a death cult who wants to generate as much gun violence as possible, thus making the Dark Blood God happy.
2. An agent for a foreign nation whose mission it is to disrupt the American democracy needed to have his or her cover preserved.
3. Thousands of faulty guns are about to be intentionally released into the market, and many gun enthusiasts will be hurt or killed and a company will be bankrupted due to internal sabotage.
4. Aliens hide among us, and they are sowing discord and madness, trying to make humanity self-destruct.
5. The State Senator murdered a prostitute ten years ago. (If another character is indicated as knowing this secret and is the murderer, the Gun Rights Activist was killed either to protect a blackmail scheme, or because the murderer and the character with the secret are working together.)
6. The Lobbiest murdered his wife five years ago and made it look like an accidental shooting. (If another character is indicated as knowing this secret and is the murderer, the Gun Rights Activist was killed either to protect a blackmail scheme, or because the murderer and the character with the secret are working together.)
7. The Wife murdered her romantic rival for the Gun Rights Activist when they were in college.
8. The Pro- and Anti-Gun movements are being funded from the same source who hopes to use the tensions to get the State Senator reelected.
9. One of the Gun Rights Activist’s children (1-6 Daughter, 7-12 Son) was actually stillborn but was swapped with another infant at birth. The other mother killed herself in a fit of depression.
10. Devil worshippers are deploying Soul Traps around schools and preparing mass-shootings so they can capture young souls for Satan.
11. The Angry Protest Leader is the Gun Rights Activist illegitimate son (or daughter).
12. The Gun Rights Activist was blackmailing all the suspects except his wife and children, and the murderer killed him to take over his “portfolio.”