Solemn Tones Beast

[Yvone Brem]

3Now the Beast is charged with burning down an asylum and the involuntary manslaughter that goes with it.

-But look, it was a fight between the Skin Stealer and the doctor he was conspiring with. We the PCs show.

4: Now the Beast is charged with killing some children; he even laughed at the little girl's murder.

-But look, that nasty little kiddy kidnapper-rapist-murderer that turned into a Wight did it, not the Beast, who actually tried to help. The Beast was crying, not laughing, for his friend cuz she's dead. Let's Speak w/ Dead! We the PCs show.

I agree this is a fundamental problem. Also, the backstory indicates the Beast is accused of (and in fact guilty of) OTHER crimes. They just decided to put him on trial for those few crimes. Based on the theft of the effigy and the other crimes, there is no way he would be released, even if acquitted. A suspect in his situation wouldn't be released in the United States TODAY, much less in the less-suspect-friendly legal system of old Lepidstadt. As a GM, I think the way I'm going to handle this is The Beast will break out and escape regardless of the outcome of the trial, because even if he is acquitted he isn't going to be released. (Maybe he'll break out in a rage when, after his acquittal, it is announced he will be held over for trial on OTHER charges.) But the PCs get more experience if they succeed...

2. It will convince Judge Daramid that the PCs are worth bringing into her confidence as members of the Palatine Eye. She will also get them outfitted with some gifts from the Order's unofficial armory (to help offset the lack of wealth later in the module.)

The Beast is on trial for the three crimes you mentioned in the first post. Nothing else. As you said, they picked these three crimes because they had the most evidence. It's a bit odd that they're not prosecuting the Beast for the damage at the university, too, but as Windspirit said, they are specifically going for the death penalty.

And more importantly, it's a much better story if the PCs find the evidence and make their rolls and against all odds the beast is acquitted. Bear in mind the townspeople don't have to accept that, and may well mob in with pitchforks and torches.

My read on the Beast was, from the first, that he's a useful scapegoat or boogyman for everything that goes wrong in the area, and isn't actually guilty of anything. The narrative is classic Frankenstein; the misunderstood monster. The beast may have killed someone, sure, but the PCs have likely killed far more people at this point in more suspect circumstances ;)

Now if you want the story to be about the hopelessness of the judicial system and the futility of proving innocence, you can have him executed anyway. That's pretty dark but is definitely in keeping with the overall tone of this adventure path. Just make sure your players are on board with that, because it can be pretty disheartening to find your efforts have been futile. :)

Besides, if he's found guilty of theft, breaking & entering, property damage, etc., what will the sentence be? Community service? I think everyone in the city, from the mob on up to the Chief Justice, would like to see the Beast either die or get the hell out of Dodge.

Could also put him under 'house arrest' pending further trial into the damages case. Or have daddy successfully bribe away those charges (in that destruction is easy to bribe away, murder and death isn't).

There isn't any reason to think criminal procedure in Lepidstadt would be more suspect-friendly than modern criminal procedure, and under modern procedure if a defendant is acquitted but there is evidence he committed other crimes, he will be held awaiting trial for the additional crimes. That is the most logical thing to happen if the Beast is acquitted -- the prosecutor will request the Beast be held for a short period until new charges can be filed. That may be frustrating for players who put on a good defense, but it makes no sense that the Beast would be released. But he won't just be sentenced to die before being tried for another crime. In any event, he'll break loose once he's informed he has to stand trial again.

I just can't see a way around this, though. The Beast was captured at the university. How is it that that charge, lesser crime though it may be, is ignored? ESPECIALLY since we proved his innocence and the townsfolk STILL wanted his blood!

I think if I run this in the future I will have Judge Daramid release the Beast on his own recognizance to come back until another trial -- one that discusses the university -- giving the PCs time to go to Schloss Caramark to find out what's what. THIS WAY the citizens' anger that he's released makes more sense. And until the PCs find that thing that controlls the Beast's mind, the Beast is not "free."

@ Nathonicus,

I wouldn't have the Beast be condemned for death for two reasons: First, the PCs should have a chance to save him and Second, because he's what the PCs need to kill that monters-flesh-golem in Schloss Caramark.

(I thought I was SOOO brilliant for coming up with the idea to convince the Beast to help us kill the other monster and save "Daddy" only to be told that Pett's adventure specifically states that we PCs need the Beast's help.) DOH!

Which is a second problem for the module... the Beast could break free at any time, so why doesn't he? I've tried to solve this by making the beast smarter and more "classic monster" than the AP. The people of Lepidstadt think that they have put the Beast on trial, but in reality, he is sitting in judgement of those who would condemn him.

Incidentally you guys can read the Campaign Journal I started called "The Epistles of Robin Van Persie: A Varisian in Carrion Crown"

It's got, like, 3 whole posts (never managed to keep up with it LOL)

Incidentally you guys can read the Campaign Journal I started called "The Epistles of Robin Van Persie: A Varisian in Carrion Crown"

It's got, like, 3 whole posts (never managed to keep up with it LOL) Dangt! I saw the spoilers tag and thought this was a DM thread.Ooops....

Spoilers for "Trial of the Beast" are fine; we're finished and have played a session of "Broken Moon" -- so we won't talk about "Broken Moon" -- but Pett's adventure is fine. The DM allows me to read the stuff when we're done, trusting me to quickly look away if it looks like I'm reading something that'll spoil stuff later in the campaign. I'm allowed to read "Haunting of Harrowstone" and "Trial of the Beast" cuz we're done. But I haven't really had much time.

I would not recommend you read those modules! Sure, most of it is specific to the particular module, but there are plenty of references to later events. I certainly would not allow it in my campaign. Why not just wait until the AP is over? Paizo is always putting out tons of good stuff to read!

For me, I'll enjoy the Campaign much more if I can go back and read a particular dungeon or encounter or whatever after we've done it. I've never done it before (and haven't had the time yet here) but the DM knows I HATE spoilers and will avoid ruining anything for myself.

(Or did Pett and Jacobs miss it?) I laughed so hard... I missed this too... food for thought.I think I'll come down on its potentially too dangerous to hold him for non capital crimes - both from the perspective of the beast itself AND the mobs threat to public order... the Judges sidebar with the prosecution and just say 'sod it - too much effort' and drop it there.

A good way to work around this problem is to say that the beast has been found guilty of property damage to the university, but not of any of the other charges. since breaking and entering is not punishable by death, the beast is instead banished from Lepidstadt, and will be arrested if it tries to re-enter city limits.

[NB: I haven't played any of this, or indeed any Pathfinder yet, but am reading the adventures as it's a good source of ideas and an enjoyable storyline. I acknowledge I may have missed things which a more thorough knowledge of the rules, actual play or the more detailed prep a DM does would reveal. If so, my bad...]

The crime seems to be breaking into a (thinly protected) University curio collection and stealing an ugly statue that is not known to be magical, but kept merely as an example of a curio from a different culture (plus some vandalism afterwards). I could imagine that, with her suspicions that The Beast would make a terrible professional burglar and so something more must be up, Judge Deramid could use Secret Society friends to influence to the University to drop the charges. This might also give the Judge more reason to ask the PC's to head out to the Schloss to ask the weirdo Count what's up with his flesh golem being sent to steal knick-knacks.

This all brings up kind of a bigger issue for me. A not known to be very valuable curio (not known to be magical? With detect magic being an at will cantrip, you'd think some sort of caster would have been scanning the curios for kicks and giggles at some point in the last decade. Or is it assumed to be magical and just not mentioned by the Professor?), stored in a University room with 3 large (albeit stuck) windows and a door protected by a mighty Alarm spell, and the best plan the Whispering Way can come up to put their hands on it is to 1) raise the castle (filled with horrors) of the high-level alchemist Count, 2) take control of his giant thug sentient flesh golem and 3) have it bash down the doors and toss the statue out the window to a waiting creature? Seems kinda like the Rube Goldberg method of getting their hands on a statue.

If I was a player and (after talking to the Count in the aftermath) found out that the WW went thru all this to steal an ugly, lightly guarded statue (which we all assume is very valuable to them and about to bring about some nasty evil doom on Golarian etc), I'd come to the conclusion that we'd missed the real plot. Was it all a diversion? What was the real target of the Cult? Or that the WW are a pack of clowns who come up with outrageous schemes to accomplish tasks that could be handled in much simpler manners. Can we use that against them in the future?

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