Magical investigation is a complex and intriguing field that combines elements of detective work and the supernatural. It refers to the practice of investigating and solving crimes or mysteries that involve the use of magic or paranormal phenomena. In a magical investigation, the investigator must possess a deep understanding and knowledge of the mystical arts in order to navigate the often convoluted and elusive nature of magic. This requires a keen eye for detail, a critical mind, and the ability to think outside the box. One of the main challenges of magical investigation is the sheer breadth and diversity of magical practices and traditions. Different cultures and societies have their own unique approaches to magic, and understanding these nuances is crucial in solving magical crimes.

Forms of magical forensics, magical investigation and code-breaking using magic

\$\begingroup\$ Do you have any idea what you party composition would be in terms of classes or levels? Furthermore, are you allowing all 3.5e material? I suspect that I single reasonably leveled caster would destroy your mystery. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ @J.Mini ' I suspect that I single reasonably leveled caster would destroy your mystery.' Go ahead that's exactly the kind of responses I was hoping to elicit. Also Ranger, Paladin, Bard and Artificer cohort. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ There's quite a few psionic options as well, including a few that would allow a character to watch as they encode the message in the first place. \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ Was the coded message written by hand by the sender? Will the PCs have the original coded message or will they receive a copy? Or are both of these pieces of information the kind of thing that the PCs are supposed to discover on their own? \$\endgroup\$

\$\begingroup\$ @HeyICanChan They will discover on their own, however for our purposes it is the original coded message and it is written by hand. \$\endgroup\$

Different cultures and societies have their own unique approaches to magic, and understanding these nuances is crucial in solving magical crimes. Investigators must possess a broad knowledge of various magical traditions, spells, enchantments, and rituals. Another major aspect of magical investigation is the ability to differentiate between natural phenomena and deliberate magical acts.

2 Answers 2

Psychometry, Object Reading, Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions, and Destiny's Trail.

Psychometry: see who was in an area last, and what they did. This power is sequential, meaning it shows who last was there, and then the person or people before them, but disregards temporal distance. However, you might be hard pressed to find a location or area where the last person in the area was your desired target. Works better in secret rooms and other closed off locations.

Object Reading: this only works if the object ever had an actual owner. Also, one would only learn about the owner, not the object. However, the information revealed by this could not only help pinpoint the time period, but also provide targeted information for other forms of divination.

Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions: limited to 100 years x manifester levels, and events which would have left a strong emotional impression. which may or may not apply to a specific person.

Destiny's Trail: learn about everyone involved with a specific event that you can describe when you are at the location in question, regardless of temporal distance. With this one, you could directly target the person who last held the cipher. Then reiterated manifestations could even track that person around town, through handoffs, and eventually back to the person who wrote it. though it may take a long while. Another great power for digging out data useful for subsequent divisions. Combined with a Locate Object effect and they could eventually find the code book to decipher it.

However, in time critical situations or mysteries, some of these options are not tenable.

Has anyone ever considered how magical forensics might work in uncovering crimes that use magic? (1 Viewer)

I am designing a scenario where a demon hunting wizard is trying to thwart a ring of demonic cultists from summoning demons to take over a magical city. Has anyone ever considered how magical forensics might work in uncovering crimes that use magic? Please let me know your ideas.

MoonHunter

Game Guru-Thread Shepherd

Okay - Lord Darcy Series is just what you want to do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Darcy_(character)
This is a magical police procedural.

Or you can read things more current, Dresden gives you a lot of what you want.
He starts serious with the investigation of a magical nature. He is written in the Noir/ Detective novel style.

Oh and the Diana Tregarde series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey_bibliography#Diana_Tregarde
Tregarde does investigations with more of a supernatural/ urban fantasy approach. There is less official police aspect to these investigations. This series has set the bar and created the format for urban fantasy investigations.

Dagor

Validated User

Well, one of the most basic ideas is that active use of magic and its aftereffects could be detectable by wizards and possibly others. "Somebody's working on a summoning ritual a few hundred yards down this alley right now!" would certainly be useful information to have right there.

Then we get into "proper" information-gathering magics and the countermeasures to them. A magical scrying device could depending on what its actual use limits are potentially give somebody considerable surveillance capabilities. except, of course, that in a high-magic culture at least the rich and powerful will probably have their homes and at least parts of their business places as warded as possible against just such scrying to keep spies and random magical peeping toms out. If there's a magical way to see straight-up into the past, then unless there are also reasonably common defenses against that detective work just became a lot easier simply because you can potentially see for yourself what actually happened instead of having to deduce it from leftover facts still in evidence.

Marquez Horne

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Feature's Darcy as Chief Investigator to the Duke of Normandy and his assistant Forensic Sorcerer MasterSean O'Louchlan. Most other investigators are homages to popular spies or detectives of fiction, including Peter Wimsey, Hercule Perot, Nero Wolfe and James Bond,

MoonHunter

Game Guru-Thread Shepherd

The big things you need to determine:

In your game system world - How do we detect/ locate/ sense magic? This determines if people can be found working magic. It will also determine if there is counter/ hiding magic spells. Related to this: Is there an analyze spell, allowing for the "fingerprinting" of magical energies? Thus you might not know who spelled, but you will be able to recognize their work if you encounter it again.

If you don't have that ability, there is limited investigation abilities for the magic use.

Does your game have Counter Magic? Can you dispel what they are doing, after the fact or only when they are casting. Thus it determines if you can stop the spell or you have to stop the caster.

Scrying only works if you know what you are looking for or where to look. If scrying exists, counter spells to stop scrying exists. (If you are smart, you look for the areas that you can't see. then go there.)

Jason Brennan

Validated User

The Guernicus chapter of Houses of Hermes: True Lineages for Ars Magica 5E goes into some detail on the topic of magical forensics. Basically, however, the idea involves using magic to detect traces of the magus' casting sigil (effects common to all of a magus' spells while also being unique to that magus). This strategy can, of course, be countered by using other spells to accelerate the degradation of the caster's sigil or to leave a false sigil in it's place which can themselves be countered by spells to detect older, less powerful, traces of magic to discern their sigils.

Sinmaan

Validated User

I work in law inforcement (forensics).

So, its one thing to KNOW something is true and its another to prove the same thing in a court of law.

Therefore, magical forensics would greatly help personal investigation but would not have any hold to get those criminals behind bars.

There is a saying in law inforcement: "the main show is the trial of the investigation. The review of the evidence comes next, sometimes never".

The Scribbler

A Flash of Hope

The Thieftaker series is basically hardboiled urban fantasy set in Pre-Recolution Boston, and the main character dies a bit of what you're talking about (being the guy hired by private individuals to reclaim their stolen goods, which sometimes means him stumbling into bigger issues with other conjurors). When he detects magic he can note the color of any conjurings that are fresh in the area and each conjuror's magic has a unique color and shade to it with that sight, and he can learn a good deal by the impressions/patterns it leaves or where it was focused.

The Bekka Cooper/Provost's Dog series is well done YA fiction about a member of the Provost's Guard (aka Dogs), who are charged with keeping the King's Peace and enforcing laws/bringing in lawbreakers. There are mages or people who use magic to do ill, and the guard keeps mages on the payroll to deal with them as threats or puzzle out uses of magic in crimes (though it seems like they're rarely as helpful as the main characters would like them to be).

The main character herself has some minor inherited magic gifts, by which I mean she has two specific supernatural abilities; pigeons (the messengers of the Black God) carrying the voices of restless dead seek her out sometimes so she might quiet them, and "dust spinners" (little eddies or large vortexes of wind in cities) collect snippets of speech that they carry like weights and dump onto her if she approaches them right. She uses both in aid of her investigations, but neither are exactly a science or fit a methodology. more like sources. Her hound partner's nose (as of the second book) is often far more directly useful, especially when it comes to that whole "knowing a thing versus proving it" issue.

IET Archives blog

This requires a deep understanding of the laws of magic and the ability to recognize the telltale signs of magical intervention. Investigators often use specialized tools and techniques, such as scrying mirrors, divination cards, or rune stones, to aid in their investigations. In addition to their expertise in magic, investigators must also possess strong analytical and deductive skills. Crime scenes involving magic can be filled with illusions, enchanted objects, and hidden spells, making it challenging to uncover the truth. Investigators must carefully analyze the evidence, question witnesses, and piece together the puzzle to identify the perpetrator or solve the mystery. Collaboration and teamwork are also crucial in the field of magical investigation. Investigators often work in teams, each member contributing their unique magical skills and knowledge. This collaborative approach allows for a more comprehensive and thorough investigation, enhancing the chances of success. Overall, magical investigation is a captivating and multifaceted field. It requires a combination of magical knowledge, analytical thinking, and collaborative skills to navigate the mystical realm and solve crimes or mysteries. From ancient curses to enchanted objects, magical investigators embark on a thrilling journey to uncover the truth hidden within the realm of magic..

Reviews for "Secrets and Spells: The Role of Magic in Criminal Investigations"

1. Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Magical Investigation" because I love fantasy novels, but this one fell flat for me. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it hard for me to care about their journey. The plot felt disjointed and rushed, and I found myself getting bored halfway through. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it.

2. Mark - 1 star - I cannot understand the hype around "Magical Investigation". The writing was confusing and poorly edited, with numerous grammatical errors and inconsistencies. The world-building was weak, leaving me with more questions than answers. The magical elements felt forced and unrealistic. I struggled to finish this book, and it was a complete disappointment.

3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high expectations for "Magical Investigation", but it failed to captivate me. The pacing was off, with certain scenes dragging on while others felt rushed. The dialogue felt cliché and lacked originality. The protagonist was unlikable and difficult to relate to. Overall, this book did not live up to its potential, and I was left feeling underwhelmed.

4. David - 2 stars - I found "Magical Investigation" to be predictable and unoriginal. The plot followed the typical formula of a magical investigation, offering nothing new or exciting. The writing style was bland and lacked any sort of rhythm or flow. I struggled to connect with the characters, and the lack of character development left me uninvested in their journey. Overall, this book was forgettable and did not leave a lasting impression.

5. Nicole - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with "Magical Investigation". The story lacked coherence and felt like a jumbled mess of half-formed ideas. The author seemed to rely heavily on tropes and clichés, with no originality or unique twists. The pacing was uneven, making it difficult to stay engaged. Overall, this book was a wasted opportunity and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Mystic Mysteries: The Fascinating World of Magical Investigation