SOMEONE CALL THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS!
Are you tired of your players always taking too long to solve a mystery? Or have they never touched a book and don't even know how to do it in a fantasy setting?
Well, your problems are over! I present to you the DMing asset that I like to call "Someone call the university students!"
Based off a popular idiom in my country, all you need for this asset is to introduce an experienced NPC before your playes go on a little treasure hunt. Ranging from a detective to an archmage, they can be anyone!
Mainly they are just there so your players don't get extremely stuck and eventually get bored! So, put that quirky librarian that just knows a little too much about dragons because they decided to major in Draconic Ages in University and just so happens to be nice enough to help the party!
And you wanna know the best part?
They don't need to tell them everything or be entirely correct (C'mon, they are undergraduates, they don't know their own class schedule). So, use it as your heart desires!
As a bonus I will present to you my top 3:
Wizard student that is paid minimun wage at the local library and absolutely loves to read the monster section, fictional and factual, and occasionally mixes up the two (Use it when you are mad at your players)
Old fella that lives close to the crime scene, and has seen some shit, but doesn't like cops so they only talk to the party about it (Use it when they are about to incriminate the wrong person and you don't want them to wreck the game by accidently sending the Grand Minister to prison)
Shop worker that has literally nothing else to do other than listen to tales from travelers, as a hobby she keeps tabs of all the ruins on the area and, for the right price, might help the party (Use it in any circumstance).















