Hey everyone! So, I'm horrible with puzzles, I hate them. However, I feel the need to have some door-related puzzle for this part of my campaign when the party will be trying to infiltrate a temple of Cyric in the Undermountain near Skullport. As some of you may know, Cyric is the God of Madness and the Prince of Lies, so I was trying to think of something that would thematically make sense. Maybe something misleading, though that walks a fine line and might frustrate players.
Either way, the door leading into this temple must have a solution that's easily implemented once figured out. You can't have clerics of Cyric spending 20 minutes working through a puzzle just to get into their temple for example. So maybe a riddle? A choice of levers or something where the obvious answer is the wrong one? I'm just really not sure how to go about this so I thought I might ask this community for help since I'm sure there are more than a few DMs here who are far more skilled with crafting puzzles than I.
I suggest a short poem like a haiku. Make it sinister or course. Scatter lines from the poem one the door, make sure to include false lines, and they have to figure out the correct lines and order.
Sounds like a fun campaign! While I don't have an "on-theme" idea, I do have a few door-related puzzle ideas on my YouTube channel. I am thinking that D&D Puzzle - Hotel Secret Passage. Might be adaptable to your game. Basically, the players would need to rotate statues or discs so that they form one of three symbols (Square, Triangle, and an X) and open the secret. Anyway, a full demonstration is in the video if you want to take a look. Also, have about 3 dozen other puzzle ideas on my channel that you may be able to alter to fit your theme and game.
Best of luck to you and your players in the temple of Cyric!
wallyd
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I have a YouTube channel with 5th Edition D&D Puzzles, Character Creations, DM Tips and Quests ideas. Check it out!
Thank you for your feedback you two! Actually ClockworkLegend, I actually ended up doing something similar to that, interestingly enough. I took the Church of Cyric's Dogma and used that. Basically when the players enter the room with the door, they find that they are no longer with each other, but by themselves, but each player sees a different piece of the dogma written on the walls in blood. They can't see each other, but can hear each other, and must figure out the puzzle this way.
The door has a spoken password that grants them entry and the solution is in the dogma written on the walls. In each section of the writings, there are certain letters that are bolded. These letters make up the password. The trick is though, the writings are split between players in a way that they don't always begin or end in full sentences. The reasoning behind this, is that they have to put the dogma together in the correct order to ascertain the correct ordering of the letters for the password. I've split it up though so that each piece can logically fit with any one other, not making it obvious.
Once they have figured out the password, the players must, in their own secluded version of this room, put their hands in a skull beside the door and utter the password at the same time. Otherwise the door will not open. If the players say the incorrect password, or do not say it in unison, any player with their hand in the skull takes piercing damage.
Hey everyone! So, I'm horrible with puzzles, I hate them. However, I feel the need to have some door-related puzzle for this part of my campaign when the party will be trying to infiltrate a temple of Cyric in the Undermountain near Skullport. As some of you may know, Cyric is the God of Madness and the Prince of Lies, so I was trying to think of something that would thematically make sense. Maybe something misleading, though that walks a fine line and might frustrate players.
Either way, the door leading into this temple must have a solution that's easily implemented once figured out. You can't have clerics of Cyric spending 20 minutes working through a puzzle just to get into their temple for example. So maybe a riddle? A choice of levers or something where the obvious answer is the wrong one? I'm just really not sure how to go about this so I thought I might ask this community for help since I'm sure there are more than a few DMs here who are far more skilled with crafting puzzles than I.
Thanks in advance for any input!
I suggest a short poem like a haiku. Make it sinister or course. Scatter lines from the poem one the door, make sure to include false lines, and they have to figure out the correct lines and order.
Sounds like a fun campaign! While I don't have an "on-theme" idea, I do have a few door-related puzzle ideas on my YouTube channel. I am thinking that D&D Puzzle - Hotel Secret Passage. Might be adaptable to your game. Basically, the players would need to rotate statues or discs so that they form one of three symbols (Square, Triangle, and an X) and open the secret. Anyway, a full demonstration is in the video if you want to take a look. Also, have about 3 dozen other puzzle ideas on my channel that you may be able to alter to fit your theme and game.
Best of luck to you and your players in the temple of Cyric!
wallyd
I have a YouTube channel with 5th Edition D&D Puzzles, Character Creations, DM Tips and Quests ideas. Check it out!
Wally DM on YouTube
Thank you for your feedback you two! Actually ClockworkLegend, I actually ended up doing something similar to that, interestingly enough. I took the Church of Cyric's Dogma and used that. Basically when the players enter the room with the door, they find that they are no longer with each other, but by themselves, but each player sees a different piece of the dogma written on the walls in blood. They can't see each other, but can hear each other, and must figure out the puzzle this way.
The door has a spoken password that grants them entry and the solution is in the dogma written on the walls. In each section of the writings, there are certain letters that are bolded. These letters make up the password. The trick is though, the writings are split between players in a way that they don't always begin or end in full sentences. The reasoning behind this, is that they have to put the dogma together in the correct order to ascertain the correct ordering of the letters for the password. I've split it up though so that each piece can logically fit with any one other, not making it obvious.
Once they have figured out the password, the players must, in their own secluded version of this room, put their hands in a skull beside the door and utter the password at the same time. Otherwise the door will not open. If the players say the incorrect password, or do not say it in unison, any player with their hand in the skull takes piercing damage.
Beautifully devilish