I will be dm'ing for the first time soon and for that I have a one shot of creating. The idea is to have a dungeon like setting in a forest area with a lake in the middle. By diving into the lake, they can each move on to the next zone where a new task is waiting for them.
One for the ideas I have that I would like to implement is that they come out of the lake and see four potions (it involves four players) lying around. Each potion allows them each to turn into a different character. Each with their own unique skill (e.g. truesight, a spell, tiny/huge, item). Now I find it difficult to create a good puzzle with this. Would people like to think/help with me about this?
I don't know if anyone is going to be able to answer you as you really seem to be on the beginning side of it. Maybe someone else who did a puzzle with potions may be able to help out.
One tip i could give you is if you're trying to build your puzzle together by putting one track ahead of each other and you run out of idea, maybe building your scenario backward could give you a different perspective and help you figure out what type of puzzle would fit your need.
What i mean is, if the next course of action is to enter a cave, what if the cave is blocked by a boulder. Then what if there was a puzzle to move the boulder, lets make it a wheel with some sign of sort requiring the solving of a puzzle to move it. What if the wheel requires formidable strength to move as well as objects places on pre-made slots to allow it to turn....now you get your potion of strength or giant size and maybe your potion of true sight if the wheel is hidden. Maybe a detect evil that you need to defeat and get the item(s) you need. Now what would prevent a player to drink all 4 potions...and what if the player drank the strength one before completing the other tasks... but you can see by knowing where the party is heading next, i came up in less than a minute with an idea....i'm sure you can come up with something better to suit your own scenario if you spent more time than i just did ;)
Also keep in mind that if your players comes up with a creative solution that differs from what you're expecting, don't feel like you have to deny this outcome.
Comes to mind that this is going to be your first time GMing. I know we all want to be creative but from my own experience, you'll have a lot to handle especially if there is roleplaying of NPC and combat. I suggest you take a look at pre-made puzzles such as "Behold and Behave" from the Seldom Spring adventure on the DMsGuild for level 4 characters. There is also on the DmsGuild "Puzzles Predicaments and Perplexities" Vol.1-2 and 3. Also a book that can be found for instance on Amazon "The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons". Picking ideas from there (or running the entire encounter that they have set up) for a first time GM might be helpful as you'll be able to spend more preparation time on the other stuff.
Number 1: Do not put a puzzle between the characters and the plot advancement. If they do not work it out, then you are in an awkward situation; you can either tell them how to do it, and the puzzle will be ruined, or you can leave them in the lurch, and the plot will be ruined. Puzzles should be reserved for Shortcuts and Bonus Zones.
Number 2: However you think your puzzle should be solved, they will solve it differently. As such, plan your puzzle mechanically - if you want to say "the characters must shrink and climb a pipe to pull the tiny lever", instead consider "The tiny lever needs to be pulled", because the barbarian is going to try and break the pipe, the wizard is going to send in their familiar or ue mage hand, and so forth.
Case in point would be a puzzle I put together with a similar premise - the party has a bunch of medallions which they can put on, and which each lead to another one. There are a bunch of corridors, each of which you need a specific medallion to get down. It was intricate. it was complicated. And one player described their entire move to bypass everything in a single post:
I am immune to poison, just as a reminder. I don't know if this is poison or not, though....
Ah, I hadn't realised that yuan-ti were immune to poison!
in that case, you taste a bitterness in the back of your throat but otherwise are unharmed as you return to the main room. You see that the door now has the rightmost and leftmost fires lit in the hollows.
Sweet. I go back to the pedestal and continue the process of putting the crystal in the amulets, putting the amulets on, and using the different abilities of what I become to put each amulet in its respective pedestal. I do it in this order: spider, ooze, giant, mouse, fish (going along the main hallway).
For the spider one, I am still under the effects of a fly spell, so I just fly back down once I put the amulet in the pedestal. For the ooze one, I misty step from behind the bars back to the main hallway. For the giant one, I don't close the door, so unless it automatically closes behind me, I would think I could just walk back out. For the mouse one, I misty step if I have to. For the fish one... I cast water breathing on myself and swim, however slowly, back to the main corridor. Athletics for the swimming just in case: 11
without using a single one of the amulet abilities I set up for them!
With that in mind, I recommend that you create a problem, and then create the solution. For example, the key to the door is hanging in a mesh cage from a tree, high above you .So you need to be able to fly, and there's a potion that lets you do that, but it's too big to uncork. Luckily, there's another potion that makes you huge, but it's tiny, and down a hole. Then there's a potion that makes you tiny.
You may also want to encourage teamwork, so make it that they have to use the potion that makes you huge to lift someone to the cage, where htey have to be tiny to get past the lock. Something like that. and remember - your players will not, under any circumstances, get it right. so make sure you know what triggers a success, rather than have it planned that they do something specific to achieve it!
1. Puzzles shouldn't just have one solution. A great example of this is this: "Your characters approach a 50-something foot long gap in a long tunnel. On the wall to the left of them is a keypad and a riddle (I won't go into detail). They either solve the riddle, and, say, a bridge extends out, offering them safe passage, or they could cast Fly to get across & activate a lever that would extend the aforementioned bridge.
2. Puzzles shouldn't be the only means to get through a dungeon. If you have a party full of combat-loving knuckleheads, a complex puzzle from the Tomb of Annihilation might not be their cup of tea. Instead, throw in a horde fight of one-shottable enemies, or maybe a miniboss.
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Hello everyone,
I will be dm'ing for the first time soon and for that I have a one shot of creating. The idea is to have a dungeon like setting in a forest area with a lake in the middle. By diving into the lake, they can each move on to the next zone where a new task is waiting for them.
One for the ideas I have that I would like to implement is that they come out of the lake and see four potions (it involves four players) lying around. Each potion allows them each to turn into a different character. Each with their own unique skill (e.g. truesight, a spell, tiny/huge, item). Now I find it difficult to create a good puzzle with this.
Would people like to think/help with me about this?
Hi Alexdrie,
I don't know if anyone is going to be able to answer you as you really seem to be on the beginning side of it. Maybe someone else who did a puzzle with potions may be able to help out.
One tip i could give you is if you're trying to build your puzzle together by putting one track ahead of each other and you run out of idea, maybe building your scenario backward could give you a different perspective and help you figure out what type of puzzle would fit your need.
What i mean is, if the next course of action is to enter a cave, what if the cave is blocked by a boulder. Then what if there was a puzzle to move the boulder, lets make it a wheel with some sign of sort requiring the solving of a puzzle to move it. What if the wheel requires formidable strength to move as well as objects places on pre-made slots to allow it to turn....now you get your potion of strength or giant size and maybe your potion of true sight if the wheel is hidden. Maybe a detect evil that you need to defeat and get the item(s) you need. Now what would prevent a player to drink all 4 potions...and what if the player drank the strength one before completing the other tasks... but you can see by knowing where the party is heading next, i came up in less than a minute with an idea....i'm sure you can come up with something better to suit your own scenario if you spent more time than i just did ;)
Also keep in mind that if your players comes up with a creative solution that differs from what you're expecting, don't feel like you have to deny this outcome.
Comes to mind that this is going to be your first time GMing. I know we all want to be creative but from my own experience, you'll have a lot to handle especially if there is roleplaying of NPC and combat. I suggest you take a look at pre-made puzzles such as "Behold and Behave" from the Seldom Spring adventure on the DMsGuild for level 4 characters. There is also on the DmsGuild "Puzzles Predicaments and Perplexities" Vol.1-2 and 3. Also a book that can be found for instance on Amazon "The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons". Picking ideas from there (or running the entire encounter that they have set up) for a first time GM might be helpful as you'll be able to spend more preparation time on the other stuff.
By the way, if you haven't seen this video, this might be helpful to prepare your one-shot: Write One-Shot RPG Campaigns! (GM Tips w/ Matt Mercer) - YouTube
Two disclaimers I will say:
Number 1: Do not put a puzzle between the characters and the plot advancement. If they do not work it out, then you are in an awkward situation; you can either tell them how to do it, and the puzzle will be ruined, or you can leave them in the lurch, and the plot will be ruined. Puzzles should be reserved for Shortcuts and Bonus Zones.
Number 2: However you think your puzzle should be solved, they will solve it differently. As such, plan your puzzle mechanically - if you want to say "the characters must shrink and climb a pipe to pull the tiny lever", instead consider "The tiny lever needs to be pulled", because the barbarian is going to try and break the pipe, the wizard is going to send in their familiar or ue mage hand, and so forth.
Case in point would be a puzzle I put together with a similar premise - the party has a bunch of medallions which they can put on, and which each lead to another one. There are a bunch of corridors, each of which you need a specific medallion to get down. It was intricate. it was complicated. And one player described their entire move to bypass everything in a single post:
Sweet. I go back to the pedestal and continue the process of putting the crystal in the amulets, putting the amulets on, and using the different abilities of what I become to put each amulet in its respective pedestal. I do it in this order: spider, ooze, giant, mouse, fish (going along the main hallway).
For the spider one, I am still under the effects of a fly spell, so I just fly back down once I put the amulet in the pedestal.
For the ooze one, I misty step from behind the bars back to the main hallway.
For the giant one, I don't close the door, so unless it automatically closes behind me, I would think I could just walk back out.
For the mouse one, I misty step if I have to.
For the fish one... I cast water breathing on myself and swim, however slowly, back to the main corridor. Athletics for the swimming just in case: 11
without using a single one of the amulet abilities I set up for them!
With that in mind, I recommend that you create a problem, and then create the solution. For example, the key to the door is hanging in a mesh cage from a tree, high above you .So you need to be able to fly, and there's a potion that lets you do that, but it's too big to uncork. Luckily, there's another potion that makes you huge, but it's tiny, and down a hole. Then there's a potion that makes you tiny.
You may also want to encourage teamwork, so make it that they have to use the potion that makes you huge to lift someone to the cage, where htey have to be tiny to get past the lock. Something like that. and remember - your players will not, under any circumstances, get it right. so make sure you know what triggers a success, rather than have it planned that they do something specific to achieve it!
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1. Puzzles shouldn't just have one solution. A great example of this is this: "Your characters approach a 50-something foot long gap in a long tunnel. On the wall to the left of them is a keypad and a riddle (I won't go into detail). They either solve the riddle, and, say, a bridge extends out, offering them safe passage, or they could cast Fly to get across & activate a lever that would extend the aforementioned bridge.
2. Puzzles shouldn't be the only means to get through a dungeon. If you have a party full of combat-loving knuckleheads, a complex puzzle from the Tomb of Annihilation might not be their cup of tea. Instead, throw in a horde fight of one-shottable enemies, or maybe a miniboss.
Orange Juice!