i came up with and idea; for a door that is open when you arrive but slams shut when you approach. the basic idea i came up with is that you need to walk backwards for the door to stay open. the catch i have is that im not the best at hinting these type of things and not sure how to pose it with ought just handing it to them. any tips / inspiration/ ideas in general would be great
"Sometimes to move forwards you must go backwards."
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If they see somebody go through it first, that can be a hint. But make the person do some sort of elaborate dance of which only one of the moves is actually the trigger to open the door.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
If they see somebody go through it first, that can be a hint. But make the person do some sort of elaborate dance of which only one of the moves is actually the trigger to open the door.
its going to be a door within a cults complex; to enter a deeper part of the sanctum. the dance isnt a bad idea maybe tack on a phrase above the door like "those who wish to be with god must go back".
What about one of those poems that read differently backwards than forwards,
Stranger. If you want to see the world Through the door If you wish to venture on Then go back Turn away. The coin is gone Release your grip Upon your mind It will not weigh As much as ten coins In your clenched fist You are in the dark place So close your eyes If you want through the door look back upon these words
look back upon these words, if you want through the door, close your eyes so you are in the dark, place in your clenched fist as much as ten coins, it will not weigh upon your mind. Release your grip, the coin is gone, turn away, then go back if you wish to venture on through the door, if you want to see the world stranger.
A carving in the stone archway above the door in dwarvish (or whatever language makes sense for the location) simply reads "two steps forward, one step back", the players should be able to figure it out from there through trial and error. If it takes them a while, you can always make a point of describing how after their nth try opening it, when they turn their back to walk away it opens immediately. I wouldn't tell them that right away, but you can keep it in your back pocket for if you need it.
What about one of those poems that read differently backwards than forwards,
Stranger. If you want to see the world Through the door If you wish to venture on Then go back Turn away. The coin is gone Release your grip Upon your mind It will not weigh As much as ten coins In your clenched fist You are in the dark place So close your eyes If you want through the door look back upon these words
look back upon these words, if you want through the door, close your eyes so you are in the dark, place in your clenched fist as much as ten coins, it will not weigh upon your mind. Release your grip, the coin is gone, turn away, then go back if you wish to venture on through the door, if you want to see the world stranger.
wow that's an ingenious idea; i really like it. well done i think that fits what im looking for. and thank you to the others as well your all wonderful
Have the door etched with designs of a very specific animal, say a Lion, and inscriptions that talk about not meeting it’s gaze. Eventually someone is going to try and walk backwards at it.
You know if you end up using a real cracker of a hint message, you could even dispense with the door closing as they approach. just having the doorway be a black void and if a player walks through it forwards they get teleported someplace dastardly, but if they walk through backwards they reach that sanctum... that way players trying out different things and failing is a little more consequential and ratchets up the tension more than just "the door slams shut as you approach hopping on one leg while tossing a coin behind you..." though I do like the entire idea of the door slamming and going backwards thing
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
i came up with and idea; for a door that is open when you arrive but slams shut when you approach. the basic idea i came up with is that you need to walk backwards for the door to stay open. the catch i have is that im not the best at hinting these type of things and not sure how to pose it with ought just handing it to them. any tips / inspiration/ ideas in general would be great
LOL this is a pretty interesting idea. I guess I'd approach it in a couple ways depending on how the PC's were handling it.
Approach and it slams shut. They may ask to roll Investigation checks. I'd probably say, "as you take a step back to ponder the door creaks open, but once you go forward to grab it, it slams shut." Hopefully to get them thinking about it more.
I saw lots of ideas for etched hints on the door. That's a good idea too, just have to balance what you know about your players ability to figure it out.
If all else fails, a low level NPC walks out backwards through the door, turns and see them, and yelps and quickly gos back through backward. Now they can have a dex check to grab the door, on a pass they are able to hold it open, on a fail they can figure it out from the NPC actions. win win and the story moves forward.
you know if you end up using a real cracker of a hint message you could even dispense with the door closing as they approach just having the doorway be a black void and if a player walks through if forward they get teleported someplace dastardly but if they walk through backwards they reach that sanctum... that way you could have players trying out different things and failing being a little more consequential then just the door slams shut as you approach hopping on one leg while tossing a coin behind you...
The void is the better way to go - the problem you will face is that eventually players will get tired of a puzzle and try brute force - which can put you as the DM in a position of having to say no or come up with reasons the players won’t like why they can’t jam a rock in it to keep the door open
i came up with and idea; for a door that is open when you arrive but slams shut when you approach. the basic idea i came up with is that you need to walk backwards for the door to stay open. the catch i have is that im not the best at hinting these type of things and not sure how to pose it with ought just handing it to them. any tips / inspiration/ ideas in general would be great
LOL this is a pretty interesting idea. I guess I'd approach it in a couple ways depending on how the PC's were handling it.
Approach and it slams shut. They may ask to roll Investigation checks. I'd probably say, "as you take a step back to ponder the door creaks open, but once you go forward to grab it, it slams shut." Hopefully to get them thinking about it more.
I saw lots of ideas for etched hints on the door. That's a good idea too, just have to balance what you know about your players ability to figure it out.
If all else fails, a low level NPC walks out backwards through the door, turns and see them, and yelps and quickly gos back through backward. Now they can have a dex check to grab the door, on a pass they are able to hold it open, on a fail they can figure it out from the NPC actions. win win and the story moves forward.
i imagine it will be moderately amusing, i worry slightly about coming off as just messing with the players though. regardless my players have a solid knack for problem solving. and yes i of course there is always the "yes the number i was thinking of is pineapple solution" but knowing them they would just get miffed bout it.
Also if you haven't heard of it this kinda reminded me of the Gentleman's Door, which is one of my favorites. Basically you see your enemy knock on a door and it opens for them. They get to it and it's unlocked. They open it and a spectral door closes it before they get in, with an invisible force pushing back anything put in to block the door. The puzzle is that you have to knock, otherwise just barging in is too rude to have the door let you in.
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i came up with and idea; for a door that is open when you arrive but slams shut when you approach. the basic idea i came up with is that you need to walk backwards for the door to stay open. the catch i have is that im not the best at hinting these type of things and not sure how to pose it with ought just handing it to them. any tips / inspiration/ ideas in general would be great
"Sometimes to move forwards you must go backwards."
Click ✨ HERE ✨ For My Youtube Videos featuring Guides, Tips & Tricks for using D&D Beyond.
Need help with Homebrew? Check out ✨ this FAQ/Guide thread ✨ by IamSposta.
How does the party discover the door?
If they see somebody go through it first, that can be a hint. But make the person do some sort of elaborate dance of which only one of the moves is actually the trigger to open the door.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
"Go Back"
edit...
the door has some kind of for ward on it
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
its going to be a door within a cults complex; to enter a deeper part of the sanctum. the dance isnt a bad idea maybe tack on a phrase above the door like "those who wish to be with god must go back".
What about one of those poems that read differently backwards than forwards,
Stranger.
If you want to see the world
Through the door
If you wish to venture on
Then go back
Turn away.
The coin is gone
Release your grip
Upon your mind
It will not weigh
As much as ten coins
In your clenched fist
You are in the dark place
So
close your eyes
If you want through the door
look back upon these words
look back upon these words, if you want through the door, close your eyes so you are in the dark, place in your clenched fist as much as ten coins, it will not weigh upon your mind. Release your grip, the coin is gone, turn away, then go back if you wish to venture on through the door, if you want to see the world stranger.
You could always have it close as they approach and as soon as they turn their back to it it opens again.
A carving in the stone archway above the door in dwarvish (or whatever language makes sense for the location) simply reads "two steps forward, one step back", the players should be able to figure it out from there through trial and error. If it takes them a while, you can always make a point of describing how after their nth try opening it, when they turn their back to walk away it opens immediately. I wouldn't tell them that right away, but you can keep it in your back pocket for if you need it.
wow that's an ingenious idea; i really like it. well done i think that fits what im looking for. and thank you to the others as well your all wonderful
"Sometimes, to move forward in life, it takes a look back at where you came from."
Have the door etched with designs of a very specific animal, say a Lion, and inscriptions that talk about not meeting it’s gaze. Eventually someone is going to try and walk backwards at it.
I am a big proponent of getting real puzzles and timing the players solving them.
You can usually buy them in bulk from Amazon - like 20 metal wire ones at a time.
Bonus, you get to keep the puzzles yourself!
The only real problem with this is that one person tends to do all the work.
i have fond memories of those puzzles as a student, teacher had a bunch; but sadly i play strictly online but by no means a bad idea.
You know if you end up using a real cracker of a hint message, you could even dispense with the door closing as they approach. just having the doorway be a black void and if a player walks through it forwards they get teleported someplace dastardly, but if they walk through backwards they reach that sanctum...
that way players trying out different things and failing is a little more consequential and ratchets up the tension more than just "the door slams shut as you approach hopping on one leg while tossing a coin behind you..."
though I do like the entire idea of the door slamming and going backwards thing
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
LOL this is a pretty interesting idea. I guess I'd approach it in a couple ways depending on how the PC's were handling it.
Approach and it slams shut. They may ask to roll Investigation checks. I'd probably say, "as you take a step back to ponder the door creaks open, but once you go forward to grab it, it slams shut." Hopefully to get them thinking about it more.
I saw lots of ideas for etched hints on the door. That's a good idea too, just have to balance what you know about your players ability to figure it out.
If all else fails, a low level NPC walks out backwards through the door, turns and see them, and yelps and quickly gos back through backward. Now they can have a dex check to grab the door, on a pass they are able to hold it open, on a fail they can figure it out from the NPC actions. win win and the story moves forward.
The void is the better way to go - the problem you will face is that eventually players will get tired of a puzzle and try brute force - which can put you as the DM in a position of having to say no or come up with reasons the players won’t like why they can’t jam a rock in it to keep the door open
i imagine it will be moderately amusing, i worry slightly about coming off as just messing with the players though. regardless my players have a solid knack for problem solving. and yes i of course there is always the "yes the number i was thinking of is pineapple solution" but knowing them they would just get miffed bout it.
I love this one
Also if you haven't heard of it this kinda reminded me of the Gentleman's Door, which is one of my favorites. Basically you see your enemy knock on a door and it opens for them. They get to it and it's unlocked. They open it and a spectral door closes it before they get in, with an invisible force pushing back anything put in to block the door. The puzzle is that you have to knock, otherwise just barging in is too rude to have the door let you in.