I want to create something a little more unique for my session tomorrow night- the campaign has been a little more combat heavy recently, with my players having just defended a town from a war band of besieging orcs for a few sessions and having taken over the defense directly. So I am looking to make kind of a puzzle or a skill challenge that fits in with the area they are in and am looking for some ideas or assistance (I've never built a puzzle or skill check before)
So the backstory is: After defeating the orc attacking war band with the help of some elven reinforcements from the nearby forest my party set out to see what got the orcs all riled up. They came upon a small cave system that was one of the major shrines for the tribe that attacked the town. Now what they haven't learned yet is that the boss of this shrine is an orc shaman and that the pond in the back of this cave, at the shrine proper, was corrupted by a foul artifact from the main campaigns BBEG faction. The shaman and orcs are not aware, but they are showing the corruption and the orcs and priests in the cave has become corrupted with the whole thing becoming almost a shrine of pestilence and corruption (The Shaman is a Hand of Yutrus stat block with Nurtured of Yutrus as a lot of the minions-just kind of with more of a Nurgle from Warhammer feel to it to)
So they have entered into the cave system and cleared the first of three major areas- and had discovered some of these corrupted, diseased orcs that explode into filth as they die. I have the boss room kind of all made and balanced, so it's the middle area I am looking for some assistance with.
What I have been thinking so far is maybe a big open cavern with a few puddles of acid or whatever filth that oozes just sort of continuously spawn from that they would have to figure out how to avoid, run past, or neutralize. But I am incredibly open to ideas. I just kind of dont want this to be another couple of room traditional combat dungeon since the end of this 'chapter' per se is going to have them lead to a pretty decent sized keep as a dungeon crawl. So I want this to be a different change of pace.
Some notes- We are doing this theater of the mind of discord so I have incredible flexibility in what the place is going to look and feel like. I also want it to feel realistic as a trap or puzzle. For example, this was recently a cave of just a bunch of dumb orcs, and only recently got corrupted driving the warband south. So there aren't going o be any crazy runic doors or stuff for the party to have to solve a riddle or something to get through, because an average orc wouldn't be able to every time they wanted to go worship at this alter. That's what kind of got me thinking of a skill challenge based around figuring out that there were endlessly spawning oozes and how to deal with that.
Perhaps the corrupted pool where the shaman is could be the source to an underground river, which carved the caves over time. Now that the pool has been tainted, and the water turned acidic, the cave's geology could have become warped in a number of ways.
A series of chambers in the middle of the shrine, used by its acolytes and the shaman, have been damaged.
Some halls and doors have become blocked by thick stone formations (stalactites, stalagmites, and other odd rock structures) caused by dripping acid.
The water has also opened up holes in these rooms, creating new tunnels below of various sizes and shapes.
The rock remains soft in many places, bringing a potential risk of rockfall, sinkholes, or sudden cave collapse.
Dripping acid from the ceiling has a chance to deal damage to the PCs over time or rip holes through their non-magical gear.
Pools of acid have collected, and oozes spawn from their filthy depths; the creatures navigate by blindsight, so distracting them is the only way to evade them.
Strange mold or mildew grows in some places, surviving in this acid; it releases toxic fumes that sicken and impede the PCs.
However, the orcs built this shrine in a particular way (a progression of chambers), and so clues remain in their murals and chiseled writings that point toward the pool where the shaman is waiting. The PCs can use these signs to navigate the area while also contending with these various dangers.
If the orcs are still using this part of the shrine, perhaps the damage is extensive only in some areas, and in others the PCs might have to deal with regular vicious traps (like spikes or swinging blades) that protect sacred altars or treasures; or maybe the orcs have adapted to use hidden side passages or have found some way to tame the oozes, allowing them to roam the area more easily. If the PCs can figure this out, it might provide a solution to traversing this foul place. Perhaps the oozes are dead orcs who succumbed to this corruption?
Hey all,
I want to create something a little more unique for my session tomorrow night- the campaign has been a little more combat heavy recently, with my players having just defended a town from a war band of besieging orcs for a few sessions and having taken over the defense directly. So I am looking to make kind of a puzzle or a skill challenge that fits in with the area they are in and am looking for some ideas or assistance (I've never built a puzzle or skill check before)
So the backstory is: After defeating the orc attacking war band with the help of some elven reinforcements from the nearby forest my party set out to see what got the orcs all riled up. They came upon a small cave system that was one of the major shrines for the tribe that attacked the town. Now what they haven't learned yet is that the boss of this shrine is an orc shaman and that the pond in the back of this cave, at the shrine proper, was corrupted by a foul artifact from the main campaigns BBEG faction. The shaman and orcs are not aware, but they are showing the corruption and the orcs and priests in the cave has become corrupted with the whole thing becoming almost a shrine of pestilence and corruption (The Shaman is a Hand of Yutrus stat block with Nurtured of Yutrus as a lot of the minions-just kind of with more of a Nurgle from Warhammer feel to it to)
So they have entered into the cave system and cleared the first of three major areas- and had discovered some of these corrupted, diseased orcs that explode into filth as they die. I have the boss room kind of all made and balanced, so it's the middle area I am looking for some assistance with.
What I have been thinking so far is maybe a big open cavern with a few puddles of acid or whatever filth that oozes just sort of continuously spawn from that they would have to figure out how to avoid, run past, or neutralize. But I am incredibly open to ideas. I just kind of dont want this to be another couple of room traditional combat dungeon since the end of this 'chapter' per se is going to have them lead to a pretty decent sized keep as a dungeon crawl. So I want this to be a different change of pace.
Some notes- We are doing this theater of the mind of discord so I have incredible flexibility in what the place is going to look and feel like. I also want it to feel realistic as a trap or puzzle. For example, this was recently a cave of just a bunch of dumb orcs, and only recently got corrupted driving the warband south. So there aren't going o be any crazy runic doors or stuff for the party to have to solve a riddle or something to get through, because an average orc wouldn't be able to every time they wanted to go worship at this alter. That's what kind of got me thinking of a skill challenge based around figuring out that there were endlessly spawning oozes and how to deal with that.
Thank you all for the read and the assistance!
Here is a secret I sometimes use for designing puzzles.
Pick a magic trick that you know how to do. Base the puzzle on the magic trick. The solution requires them to figure out how to do the magic trick.
Perhaps the corrupted pool where the shaman is could be the source to an underground river, which carved the caves over time. Now that the pool has been tainted, and the water turned acidic, the cave's geology could have become warped in a number of ways.
However, the orcs built this shrine in a particular way (a progression of chambers), and so clues remain in their murals and chiseled writings that point toward the pool where the shaman is waiting. The PCs can use these signs to navigate the area while also contending with these various dangers.
If the orcs are still using this part of the shrine, perhaps the damage is extensive only in some areas, and in others the PCs might have to deal with regular vicious traps (like spikes or swinging blades) that protect sacred altars or treasures; or maybe the orcs have adapted to use hidden side passages or have found some way to tame the oozes, allowing them to roam the area more easily. If the PCs can figure this out, it might provide a solution to traversing this foul place. Perhaps the oozes are dead orcs who succumbed to this corruption?
Thank you so much!