So this isn't a question so much as a feel good story I just really wanted to share. I set up a a puzzle for my party (a halfling rogue/fighter, a merfolk mystic, a human paladin, a teifling warlock and a dwarven cleric/paladin) inspired by one from Wally DM's puzzle book (cool resource). They had to move tokens on an abacus to match clues given in five paintings. It took them about 15 mins to figure out the left/right sliders, and then another ten to figure out the numbers (e.g. one painting clue ended up being 5 Right) - but I got so excited when they started to get onto the right track, it was super lucky we were playing voice chat only cos I was fist pumping and jumping up and down in my chair. Does anyone else get super excited for their players when they figure out a puzzle? Would love to hear any similar stories!
For mine, the party was in a necropolis with old, unrecognizable statues to what seem to have been gods (or worshipped as gods) but which even the cleric has never heard of. The statues were different colors (red, blue, black, white) and different images. At 3 statues (one red, one blue, and one black) they found enemy creatures with flames in braziers of the same color, and worshipping the statues. They killed the creatures but then came to their temple and found the door blocked by sheets of blue, black, and red flames. They tested the flames and found out they were dangerous and there was no other way in. They thought about it for a little while and then one of them said, "Hey, weren't the statues with flames the same color?" They checked their notes and yes, the same colors. Another player said, "Maybe those flames are connected to these flames." Then the 3rd player said, "Maybe if we put those flames out it will affect these flames." And that was the solution... they went back, put out the flames, and then the door was accessible.
What I most liked about this was that all 3 of them came up with a different part of the puzzle. Everyone got an inspiration for it and they then used them during the ensuring boss fight against their first legendary enemy (they were level 4 at the time).
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Yes! Not just puzzles. I get super excited if they win a difficult combat or overcome a delicate social challenge too. Or one or more of the players achieves a personal goal.
So this is less about the party figuring out something cool, and more just how proud I am of one of the groups I'm DMing for right now.
I'm running Rime of the Frostmaiden, and without giving spoilers, there's a lot of opportunities for the party to get some huge monetary benefits, but they usually have to give up something useful to do it. My party has never taken the money just for the sake of the money. They've saved 2 town from immediate threat, and when the town offers to pay them for what they've done, or buy the useful item off of them, all 3 of them have simply said "We don't want to take money from struggling people. Helping them is enough of a reward."
It's the first time I haven't had a party with at least one player obsessed with having as much money as possible. Since I don't want to just give them nothing, the towns so far have been so grateful that they give the party free room and board at one of the inns in each town.
So this is less about the party figuring out something cool, and more just how proud I am of one of the groups I'm DMing for right now.
I'm running Rime of the Frostmaiden, and without giving spoilers, there's a lot of opportunities for the party to get some huge monetary benefits, but they usually have to give up something useful to do it. My party has never taken the money just for the sake of the money. They've saved 2 town from immediate threat, and when the town offers to pay them for what they've done, or buy the useful item off of them, all 3 of them have simply said "We don't want to take money from struggling people. Helping them is enough of a reward."
It's the first time I haven't had a party with at least one player obsessed with having as much money as possible. Since I don't want to just give them nothing, the towns so far have been so grateful that they give the party free room and board at one of the inns in each town.
Absolutely! I had my party run a "Legend of Zelda, Lost Woods" pseudo puzzle. A totem stood in the center of each room and they could rotate it to look at any wall/door in the room. A wall of fog separated each room and each room had it's own quirk to pass. It works on "The Observer Effect", where if you watch someone pass through the hallway, they'd reappear behind you instead of continuing into the next room. However, using the totems in the room, you can change the conditions, and watch as your companions move through.
It's a puzzle, where you can get through after 'x' iterations and taking penalties, or figure it out fast ang get through w/o harm. The end result was a treasure room integral to the story, but the amount of deficit has to do with choices.
You have to love when your party catches on, but not fully!!!! "But wait, what if we try!..."
I have a puzzle I'm excited for in my party's first major dungeon. It's going to be a room with the appearance of a really old-timey dungeon (with shackles on the walls and filthy hay and a grated window and everything). As soon as one of my players steps through the doorway threshold, they'll all fall unconscious and wake up shackled to the walls.
Once every minute for 10 minutes they will be very briefly teleported to a desert waste, still in shackles, with death slaads approaching. Getting out of the room requires them getting out of their shackles and finding three gems to set into the exit door, or at the end of the 10 minutes, the slaads will be upon them and they'll be gruesomely devoured... just to end up alive and traumatized, back in shackles, in the room, with the 10-minute "timer" reset.
One of the party members is the "two gnomes in a trenchcoat" meme, and only the top half's arms will be shackled. The puzzle won't force my player to reveal their secret, but if they choose to it'll be really funny.
I have a puzzle I'm excited for in my party's first major dungeon. It's going to be a room with the appearance of a really old-timey dungeon (with shackles on the walls and filthy hay and a grated window and everything). As soon as one of my players steps through the doorway threshold, they'll all fall unconscious and wake up shackled to the walls.
Once every minute for 10 minutes they will be very briefly teleported to a desert waste, still in shackles, with death slaads approaching. Getting out of the room requires them getting out of their shackles and finding three gems to set into the exit door, or at the end of the 10 minutes, the slaads will be upon them and they'll be gruesomely devoured... just to end up alive and traumatized, back in shackles, in the room, with the 10-minute "timer" reset.
One of the party members is the "two gnomes in a trenchcoat" meme, and only the top half's arms will be shackled. The puzzle won't force my player to reveal their secret, but if they choose to it'll be really funny.
Two gnomes in a trench coat 😂😂😂. One time I played with a guy everybody thought was a tall burly Paladin in white plate mail, and it turned out it was a kobold sitting in the chest cavity maneuvering the suit of armor with a series of levers. (It was a one shot lol.)
So this isn't a question so much as a feel good story I just really wanted to share. I set up a a puzzle for my party (a halfling rogue/fighter, a merfolk mystic, a human paladin, a teifling warlock and a dwarven cleric/paladin) inspired by one from Wally DM's puzzle book (cool resource). They had to move tokens on an abacus to match clues given in five paintings. It took them about 15 mins to figure out the left/right sliders, and then another ten to figure out the numbers (e.g. one painting clue ended up being 5 Right) - but I got so excited when they started to get onto the right track, it was super lucky we were playing voice chat only cos I was fist pumping and jumping up and down in my chair. Does anyone else get super excited for their players when they figure out a puzzle? Would love to hear any similar stories!
The Abacus puzzle, Yay! Super cool to hear that you are enjoying the Journal of Puzzle Encounters and were able to use part of the idea in your game. Awesome, well done Thea8!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I have a YouTube channel with 5th Edition D&D Puzzles, Character Creations, DM Tips and Quests ideas. Check it out!
So this isn't a question so much as a feel good story I just really wanted to share. I set up a a puzzle for my party (a halfling rogue/fighter, a merfolk mystic, a human paladin, a teifling warlock and a dwarven cleric/paladin) inspired by one from Wally DM's puzzle book (cool resource). They had to move tokens on an abacus to match clues given in five paintings. It took them about 15 mins to figure out the left/right sliders, and then another ten to figure out the numbers (e.g. one painting clue ended up being 5 Right) - but I got so excited when they started to get onto the right track, it was super lucky we were playing voice chat only cos I was fist pumping and jumping up and down in my chair. Does anyone else get super excited for their players when they figure out a puzzle? Would love to hear any similar stories!
Yep, I enjoy it also.
For mine, the party was in a necropolis with old, unrecognizable statues to what seem to have been gods (or worshipped as gods) but which even the cleric has never heard of. The statues were different colors (red, blue, black, white) and different images. At 3 statues (one red, one blue, and one black) they found enemy creatures with flames in braziers of the same color, and worshipping the statues. They killed the creatures but then came to their temple and found the door blocked by sheets of blue, black, and red flames. They tested the flames and found out they were dangerous and there was no other way in. They thought about it for a little while and then one of them said, "Hey, weren't the statues with flames the same color?" They checked their notes and yes, the same colors. Another player said, "Maybe those flames are connected to these flames." Then the 3rd player said, "Maybe if we put those flames out it will affect these flames." And that was the solution... they went back, put out the flames, and then the door was accessible.
What I most liked about this was that all 3 of them came up with a different part of the puzzle. Everyone got an inspiration for it and they then used them during the ensuring boss fight against their first legendary enemy (they were level 4 at the time).
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Yes! Not just puzzles. I get super excited if they win a difficult combat or overcome a delicate social challenge too. Or one or more of the players achieves a personal goal.
So this is less about the party figuring out something cool, and more just how proud I am of one of the groups I'm DMing for right now.
I'm running Rime of the Frostmaiden, and without giving spoilers, there's a lot of opportunities for the party to get some huge monetary benefits, but they usually have to give up something useful to do it. My party has never taken the money just for the sake of the money. They've saved 2 town from immediate threat, and when the town offers to pay them for what they've done, or buy the useful item off of them, all 3 of them have simply said "We don't want to take money from struggling people. Helping them is enough of a reward."
It's the first time I haven't had a party with at least one player obsessed with having as much money as possible. Since I don't want to just give them nothing, the towns so far have been so grateful that they give the party free room and board at one of the inns in each town.
That’s awesome 😊
Absolutely! I had my party run a "Legend of Zelda, Lost Woods" pseudo puzzle. A totem stood in the center of each room and they could rotate it to look at any wall/door in the room. A wall of fog separated each room and each room had it's own quirk to pass. It works on "The Observer Effect", where if you watch someone pass through the hallway, they'd reappear behind you instead of continuing into the next room. However, using the totems in the room, you can change the conditions, and watch as your companions move through.
It's a puzzle, where you can get through after 'x' iterations and taking penalties, or figure it out fast ang get through w/o harm. The end result was a treasure room integral to the story, but the amount of deficit has to do with choices.
You have to love when your party catches on, but not fully!!!! "But wait, what if we try!..."
I have a puzzle I'm excited for in my party's first major dungeon. It's going to be a room with the appearance of a really old-timey dungeon (with shackles on the walls and filthy hay and a grated window and everything). As soon as one of my players steps through the doorway threshold, they'll all fall unconscious and wake up shackled to the walls.
Once every minute for 10 minutes they will be very briefly teleported to a desert waste, still in shackles, with death slaads approaching. Getting out of the room requires them getting out of their shackles and finding three gems to set into the exit door, or at the end of the 10 minutes, the slaads will be upon them and they'll be gruesomely devoured... just to end up alive and traumatized, back in shackles, in the room, with the 10-minute "timer" reset.
One of the party members is the "two gnomes in a trenchcoat" meme, and only the top half's arms will be shackled. The puzzle won't force my player to reveal their secret, but if they choose to it'll be really funny.
Two gnomes in a trench coat 😂😂😂. One time I played with a guy everybody thought was a tall burly Paladin in white plate mail, and it turned out it was a kobold sitting in the chest cavity maneuvering the suit of armor with a series of levers. (It was a one shot lol.)
The Abacus puzzle, Yay! Super cool to hear that you are enjoying the Journal of Puzzle Encounters and were able to use part of the idea in your game. Awesome, well done Thea8!
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