Hey guys. I'm setting up a puzzle for my next dungeon. Basically, the party will enter a room that is divided by a portcullis, with the next door on the far side. There will be a lever on their side of the portcullis which raises the portcullis, but it has to be held down in order to keep it open. Once any amount of the players go through the portcullis and allow it to close, enemies will appear and attack the person holding the lever. To save the person getting attacked, the people on the far side of the portcullis will need to solve a puzzle in order to get it to stay open permanently so the trapped person can get through. So I need a time-sensitive puzzle that some players can work on while I simultaneously run combat with the trapped party member(s). I'm thinking I'll put a standard initiative tracker and let the players make an attempt at solving the puzzle whenever their turn comes around, assuming the puzzle is something where a solution can be tried every 6 seconds. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can use?
As a side note, does anyone have any good examples of puzzles and challenges that involve teamwork/cooperation? I've been googling around but I've not been able to find anything suitable. I've found a few large things (I.e., split the party and the actions of one group helps/hinders the other group as they pass through the dungeon, which I might try when I feel a bit more confident about splitting the party for extended periods) but nothing small.
It might be a good idea to use the actions in combat rules (particularly search and improvise) to make players use their turns when they examine the puzzle in addition to when they try solutions.
As for a type of cooperative puzzle that uses up some turns, maybe some kind of dials in the middle that are set according to the answer (letters for words, or numbers, colors, etc.) with 2 levers or buttons that have to be pushed (or held) at the same time. So a turn will have to be used investigating for clues, setting each dial, and pulling each lever (remind players that they have 1 free object interaction per turn that doesn't take their action to use, but only 1).
That's given me an idea - I'm going to do a lever puzzle where there are X amount of levels in different positions, and each time you move one, others move in relation to it, and they've got to get all the levers set to the same position. I figure that'll take a good few rounds to solve. Thanks!
Check out tomb of annihilation for some great puzzles. I'm particularly fond of the trap where you have 10 seconds to pull a lever. When you do, the trap activates. If you don't, the door opens.
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"What do you mean I get disadvantage on persuasion?"
I don't know, Sneet, maybe because your argument is "Submit and become our pet"?
Here's one. You have a riddle that has to deals with numbers but not. You have some dials that are numbered 1-25 where each number associates with a letter. The dials then have to be turned to each number associated with each letter of the answer. Riddles are some of the best puzzles out there and some of them really make you think.
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Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
A door with a slot, into which objects are to be put. A Magic Mouth tells the PCs they must feed it X items and it will open, but they only have X mins/hours, after which the door will teleport to a random location for 1dX days.
The door tells them the first item, and then each subsequent item only after the previous has been fed to it.
The door itself becomes an adventure, and if they don't complete it in time, they will have to find another way in, or find the new door location.
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"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing) You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
Whoop, guess I should have read the whole OP before getting excited with door ideas.
Hmm... how about using the water jug puzzle from Die Hard 3? There is a fountain on the other side of the portcullis, a stone pedestal that magically "weighs", and two clay jugs.
"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing) You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
I'm going to stick with my lever idea as I've drawn the map now, but both of those ideas are really cool, I'll use them at another time. I love the idea of making my players chase a sentient door around the forgotten realms.
I have tons of puzzle ideas on my YouTube channel that would probably suffice. Eyes of the Beholder or Eyes of the Obelisk are two recent ones you may want to check out...
I'm actually trying to create a puzzle where the puzzle makes the party split... like 5 levers and 5 portcullis I'm going to make each one more heavy so mage hand cant be used... but trying to get a combination so like some are up and some are down is hurting my brain right now
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Hey guys. I'm setting up a puzzle for my next dungeon. Basically, the party will enter a room that is divided by a portcullis, with the next door on the far side. There will be a lever on their side of the portcullis which raises the portcullis, but it has to be held down in order to keep it open. Once any amount of the players go through the portcullis and allow it to close, enemies will appear and attack the person holding the lever. To save the person getting attacked, the people on the far side of the portcullis will need to solve a puzzle in order to get it to stay open permanently so the trapped person can get through. So I need a time-sensitive puzzle that some players can work on while I simultaneously run combat with the trapped party member(s). I'm thinking I'll put a standard initiative tracker and let the players make an attempt at solving the puzzle whenever their turn comes around, assuming the puzzle is something where a solution can be tried every 6 seconds. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can use?
As a side note, does anyone have any good examples of puzzles and challenges that involve teamwork/cooperation? I've been googling around but I've not been able to find anything suitable. I've found a few large things (I.e., split the party and the actions of one group helps/hinders the other group as they pass through the dungeon, which I might try when I feel a bit more confident about splitting the party for extended periods) but nothing small.
| D100 Non-combat Random Encounter Table | Enchantments Galore |
| Pulsing Brazier Magic Trap | Gnome Capsule Machine | Language - A Primer |
It might be a good idea to use the actions in combat rules (particularly search and improvise) to make players use their turns when they examine the puzzle in addition to when they try solutions.
As for a type of cooperative puzzle that uses up some turns, maybe some kind of dials in the middle that are set according to the answer (letters for words, or numbers, colors, etc.) with 2 levers or buttons that have to be pushed (or held) at the same time. So a turn will have to be used investigating for clues, setting each dial, and pulling each lever (remind players that they have 1 free object interaction per turn that doesn't take their action to use, but only 1).
That's given me an idea - I'm going to do a lever puzzle where there are X amount of levels in different positions, and each time you move one, others move in relation to it, and they've got to get all the levers set to the same position. I figure that'll take a good few rounds to solve. Thanks!
| D100 Non-combat Random Encounter Table | Enchantments Galore |
| Pulsing Brazier Magic Trap | Gnome Capsule Machine | Language - A Primer |
Check out tomb of annihilation for some great puzzles. I'm particularly fond of the trap where you have 10 seconds to pull a lever. When you do, the trap activates. If you don't, the door opens.
"What do you mean I get disadvantage on persuasion?"
I don't know, Sneet, maybe because your argument is "Submit and become our pet"?
-Actual conversation in a game.
Here's one. You have a riddle that has to deals with numbers but not. You have some dials that are numbered 1-25 where each number associates with a letter. The dials then have to be turned to each number associated with each letter of the answer. Riddles are some of the best puzzles out there and some of them really make you think.
Remember this is a game and it's suppose to be fun for everybody. Let's all have fun and kill monsters.
A door with a slot, into which objects are to be put. A Magic Mouth tells the PCs they must feed it X items and it will open, but they only have X mins/hours, after which the door will teleport to a random location for 1dX days.
The door tells them the first item, and then each subsequent item only after the previous has been fed to it.
The door itself becomes an adventure, and if they don't complete it in time, they will have to find another way in, or find the new door location.
"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing)
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
Whoop, guess I should have read the whole OP before getting excited with door ideas.
Hmm... how about using the water jug puzzle from Die Hard 3? There is a fountain on the other side of the portcullis, a stone pedestal that magically "weighs", and two clay jugs.
"Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks." MM p245 (original printing)
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
I'm going to stick with my lever idea as I've drawn the map now, but both of those ideas are really cool, I'll use them at another time. I love the idea of making my players chase a sentient door around the forgotten realms.
| D100 Non-combat Random Encounter Table | Enchantments Galore |
| Pulsing Brazier Magic Trap | Gnome Capsule Machine | Language - A Primer |
I have tons of puzzle ideas on my YouTube channel that would probably suffice. Eyes of the Beholder or Eyes of the Obelisk are two recent ones you may want to check out...
But here is a link... closing in on 50 videos!
Http://www.youtube.com/c/wallydm
Good luck!
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
I'm actually trying to create a puzzle where the puzzle makes the party split... like 5 levers and 5 portcullis I'm going to make each one more heavy so mage hand cant be used... but trying to get a combination so like some are up and some are down is hurting my brain right now