The party will be traveling through a lot (26) of small rooms towards a goal. In some of the rooms are scattered clues.
Could you let me know if you think the below puzzle makes sense and it is too easy or hard? I need to know if should abandon the idea, add more clues, etc...
Room 1: A plaque that reads "IT BEGINS DARK AND ENDS WITH LIFE"
Room 2: A plaque that reads "IT MARCHES SLOWLY, CHANGING ONCE PER STEP."
Room 3: A plaque that read "THE ANSWER IS FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO."
The solution isn’t unique enough. You can go from “dire” to “dive” and skip over any possibility of fire.
If you want to do a riddle that has multiple logically valid solutions, be prepared to run with what the players come up with, even if it’s not what you had in mind.
Without a hint that it's change one letter per word be prepared for your PCs to think these are individual riddles that then lead to the actual answer and not think that you intend for this to be a word puzzle not a riddle.
This specifies that they have to work through the word fire, whilst the capital letters are greater hints of the start and end points of the puzzle. The quill and ink indicate that the puzzle requires a written element, so players are unlikely to be left in the dark.
Honestly, as long as you dont bottle neck the PCs with the puzzle, it doesnt matter if they think its too hard or not.
Nicely done! I skipped right past FIRE each time, so your two clues seem more elegant.
btw: to the OP (you probably were already thinking this but): handing each item to the players as a handout will save some time and add to the atmosphere.
In my head. My player reads those. Goes to the room and takes one step. Watches the colors on the floor maybe change. Would be a dark tile to start. If it changes to another color I'd take another step and see if it changes. If it changes to another color that isn't lite just do that all the way across. Probably fail but that's what I got from it.
Where exactly does the 4 x 7 grid come into play? Not seeing any relevance to the rest of the puzzle.
Reading your clues, I had no idea it was even a word puzzle. I thought it would have something to do with the rooms, and that there's some sort of hidden route though then that leads to a secret door or unlocks a passage or something. And how exactly do the players know it's even a word puzzle? How do they enter the answer?
It's an interesting concept, but it needs refinement.
What if the word Dark were already written on the plaque?
I think giving them the handout (a blank 4x7 grid) should likely give them the idea to write on it (especially if an inkwell and quill is nearby).
That said: a previous adventurer might've written in something (then had it erased by the trap's owner, but still leaving some faint marks). The body of previous adventurer might even still be in the room, holding the quill...
What if the word Dark were already written on the plaque?
I think giving them the handout (a blank 4x7 grid) should likely give them the idea to write on it (especially if an inkwell and quill is nearby).
That said: a previous adventurer might've written in something (then had it erased by the trap's owner, but still leaving some faint marks). The body of previous adventurer might even still be in the room, holding the quill...
I like this, indirect, and organic, but obvious with no unintentional mislead.
Honestly you never know how your players will react. I think your puzzle is fine but again who knows how your players will take it.
I had came up with a puzzle where the players were in a small dungeon and had came across a special locked door. Basically they needed to find a bullseye lantern that and a special glass that fit into a slot on the lantern. This would reveal clues. Unusual markings on the walls with a distinct symbol over specific doors and one on each side of the locked door they wanted to get past.
Now the lantern also revealed two ghost like figures that would say only one thing' "Light the way."
The solution was that they simply needed to light the torches on the side of the doors in the correct direction then activate the path by pointing the lantern on a symbol over the door.
The ghostly figures would the make there way to the main door an place a hand on each side unlocking it.
This is something I thought was rather simple however the players did not. One even wanted to just burn the place down. Another (my wife) was a bit mad at me over it being to hard. I did let her know I never have any idea as to how the group will react to various elements in the game and thats just par of it. Now two other players were active in trying to figure it out and were having a good time with it. This lasted a full session and then an hour into the next. Good times.
Thanks for all the feedback... based on the responses, I ditched the puzzle.
Many of the clues/suggestions would've been helpful, but these were supposed to be in a tomb unlocked for the first time.
Maybe I can work a variant version into a game sometime in the future when I can make it A) only have 1 possible solution and B) allows for the introduction of more hints.
Yeah... I used to try and run puzzles past my 16 year old daughter to see if it was too tough or not obvious... I figured if she could figure it out in an hour or two, 5 adults could manage it. But now she's too cool for Dad's lame D&D puzzles.
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The party will be traveling through a lot (26) of small rooms towards a goal. In some of the rooms are scattered clues.
Could you let me know if you think the below puzzle makes sense and it is too easy or hard? I need to know if should abandon the idea, add more clues, etc...
Room 1: A plaque that reads "IT BEGINS DARK AND ENDS WITH LIFE"
Room 2: A plaque that reads "IT MARCHES SLOWLY, CHANGING ONCE PER STEP."
Room 3: A plaque that read "THE ANSWER IS FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO."
Room 4: A plaque with a 4x7 grid.
I will post my solution as a response.
Thanks,
Matt
The answer:
This one of those puzzles where you have to move from the starting word to the ending word by only changing one letter at a time.
DARK
DIRK (or DARE)
DIRE
FIRE
FIVE
LIVE
LIFE
The answer is FIRE.
The solution isn’t unique enough. You can go from “dire” to “dive” and skip over any possibility of fire.
If you want to do a riddle that has multiple logically valid solutions, be prepared to run with what the players come up with, even if it’s not what you had in mind.
Without a hint that it's change one letter per word be prepared for your PCs to think these are individual riddles that then lead to the actual answer and not think that you intend for this to be a word puzzle not a riddle.
My Homebrew Backgrounds | Feats | Magic Items | Monsters | Races | Subclasses
"From the Dark to Life it changes"
"Marching through Fire one step at a time"
beside the plaque lies an inkwell and quill.
This specifies that they have to work through the word fire, whilst the capital letters are greater hints of the start and end points of the puzzle. The quill and ink indicate that the puzzle requires a written element, so players are unlikely to be left in the dark.
Honestly, as long as you dont bottle neck the PCs with the puzzle, it doesnt matter if they think its too hard or not.
Nicely done! I skipped right past FIRE each time, so your two clues seem more elegant.
btw: to the OP (you probably were already thinking this but): handing each item to the players as a handout will save some time and add to the atmosphere.
In my head. My player reads those. Goes to the room and takes one step. Watches the colors on the floor maybe change. Would be a dark tile to start. If it changes to another color I'd take another step and see if it changes. If it changes to another color that isn't lite just do that all the way across. Probably fail but that's what I got from it.
Thanks! :D
Where exactly does the 4 x 7 grid come into play? Not seeing any relevance to the rest of the puzzle.
Reading your clues, I had no idea it was even a word puzzle. I thought it would have something to do with the rooms, and that there's some sort of hidden route though then that leads to a secret door or unlocks a passage or something. And how exactly do the players know it's even a word puzzle? How do they enter the answer?
It's an interesting concept, but it needs refinement.
I would totally miss this as a clue.
What if the word Dark were already written on the plaque?
I think giving them the handout (a blank 4x7 grid) should likely give them the idea to write on it (especially if an inkwell and quill is nearby).
That said: a previous adventurer might've written in something (then had it erased by the trap's owner, but still leaving some faint marks). The body of previous adventurer might even still be in the room, holding the quill...
I like this, indirect, and organic, but obvious with no unintentional mislead.
Honestly you never know how your players will react. I think your puzzle is fine but again who knows how your players will take it.
I had came up with a puzzle where the players were in a small dungeon and had came across a special locked door. Basically they needed to find a bullseye lantern that and a special glass that fit into a slot on the lantern. This would reveal clues. Unusual markings on the walls with a distinct symbol over specific doors and one on each side of the locked door they wanted to get past.
Now the lantern also revealed two ghost like figures that would say only one thing' "Light the way."
The solution was that they simply needed to light the torches on the side of the doors in the correct direction then activate the path by pointing the lantern on a symbol over the door.
The ghostly figures would the make there way to the main door an place a hand on each side unlocking it.
This is something I thought was rather simple however the players did not. One even wanted to just burn the place down. Another (my wife) was a bit mad at me over it being to hard. I did let her know I never have any idea as to how the group will react to various elements in the game and thats just par of it. Now two other players were active in trying to figure it out and were having a good time with it. This lasted a full session and then an hour into the next. Good times.
Thanks for all the feedback... based on the responses, I ditched the puzzle.
Many of the clues/suggestions would've been helpful, but these were supposed to be in a tomb unlocked for the first time.
Maybe I can work a variant version into a game sometime in the future when I can make it A) only have 1 possible solution and B) allows for the introduction of more hints.
Yeah... I used to try and run puzzles past my 16 year old daughter to see if it was too tough or not obvious... I figured if she could figure it out in an hour or two, 5 adults could manage it. But now she's too cool for Dad's lame D&D puzzles.