Maybe have a bunch of the pieces on pedestals around the entrance and once it's put together, they need to decipher the symbols on it to figure out they need to hit it with a certain element to 'open' it.
And if you really want to make it interesting instead of describing the whole process, create something with pieces of paper and cut them up like tetris blocks so they actually have to assemble it. And maybe if they roll an insight (or something else) check high enough, you can can do something like 'As you examine the pieces front to back you notices grooves on the reverse of a few pieces that look like they match up with spots on the (whatever they put on it).' And then place a few of them to give them an idea of how the puzzle is supposed to look.
Ah, glad to see you are wanting to add puzzles to your game! Probably one of the best puzzles I ever ran was the Prismatic Owl Puzzle. Basically a room with only one open corridor and a stone owl in the center of the room on a pedestal. Using colored gems put into the owl's eye sockets, the room will shift opening a different corridor and access to the next step in exploration.
Good luck in building your dungeon!
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I have a YouTube channel with 5th Edition D&D Puzzles, Character Creations, DM Tips and Quests ideas. Check it out!
Ah, glad to see you are wanting to add puzzles to your game! Probably one of the best puzzles I ever ran was the Prismatic Owl Puzzle. Basically a room with only one open corridor and a stone owl in the center of the room on a pedestal. Using colored gems put into the owl's eye sockets, the room will shift opening a different corridor and access to the next step in exploration.
Good luck in building your dungeon!
its sounds cool but I think it does not match with the general theme of the dungeon
I've been toying around with a puzzle based on the fox, chicken and grain riddle. The basic idea is there is circular room 100 feet in diameter. On one side is an archway and on the opposite side are 3 gently lit alcoves; one red, one yellow and one white. The adventurers start at the archway where a cloak is floating against the wall, as if it were hanging from a peg, but there is no peg. Next to the cloak are 3 glowing stones, one red, one yellow and one white. Across the expanse between the archway and 3 lit alcoves are hundreds of floating boulders - ranging in size between that of a human torso and as large as an elephant. The floating stones are colored red, yellow and white.
The basic idea is to transport the stones across the expanse and place them into the alcoves on the opposite side. The cloak can be worn by only 1 creature and allows for the transport of only 1 stone. Floating speed is only 10'/6sec If more than 1 stone is held, the wearer can no longer float. The three stones, when together, are harmless. However, the red stone can not be left alone with the yellow stone; and the yellow stone can not be left alone with the white stone. If stones are separated in a manner that violates the previous rule (ie the red stone is left alone with the yellow stone), Lightening Bolt (8d6) damage hits all the surrounding creatures, including the cloak wearer.
Here are the steps for a successful ferrying of stones to the alcove:
Yellow Stone to yellow alcove.
Return to archway.
Red Stone to red alcove.
Return yellow stone to the archway.
White stone to white alcove.
Return to archway.
Yellow stone to yellow alcove.
As the stones are placed in the alcove, the boulders floating in the expanse come together near the alcoves and begin forming a bridge. With the final placement of the yellow stone the bridge is complete and the rest of the party can get across.
Hope this works for your campaign. I'd be interested in hearing how it plays out.
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My players are trying to get into a dungeon that has some mechanical and magic involved in its content so no ordinary folk can wonder into it
I need help coming up with a puzzle of some kind
Any type of inspiration or basic structure for building puzzles and riddles would help
Maybe have a bunch of the pieces on pedestals around the entrance and once it's put together, they need to decipher the symbols on it to figure out they need to hit it with a certain element to 'open' it.
And if you really want to make it interesting instead of describing the whole process, create something with pieces of paper and cut them up like tetris blocks so they actually have to assemble it. And maybe if they roll an insight (or something else) check high enough, you can can do something like 'As you examine the pieces front to back you notices grooves on the reverse of a few pieces that look like they match up with spots on the (whatever they put on it).' And then place a few of them to give them an idea of how the puzzle is supposed to look.
Ah, glad to see you are wanting to add puzzles to your game! Probably one of the best puzzles I ever ran was the Prismatic Owl Puzzle. Basically a room with only one open corridor and a stone owl in the center of the room on a pedestal. Using colored gems put into the owl's eye sockets, the room will shift opening a different corridor and access to the next step in exploration.
Good luck in building your dungeon!
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
its sounds cool but I think it does not match with the general theme of the dungeon
I've been toying around with a puzzle based on the fox, chicken and grain riddle. The basic idea is there is circular room 100 feet in diameter. On one side is an archway and on the opposite side are 3 gently lit alcoves; one red, one yellow and one white. The adventurers start at the archway where a cloak is floating against the wall, as if it were hanging from a peg, but there is no peg. Next to the cloak are 3 glowing stones, one red, one yellow and one white. Across the expanse between the archway and 3 lit alcoves are hundreds of floating boulders - ranging in size between that of a human torso and as large as an elephant. The floating stones are colored red, yellow and white.
The basic idea is to transport the stones across the expanse and place them into the alcoves on the opposite side. The cloak can be worn by only 1 creature and allows for the transport of only 1 stone. Floating speed is only 10'/6sec If more than 1 stone is held, the wearer can no longer float. The three stones, when together, are harmless. However, the red stone can not be left alone with the yellow stone; and the yellow stone can not be left alone with the white stone. If stones are separated in a manner that violates the previous rule (ie the red stone is left alone with the yellow stone), Lightening Bolt (8d6) damage hits all the surrounding creatures, including the cloak wearer.
Here are the steps for a successful ferrying of stones to the alcove:
As the stones are placed in the alcove, the boulders floating in the expanse come together near the alcoves and begin forming a bridge. With the final placement of the yellow stone the bridge is complete and the rest of the party can get across.
Hope this works for your campaign. I'd be interested in hearing how it plays out.