I'm building an adventure for five 5th-level characters set in an "abandoned" mage tower. The premise is that there's a mcguffin at the top of the tower, but one of the BBEG's primary henchmen has entered the tower first. The heroes are following the henchman through the tower, so they're going to experience a variety of encounters: puzzles that have reset after being successfully solved by the henchman, puzzles that were bruteforced and so they're walking into the aftereffects, and traps/ambushes set by the henchman and his goons.
Party Composition: Celestial Warlock, Vengeance Paladin (DEX build), Wild Soul Barbarian, Assassin Rogue, and Ghostslayer Blood Hunter. The players are old school, smart, and experienced. The characters are capable of incredible amounts of damage, which is why I'm hoping to challenge them with a few non-combat encounters. They all have strong DEX saves but poor WIS saves.
Other info: The henchman is a kraken priest that I'll likely modify in some way. The BBEG is a kraken. They are also going to encounter one or more tanarukk in the few combat encounters. I'm undecided on the number of floors to the mage tower, but I want it to be distinct that each floor is it's own encounter/puzzle.
My ask: Any ideas, tips, suggestions for encounters are encouraged, ESPECIALLY puzzles, traps, and other non-combat (or limited combat) encounters.
Can we get some details about the origins of the tower? Who lived there before it was abandoned?
Personally, I love the Countdown Puzzle and it can be put just about anywhere.
The tower is on an isolated island, and was previously owned by a neutral archmage - the kind who just enjoyed tinkering and experimenting in his tower. He disappeared (still not sure if dead, trapped, etc.) a few hundred years ago, and his tower has been locked and inaccessible since then. The trigger for the adventure is that the BBEG kraken is currently magically chained/restrained, and one key to unlocking it is in the tower. So, the henchman and his goons manage to break in, and the characters follow and try to stop them.
I want the tower interior to clearly be a tower: each room is circular, with an outer staircase that leads from room to room. No pocket dimensions, no different sized rooms, etc. But, each room might be wildly different in function and design and feel. Libraries, laboratories, and so on. And the tanarukks are involved because the mage had been studying them, but they were released from containment (accidentally?) by the henchman on his way up the tower.
Perhaps one floor doesn't actually have any stairs, and instead relies on a teleportation circle in order to get to the next floor. Either the players have to complete some sort of puzzle/collect the right item to activate the circle, or the portal itself is actually a trick, and it will deliver them into a trap unless they change something about it/discover a hidden set of stairs or a hidden portal.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Perhaps one floor doesn't actually have any stairs, and instead relies on a teleportation circle in order to get to the next floor. Either the players have to complete some sort of puzzle/collect the right item to activate the circle, or the portal itself is actually a trick, and it will deliver them into a trap unless they change something about it/discover a hidden set of stairs or a hidden portal.
Maybe one set of stairs remains only illusory unless you’re actively using the hand rail. Take your hand off halfway up the steps and you fall through to the old floor (or several floors if all the stairs are over the same stack of openings between floors.)
My magnum opus of magical torture the room of traveling doors.
uses a trap that can infinity cast illusory terrain. have a large room full of these traps space evenly on the grid throughout the room their is one door it has no handle on the inside and is level with the walls of the room, when characters enter through the room they will activate one of the spell traps it will make the actual door appear to vanish while a new door appears on the opposite side of the room, no matter where the character steps they will set off one of the illusory terrain traps and the door will always move to be as far as posible from them. They only way to catch the “teleporting doors” it is to have two pc move to start in the center of the center of the room and walk at an equal pace back to back away from one another, then they will reach each other’s door due to the rules of the puzzle. Only then will they figure out the doors are illusory, at witch point they may try to find the initial door however by now they will be lost in the room as it has no majorly discernible features and they cannot see the original door. They will have to slowly and painstakingly feel for it I would say a DC25 as they will have to feel fro the tiny line that is signifying of the original door presence since it is level to the initial door, then and only then does the effect of the illusory terrain spell change making the door seem large wooden and obviously ornate with a nice fancy handle, this is the final cruel jab as the Handel is entirely illusory as the door would be a pull to enter and push to exit. This trick will make your player hate you.
if you don’t think this room will make them suffer enough also add in a few glyphs on the floor that when touched castes feeblemind.
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Hi everyone,
I'm building an adventure for five 5th-level characters set in an "abandoned" mage tower. The premise is that there's a mcguffin at the top of the tower, but one of the BBEG's primary henchmen has entered the tower first. The heroes are following the henchman through the tower, so they're going to experience a variety of encounters: puzzles that have reset after being successfully solved by the henchman, puzzles that were bruteforced and so they're walking into the aftereffects, and traps/ambushes set by the henchman and his goons.
Party Composition: Celestial Warlock, Vengeance Paladin (DEX build), Wild Soul Barbarian, Assassin Rogue, and Ghostslayer Blood Hunter. The players are old school, smart, and experienced. The characters are capable of incredible amounts of damage, which is why I'm hoping to challenge them with a few non-combat encounters. They all have strong DEX saves but poor WIS saves.
Other info: The henchman is a kraken priest that I'll likely modify in some way. The BBEG is a kraken. They are also going to encounter one or more tanarukk in the few combat encounters. I'm undecided on the number of floors to the mage tower, but I want it to be distinct that each floor is it's own encounter/puzzle.
My ask: Any ideas, tips, suggestions for encounters are encouraged, ESPECIALLY puzzles, traps, and other non-combat (or limited combat) encounters.
Thanks!
Can we get some details about the origins of the tower? Who lived there before it was abandoned?
Personally, I love the Countdown Puzzle and it can be put just about anywhere.
The tower is on an isolated island, and was previously owned by a neutral archmage - the kind who just enjoyed tinkering and experimenting in his tower. He disappeared (still not sure if dead, trapped, etc.) a few hundred years ago, and his tower has been locked and inaccessible since then. The trigger for the adventure is that the BBEG kraken is currently magically chained/restrained, and one key to unlocking it is in the tower. So, the henchman and his goons manage to break in, and the characters follow and try to stop them.
I want the tower interior to clearly be a tower: each room is circular, with an outer staircase that leads from room to room. No pocket dimensions, no different sized rooms, etc. But, each room might be wildly different in function and design and feel. Libraries, laboratories, and so on. And the tanarukks are involved because the mage had been studying them, but they were released from containment (accidentally?) by the henchman on his way up the tower.
Perhaps one floor doesn't actually have any stairs, and instead relies on a teleportation circle in order to get to the next floor. Either the players have to complete some sort of puzzle/collect the right item to activate the circle, or the portal itself is actually a trick, and it will deliver them into a trap unless they change something about it/discover a hidden set of stairs or a hidden portal.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
I like this one - thank you!
Have a look at this site: https://www.adnddownloads.com/en/riddles-and-traps
Cedo nulli, Calcanda semel via leti.
Parvi sed magni.
Maybe one set of stairs remains only illusory unless you’re actively using the hand rail. Take your hand off halfway up the steps and you fall through to the old floor (or several floors if all the stairs are over the same stack of openings between floors.)
http://www.thievesguild.cc/traps-and-tricks
try this site, too.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Thanks for the links, these have been super helpful!
My magnum opus of magical torture the room of traveling doors.
uses a trap that can infinity cast illusory terrain.
have a large room full of these traps space evenly on the grid throughout the room their is one door it has no handle on the inside and is level with the walls of the room, when characters enter through the room they will activate one of the spell traps it will make the actual door appear to vanish while a new door appears on the opposite side of the room, no matter where the character steps they will set off one of the illusory terrain traps and the door will always move to be as far as posible from them. They only way to catch the “teleporting doors” it is to have two pc move to start in the center of the center of the room and walk at an equal pace back to back away from one another, then they will reach each other’s door due to the rules of the puzzle. Only then will they figure out the doors are illusory, at witch point they may try to find the initial door however by now they will be lost in the room as it has no majorly discernible features and they cannot see the original door. They will have to slowly and painstakingly feel for it I would say a DC25 as they will have to feel fro the tiny line that is signifying of the original door presence since it is level to the initial door, then and only then does the effect of the illusory terrain spell change making the door seem large wooden and obviously ornate with a nice fancy handle, this is the final cruel jab as the Handel is entirely illusory as the door would be a pull to enter and push to exit. This trick will make your player hate you.
if you don’t think this room will make them suffer enough also add in a few glyphs on the floor that when touched castes feeblemind.