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7 months ago ::
Nov 23, 2012 - 11:23AM
#11
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Date Joined:
Mar 29, 2012
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One that was really good for our group, and took them a long time to figure out... They enter a room, in the middle is a table with a perfectly square top, along with 10 identical, stone sized chips. The phrase underneath was 'To Pass, all sides must be equal'...there was also a hallway leading out of this room that was magically dark and absorbed all light. If they choose to skip the puzzle, and simply walk down the hallway, they magically re-appeared at the entrance to the room and took 10 psychic damage. When they thought they had the stones put in the right order, they'd head down the hallway and same thing would happen. However, once they figured it out, the hallway illuminated and they were free to pass... I like this, since it is nearly impossible to google. Plus it lead to some funny ideas. ..."window.parent.tinyMCE.get('post_content').onLoad.dispatch();" contenteditable="true" /> Spoiler:
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put 2 stones on each of the 4 sides, then put 1 stone in one corner (doesn't matter which one) and 1 stone in the opposite (diagonal) corner. That way no matter how you slice it, each side has 2.5 stones. Another time, they found a trap door, inscribed next to it was the following, 'The rich want it. The poor have it. If you eat it, you will die.' Spoiler:
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7 months ago ::
Nov 23, 2012 - 3:08PM
#12
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Date Joined:
Aug 30, 2010
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The problem with the puzzle in the OP is that, without a computer, it's tedious. You might hit on the solution of character shifting right away: honestly, that was my immediate thought on seeing the characters. However, now you have 25 possible iterations to go through, so you could fail 24 times through no fault of your own to get the right answer.
Good puzzles have a eureka moment, where you've suddenly figured out the logic behind it and then they wind up solving themselves. This is missing that. You may think it's a simple cipher, but there's nothing to confirm that until after you've run through the combinations.
Now, if this was a more complex cipher that required a key, and discovering the key was the thrust of the puzzle, that would be better.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 23, 2012 - 5:30PM
#13
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Date Joined:
Nov 23, 2012
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Hmm... does anyone know any good lockpicking puzzle?
I think the food chain puzzle is a nice simple one to integrate, especially in forest dungeons or environments. It's usually not too difficult for players to suss but still provides gratification when they do. =) I generally have it where there are 5 wooden removable carvings in the door, with the following etched into them: a pouncing wolf, a huntsman aiming a bow, a tree of some description, a bounding deer and a raincloud partially covering the sun.
The players would have to remove the carvings and place them in order of the chain, from left to right:
The sun/raincloud, the tree, the deer, the wolf and the huntsman.
Obviously these can be changed as the DM sees fit so long as it follows a food chain!
If the players do get stumped, it's easy to provide a brute force alternative, especially if the door is made of a weaker material such as wood. I've also had players of mine in the past find riddles easier than most other puzzles, so it could be an idea to have one carved into the door to provide a clue for the answer (e.g, a riddle with the solution 'chain'). Obviously that isn't true for everyone, so catering for your players strengths and weaknesses is important!
edit:// Or matchstick puzzles! bones/sticks slotted into grooves in the door work as a substitute. Infuriating but fun and often solveable.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 24, 2012 - 2:58AM
#14
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Now, if this was a more complex cipher that required a key, and discovering the key was the thrust of the puzzle, that would be better.
You're right. It is, essentially, a brute force attack. There's nothing to indicate what's the shift.
Now the problem is how to subtly tell them what's the shift. Make another puzzle? Make them find a guy in the middle of decryption with 3 letters done out of 20. Might be too obvious...
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7 months ago ::
Nov 24, 2012 - 3:57AM
#15
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Date Joined:
Mar 31, 2010
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Obvious isn't bad... obvious gets solved. Solving is good. Solving rewards your players for playing.
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7 months ago ::
Nov 24, 2012 - 4:37AM
#16
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So it's all about the illusion of being smart, because of DM's inability to judge the intelligence of the player and therefore the inability to make an adequately difficult puzzle. Damn, I should've studied psychology... 
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7 months ago ::
Nov 24, 2012 - 10:37AM
#17
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Date Joined:
Aug 30, 2010
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When trying to drop hints for the players, there's something called the Rule of Three. You give them three hints, because it's virtually assured that no matter what, they will ignore one and miss another.
So, let's say that your cipher contains the steps necessary to unlock a specially constructed vault that was part of a dragon's (we'll call him Puff) hoard. If they don't follow those instructions, a series of dangerous or even deadly traps will trigger on the would-be hoard robbers. So, we'll make the key "puff." Might the players guess it right off the bat? Sure. If so, good for them.
For hints, you have a ratty journal of some dead scholar or treasure hunter who is convinced "the dragon is the key." There's a book found earlier in the dungeon, likely first acquired by our treasure hunter, that talks about a fabled treasure hidden by Puff, who ensured that whoever wanted the treasure would need him to get it. Finally, when they reach the entrance to the vault, they find an inscription: "Enter in my name or face death." Meanwhile, there are those mysterious ciphers scattered through the whole thing in prominent places, including one by the last inscription
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7 months ago ::
Nov 24, 2012 - 11:52AM
#18
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Fascinating. Very useful advice, thanks.
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