Salutations good folk!
Could we have a thread about puzzles that does not include math, riddles or word play, but instead focuses on systems/lore in the Pathfinder system.
Also, I'm aware not all players are fond of puzzles. You need not repeat this. Cheers.
I suppose I'll start.
Tile room puzzle:
"The floor in the room before is composed of large coloured square tiles. The tiles are about 5 by 5 feet and colored either red, green, blue, black, yellow, grey or white. Beyond the coloured tiles are a large metal chest resting on the floor. Inscribed on the ceiling is a large serpent biting it's own tail. Along the serpent's back from it's head to it's tail, is a line of coloured glass scales, each scale a colour matching a tile. As you near the first coloured tile, the serpent's head animates and slowly it's head turns to you. It's gaze is cold and calculating. The serpent's eyes shift colour to match the colour of the tile nearest to you."
The PCs must cross the floor tile by tile in the order carved on the serpent's back. If they stray from the path, they are hit by a spell tied to the colour of the serpent's eyes. If they teleport or fly to the chest, it will attack them (as if an animated object) and try to bull rush them onto the tiled floor.
If you wish, you could have the serpent remain inanimate in a circle, and have the correct path start at some random scale, rather than the 'first'.
Prismatic Wall Puzzle:
"Big fat prismatic wall is blocking the now long dead archmage's treasure, and the players are not capable of dispelling it.
In a nearby room, a reshapable Ice Golem sits dormant. The golem is the product of an experiment undertaken by the archmage, but was halted when the archmage realized the golem would become unstable and degenerate one hour after the first reshaping. The golem and the experiment is documented in journals left by the archmage, but not well enough for the experiment to be replicated by the PCs. A control circlet can be found near the golem. and any PC wearing it can reshape the golem into almost any object of large size."
The golem is not affected by the prismatic wall. The PCs have to reshape the golem into something that can carry them through the portal. A chest on legs, a barrel or similar will do. They can then grab some loot and get out while the golem is still stable.
That was the two puzzles I've used so far. I may post more in the future. I hope to see more puzzles.
@ the room puzzle: I attack the serpent from where I stand at the start of the room.
@ the prismatic wall puzzle: I use expeditious excavation, dig a trench, and make that trench lower at my side than at the loot's side. I send up an unseen servant and have it push loot down the slide.
I guess the thing w/puzzles is: who wants to play them anymore? I know MY players don't. The above represent the actions I'd expect of them.
The only time I've seen my players really jazzed about these kinds of things is when the answer was really obvious and I gave them something physical to do IRL. Example:
Prayer Cylinder Trap
You enter a room showing three faces of the avatar of a god. Their mouths hang open in silent rage. Supporting the high ceiling above is a trio of pillars; each has a central cylinder w/runes representing a domain - Air, Good and Protection. Finally there are 3 shields, 5 large fans and a single radiant sun depicted on the far wall. No sooner do you notice all of this then the doorway behind you seals airtight with a stone slab.
Everyone rolled a Perception (DC 20) to notice the hiss of some invisible substance issuing from the mouths and the hint of a breeze as well. Poison gas is now beginning to fill the room. Testing the cylinders the PCs noticed an audible "click" when the prayer passed the gaze of the face in view of it. At that point I handed one of my players a 3-piece pillar I'd made w/Hirst Arts molds.
I'd hollowed out a middle bit of each section and inserted a dowel rod. The central cylinder of each I'd painted w/some red "runes". I had the players show me how, and specifically how MANY times they were turning the cylinder.
5 times for Air, 1 time for Good, and 5 times for protection. I kept a count to 15 and each time it was up I asked for a Fort save. First they suffered Sickened, then Nauseated, and finally they were unconscious. 1 PC passed out, the others were completely fine the whole time. They players said they liked it b/cause it gave them something to do to solve the riddle.
dot. Might want to use some of these eventually.
Also dotting for a later read! And contribution potentially to, I love using the odd trap on my players.
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While puzzle traps are loads of fun to come up with, and for clever players to solve, tabletop RPG players can demand the GM have an explanation for why they're there. It's something you just can't do in a Legend of Zelda or Professor Layton game.
You could always include a Sokoban (block-pushing) puzzle in a low-level adventure in a ruined building or warehouse: get the big boxes and ages out of the way, push them into gaps so the heavily-armoured PCs with low Dex can just walk over them, and remember that it isn't just to make fun of a group that didn't bother to bring along any rope. Plus, the strong types will be helpful in it.
In my experience, puzzles tend to be best suited to low levels. At higher ones, when you have Knock and [i]Passwall[/] spells or even an adamantine pick, all your intricate puzzles will end up as Gordian Knots.
dot
Salutations once again!
I suppose it does not go without saying that puzzles need proper context and audience. Consider it said.
Also. I'm running my campaign using the Core Rulebook and Bestiary 1 through 3, so I do not have access to spells/stuff outside those books.
The party is currently level 14.
Portal Puzzle (Shameless Torment rip-off, crude layout below):
..#3..#4
#2......#5
....#1
The party arrives in a large cave.
In the cave are five pillars arranged in a circle, each a different height (with #1 being the smallest and #5 being the tallest.) and with a portal on top. The pillars are arranged to make jumping of falling from one pillar to the pillar one step smaller possible (it is possible to jump from #5 to #4, and from #4 to #3, Et cetera.
The party should be able to scale the lowest pillar without too much trouble.
Upon anything entering any portal, one is transported to the portal two 'steps'/pillars counterclockwise, unless the portal you enter is the same portal as you entered previously, in which case the number of pillars you 'step' is increased by two.
Once you've entered the same portal 5 times in a row without breaking the sequence, you are teleported out of the puzzle and onward to glory.
To sum up:
Biff the Bold enters #1 and is transported to #4(two steps counterclockwise).
If Biff then enter #4 he is transported to #2(two steps counterclockwise).
He can keep doing this all the way back to #1 and when he enters #1 again he is back to #4.
This can go for quite some time.
If Biff Enters #1 he appears on #4 (two steps counterclockwise).
If he, without going through other portals, jumps all the way down to #1 and enters #1 again, he is transported to #2 (four steps counterclockwise).
If he jumps down to and enters #1 he is transported to #5 (six steps counterclockwise).
If he jumps down to and enters #1 he is transported to #3 (eight steps counterclockwise).
And when he finally jumps down and enters #1 for the fifth time without entering other portals, Biff gets a cookie.
A PC could start the sequence at a portal other than #1, but would eventually end up having to go to a pillar that is taller than the one they started at. That's fine, but may or may not drain some resources. That's sort of the point of this puzzle.
The DM could redesign the room to make traveling between pillars dangerous or the starting point less obvious.
Example: The PCs follow a tunnel leading into a cave sporting a classic lava floor far below them. The see pillars in front of them, the nearest pillar being #3.
Once they figure out the sequence, they should deduce how to either start the sequence at the lowest pillars (#1) or arrange for some flying/climbing.
@Mark Hoover
I've never used physical props at the table save for handout sheets and combat models. I'm intrigued.
I'm reluctant to put a time constraint on my puzzles. I fear my players will fall flat on their faces and die without a fail-safe. It's the sort of thing they might do, thus so I tend to avoid the do-or-die puzzles.
@Shifty Mongoose
Why are you having trouble implementing high-level puzzles?
Edit: shuffled stuff around
Something simple yet just so effective, is typing out notes and tearing them up. You give these to players and they have to piece the information together themselves. It seems a little more realistic that an unsavory note would be torn to pieces and it's always good to give the actual players something physical to play with.
You can also put in pictures of monsters, pictures to clues, maps, codes or numerous other things for them to discover too.