Help me design a clever DnD labyrinth puzzle.
March 14, 2020 4:39 PM Subscribe
I'm trying to design a Dungeons and Dragons session set in a labyrinth with a big monster. I want to have some sort of puzzle/combat where the players have to get out the other end by avoiding or distracting the giant monster. What kind of puzzles or mechanisms can I use to make this work?
The map is fixed because it's part of a whole set (It's Here if you want to take a look). The players start in the North West.
There is a big creature that fills (and therefore blocks) the corridor . I'm currently thinking that it's basically unkillable due to incredible regenerative powers, but that could change?
So I'm looking for ways to set this up to make it fun / exciting / interesting etc.
The map is fixed because it's part of a whole set (It's Here if you want to take a look). The players start in the North West.
There is a big creature that fills (and therefore blocks) the corridor . I'm currently thinking that it's basically unkillable due to incredible regenerative powers, but that could change?
So I'm looking for ways to set this up to make it fun / exciting / interesting etc.
Maybe there are traps in the tunnels that - if the party find them - the monster can be lured into.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:03 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:03 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Not really a solution, but a logistical thing to bear in mind is if it *is* unkillable, it probably needs to move slower than your slowest PC, otherwise everyone gets in melee/distance zero range of it before finding out it's unkillable and then it's impossible for them to get away short of splitting up (and if they do split up it will feel unfair to whoever gets followed even if that's visibly decided at the table by a roll of the dice).
posted by juv3nal at 5:06 PM on March 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by juv3nal at 5:06 PM on March 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
...and on consideration that's not a hard and fast thing if your party has mobility reducing spells like slow or web and the creature has a reasonable chance of failing the relevant save (though be careful, because you return to the original situation if the party burns through their spell slots and you nat20 all the saves).
posted by juv3nal at 5:10 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 5:10 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
The party gets to the entrance of the room, and it turns out the room is actually a deep pit with a horrible monster at the bottom—way too big to kill with the party’s puny arrows and spells.
The only way across the pit is a rope bridge. Across the bridge is another adventuring party, or maybe a band of refugees, or a group of goblins, or whatever. They’re trying to exit the labyrinth, going the way your party came.
The other party’s bravest, stoutest member is crossing the rope bridge, blazing the trail. The monster is reaching for them, snapping, but can’t reach. The person is about to make it over to your party’s side. Suddenly one of the ropes breaks loose from an anchor on the cave wall! The bridge sags into the pit. The monster eats the intrepid person.
The party members can figure out that if both parties pull on the ropes, they can keep the bridge taut enough that one person can cross at a time. Of course it’s tougher if the person is heavier, of course the rope bridge could always break and sag again, but if the two parties work together and alternate, they can both cross the pit in the direction they want to go.
As members cross both ways in a tense sequence, it turns out that both parties are split in almost equal numbers on either side. Or just the strongest member will he left on the wrong side with four or five of the other party. Might the other party betray yours? Might your party betray them? Does anybody at any point let go of the rope to drop someone else within the monster’s reach? Et cetera.
posted by ejs at 5:13 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
The only way across the pit is a rope bridge. Across the bridge is another adventuring party, or maybe a band of refugees, or a group of goblins, or whatever. They’re trying to exit the labyrinth, going the way your party came.
The other party’s bravest, stoutest member is crossing the rope bridge, blazing the trail. The monster is reaching for them, snapping, but can’t reach. The person is about to make it over to your party’s side. Suddenly one of the ropes breaks loose from an anchor on the cave wall! The bridge sags into the pit. The monster eats the intrepid person.
The party members can figure out that if both parties pull on the ropes, they can keep the bridge taut enough that one person can cross at a time. Of course it’s tougher if the person is heavier, of course the rope bridge could always break and sag again, but if the two parties work together and alternate, they can both cross the pit in the direction they want to go.
As members cross both ways in a tense sequence, it turns out that both parties are split in almost equal numbers on either side. Or just the strongest member will he left on the wrong side with four or five of the other party. Might the other party betray yours? Might your party betray them? Does anybody at any point let go of the rope to drop someone else within the monster’s reach? Et cetera.
posted by ejs at 5:13 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Could you make this a roleplaying test of some sort? For instance, the monster will only let them pass if they share their character's darkest secret or the best gossip they have about the people in Waterdeep or wherever? Or perhaps the monster has for whatever reason been surveilling them and will let them pass if they're able to pass a quiz regarding their past adventures?
posted by shesbookish at 9:25 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by shesbookish at 9:25 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
If it regenerates, maybe it sloughs off its skin like a snake. PCs then use the discarded husks to block/distract the monster, clearing the way towards the exit.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:30 AM on March 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:30 AM on March 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Speaking of monsters that shed their old skin....
A dragon-skin shield is good against dragons because -- you know -- it can't harm its own skin. Right?
Is wearing a dragon-skin like wearing a sheepskin -- the dragon thinks you are its long-lost, slightly confused cousin?
If so, can you speak Dragonese (or its Upper Wyvern dialect?) The dragon might want to catch up on old times, or ask about the doubloons you borrowed and didn't pay back. Have a good story ready.
And if it's a BIG dragon-skin, is it proof against fire? Dragon spit? Does it float? Can it be a submarine?
If you have a really long, uncut piece of dragon-skin, and take off most of the scales leaving a continuous chain on the skin -- does it turn into a conveyor belt? An escalator?
Dragons be tricky.
posted by TrishaU at 5:53 AM on March 15, 2020
A dragon-skin shield is good against dragons because -- you know -- it can't harm its own skin. Right?
Is wearing a dragon-skin like wearing a sheepskin -- the dragon thinks you are its long-lost, slightly confused cousin?
If so, can you speak Dragonese (or its Upper Wyvern dialect?) The dragon might want to catch up on old times, or ask about the doubloons you borrowed and didn't pay back. Have a good story ready.
And if it's a BIG dragon-skin, is it proof against fire? Dragon spit? Does it float? Can it be a submarine?
If you have a really long, uncut piece of dragon-skin, and take off most of the scales leaving a continuous chain on the skin -- does it turn into a conveyor belt? An escalator?
Dragons be tricky.
posted by TrishaU at 5:53 AM on March 15, 2020
I think the keys to making this work are (1) make sure the players understand that it's unkillable, and (2) think about what can be used to distract the creature that might be useful as a plot point. For example, lets say the creature is the Rust Monster From Hell. It's attracted to metal, so the players may have to sacrifice armor, weapons or *sob* treasure to escape the beast, setting up opportunities for inter-party conflict while the Creature Creeps Inevitably Closer.
The scenario you describe obtains tension from its Ticking Clock: the creature is always approaching, so time is always running out. What I find adds to suspense is a sense of movement towards the goal. If there are indicators in the dungeon that suggest that the party is getting closer and closer to the exit, this is more exciting than the players just stumbling around hoping they're going the right way.
Oh, and "Ticking Clock" reminds me of Captain Hook and Tick Toc. A sound or vibration that reminds the party of the Thing's approach is more effective than just having the critter pop out unexpectedly over and over.
posted by SPrintF at 8:49 AM on March 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
The scenario you describe obtains tension from its Ticking Clock: the creature is always approaching, so time is always running out. What I find adds to suspense is a sense of movement towards the goal. If there are indicators in the dungeon that suggest that the party is getting closer and closer to the exit, this is more exciting than the players just stumbling around hoping they're going the right way.
Oh, and "Ticking Clock" reminds me of Captain Hook and Tick Toc. A sound or vibration that reminds the party of the Thing's approach is more effective than just having the critter pop out unexpectedly over and over.
posted by SPrintF at 8:49 AM on March 15, 2020 [2 favorites]
An unkilliable monster may be the kind of thing your party is smart enough to stay away from, or it may make them think "Oh boy, lots of XP and treasure", so make sure there is a very clear hint that this is not a monster to fight (or, perhaps, not yet...).
You might try putting different road blocks at the juncture points that can only be passed with skills of different party members. In particular, it might be a nice chance to let some of the utility players shine if the heavy damage classes have been getting most of the glory.
You could also block off some of the junctures with obstacles that require a tough choice to be made. Perhaps there is an easier road, but it bypasses both some treasure and a danger, or a time saving door that could be opened if the warlock makes a deal with their patron for a favor to be redeemed later...
posted by nalyd at 1:30 PM on March 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
You might try putting different road blocks at the juncture points that can only be passed with skills of different party members. In particular, it might be a nice chance to let some of the utility players shine if the heavy damage classes have been getting most of the glory.
You could also block off some of the junctures with obstacles that require a tough choice to be made. Perhaps there is an easier road, but it bypasses both some treasure and a danger, or a time saving door that could be opened if the warlock makes a deal with their patron for a favor to be redeemed later...
posted by nalyd at 1:30 PM on March 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
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- Cave-ins
- Poisonous plantlife (mushroom spores?)
- Threatening its young/eggs
- Other underground creatures
Possible puzzles:
- A corpse with notes on the monster (maybe a dead biologist or whatever the D&D monster equivalent is), but in code or smudged or terrible handwriting giving clues on the monster's biology (eg it's scared of fire, or has an excellent sense of smell).
- Make the labyrinth magically impossible or very hard to navigate normally - good Survival checks needed or they keep finding themselves looping back round to where they came from. But a previous explorer has left strange marks on the walls that could help them out...
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:02 PM on March 14, 2020 [1 favorite]