Defeated by puzzle - campaign over

It seems that a campaign I play in is about to end due to us being unable to solve a puzzle to go forward. We are in an evil temple. To proceed any further we have to solve this puzzle and going back is not an option...

Just wondering, did this ever happen to you?

Never had a campaign end, but in the VERY first game I ever played in, my character was killed by a white dragon because I couldn't solve a puzzle.

DungeonmasterCal said:

Never had a campaign end, but in the VERY first game I ever played in, my character was killed by a white dragon because I couldn't solve a puzzle.

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Heh, the room we were in actually had three portals that spewed forth monsters and killed two party members (whom we revived though), but we destroyed the portals and are defeated by the puzzle.

Well, maybe you don't have to solve the puzzle. Just grab some hammers and knock your way through the wall or whatever.

Hammerhead said:

Well, maybe you don't have to solve the puzzle. Just grab some hammers and knock your way through the wall or whatever.

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Nah, that unfortunately does not work (believe me - we tried). Solving the puzzle is really the only way to go forward.

Any chance of calling for magical assistance, such as contact other plane (especially to a plane where the locals might have had dealings with the evil temple) or summoning something highly intelligent? edit: An avoral (summon monster VII) would be a good choice.

Impassable puzzles are classic bottleneck design - something many, many adventures are plagued by - it ranks right up there with having to interact with a certain NPC or find a certain secret door to go forward. DMs who do this on a regular basis need to sit in the players' chairs for a while and feel the frustration. Not fun - you have my sympathy.

Starglim said:

Any chance of calling for magical assistance, such as contact other plane (especially to a plane where the locals might have had dealings with the evil temple) or summoning something highly intelligent?

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No - our situation is such that these spells are not available. We are in the darkest of the dark temples. Clerical magic (of good and neutral gods) is extremely severely restricted. Clerics cannot cast spells in the temple at all unless they carry an artifact that enables them to do so. We have three clerics and two such artifacts. Even so, however, clerical magic still suffers a chance of spell failure and certain spells are unavailable (all first level spells for instance). Furthemore, clerics cannot regain spell-points (we use a spell point system) while in the temple and it is impossible to rest in the temple at all due to a malevolent aura that it exudes. It is also impossible for clerics to change which spells are memorized and turning/destroying undead does not work at all. Teleportation/transportation magic does not work at all in the evil temple and nor do any divinations or attempts to contact the outside world/planes, etc.

Really, the only way forward is to solve the puzzle (also as far as I know the DM and the style of this campaign - it is the only way forward). Just wondering - has something like this happened to anybody else?

Why don't you tell use what the puzzle? Maybe we can help.

Never had this happen to, though.

Personally I'd just go, "Gosh, too hard...I guess I get to run my game this time next week? Cool, everyone make up characters on such and such point buy..." and then see if there isn't a sudden change of circumstance in the game. If you've given it your best effort, there's no shame in walking away and bitching about "someone's" bad adventure design. *pointed look at DM* *nudge nudge* *wink wink*