Codebreaking skill challenge

[Hawkeye]

Any ideas what might be the relevant skills?

Hawkeye

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

That depends entirely on the code, what the code is based on, how the code is presented..etc.

I could argue:
Diplomancy {heraldry and knowledge of nobility}
Bluff {How would I hide this}
Arcana {esoteric calculations}
Dungeoneering {what material is the code carved into and what sort of creature would carve that}
History {was this code used before?}
Insight {flash inpiration on how the code was designed}
Nature {code is based on animal forms seen in the wild...}
Perception {notice that the code is really masking the real code}
Religion {code is dependant on a pantheon alignment}
Thievery {knowledge of code writing and breaking}

.. and all the monster knowledge checks based on the critter that designed/made the code...


so... what kind of code are you talking about?

 

[Nytmare]

From my own experiences participating in things like the MIT Mystery Hunt, game code breaking at least would involve a lot of bouncing back and forth between insight/perception checks and knowledge checks.

With the kinds of codes and puzzles I'm used to solving (which again are built to be games) it's looking for the pattern, figuring out what body of real world knowledge the pattern is tied to, looking for the new pattern, etc...

This seems like another kind of skill challenge that would be neat as a "mini-game." Give us some info on where the code is and what the hidden information is.

 

[Hawkeye]

The PCs have found a diary written by an now dead wizard. The language is going to be ancient Netherese. However, the alphabet is going to be Draconic. Currently, none of the party members speak Draconic, but they can recognize that some of the letters are Draconic. So, they have to first figure out the alphabet and then the words, syntax etc...

Torqumada

 

[Nytmare]

I'd just do a simple substitution code with a weird, non-standard, fantasy font. Substitution cipher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd split the message up into pieces and then pass them out evenly between each of the players and give them a certain number of matches based off an arcana check.

Then after they've figured out all the pieces they figure out how they fit them together.

 

[Hawkeye]

I was already planning on using a substitution cipher. I was just wondering how the PCs could go about breaking it.

Torqumada

 

[Nytmare]

I was already planning on using a substitution cipher. I was just wondering how the PCs could go about breaking it.

To me, it feels more like something the Player end of the PC should be dealing with instead of the Character end. As a game element, a substitution code is going to be interesting to solve by solving it, not by rolling a die to see whether or not you got the answer.

"Here's a clever puzzle! Solve it by rolling high enough."

 

[Hawkeye]

Knowing my friends the way I do, they will try to solve the code without a die roll to begin with.

Hawkeye

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I agree with Nytmare, and this is a method I used long ago running the Deserts of Desolation... instead of having dice rolls resolve the puzzle, the players had the challenge of decipering the language. It worked very very well and is one of the 'back in the day' stories' the group still shares.

It got to the point that I could write in the script, and three of my players could read it!