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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tovec" data-source="post: 5839361" data-attributes="member: 95493">I use puzzles in a few different ways, especially when dealing with recurring damaging trapped puzzles..1. The puzzle is looking for a keyword or phrase. If I were a mage making this trapped puzzle box I better remember what the keyword is. I may be clever but I make more than one box like this then it could get painful if I happen to forget more than one. I may have written a clue (or answer) down somewhere.When dealing with a longer poem-puzzle like you used, this would be optimal. The PCs find the box, get zapped, keep looking, find clue, decypher box, open it and continue.Example, a NPC led the party down a hallway while whistling a merry tune. This allowed that NPC to unlock the traps along the way. When the party returned later and tried down the hall they were beset by dozens of traps and were clueless to avoid them, until they realized what had happened the previous time they were there.2. The puzzle is optional. Yes it is going to be hard, yes you have a chance of hurting yourself badly but there is nothing saying you HAVE TO complete it. Go try it, fail, rest up for a few days, try again. Maybe this leads to them setting up camp at if it is a fixed location puzzle and then they have to deal with others coming along. If it is a puzzle which can be moved, and they do, then it could be something they play around with after encounters when they are resting at night and then one day *click* it opens while they are just fiddling with dials.This is great for random boons you want to give them but want them only to use at the right time.Example: sad as it is... Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has a great example of this. The golden snitch Harry opens after months of playing around with it.Example2: Indiana Jones (in Raiders for the best example) has to work around the enemy group and get into the map room to figure out the solution.3. If it is necessary to have, and they can't find (or shouldn't be) a clue/answer/way around it, then they might want to find someone who can magically open it. They may want to smash it open and accept the consequences of breaking magical effects. Give them an out, give then some idea of how to succeed and get the trinket locked inside.This often leads to them hiring a mage, or pack of mages, to do something magic-y and game related to get it opened. Requires travel, time and effort but proves worth it at the end.These ideas aren't exclusive to a puzzle (box or otherwise) but are tips I would give for traps, hidden bases or enemies. I think all three give them more roleplaying opportunity than a "roll a knowledge (local) check DC 27" would ever do. I'm not saying a knowledge check isn't appropriate for part or even most of the major aspects of the puzzle but I think that when it relies solely upon them rolling a check you lose something from the attempt.</blockquote>

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