Help With Dwarven Vault

[Zerakon]

Come on every one else some ideas please.

Don't make me beg.

I'm not sure why, but your pitiful cry stirred my heart, and I looked into my home-made puzzles for you. I don't really have anything dwarven forge specific, but here is one that might be modifyable to fit your campaign and the dwarven vault:

This puzzle is best broken out into 4 rooms, so that the party doesn't immediately even realize that there is a puzzle.

room #1
The first room you would enter, there's simply a statue of a [dwarven?] warlord, perhaps the warlord whose plunder is kept in the vault? i dunno, that part is up to you. Have some inscription as you like at the base of the statue, like "Redbeard the Dwarven Warlord, Plunderer of the Three Nightlords."

there are doors to the left and right, and double doors straight.

room #2 (the room to the left as you entered the statue room)
Dress the room as you like, monsters if appropriate, etc. but the puzzle element of the room is an inscription on the wall that reads:

general order number four
swords must stay in hilts
and if lone wolf does ignore
quickly his life wilts

room #3 (the room to the right as you entered the statue room)
Again, the specific contents of the room are up to you, perhaps some wall-paintings of the warlord going to battle. Here there is a different inscription:

traveller steps square to square
choose carefully if one must
poor chooser might just disappear
being replaced with dust

room #4 (the room beyond the double doors from the statue room)
This is a big squarish room with a 10x10 grid of 5'x5' squares with carved letters in the floor. Beyond the grid is a door [that presumably lets you continue on into the vault]. Before the grid there are two soldier statues to the left and right and a plaque coming up out of the floor. The plaque has the following inscription:

The warlord's army marched toward battle....
left... right... left... right...
They formed two columns, marching one squad after another.
While they marched, the warlord reviewed his secret plan.
Some of his soldiers were in on the plan, mostly squad leaders.
However, the warlord didn't trust the leaders of the larger squads...
Any squad larger than four men and the warlord didn't involve them.
Except for the very large squads (seven men or more) - he feared
their betrayal, so he planeted spies who knew of his plan at the back
of their ranks. When the time came to enact the plan, the knowing
soldiers leapt into action...
left... right... left... right...
One after the other.
And unbeknownst to them, every third involved soldier
(starting with the third soldier) was given false orders - they were
not really part of the plan after all.

The grid of letters is as follows:

(the far side of the room)
RDYDRCHKFN
ZOABLATCUG
UFJWPHUHAT
GIATDNKATO
CREMRALLBI
NEDHLDIYNI
OJSRAFWMSO
FTNETXTRPA
WERGHFRAIH
GRITVAELET
(the near side of the room, where the party enters)

If a character steps on a "bad" letter, he suffers X damage (you decide). If she steps on a 2nd "bad" letter, she must make a fortitude save DC you decide or be disintegrated (or if you want to be more lenient, go for it).

The puzzle, presented as a series of connected rooms, is not very difficult. But, in my experience, players like the feeling of accomplishing a good puzzle, especially if it fits with the storyline. If you want it to be harder, rooms #2 and #3 could be harder to find, making it less obvious that they are definitively connected to room #4.

Anyway, enjoy.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

 

[Shallown]

Thanks Zerakon I will add that one in. I like the seperate rooms idea since my players suffer from a serious short memory issue whn it comes to puzzles.

Iwatt - I know what you mean they lost their dwarf weapon/armor smith fighter who found out Weed existed in my game and went about buying some. The one who bought it for him had never bought or dealt with it but arranged to buy 200gp worth which is what the dwarf had given him. they didn't realize how much 200 gp is and ended up with like 2 bails of weed.

the dwarf spent lots of nights sleeping in barns and haylofts so he could be nearhis weed which he was to afraid to carry into an inn. I had most fun when a set a loft on fire and watched him run around trying to save his weed. Got fairly comical it also helped explain his 8 char score since he was a drinker and a stoner.

later

 

[Im_vax_thats_vex]

I'm not sure why, but your pitiful cry stirred my heart, and I looked into my home-made puzzles for you. I don't really have anything dwarven forge specific, but here is one that might be modifyable to fit your campaign and the dwarven vault:

This puzzle is best broken out into 4 rooms, so that the party doesn't immediately even realize that there is a puzzle.

room #1
The first room you would enter, there's simply a statue of a [dwarven?] warlord, perhaps the warlord whose plunder is kept in the vault? i dunno, that part is up to you. Have some inscription as you like at the base of the statue, like "Redbeard the Dwarven Warlord, Plunderer of the Three Nightlords."

there are doors to the left and right, and double doors straight.

room #2 (the room to the left as you entered the statue room)
Dress the room as you like, monsters if appropriate, etc. but the puzzle element of the room is an inscription on the wall that reads:

general order number four
swords must stay in hilts
and if lone wolf does ignore
quickly his life wilts

room #3 (the room to the right as you entered the statue room)
Again, the specific contents of the room are up to you, perhaps some wall-paintings of the warlord going to battle. Here there is a different inscription:

traveller steps square to square
choose carefully if one must
poor chooser might just disappear
being replaced with dust

room #4 (the room beyond the double doors from the statue room)
This is a big squarish room with a 10x10 grid of 5'x5' squares with carved letters in the floor. Beyond the grid is a door [that presumably lets you continue on into the vault]. Before the grid there are two soldier statues to the left and right and a plaque coming up out of the floor. The plaque has the following inscription:

The warlord's army marched toward battle....
left... right... left... right...
They formed two columns, marching one squad after another.
While they marched, the warlord reviewed his secret plan.
Some of his soldiers were in on the plan, mostly squad leaders.
However, the warlord didn't trust the leaders of the larger squads...
Any squad larger than four men and the warlord didn't involve them.
Except for the very large squads (seven men or more) - he feared
their betrayal, so he planeted spies who knew of his plan at the back
of their ranks. When the time came to enact the plan, the knowing
soldiers leapt into action...
left... right... left... right...
One after the other.
And unbeknownst to them, every third involved soldier
(starting with the third soldier) was given false orders - they were
not really part of the plan after all.

The grid of letters is as follows:

(the far side of the room)
RDYDRCHKFN
ZOABLATCUG
UFJWPHUHAT
GIATDNKATO
CREMRALLBI
NEDHLDIYNI
OJSRAFWMSO
FTNETXTRPA
WERGHFRAIH
GRITVAELET
(the near side of the room, where the party enters)

If a character steps on a "bad" letter, he suffers X damage (you decide). If she steps on a 2nd "bad" letter, she must make a fortitude save DC you decide or be disintegrated (or if you want to be more lenient, go for it).

The puzzle, presented as a series of connected rooms, is not very difficult. But, in my experience, players like the feeling of accomplishing a good puzzle, especially if it fits with the storyline. If you want it to be harder, rooms #2 and #3 could be harder to find, making it less obvious that they are definitively connected to room #4.

Anyway, enjoy.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

I'm not sure why, but your pitiful cry stirred my heart, and I looked into my home-made puzzles for you. I don't really have anything dwarven forge specific, but here is one that might be modifyable to fit your campaign and the dwarven vault:

This puzzle is best broken out into 4 rooms, so that the party doesn't immediately even realize that there is a puzzle.

room #1
The first room you would enter, there's simply a statue of a [dwarven?] warlord, perhaps the warlord whose plunder is kept in the vault? i dunno, that part is up to you. Have some inscription as you like at the base of the statue, like "Redbeard the Dwarven Warlord, Plunderer of the Three Nightlords."

there are doors to the left and right, and double doors straight.

room #2 (the room to the left as you entered the statue room)
Dress the room as you like, monsters if appropriate, etc. but the puzzle element of the room is an inscription on the wall that reads:

general order number four
swords must stay in hilts
and if lone wolf does ignore
quickly his life wilts

room #3 (the room to the right as you entered the statue room)
Again, the specific contents of the room are up to you, perhaps some wall-paintings of the warlord going to battle. Here there is a different inscription:

traveller steps square to square
choose carefully if one must
poor chooser might just disappear
being replaced with dust

room #4 (the room beyond the double doors from the statue room)
This is a big squarish room with a 10x10 grid of 5'x5' squares with carved letters in the floor. Beyond the grid is a door [that presumably lets you continue on into the vault]. Before the grid there are two soldier statues to the left and right and a plaque coming up out of the floor. The plaque has the following inscription:

The warlord's army marched toward battle....
left... right... left... right...
They formed two columns, marching one squad after another.
While they marched, the warlord reviewed his secret plan.
Some of his soldiers were in on the plan, mostly squad leaders.
However, the warlord didn't trust the leaders of the larger squads...
Any squad larger than four men and the warlord didn't involve them.
Except for the very large squads (seven men or more) - he feared
their betrayal, so he planeted spies who knew of his plan at the back
of their ranks. When the time came to enact the plan, the knowing
soldiers leapt into action...
left... right... left... right...
One after the other.
And unbeknownst to them, every third involved soldier
(starting with the third soldier) was given false orders - they were
not really part of the plan after all.

The grid of letters is as follows:

(the far side of the room)
RDYDRCHKFN
ZOABLATCUG
UFJWPHUHAT
GIATDNKATO
CREMRALLBI
NEDHLDIYNI
OJSRAFWMSO
FTNETXTRPA
WERGHFRAIH
GRITVAELET
(the near side of the room, where the party enters)

If a character steps on a "bad" letter, he suffers X damage (you decide). If she steps on a 2nd "bad" letter, she must make a fortitude save DC you decide or be disintegrated (or if you want to be more lenient, go for it).

The puzzle, presented as a series of connected rooms, is not very difficult. But, in my experience, players like the feeling of accomplishing a good puzzle, especially if it fits with the storyline. If you want it to be harder, rooms #2 and #3 could be harder to find, making it less obvious that they are definitively connected to room #4.

Anyway, enjoy.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

Hey bud what is the answer to the letter puzzle?

 

[Im_vax_thats_vex]

I'm not sure why, but your pitiful cry stirred my heart, and I looked into my home-made puzzles for you. I don't really have anything dwarven forge specific, but here is one that might be modifyable to fit your campaign and the dwarven vault:

This puzzle is best broken out into 4 rooms, so that the party doesn't immediately even realize that there is a puzzle.

room #1
The first room you would enter, there's simply a statue of a [dwarven?] warlord, perhaps the warlord whose plunder is kept in the vault? i dunno, that part is up to you. Have some inscription as you like at the base of the statue, like "Redbeard the Dwarven Warlord, Plunderer of the Three Nightlords."

there are doors to the left and right, and double doors straight.

room #2 (the room to the left as you entered the statue room)
Dress the room as you like, monsters if appropriate, etc. but the puzzle element of the room is an inscription on the wall that reads:

general order number four
swords must stay in hilts
and if lone wolf does ignore
quickly his life wilts

room #3 (the room to the right as you entered the statue room)
Again, the specific contents of the room are up to you, perhaps some wall-paintings of the warlord going to battle. Here there is a different inscription:

traveller steps square to square
choose carefully if one must
poor chooser might just disappear
being replaced with dust

room #4 (the room beyond the double doors from the statue room)
This is a big squarish room with a 10x10 grid of 5'x5' squares with carved letters in the floor. Beyond the grid is a door [that presumably lets you continue on into the vault]. Before the grid there are two soldier statues to the left and right and a plaque coming up out of the floor. The plaque has the following inscription:

The warlord's army marched toward battle....
left... right... left... right...
They formed two columns, marching one squad after another.
While they marched, the warlord reviewed his secret plan.
Some of his soldiers were in on the plan, mostly squad leaders.
However, the warlord didn't trust the leaders of the larger squads...
Any squad larger than four men and the warlord didn't involve them.
Except for the very large squads (seven men or more) - he feared
their betrayal, so he planeted spies who knew of his plan at the back
of their ranks. When the time came to enact the plan, the knowing
soldiers leapt into action...
left... right... left... right...
One after the other.
And unbeknownst to them, every third involved soldier
(starting with the third soldier) was given false orders - they were
not really part of the plan after all.

The grid of letters is as follows:

(the far side of the room)
RDYDRCHKFN
ZOABLATCUG
UFJWPHUHAT
GIATDNKATO
CREMRALLBI
NEDHLDIYNI
OJSRAFWMSO
FTNETXTRPA
WERGHFRAIH
GRITVAELET
(the near side of the room, where the party enters)

If a character steps on a "bad" letter, he suffers X damage (you decide). If she steps on a 2nd "bad" letter, she must make a fortitude save DC you decide or be disintegrated (or if you want to be more lenient, go for it).

The puzzle, presented as a series of connected rooms, is not very difficult. But, in my experience, players like the feeling of accomplishing a good puzzle, especially if it fits with the storyline. If you want it to be harder, rooms #2 and #3 could be harder to find, making it less obvious that they are definitively connected to room #4.

Anyway, enjoy.

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

Hey bud, so what is the answer to the floor puzzle?

 

[aco175]

Hey bud, so what is the answer to the floor puzzle?

Welcome to the boards, have some XP, er likes for your first post. Most people stay around and are friendly enough.

 

[aco175]

Building on the beer puzzle for the party. There could be a certain stumble route that only PCs that are drunk enough can walk, or stumble through. Another thought is to have beer be poured someplace and the weight or alcohol content opens something. kind of an offering to the gods. I would have it open a clue to how to enter the main area and not the vault itself. Maybe in the main priests room they find this and inside is another clue.

Another idea dwarves would seem to have is that only areas that a dwarf can access or a dwarf in the line of Thrane or such. This would be more a story tied to a dwarf Pc or NPC going on the quest. Failing this, you can have a dwarf of the old line frozen in time that the PCs need to figure out how to un-freeze him before having him enter the restricted space.

 

[Dioltach]

Hey bud, so what is the answer to the floor puzzle?

You'll need to shout very loudly. That poster apparently hasn't logged in for the past 12 years.

 

[Im_vax_thats_vex]

You'll need to shout very loudly. That poster apparently hasn't logged in for the past 12 years.

HAHA oh well I liked the premise but couldn't figure it out, maybe that's a good sign it's too hard for my players then