Idea fo Religion Based Trap - Help?

[Trit One-Ear]

I mentioned this idea a while ago, and it's been bouncing around my skull for some time, but I'm finally setting down some details. My players will soon be infiltrating/invading a cultists' lair, and I wanted to throw them into a unique death trap in order to gain access to the quarters of the upper tier members. My design for this room pits both their knowledge of religion (which i think 3/4 of the players have trained) and their physical skills to survive while they correctly figure the puzzle out.

Upon entering a room behind a lectern in the large hall, the group finds nine podiums, evenly spaced around the room. Each podium has a small picture carved into the front, and a word in Abyssal carved into them. I'm also playing with the idea of each having a colored glass orb in a small holder atop the podiums (each ball a different color, with a different rune carved into it).

The nine podiums/symbols/orbs all relate to the Nine Archdukes of Hell. The symbols and Abyssal words relate like this:

A mask - The Spy/The Pretender - Bel, Lord of the First Hell
A mace - The Iron Duke/The General - Dispater, Lord of the Second Hell
A rose - The Lover - Mammon, Lord of the Third Hell
(Need a symbol) - The Heir/The Family - Fierna and Belial, Lord(s) of the Fourth Hell
A pair of shackles - The Prisoner - Levistus, Lord of the Fifth Hell
A crown of roses - The Princess - Glasya, Lord of the Sixth Hell
(Need a symbol) - (Need a name) - Baalzebul, Lord of the Seventh Hell
An orb/A staff/A flame? - The Magician? - Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth Hell
A thick crown - The King - Asmodeus, Lord of the Ninth Hell.

I'm using this website Canon:Archdevil - Dungeons and Dragons Wiki for all my information regarding the Archdevils. I need ideas for Fierna and Belial, Baalzebul and possibly Mephistopheles (not sold on his name/concept). Please feel free to give any criticisms as my knowledge on the Archdevils is pretty much what I've linked above.

The idea is that each player will have to stand at a podium. One must choose The King's podium in order to start "the event." There will be some basic instructions (written in Abyssal if the players have that language) leading the players to perform certain actions. "The King must keep a constant grip, lest his power destroy him." The player must reach into the opening in the podium (shaped like a screaming human face) and grasp the level within. At that point, something sharp sticks into their forearm, slowly draining some blood (a healing surge). His job will be just to hold the lever till the even is over. If he releases, it will trigger some negative effect (harder DC's for the others, additional obstacles/attacks).

Each other podium will have a task the player will be required to commit, some with potentially lasting RP/story effects. As the event progresses, the floor may open up, causing all players to make Acrobatics checks etc. Various other skills are used as well (thievery/dungeoneering to learn more about the trap before it is triggered, or to disable aspects of it).

Really just coming out of the brainstorming session, and I don't want to flood you guys with (more) of my ideas... but any advice or thoughts you have would be great!

Trit

 

[Arctic Wolf]

Hey Trit how is everything going? I have got to say that sounds like a fun skill challenge so I don't have anything further to add to it. The only comments I can give to you are the stuff you don't know to use to represent the devils that you don't have anything for.

The symbol for Fierna and Belial should be a snake eating itself.

For Baalzebul the symbol I would use is a wing or a pair of wings and call him The Betrayer for his title.

For Mephistopheles I would go with a blue flame (I am not sure hellfire would be blue but his realm is an icey one so it makes sense to me). And I maybe call him The Destroyer? The magician reminds me of an esp of Futurama xD

How does that help with the names at least?

 

[Trit One-Ear]

Thanks for checking in [MENTION=6686199]Arctic Wolf[/MENTION]. I'm doing well, how about you?

Love the idea for Fierna/Belial, and like the title The Betrayer for Baalzebul. Not keen on the wings, mostly because I'd rather the symbol and the name be more related than the symbol and the Devil... if that makes sense.

My other thought for Baalzebul (again based on the article I posted above) was making him The Builder and having his symbol be a Brick or a Spade... something slightly different, and ties more directly with his nature. But I don't know if that stands up next to the other symbols and titles.

Mephistopheles is good. The Destroyer is too good an archetype-style name to pass up, so I'll make it fit his description.

I'm really not happy with the one I came up with for Dispater actually, so any ideas on what his Title and Symbol should be are welcome. Possibly The Tower for both?

Trit

 

[nogray]

As an aside, if you are playing in the 4e cosmology and with their assumed world, then Abyssal really doesn't fit. It should be Supernal. Abyssal is the language of demons, Supernal is that of Angels, Devils, and Gods.

For a similar challenge for my own recent campaign, I used an Iron Cross for the symbol that denoted the realm of Dis. I'll see if I can dig up anything more on that, if you are interested.

 

[Arctic Wolf]

@ Trit- How about have a dagger for Baalzebul's symbol? Would definitely fit with him being the Betrayer.

I do like the title The Iron Duke and the symbol but if you wanted to change the symbol how about having an mace in front of a tower? Seems like a decent change. Hope this helps!

 

[Trit One-Ear]

First, thanks to [MENTION=28028]nogray[/MENTION] for correcting my language oversight. That would have been an embarrassing mistake to make at the table.

Second, [MENTION=6686199]Arctic Wolf[/MENTION], I like all the help you've given me. Here's my updated list of symbols, titles and Devils.

A mask - The Pretender - Bel
An Iron Cross - The Duke - Dispater
A rose - The Lover - Mammon
A serpent eating itself - The Heir/The Family - Fierna/Belial
A pair of shackles - The Prisoner - Levistus
A crown of roses - The Princess - Glasya
A dagger - The Betrayer - Baalzebul
A flame - The Destroyer - Mephistopheles
A thick crown - The King - Asmodeus

Pretty pleased with all of these. Now on to the next step...

Part of this challenge will revolve around players completing certain tasks before the trap (at this point I'm thinking tipping-floor-into-pit trap, mixed with some attack effects for those trying to retain their balance) defeats them. Each of these tasks will be suggested in a clue written on the podium.

For example, the person who assumes the role of The King will have to hold the lever that lowers the floor until the task is over. It will drain their blood slowly (resulting in a lost healing surge?) Their podium will read "The King must rule with a steady grip, even giving his own life to ensure order. If his grip falters, all may be lost." (Or something like that).

Not sure what the other tasks should be... this is where I feel I need the most help. Here are the few ideas I have.

The Lover - "The Lover is a thief of the heart. The Lover revels in the power stolen from others, be it emotional or other." *** The Lover player must take an orb from another player's podium.

The Heir - "The Heir must usurp the position of their betters. Those true to the cause know that force is required to take their rightful place, and any who stand in their way must fall." **** The Heir must replace another player at a podium (using forced movement?)

The Prisoner - "The Prisoner knows the power in his place. While his freedom may be limited, his influence reaches far beyond his confines. While a time may come to break free of these bonds, now is not that time." ****The Prisoner cannot move from his podium (or else...what?)

The Princess - "The Princess must pay homage to The King. The time will come when the King must be dethroned, and the Princess will take her rightful place. For the moment, however, her respect and allegiance must be given." ****The Princess must take her orb to the King's podium (this will probably be through the traps, and on opposite sides of the room).

So, that was a lot of text. Uh... thoughts? ....help?

Trit

 

[nogray]

For some scene-framing details, how many PCs are there, and is this room, with its trap/activity, part of the normal way the cult leaders access the following chambers?

The reason I ask is that if it is part of the normal way that the cult travels, it needs to be something that can happen quickly with the (nine?) cult leaders. I wouldn't want to be the main leader (who, I would assume, takes the role of Asmodeus in this activity) and weaken myself habitually in the presence of my underlings.

Following is a complete set, some modified from what you originally have, others left as-is (pretty much). Suggestions have been made for those missing in your post. Sblocked for your convenience.

[sblock="Suggestions for quotes and activities"]The King: I don't see Asmodeus (or a leader of his cult) sacrificing his own life. I might alter the quote to be something like this, "The King must rule with a steady grip, holding tight the lives of his subjects. If his grip falters, all may be lost." Replace the mechanic with a fortitude attack against everyone else in the room, costing them a healing surge. That sounds more like, "I am the boss, and I will crush your spirits under my rule." Maybe give a bonus to defense if they are performing the correct actions to move the puzzle along.

The Destroyer: They must heat their orb in a fire, then smash their orb against the King's orb or podium. Give hints about it by virtue of scorch marks or residual magic from the mending ritual that restores its form once the trap is overcome. The quote could be along the lines of, "The Destroyer seeks power enough to bring the King low. Bring forth hellfire and attack with all you can."

The Betrayer: "The Betrayer knows the power of deceit. When forced aside, cunningly replace the attacker's strength with your own." When the person at the Heir pushes them aside, they carry their orb to the Heirs' podium.

The Princess: Yours looks good, though the quote seems wordy. You could leave it at, "The Princess must pay homage to The King. Respect and allegiance must be given," possibly adding, "for he shields you from attack." Perhaps add the caveat that she does this after being pushed aside by one of the heirs, as indicated by the addition to the quote above.

The Prisoner: Again, looks just fine. It also is a second PC that must stand in place, though, so whatever your normal number of PCs, you are down by two in the number of "active" participants. Going again for brevity, I might chop that last sentence off the quote. Perhaps add some manacles to the podium, making so that the Prisoner must be locked into them to complete his challenge.

The Heirs: Perhaps a more specific chain of events: The Heirs must take their orb to the podium of one of the higher ranking ones, specifically the Princess or the Betrayer, pushing them out of the way. Playing on the cyclical nature of the ouroboros (self-eating-snake), maybe work it in such that the Betrayer orb and the Heirs orb must take each others' places. Or, since there are classically two leaders (Belial and Fernia), they must have their orbs in the place of both the Betrayer's and the Princess's, while the Betrayer's orb goes to the podium of the Heirs.

The Lover: Shorter phrasing with, "The Lover is a thief, reveling in the power stolen from others." I might even add, "Power taken from the helpless is sweeter, still." Just as you have it for the challenge, though with some of the other restrictions in place and with the added part of the quote, that means pretty much that the Lover steals the Prisoner's orb.

The Duke: "The Duke in his iron tower stands strong against the attacks of his lessers and the scheming of his betters." The Lover and the Pretender must both touch the Duke's orb, but it must remain in place.

The Pretender: "The Pretender rises to power when others fall. With the favor of the King, the Pretender's star rises to fill the void." The Pretender must place his orb into the empty slot of either the Destroyer or the Prisoner.[/sblock]In actual play, that would lead to something like this for the action sequence. It's pretty orderly, which fits the regimented nature of Hell.

[sblock="In play, I see it this way:"]Starting positions: Each podium has one orb (or, alternatively, the Heirs podium has two). The Destroyer podium also has a brazier, unlit. The cultists know the rules, and with nine or ten of them, they could get through everything pretty quickly, only needing one (or maybe zero) attacks from the King podium.

One PC grasps the lever in the King podium. When he does that, the brazier on the Destroyer's lights up. with enough folks, a lot of things then happen all at once:

• Someone heats the Destroyer orb in the fire, then smashes it against the King's orb or podium.
• Someone takes the Heirs' orbs to the Princess podium and the Betrayer podium. They replace the orbs native to those podiums with their own.
• Once that happens, someone carries the Princess orb to the King podium, handing it to the PC holding the lever.
• Also, someone carries the Betrayer orb to the Heirs' podium.
• Someone carries the Lover orb to first the Duke podium, touching the Duke's orb, then to the Prisoner podium, taking that orb and carrying it back to the Lover podium.
• Someone takes the Pretender orb, touches the Duke orb, then places it into the empty slot of either the Prisoner or the Destroyer.

The PCs would have to prioritize, based on how many are present. It would likely take them longer, making themselves subject to more attacks from the King podium.[/sblock]With all that playing out, that leaves the following as an end state.

[sblock="End State:"]

1. Person at the King podium, holding the the lever in one hand and the Princess orb in the other.
2. Destroyer podium has the Pretender orb in it or is empty. (Person optional.)
3. Betrayer podium has one of the Heir orbs in it. (Person optional.)
4. Princess podium has the other Heir orb in it. (Person optional.)
5. Person at the Prisoner podium, shackled to the podium. May have the Pretender orb, or not.
6. Heirs podium has the Betrayer orb in it. (Person optional.)
7. Person at the Lover podium, holding Prisoner orb. Lover podium has its own orb on it.
8. Duke podium has its own orb in place, but someone carrying the Lover orb and the Pretender orb must have touched the orb/podium. (Person optional.)
9. Pretender podium empty. (Person optional.)

Once the End State is reached, the door/portal opens up, the shackles on the prisoner open up, the Destroyer orb reforms, and the party can proceed.[/sblock]The scheme in sblocks sets a minimum of three PCs, which seems reasonable. With four or five PCs, you are likely dealing with at least a couple attacks from the King podium, costing some surges. More if the PCs don't know what they are doing.

Given the complexity of the puzzle, be sure to provide hints or some way around it.

 

[Trit One-Ear]

[MENTION=28028]nogray[/MENTION], this is an amazing list of ideas. It's really exciting to see my ideas kind of taking shape with some sagely help. It's a lot to take in this late at night, but I'm going to look over it and post my edited ideas tomorrow. Thanks a ton.

Trit

 

[Arctic Wolf]

[MENTION=6678017]Trit One-Ear[/MENTION] : While I haven't thought about what types of challenges you could do here is what I thought of. You could have it to where if the PCs fail rolls the podium begins to make them into living examples of the arch-devils. For instance:

Bel- A mask begins to slowly form over the PC's face and it causes the PC to begin to give out information to aid them in the challenge.

Dispatar- The PC begins to slowly turn become more metallic and if they fail they are petrified as an iron cross.

Mammon- A rose forms over the PCs head and each time they fail a rose petal falls, and it has a chance (higher chance with more petals gone) to make the PC not help the others.

Fierna/Belial- The floor that the PC is above gives way and a giant serpent slowly starts to eat the PC each time they fail.

Levistus- Shackles form on the PC's legs and each time they fail they slowly sink into the ground, which turns into a sort of quicksand.

Glasya- Each time the PC fails a rose sprouts from it's head and when however many you want form a crown they become part of her garden.

Mishistopheles- Each time the PC fails, hellfire begins to slowly consume their body until nothing is left.

Asmodeus- Each time the PC fails, he rolls a dice on his next turn (more - if he fails multiple times) and he will slowly become insane and give the other PCs wrong answers and if they disobey him, he atks with a fire atk.

I know some of these are kinda meh but I just thought them up on the spot so hopefully you can maybe get some more ideas xD

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

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