Swimming through a Maze

[Dannyalcatraz]

Depending on how well traveled/populated- or attempted- this maze is, you can also make the breathing problem a puzzle in and of itself, and provide all kinds of materials for the PCs to figure out for themselves. (Possibly with gentle prodding.)

Hollow reeds- or thighbones- might help where the water doesn't reach the ceiling. Hoses could do likewise.

The was a magic trick done in the ancient world in which a magician produced a small force of armored men from below the waters: they were hidden in overturned tubs (which they carried) that had hidden air tubes of waterproofed leather (or some such) to attach them to their air supply.

An endless decanter could be used by a clever player like an impeller jet, moving them rapidly from point to point.

You also need to include one of these, since no DM in the history of the universe has: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#apparatusoftheCrab



[MENTION=2072]Aeolius[/MENTION], you have any ideas?

 

[Omegaxicor]

@Morrus; I never accounted for lack of light that's a good point...this puzzle is making me look more and more the by the minute
[MENTION=19675]Dannyalcatraz[/MENTION] in the puzzle I designed originally the water was all encompassing (nowhere for the reads/bamboo to breathe from), hoses seems unlikely given the doors closing behind them and I think you might have confused "the ancient world" with "Pirates of the Caribbean" and their completely preposterous notion of dragging a lifeboat underwater and the less said about the Decanter of Endless Impeller the better...

I think this puzzle is going to kill my entire team might have to re-engineer the maze I probably should have checked the rules for swimming/breathing underwater/drowning before I designed an entire maze that will probably kill at least one of them if not all of them

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I think you might have confused "the ancient world" with "Pirates of the Caribbean" and their completely preposterous notion of dragging a lifeboat underwater and the less said about the Decanter of Endless Impeller the better...

Nope. Read about it in a book of RW magic tricks a couple of decades ago, including things like a temple with automatic doors- they opened when a fire was lit, due to a trick with air pressure. That one has been around since 62 BC at least.

 

[Omegaxicor]

Oh what we mere mortals could achieve when we were motivated... but in a 5" by 5" tunnel it would be difficult to see, let alone fit an air container of some sort in there

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Even though an overturned tub won't be available, you could make other materials available for the players to improvise, a la Kirk vs The Gorn.

A wine sack becomes an air bladder. A helm gets it's holes sealed with some scrap leather to trap some extra air. A scabbard becomes an improvised air tube.*








* actually, this is one of my standard pieces of equipment for my rogues

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Just some thoguhts that occurred to me:

Is the maze a designed part of the dungeon defences? Cos if it is, there's no reason why the maze should be easy. But you can give clues in advance of the heroes entering the dungeon and give them a chance to get something like a potions or spells of water breathing.

Who is using this maze? Is it the lair of the vile Kuo-toa? Or some other amphibious foes? Because, once again, they should have made it damn hard for the average human to get through. And the heroes have the option of taking their armour off, thereby extending their range. And it won't take much in way of guards to slow them down.

If the defense was put in place by non-amphibious types, how do they get through it

On the other hand, if it's just a bit of cave that's flooded in a standard dungeon how do the residents come and go?

cheers,

 

[Omegaxicor]

yea it would be abit stupid for non-amphibious foes to create a water hazard that kills them as well as their opponent

It was created by Humans who wanted to Isolate themselves from other races (before it was flooded it wasn't a challenge) and since they were self-sufficient they didn't need to cross back over, until the died from an unknown cause which is the point of the quest besides looting the place and killing Undead

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Undead guardians in a pitch black underwater maze: nice.

I vote ghouls. Coz that'll kill em, kill em real good. (evil grin)

I say drop hints about the water maze in town, before they head
out. Let them make preparations as they see fit.