The prisoner in amber

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm looking for some design help here, if you please.

The player characters are currently exploring the megadungeon of my setting, Glangirn, the fallen dwarven fortress, and seeking a McGuffin. Shortly before reaching it, they're going to come across a long-presumed-NPC (as in, he's supposed to be dead and gone for decades now), magically trapped and (mostly) preserved.

Now, the campaign has a very strong Tiamat theme and this dungeon is both a fallen dwarven fortress and, after that, the abode of a powerful green dragon for 500 years.

My initial thought is that this NPC is trapped by a variant of the Sepia Snake Sigil, except that it's five different dragon heads (probably statuettes), each a different evil dragon color, spitting out their breath weapons, and that the combination of all five of them keeps the NPC trapped between them.

(Well, almost: He gets to move one second per minute, but he's not able to physically move out of the spot he's in, and he's moving too slowly to cast any spells to free himself. Mostly this is just a bit of weirdness to make the player characters realize he's alive and so he'll be too weak to help them when freed -- he'll need to be fed and possibly have curative spells cast on him so that he recovers.)

My initial thought is that the trap is disabled by using the other elements on each of the heads: the white head could be shut down by fire, for instance. But the group forked a long time ago, and this group in the dungeon doesn't have any wizards. (Those are several countries away.) So making it impossible to solve at level 5-6 isn't cool. (This group is a paladin/cleric, a barbarian/druid, a ranger and a fighter.)

On the other hand, I don't want them to just smash the trap to free him. There either needs to be risk involved in them doing this (which isn't exciting, but it's a fallback) or it simply won't work. But what will, then?

I don't need there to be a singular solution -- the fun is always in seeing clever ways players handle problems -- but I'd like some ideas on tweaks to this trap that would make it more workable with the group in the dungeon.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[Crothian]

I like the disabled by the other elements idea. If the PCs don't have access to all the lements they need in their spells then have creatures in the dungeon that they can use. THis will make it tougher since they can't kill the creature but would need to capture them and then bring them to the room and get them to use thier ability on a dragon head.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

+1 on Crothian's suggestion. Also, I'd be generous about non-magical solutions. Build a bonfire around the white head, build a barrel around the red head and fill it with water, set up a bellow and force lots of fresh air at the green head, etc.

Obviously, you'll have to figure out what the right combinations are; my thoughts are water->red, fire->white, fresh air->green, but I don't have a good set of black and blue solutions. From a modern perspective, neutralizing acid with a base is obvious (or perhaps with a buffering solution), but that seems a little weird in a D&D game. Likewise, I don't know what the opposite of lightning is (unless you want to make that clean air, in which case poisonous air is the answer)? I suppose if you use the quasi and para elemental planes, you could then do opposites for each of them?

 

[Richards]

Could it be something as simple as turning the heads of the five dragon statues so that instead of all being "pointed" at the prisoner in amber, they are each facing the next dragon in line in a circle? There might possibly be some damage potential for handling the dragon statues directly (touching the red-hot red dragon statue deals some fire damage, touching the black dragon head deals acid damage, etc.), but it would hopefully be in small enough "peripheral" doses that a non-spellcasting group would feel the pain but not take enough damage to kill anyone.

Johnathan

 

[Quickleaf]

My first though was something akin to the snake vault door in Harry Potter, the one with intertwined semi-animate serpents opened by speaking snake tongue. Perhaps there's some other defining trait you could use besides the chromatic dragon's breath weapons? Like number of horns? Or preferred climate? Or alignement (if you use it)? Or even the type of treasure they're drawn to?

Do your dwarves tend to build their strongholds over gates to hell? Or perhaps a primordial energy ley line? I was thinking that whoever imprisoned the NPC may have tapped an energy reservoir to accomplish the amber effect, which sets up a nice foreshadow for that energy coming into play later in the dungeon.

Btw What's the story behind the NPC being suspended?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The bonfire, barrel of water, etc. solution reminds me a bit of the climax of 5th Element. That's not a bad thing, but it may be a connection that your players make and for some, that could be a let-down.

Perhaps something a bit more...mechanical would be in order.

As a jailer, I'd want to be able to access my prisoner when I so chose, even if the possibility was remote. (Unless my intent was to "lock him up and throw away the key, that is.) That means that the "cell" would have "keys" on site.

For something like this, perhaps that "key" is activating mechanisms in 5 other rooms of the dungeon- maybe even in a particular sequence, if you're nasty- that will make all 5 heads turn to their right, deactivating their breathing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Btw What's the story behind the NPC being suspended?

He's the adventuring younger brother of a former baron (making him the great-great uncle of the current baron, I guess) who broke into the dragon's lair with his companions. They were killed, but she had her servants imprison him in the trap, in case he was useful later. She eventually left the dungeon for reasons that won't come up in this campaign, and never got around to doing anything with her noble prisoner.

So he basically exists as a powerful wizard the group can free to help them in the upcoming war with the dragon's former followers, although releasing a rival to their liege -- even a good-aligned one -- might cause them problems later on.

 

[Gulla]

I like the opposite element style. Some are already named. Fire-water, Poison-fresh air and ice - fire.

I would say earth against the lighting. So cover it in mud?

Acid is the most difficult, I think. Maybe something that doesn't corrode/burn? Like a healing potion or salves/lotion thingie?

And multiple solutions is always nice. Since the original captor is a huge dragon (I assume since it is 500 years old) maybe touching all the (far from each other?) heads and speaking a password?

Some secret code word in Draconic?

Maybe the statuette heads are really trapped/transformed real dragon (souls/spirits only?) that responds to their name? Or could be set free/redeemed/banished? Or that could be bargained with? If you can convince at least 3 of them to stop trapping, the jail opens but you'd have to fight any dragon heads you didn't get a bargain with. And you'd be in debt to at least 3 evil dragons

You could also have keys around in the dungeon sort of Temple of Elemental Evil style with one key in each elementally themed room/section?

You could let the prison be over loaded. But each time you insert someone there is something else that comes out and must be defeated. Since you have 24 (ish?) levels of PC and you have some levels (hopefully at least 7) of NPC trapped, maybe you could let the prison explode if it holds more than 30 levels? And have a max of 5 prisoners? If you have more than 5 the weakest get expelled. If you have more than 30 levels but 5 or less prisoners it explodes and releases all? Let them see the monsters they might release and let them worry about who to put in first?

Or as I might do: All of the above and any fun idea the players come up with

 

[Aberzanzorax]

For acid, maybe something that requires a solvent, like glue or a tanglefoot bag?

There's also always limestone or baking soda as bases.

Another possible solution could be using endure elements or five protection from elements spells on him (if they have some non-wizard spellcasters).

I also wonder about, instead of neutralizing the elements, blocking them? Maybe finding something that can withstand each of the elements, or even blocking it oneself with one's own body could work?

Another possible complication: the elements are currently in a balance. Removing certain elements causes him to (visibly) take damage...e.g. fire damage when the white head is disabled or if protection from elements (cold) is cast upon him.

Whatever solution the players have, it needs to be somewhat quick, at least with opposed heads.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

I like the disabling with opposite elements idea--especially if that means they'll have to trick other denizens from the dungeon into doing it, as Crothian suggested.

But if you're comfortable at improvising, I suggest riffing off of suggestions that your players come up with. Not only do players often come up with interesting/crazy solutions but you'll get direct feedback on how excited they are about the solution to the puzzle. If they come up with a suitably challenging and interesting solution and they're enthusiastic about it, that enthusiasm skyrockets when they learn that they actually solved the puzzle correctly.