Whoops! Pyramid of Shadows traps you forever (spoilers)

[Obryn]

In case you missed the title, Spoilers Ahoy!


OK, so my group finally made it to level 2 of the pyramid, and headed directly southwards. They made much quicker work of the medusa and her ogre buddy than I would have thought possible, largely on account of my inability to roll above a 4 on any attacks for several rounds.

So, the Gates of Agony... Here's how I read them...

They're 3 Gates of various trickiness, leading into one big room. There's theoretically an exit southwards, but you can't go through it until you've passed through all three of the Gates of Agony.

You can only enter the Gates from the outside - that is, you can't enter them from the room that all three open into. And most don't even open - you just walk through them when you fulfill the conditions.

By the text... well, it appears that you pass through the Gate of Ignorance, and then ... you're looking at a bunch of blank metal "doors," none of which you can pass through. Because they only work from one side.

No wonder the Pyramid is such an effective prison!


(FWIW, I edited it so the Gate of Treachery is inward-facing; you can only enter it from the main room, not the other way around. It makes an S-shaped path for everyone who wishes to enter the Temple.)

-O

 

[Zephrin the Lost]

Begin Simpson's Reference:

What if i have the blue key from the wizard's dungeon?

End Simpson's Reference.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Good solution. I just decided that once a gate had been passed by an individual that it was open from both sides to allow them to pass back through to get to the other doors. The doors they hadn't passed through from the outside yet would look like blank unopenable doors.

 

[Obryn]

Good solution. I just decided that once a gate had been passed by an individual that it was open from both sides to allow them to pass back through to get to the other doors. The doors they hadn't passed through from the outside yet would look like blank unopenable doors.

That would have worked, too.

FWIW, all the PCs have fallen victim to the Gate of Treachery's curse... I hope I remember to apply it!

-O

 

[Festivus]

I would say that if a character met the challenge to pass through a given door, that it would appear to them to be open, but to anyone who has not yet met the condition appears closed still, and the person who passed through

Spoiler

eaten by something aweful

.

Lots of note passing with this encounter I suspect.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

FWIW, all the PCs have fallen victim to the Gate of Treachery's curse... I hope I remember to apply it!

All but one did in my group...and I totally lost track and forgot about it.

Edit: I blame my forgetfulness on the start of my new job and no longer having my old work laptop at the gaming table to track these things.

 

[Obryn]

All but one did in my group...and I totally lost track and forgot about it.

I expect I'll forget about it, too, so I'm in the same boat.

-O

 

[alleynbard]

I expect I'll forget about it, too, so I'm in the same boat.

-O

I know for certain I will forgot. I think I need a blinking sign hanging someplace my players can't see. Hmmm....who am I kidding, I would likely subconsciously ignore the sign and just forgot anyway.

Thanks for the "heads up" on the gates. I have perused Pyramid of Shadows, but I have not read it in-depth yet. I still have a few sessions before we get to this point but it is good to get a warning.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

What I should have done was hand each player affected a note that read: "When X happens, hand this note back to me."

Make them remember it for me without them ever knowing that it's something bad.

 

[alleynbard]

What I should have done was hand each player affected a note that read: "When X happens, hand this note back to me."

Make them remember it for me without them ever knowing that it's something bad.

Good idea. I like that.