So a friend of mine started with an innocent enough question “is there a skill or class that lets you teleport?”
Turns out he has the itch to play a ranged damage character that teleports around the battlefield à la Nightcrawler.
Being the hyper-fixated fucking nerd I am I immediately started pulling ideas for it.
@insert-somethingclever-here18 here you go.
(Disclaimer: I know the Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter combo is super overpowered, but I’m really not a min/max-ing type of player. I prefer to make builds that are relatively strong but fit a theme.)
This one’s a long one so I’m putting it under a read more after the first one.
I’ve compiled five examples of puzzles/environmental obstacles that I use in my dungeons that I haven’t seen used elsewhere.
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Immovable Rod ladder
This puzzle fits better at lower levels since higher level abilities/spells can easily circumvent the set-up.
What it looks like:
Your players enter a room with high, cathedral-esque ceilings that is empty except for a dais in the center and an exit carved high up into the far wall. The exit has no stairs or means of reaching it and how high it is placed in the wall can increase or decrease the difficulty of this puzzle.
On the dais in the center of the room is a small iron rod with a button/lever on one end. Hidden somewhere in the room is an identical rod (my preference is for under the dais, but hidden compartments in the wall would work too).
The puzzle:
Allow your players to enter the room and look around to their hearts content. The first step would be for them to identify the rod on the dais. Choose your favored method of identification. RAW requires an identify spell or taking a short rest while holding the item. For “famous” magical items I’ll usually allow a Knowledge (Arcana) roll and I’m always open to good ol’ experimentation.
What they have is an Immovable Rod
This is an item that, when it’s switch/button is toggled on, becomes fixed in place and can only be moved slightly with a DC 30 strength check or by applying 8000 lbs of pressure.
For some classes having this one rod would be enough to get them to the elevated exit with some creative thinking. If the door is low enough a mage hand spell could lift the rod with a rope attached, flip the switch (I’d allow mage hand to do this because the activation is simple and mechanical unlike activating other magical items), and allow characters to climb up with an athletics check. Likewise a familiar with hands or dexterous enough appendages could do the same. A druid would also be able to wild shape into a spider to reach the door. These are just a few of the direct examples and I’m a fan of puzzles with multiple solutions.
Now the hidden second rod would be for parties who either don’t have classes who can perform these actions or don’t have those actions as part of their skill set. For those scenarios a sufficient perception/investigation roll combo could reveal the hiding spot, with a Strength ability check for uncovering it.
Once they have the second rod they can be used to create a sort of ladder, activating/deactivating them as the player climbs through thin air to reach their destination.
Once your players solve the puzzle you just need to figure out what to do with the rods. One immovable rod, in a creative player’s hands can be a lot of trouble for a DM while two can be sort of game breaking. I’d recommend treating them as temporary items that either turn to ash or become inert when removed from the room/upon completion of the dungeon, but if you want to give them one of the rods as a reward its a very fun piece of equipment as a player.
When to use:
This is better served in an early game. Once players have easier access to flying speeds or gear that might make it easier for them to scale the wall this puzzle becomes mostly useless. Additionally this puzzle will be more difficult for a party that is lacking a druid or a wizard.
