TEXT: 1
  PUZZLES, PREDICAMENTS,
  AND PERPLEXITIES III
  
  cREDITS
   Writing & Design: Steve “Jaspor” Orr, @AgentJaspor  
  Bill Putrino, @bputrino & DJ Brewer 
  Producer: Steve “Jaspor” Orr 
  Cover Illustration: Thomas Bourdon
  Editing: Jane Hermiston, @jane_hermiston 
  Layout: DJ Brewer 
  Interior artwork: DJ Brewer & Isabella Ritz
  Some artwork © 2020 Dean Spencer, used with permission 
  All rights reserved. 
  Version 1.1 December 2,, 2020  
  ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  Bill Putrino is a pop punk skateboarder living the good life in 
  the world of nerdy pop culture. Bill is an avid Board Gamer, RPG 
  player, and DM, not to mention an amazing artist as you can tell by 
  his work on his site dnd2d.com. 
  Steve “Jaspor” Orr is a homebrewer, retired punk rock  guitarist, 
  and software developer. Steve has been playing and DMing D&D 
  games for many years, and has been publishing on the Dungeon 
  Masters Guild since February 2019. One day he might even learn 
  how to draw more than just stick ﬁ gures.  
  D.J. Brewer is a humble public servant, deﬁ ned by his love of 
  video games, beer, and working out at the gym.  A longtime fantasy 
  geek who spent his early junior high years painting miniatures 
  and endlessly reading Dragonlance and Icewind Dale, D.J. has 
  only in recent years ﬁ nally taken the worthwhile plunge into D&D 
  campaigning.
  On The Cover
  Boris desparately treis to hold back the deadly collapsing wall to 
  give Jasp more time to focus  on connecting the dots. 
  Cover art by Thomas Bourdon
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS,  D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica
  and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA
  and other countries.
  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission
  under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
  All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Steven Orr, Bill Putrino, and DJ Brewer and published under the Com-
  munityContent Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
  
  3
  Introduction
  A
  dventurers will ﬁ nd themselves tested in many ways 
  during their careers seeking fame, fortune, justice, and 
  truth. Some tests will challenge their strength, agility, 
  spellcasting knowledge, and combat skills. Others will require 
  diplomacy, conversation, observation skills, and social interaction. 
  A rare challenge provides elements of both and requires deeper 
  thinking and analysis. Such puzzles are meant to guard treasure 
  and secrets and present a unique challenge to characters and 
  players. They also imply a worthy reward lies on the other side.
  Puzzles, Predicaments, and Perplexities: Volume Three 
  presents twelve original puzzles for your ﬁ fth edition Dungeons & 
  Dragons campaign. These encounters are designed to be inserted 
  into your adventures at any point with minimal preparation. 
  Each puzzle is presented with a description of how it works, its 
  solution, and several hints that can be provided to players if they 
  have trouble solving it. The hints are designed to direct the players 
  toward the solution without giving it away. The full solution should 
  not be revealed to players until all hints have been exhausted, and 
  it is apparent the puzzle cannot be solved. We hope this will be a 
  rare occurrence, as the answers should slowly become evident by 
  revealing more about each puzzle with the provided clues.
  The Perplexity Rating
  This feature attempts to help DMs understand the relative 
  diﬃ  culty of each puzzle. While each group of players is diﬀ erent, 
  and it’s not easy to predict which scenarios they will easily solve 
  and which will completely stump them, this rating endeavors to 
  provide high-level guidance on the diﬃ  culty of a particular puzzle. 
  This is completely separate from the Challenge Rating and con-
  cerns the diﬃ  culty of solving the puzzles in terms of player skill 
  and problem-solving ability.
  The general guidelines used to determine Perplexity Rating are:
  • 
  Easy. A puzzle that can be solved through sheer per-
  sistence. Everything needed to solve an Easy puzzle is right 
  in front of the characters, they just need to pay attention 
  and follow the clues.
  • 
  Medium. A Medium puzzle requires more creativity or 
  investigation. Players must look beyond obvious clues and 
  search for hidden patterns that lead to the solution.
  • 
  Hard. The most diﬃ  cult puzzles require careful analysis, 
  consideration of multiple scenarios, and observation of 
  how multiple moving parts interact with each other. Hard 
  puzzles may also contain an element of math.
  While speciﬁ c players might prove the Perplexity Rating inac-
  curate for them (one party may blow through a Hard puzzle and 
  become stuck on an Easy puzzle), it serves as a guide for relative 
  diﬃ  culty of the puzzles in this supplement. The puzzles are or-
  dered by this rating, starting with Easy and progressing to Hard. 
  Scaling the Puzzle         
  Difficulty
  The puzzles, as presented, are intended to be encountered by Tier 
  1 (levels 1-4) characters. However, they are designed in a way that 
  allows them to be made suitable for characters of all levels. Some 
  simple adjustments can be made to scale the diﬃ  culty up for 
  higher level characters. 
  Adjusting the DC of ability checks is the most convenient 
  method for changing the diﬃ  culty of a puzzle. It is recommended 
  that you increase the DC of all ability checks in a given puzzle 
  by 2 for each Tier over 1. For example, a puzzle requiring a 
  successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check would increase to 
  DC 15 for Tier 2 (levels 5-10) characters, DC 17 for Tier 3 (levels 
  11-16) characters, and DC 19 for Tier 4 (levels 17+) characters. 
  Ultimately, the players should succeed in solving the puzzle. It 
  should be challenging, but not impossible. Adjusting the DC of the 
  associated ability checks is one way to tune the diﬃ  culty of the 
  challenge.
  The puzzles can also be comprised of a trap component to 
  punish characters for attempting incorrect solutions. These traps 
  are meant to increase the sense of danger and urgency around 
  ﬁ nding the solution to the puzzle. The inclusion or exclusion of 
  these traps also provides a technique for adjusting the diﬃ  culty 
  of the puzzles. For lower level characters or newer players, the 
  puzzle itself may provide enough challenge without the extra 
  threat of a ﬁ reball landing on their heads if they press the wrong 
  button. For higher level characters or experienced players, that 
  threat can transform a tedious exercise in pattern identiﬁ cation 
  into a potentially deadly encounter. Several of the puzzles have 
  a sidebar entitled “Raising The Stakes” that includes optional 
  additions to make the encounter more diﬃ  cult or dangerous.
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  4
  Opening Doors and More
  By their very nature, these puzzles are designed as mandatory 
  obstacles for the adventurers to overcome by ﬁ nding the correct 
  solution. For many of these puzzles, that obstacle is represented 
  by a locked door that can only be opened by solving the puzzle. 
  While the door may be the most common and logical choice as a 
  barricade – forcing the party to engage with the puzzle – a variety 
  of options can be substituted to suit your particular campaign or 
  adventure. Some other options for successfully solving a puzzle 
  include:
  • 
  Opening a locked chest.
  • 
  Uncovering a hidden message.
  • 
  Transporting the party to an alternate plane.
  • 
  Unlocking the shackles of a prisoner.
  • 
  Closing a magical portal.
  • 
  Revealing an invisible artifact.
  There is also an opportunity to chain together several puzzles. 
  This book includes two adventures that have been created entirely 
  by doing just that!
  The Adventures 
  In addition to the stand-alone puzzles, this book also 
  includes two full-length adventures. These adventures 
  build a story around the puzzles, giving a logical narrative 
  for linking them together in a series of challenges. The 
  adventures can be run completely as written, as self-
  contained modules, or they can be dissected and used for 
  parts in your own campaign.
  The Long-forgotten Adventures of Sir Canard sends 
  the adventurers on a ghostly journey through time. The 
  party relives the early and later years of a somewhat famous 
  (if somewhat forgotten) explorer. As they assist him in a 
  variety of tasks that shape his life and career, the heroes 
  may be surprised by what they discover in the end.
  Trials of the Bearwalker Clan ﬁ nds the party seeking 
  help from a tribe of goliath barbarians. The barbarians 
  have exactly what the group is looking for, and they 
  have a reasonable request. The adventurers must prove 
  themselves worthy of the tribe’s assistance by completing a 
  series of ancient ritualistic trials that have been part of the 
  Bearwalker Clan’s tradition for generations.
  Making the Puzzles Your 
  Own
  While the puzzles presented here are suitable for plugging into 
  any adventure, Dungeon Masters are encouraged to customize 
  the puzzles to better ﬁ t their game. There are numerous ways 
  to customize each puzzle. This can include making the puzzles 
  more personal to your group of adventurers; adjusting the 
  puzzle descriptions to ﬁ t the setting of your dungeon; changing 
  the symbols or languages involved to match your game world; 
  or involving known NPCs in the solution. The puzzles provide 
  a framework for logical  and solvable problems that can be 
  personalized to ﬁ t your adventure.
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  The simple words and phrases are translated as follows: 
  Lokwa - Happy
  Virn Lokwator - Happy man
  Mogra - Sad
  Virn Mogrator - Sad man
  Hwage (this word is missing) - Angry
  Virn Hwagrator - Angry man
  Inakto Avro - Bird in a tree (Inakto means “in a tree”) 
  Avro - bird 
  Inakto Rago - Mouse in a tree
  The more complex phrases are translated as follows: 
  Inmento Tukruk Hwagrator - "Angry dragon on a table." Players 
  can recognize the word “angry” and guess that this is the answer. 
  Inmento means “in or on a table.” 
  Inbedo Rago Chago - "A small mouse in a boat. Players can 
  recognize the word for mouse (“rago”) and guess that this is the 
  answer. Inbedo means “in or on a boat.” 
  Yukto Manata Tesol Bancha - Bright sun next to a mountain. 
  Literally, “Next to mountain, sun bright.”
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the          following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or 
  Wisdom (Perception) check, the character understands that 
  the party needs to place the correct plate on the wall. 
  • 
  A successful DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check will allow a 
  character to ﬁ gure out that Inakto means “In a tree.” 
  • 
  Players completely stuck can perceive with a DC 12 
  Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check 
  that they do not need to learn every word, and only need to 
  focus on identifying one or two key words. 
  • 
  Players can, with a DC 10 Intelligence (History) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check, be told part or all of the English 
  (Common) translation of each picture, at the Dungeon 
  Master’s discretion. 
  The Puzzles
  T
  he puzzles in this book are designed to be inserted 
  into almost any adventure at logical points. This could 
  entail adding additional challenges within oﬃ  cially 
  published adventures or inserting new obstacles into your own 
  custom adventure. Some are more challenging than others, and a 
  puzzle that appears simple at ﬁ rst may surprise you by stumping 
  your players. Every adventuring party is diﬀ erent and the way they 
  approach challenges can vary drastically. Be open-minded  when  
  players surpriseyou while dealing with these trials. 
  Pictures Worth at Least 
  Three Words
  Perplexity Rating: Easy
  This puzzle is a language-based challenge, involving matching 
  images with words to reconstruct a lost language. Use it anywhere 
  there is a suitable space for pictures on a wall, column, or other 
  surface. 
  The Puzzle
  When the characters approach this encounter, read or 
  paraphrase the following and provide the accompanying 
  images, available in appendix B:
  The Solution
  The party simply needs to match the correct plate with its 
  corresponding image. The key is that the images build on one 
  another; characters need to remember small words from earlier 
  paintings to be able to piece together the ﬁ nal puzzle. Players 
  ﬁ rst learn the word usage for angry (“hwagrator”) and then learn 
  the word for mouse (“rago”) by comparing the words from the 
  previous parts of the puzzle. There is a lot of guesswork involved, 
  but players who are familiar with using foreign languages (or 
  those with a natural aptitude for language) should be comfortable 
  latching onto one or two familiar phrases and guessing everything 
  else. 
  You come across a wall that holds crude images along with 
  word plates written in Common. Some of the word plates are 
  still hanging on the wall, some have been knocked down, and 
  a few are completely missing.
  5
  RAISING THE STAKES
  The Dungeon Master can adjust the diffi  culty by removing  
  words from the pictures. For example, characters can 
  guess “Inakto Rago” with only one of the previous images 
  translated (Inakto Avro), leaving “Avro” untranslated. At 
  a minimum, characters will need to learn “hwagrator” 
  (angry) and “rago” (mouse) to solve the puzzle.
  
  6
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  (Plate is broken)
  Inakto Avro
  Avro
  Images With Plates
  The following images are hung ont he wall. One image's plate is 
  unfortunately broken. 
  Lokwa
  Virn Lokwator
  Mogra
  
  7
  Inakto Rago
  Images With Missing Plates
  The following images are hung ont he wall but their accompanying 
  name plates have been scatterd on the ﬂ oor.
  Inmento Tukruk Hwagrator 
  Inbedo Rago Chago
  Hwage
  Virn Hwagrator
  Yukto Manata Tesol Bancha
  Name Plates
  You ﬁ nd these name plates scattered in no particular order           
  on the ﬂ oor. 
  
  8
  The Shattered Sword
  Perplexity Rating: Easy
  An old forge contains the tools and process for putting together 
  the pieces of an ancient shattered sword. Only when the sword is 
  once again made whole can the party solve this puzzle.
  The Puzzle
  The forge and the broken sword can be placed in any dungeon, castle, 
  city, or fortress. When the party enters the forge, read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  While the forge itself is used to solve the puzzle, there are 
  some crucial items that are required to use the forge properly. 
  Speciﬁ cally, the six shards of a broken sword. It is up to the 
  Dungeon Master to decide where the shards are located. They may 
  be scattered throughout the world, located across many sessions 
  by the adventurers without really knowing what they were for. 
  They could be hidden within the same dungeon as the forge itself. 
  They could also simply be in the forge waiting for someone to come 
  along to put them together. How, where, and when the party ﬁ nds 
  the shards of the sword is up to how the Dungeon Master decides 
  to work this puzzle into their campaign or adventure.
   The scroll contains the instructions for successfully putting 
  the sword back together. Following these instructions properly is 
  required to achieve the goal of this puzzle. Similar to the shards 
  themselves, the scroll could be placed strategically elsewhere in 
  the campaign or adventure by the Dungeon Master. Perhaps an 
  experienced blacksmith who has been in hiding is in possession of 
  it. Maybe it was also hidden somewhere else in the same dungeon 
  as the forge. 
   Near the forge are additional tools and supplies needed to 
  reforge the sword. The workbench contains a hammer, tongs, a 
  sharpening stone, a polishing cloth, an hourglass, and gloves. On 
  one side of the workbench is a pile of 20 iron bars. On the other 
  side is a pile of coal.  In front of the forge is a large anvil. Next to the 
  anvil is a barrel ﬁ lled with cooling oil. 
   The scroll contains the instructions as follows, and a handout to 
  present to the players is available in appendix C: 
  As you enter this room, you feel a surge of hot air on your 
  skin. A large forge against the far wall is glowing with 
  fl ames. An anvil sits before it, with a quenching bucket 
  fi lled with liquid. A workbench is against a nearby wall. On 
  it rests several smithing tools and an old-looking scroll. 
  The ancient sword in need of a ﬁ x
  How will you reunite all the pieces six?
  The steps to follow are here in this text
  Continue to read to ﬁ nd what comes next
  For the reunion to begin to transpire
  The forge must be fed to increase the ﬁ re
  Place into the ﬂ ames the right amount of coal
  Lumps numbered the same as the length of a pole
  With the tools on the table grasp each piece one by one
  Heat in the ﬁ re but not so much it’s overdone
  Use the timer to measure how long to aid with the ﬁ x
  Heat exactly minutes counted two score minus six
  Once heated align the shards on the anvil to pound
  The next steps are important for the sword to be bound
  The point shall be pointed which way the sun rises
  The hammers per shard will vary by sizes
  The point and its two must be strong to impale
  Five hammers per seam so the bond does not fail
  The two pieces next get two pounds per scar
  Extra metal is added as three iron bars
  The sword nearly complete needs one more bar
  The hilt joins with half the total poundings so far
  The pieces all joined will need to be cooled
  Four dips half a minute into the oily pool
  The sword now one needs an edge sharp and ﬁ ne
  And polish to give it a bright sheen and shine
  The ﬁ fth prime number strokes of the stone
  This number on each edge gives the sword its hone
  Sharp and united now needs to rub oﬀ  the grime
  You’ll know on your own when it’s ready to shine
  If you deciphered each step and followed them true
  A sword made for a hero is now waiting for you
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  9
  The Solution
  The players must successfully read, decipher, and follow the 
  instructions as laid out on the scroll to forge the pieces of the 
  magical sword back together. The steps below explain what each 
  hint means and how it should be executed during the process:
  Step 1: The second stanza talks about putting coal in the ﬁ re. 
  “Lumps numbered the same as the length of a pole” refers to 
  the 10-foot pole that is commonly included among the gear in an 
  adventurers’ pack. The party must place 10 lumps of coal into the 
  forge’s ﬁ re. Any more or less coal results in a failure.
  Step 2: The third stanza describes the process for heating each 
  of the shards. The tongs found on the workbench must be used 
  to grasp each shard individually. Each piece then must be heated 
  within the ﬁ re of the forge. The hourglass is used to track the time 
  each piece is heated. The phrase “two score minus six” gives the 
  number of minutes. A score is equal to 20, which means two score 
  is equal to 40. Subtracting 6 from 40, the total is 34. Each of the 
  six pieces must be heated in the forge for 34 minutes. Any more or 
  less time spent heating the shards results in a failure.
  Step 3: The fourth stanza explains how the shards should be 
  aligned on the anvil. This is fairly straightforward, as they should 
  be arranged so they ﬁ t together with the “point shall be pointed 
  which way the sun rises.” The sun rises in the east, so the tip of 
  the sword should point towards the east. If the reforging proceeds 
  without the sword tip pointing east it fails.
  Step 4: The last line of the fourth stanza begins explaining the 
  next step, as it mentions hammering the shards together. The 
  blacksmith’s hammer on the workbench is used for this step. 
  Two pieces are connected to the shard that includes the tip of the 
  sword. These create two connections or seams. “Five hammers 
  per seam so the bond does not fail” provides the number of strikes 
  to be done with the hammer to connect these pieces - ﬁ ve for each 
  of the two seams, or ten total to connect these ﬁ rst three pieces. 
  Step 5: The next two lines provide the next stage of hammering, 
  with the addition of extra metal. “The two pieces next get two 
  pounds per scar, Extra metal is added as three iron bars.” Three 
  iron bars are added to the shards as the next pieces are hammered 
  together. Two additional connections, seams, or “scars” as the 
  poem puts it, with two pounds each, means four more strikes 
  of the hammer to connect these shards. Too many or too few 
  hammer strikes or iron bars and this step fails.
  Step 6: The piece with the hilt is the ﬁ nal shard to be joined, and  
  “needs one more bar, The hilt joins with half the total poundings 
  so far.” An additional iron bar is added, and the previous total 
  hammer strikes must be totalled. With ten total strikes in step 4 
  and an additional four in step 5, that’s a total of fourteen strikes. 
  Half of that is seven. The hilt is joined with the addition of the 
  iron bar and seven strikes of the hammer. Too many or too few 
  hammer strikes or iron bars, and this step fails.
  Step 7: The poem then speaks of cooling the reforged sword. 
  This can be done by dipping it into the barrel ﬁ lled with oil. “Four 
  dips half a minute into the oily pool” gives the number of dips and 
  duration.
  Half a minute is thirty seconds, so the sword should be dipped into 
  the barrel and remain there for thirty seconds. This is repeated 
  four times. If the sword is dipped for too long or too little time, or 
  with too many or too few repetitions, this step fails.
  Step 8: The sharpening stone is used to give the sword sharp 
  edges. The poem explains how to do this with “the ﬁ fth prime 
  number strokes of the stone, this number on each edge gives 
  the sword its hone.” Prime numbers are numbers greater than 1 
  that are not the product of two smaller numbers. Or, put another 
  way, a number that cannot be divided evenly besides by 1 or itself. 
  The sequence of the ﬁ rst ﬁ ve prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11.  
  Therefore, the ﬁ fth prime number is 11. The sharpening sword is 
  stroked on each of the sword’s two edges 11 times each. Greater 
  or fewer strokes results in a failure of the process.
   Step 9: The ﬁ nal step involves using the polishing cloth to give 
  the sword a nice shine. This step doesn’t give speciﬁ c directions 
  on how long to shine the sword, so it is reliant on the characters 
  ﬁ guring this out on their own. This is done via a skill check. A 
  successful DC 10 skill check in Intelligence (History), Wisdom 
  (Perception or Survival), or Charisma (Performance) means the 
  person doing the polishing can determine when the sword has 
  been suﬃ  ciently shined. Proﬁ ciency with jewelers’ tools, smiths’ 
  tools, or tinkers’ tools allows the character to determine the 
  appropriate shine without the need for a skill check.
  Unsuccessfully following the instructions results in a failure to 
  forge the sword shards back together. When a step is performed 
  incorrectly, the shards glow an angry red color and split apart, 
  blasting a hot burst of steam and causing 2d10 ﬁ re damage to 
  those standing within 10 feet. The process must then be started 
  over from the beginning. After a third failure, the damage increases 
  to 6d10 and the shards are destroyed forever.
  When the instructions have been followed successfully, the 
  sword glows with a blinding ﬂ ash of light and becomes whole 
  again! See appendix A for the details regarding the reforged sword 
  of Zzuples that has been created by this process.
  Hints and Tips
  If players get stuck interpreting any of the parts of the poem that 
  explain the steps, the following skill checks are some suggestions 
  for how they can ﬁ gure out the meaning of the words:
  • 
  A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) 
  check reveals that the sun rises in the east and, therefore, the 
  shards of the sword should point in that direction. This also 
  allows the character to determine which direction is currently 
  east.
  • 
  A successful DC 11 Intelligence or Wisdom check allows a 
  character to recall that the word “score” refers to the number 
  twenty.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana, History, or Religion) 
  check recalls what a prime number is. A successful DC 14 
  check of the same skill reveals the ﬁ rst ﬁ ve prime numbers.
  
  10
  Stone Tablets
  Perplexity Rating: Easy
  The party needs to place a pile of oddly shaped stone tablets 
  correctly into a frame. Each stone must be placed in its correct 
  position in order to fill out the frame. The Stone Tablets puzzle 
  can be used anywhere you would like to put a pause in the game. 
  Once the puzzle is completed successfully it can trigger a door, 
  open a chest, summon an NPC, or fill the room with treasure. The 
  end result can be fit into any scene in your game.
  This puzzle has a print and cut element that can be used 
  at your game table. Cutting the puzzle out is not required but 
  recommended. See Stone Tablets in appendix D.
  The Puzzle
  When the party enters the room with the tablets, read or 
  paraphrase the following: 
  This is similar to a jigsaw puzzle where the party will need to 
  arrange all eight stone tablets into the wooden frame to create a 
  perfect square. 
  The Solution
  This puzzle is complete when all 8 pieces are perfectly laid out 
  within the frame to create a perfect square. There should be no 
  gaps or overlapping of pieces. See the completed puzzle layout in 
  appendix D. 
  A character casting the commune with nature spell can sense 
  that 3 tablets want to be touching each other and will be able to 
  place these tablets correctly in the puzzle.
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check the 
  character realizes this is an ancient magical puzzle where 
  placing the stone tablets together in a perfect square yields 
  a magical result.
  • 
  An Intelligence (Investigation) check result between DC 12 
  and 15 allows the character to see a dusting outline that 
  matches the shape of one of the tablets in the frame. A 16+  
  Intelligence (Investigation) check allows the character to 
  see the dusting outline of two tablets in the frame.
  • 
  On a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check the 
  character can sense that one of the tablets wants to be 
  touching the wood frame (place a correct edge piece in the 
  puzzle).
  Before you lies a stack of stone tablets piled eight high. Next 
  to the stones sits a square wooden frame. The depth of the 
  frame looks deep enough to accommodate the thickness of 
  one of the stacked stone tablets.
  RAISING THE STAKES
  You can turn this puzzle into a dungeon crawl by having 
  the party fi nd the square frame, with one stone tablet in it, 
  in the fi rst room of a dungeon. Hide the rest of the puzzle 
  pieces throughout the dungeon and have the characters 
  search the rest of the dungeon to fi nd all the pieces, then 
  attempt to solve it.
  Adding a damaging trap if too many pieces are placed 
  incorrectly in the frame is a fun way to add some threat 
  to the puzzle. If four or more pieces are laid incorrectly 
  in the frame, the erupting earth spell is cast on the 
  character’s location.
  If you are looking to add combat into this puzzle, earth 
  elementals can spawn from the walls and attack the 
  group if they place four or more pieces out incorrectly in 
  the frame. Use 1 earth elemental for a Tier 1 group, 2 for a 
  Tier 2 group, 5 for a Tier 3 group, and 8 earth elementals 
  for a Tier 4 group.
  
  11
  The Zzuples Chest
  Perplexity Rating: Easy
  For this puzzle, the party is presented with a locked chest. The 
  party has to figure out the missing number on a combination lock 
  attached to a chest in order to open it. 
  The Puzzle
  The Zzuples Chest puzzle can be used in any setting where you want 
  the players to access a locked chest. 
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  This is a straightforward number deciphering puzzle. The players 
  are given ﬁ ve numbers (16, 06, 68, 88, 98) and need to ﬁ gure out what 
  the proper sequence, and the missing sixth number, is in order to 
  enter the correct combination and open the chest. 
  The Solution
  The players don't know that their characters are looking at 
  the numbers upside down. Once they turn the numbers over, the 
  series reads 86, 88, 89, 90, 91. If the characters notice that the 
  numbers viewed in this way show a simple sequence, they can 
  plainly see the missing number is 87. The complete combination 
  is 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91. Once they set the rotary dials on the chest 
  to those numbers in that order, the chest unlocks and opens.
  Hints and tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following clues 
  can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a solution: 
  • 
  A DC 11 Intelligence (History) check triggers a character's 
  learnings of Common language and numbers. They realize 
  that, as presented, these numbers are written in Common and 
  are out of order.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check allows a 
  character to notice that 88 is 88 even when it's upside down. 
  This can help lead the characters to look at all the numbers 
  upside down.
  • 
  A DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a character 
  to not only notice that the skeleton in the room looks like it 
  was scratching the numbers in the stone, but that they are not 
  lying in the position they were when they died. This can help 
  lead the characters to see that the numbers are upside down 
  from how the skeleton lies.
  Laying on the fl oor in the center of the room is a decaying 
  skeleton. It is barely clothed due to years of rot, decay, and 
  insects eating away at it. The skeleton's right arm and hand 
  is stretched out in an odd position. Upon further investiga-
  tion, it looks like they have scratched some numbers into 
  the stone fl oor. You can make out fi ve numbers: 16, 06, 68, 
  88, and 98. Next to the numbers is a stone chest built into 
  the fl oor. On top of the chest are six two-digit numbered 
  rotary dials, all set to the number 00. 
  RAISING THE STAKES
  There are several ways Dungeon Masters can modify 
  this puzzle to make it harder for the players:
  A non-damaging approach to making this a harder 
  encounter is to give the players fewer numbers up front. 
  Instead of giving them fi ve numbers perhaps give them 
  four, or even three for a real challenge. You can even 
  change the order in which the numbers are written on 
  the fl oor, also requiring the players to reorder them for 
  the proper combination. 
  Combat may be added to this encounter by having the 
  skeleton on the fl oor animate and attack the party if they 
  guess the wrong combination. 
  Adding an electrifying or poison trap when a rotary dial 
  is turned is a way to add some danger to this encounter.
  A hard failure condition can be added to this puzzle. 
  If the party tries the wrong combination too many 
  times (at the Dungeon Master's discretion), the chest 
  transforms into a mimic and attacks the party. The 
  party receives none of the treasure that was in the chest 
  before it transformed. 
  
  12
  Bullseye
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  A collection of archery targets make up this puzzle. Players will 
  have to examine a target that already has arrows in it, figure out 
  the scoring system, and shoot arrows into the appropriate rings 
  on the remaining targets. 
  The Puzzle
  Arrows sticking out of a target are the main clue here, as well 
  as some notes attached to each target. When the characters 
  approach this puzzle, read or paraphrase the following: 
  The targets have five rings on them, each ring worth a specific 
  number of points when hit by an arrow. Each target expects a 
  specific number of total points to be scored on it using three 
  arrows. The party must determine how many points each 
  target expects, how many points each ring is worth, and then 
  successfully shoot arrows into each of the targets to reach that 
  exact point total.
  Before you, four archery targets are arranged next to each 
  other. The fi rst target has three arrows sticking out of it, each 
  arrow embedded in a diff erent ring of the target. The other 
  three targets are empty. Across from the targets, a line is 
  etched into the ground, seemingly to indicate the point from 
  which archers should shoot. Lying beside the used target is a 
  quiver fi lled with arrows and a longbow.
  Pe
  Perp
  rplelexiityty Rating: Meddiu
  ium
  The points expected for each target is written on the back of each 
  target. Any character who specifically examines the targets closely 
  will notice this without a skill check. Any character who searches 
  the room as a whole will notice this writing with a successful DC 12 
  Wisdom (Perception) check.
  The numbers on the targets, from left to right, are: 220, 190, 140, 
  260. The leftmost target is the one with the three arrows in it. The 
  arrows are located within the outermost ring, the ring 3rd from 
  the edge (which also happens to be 3rd from the center), and the 
  bullseye. 
  The Solution
  The party has to reverse engineer the values of each ring, using 
  the target with the arrows stuck in it along with the point total 
  written on the back of it. The total of those three arrows is 220 
  points. These points are summed from the three different point 
  values represented by the three arrows. It should be a fairly easy 
  assumption that each ring is worth different points and the outer 
  circles are worth less than the inner circles (and bullseye), but if 
  the party does not automatically reach this conclusion they can 
  do so on a successful DC 11 Strength (Athletics) or Intelligence 
  (History) check.
  The process of finding the three numbers used to total 220 will 
  take some trial and error, and eventually the party should realize 
  the point numbers equal to 150 for the bullseye, 60 for the 3rd 
  ring, and 10 for the outer ring. This leaves them to determine the 
  point totals for the two rings that do not have arrows. It will take 
  some more math to figure this out.
  The difference in points between the bullseye and 3rd ring 
  is 90 points. The difference between the 3rd ring and the outer 
  ring is 50 points. This demonstrates that there is not a constant 
  difference in the point values between each ring. Now the 
  question to solve is how each ring changes in point value as they 
  progress. Knowing that it’s not an even distribution helps quite a 
  bit. Taking the 90 points difference and 50 points difference and 
  splitting each so they’re roundly uneven gives a 50/40 and 30/20 
  split. Looking more closely at these numbers shows a difference 
  of 10 points each time. So, from the bullseye, the number of 
  points each ring is worth decreases starting at 50, and then 10 
  points fewer each time. See the table for the full breakdown.
  Ring
  Point Value
  Diff erence From        
  Previous Ring
  AC
  Bullseye
  150
  N/A
  14
  Fourth Ring
  100
  -50
  13
  Third Ring
  60
  -40
  12
  Second Ring
  30
  -30
  11
  Outer Ring
  10
  -20
  10
  
  13
  Once the characters determine the point value of each ring, 
  it’s a matter of shooting arrows into the appropriate rings on 
  each target to match its expected point total. Shooting each ring 
  requires a successful ranged attack with a bow against the Armor 
  Class as shown on the accompanying table.
  The appropriate rings to be hit on each of the remaining three 
  targets are as follows:
  • 
  2nd target - 190 points: fourth ring (100), third ring (60), 
  second ring (30) or bullseye (150), second ring (30), outer 
  ring (10). 
  • 
  3rd target - 140 points:  fourth ring (100), second ring (30), 
  outer ring (10).
  • 
  4th target - 260 points:  bullseye (150), fourth ring (100), 
  outer ring (10).
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following clues 
  can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a solution:
  • 
  On a successful DC 10 Intelligence check the character 
  makes the direct connection between the numbers written 
  on the back of the targets and the points scored by the 
  arrows striking the target.
  • 
  A successful DC 11 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check reveals that there is enough information 
  available from the used target to determine the values of 
  each ring.
  • 
  On a successful DC 12 Intelligence (History) check the 
  character recalls that targets such as these usually award 
  150 points for hitting the bullseye.
  Connecting the Dots
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  Floating magical runes require the characters to decipher what 
  the symbols mean and how to interact with them to solve this 
  puzzle.
  The Puzzle
  This puzzle can be placed at the end of a hallway or within a 
  room with no obvious exits other than the way the party entered. 
  When the group moves to within 10 feet of the puzzle, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  The ﬂ oating magical symbols are interactive, and a character 
  who touches them will experience a sensation like touching cold 
  metal. There are two diﬀ erent components to this puzzle that the 
  characters can interact with: touching the runes around the outer 
  edge of the circle allows the rotation of the circle as a whole; 
  depending on the rotated position of the circle, dots will appear 
  within it that can be touched by a character.
  Rotating the circle both changes the color of the entire display, 
  and makes certain points within the circle appear or disappear. 
  Solving this puzzle involves making the points within the circle 
  appear and connecting them to one another by tracing a path 
  between. 
  There are 10 runes on the outer edge of the circle. The rune in 
  the top position (position one) is the current position, though the 
  puzzle is not activated yet (and won’t until they rotate away from 
  this initial position). A character that uses their ﬁ nger (or another 
  object) to touch any of the outer runes can move the circle in a 
  clockwise or counterclockwise direction, causing the outer circle 
  and its associated runes to rotate. The dots and lines within the 
  circle do not rotate and always remain in the same position. 
  TheSolution
  When a new position is made active by rotating the outer circle, 
  the color of the puzzle changes and the dots within the circle 
  appear or disappear. The characters must rotate the circle until 
  the next set of dots appear and then use their ﬁ nger (or another 
  object) to connect the new dots to the pattern that’s been drawn 
  so far. The table below explains the color and dots for each 
  available position.
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  Floating magical runes requiuire
  r  thee chara
  ractctc er
  e s s to
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  her r wh
  whatat 
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  p
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  appear or d
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  so
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  av
  avaia lable po
  As you step forward, you feel a loose stone beneath your 
  foot shift, and hear a low humming noise. Suddenly, 
  directly in front of you, glowing symbols appear. A circular 
  design with runes around the outer border fl oats in mid-
  air. The circle and runes pulse with pale blue light as the 
  humming continues.
  
  14
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following clues 
  can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a solution:
  • 
  A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check understands that the puzzle can be 
  interacted with manually, and that touching and moving it 
  can manipulate its components.
  • 
  A successful DC 11 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) 
  check reveals the runes on the outer edge of the circle to 
  be representative of the numbers one through ten.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Intelligence (History) check 
  understands that the dots appearing within the circle are 
  representative of some kind of map or pathway that needs 
  to be connected somehow.
  From the initial position, no dots will show up within the circle 
  until it is rotated to the 7th (red) position. At that point, two dots 
  appear. A line must be drawn connecting the dots, at which point 
  they will pulse in recognition of a correct move. After the ﬁ rst 
  connection is made, the circle must be rotated again. No new 
  dots will show up until the circle is moved into the 4th (brown) 
  position, at which point one additional dot becomes visible. Once 
  the brown dot is connected to the original two dots, the puzzle 
  pulses to acknowledge the correct move. The circle must then be 
  rotated to the 9th (yellow) position, which reveals three additional 
  dots that must be connected. This process repeats until all 10 
  positions have been activated and their dots connected.
  The correct sequence for rotating the circle into the active 
  position in order to reveal and connect the dots is:
  7th (red) - 4th (brown) - 9th (yellow) - 2nd (orange) - 1st (pale 
  blue) - 6th (black) - 3rd (pink) - 5th (green) - 10th (purple) - 8th 
  (midnight blue)
  Once all the connections are made, the puzzle glows a bright 
  white, the humming becomes louder, and it explodes in a burst of 
  light. When the light fades, the reward is revealed.
  Circle Position
  Puzzle Color
  Dots Show up After
  Sequence of Positions
  Number of Dots Visible
  1
  Pale Blue
  Orange
  5
  1
  2
  Orange
  Yellow
  4
  2
  3
  Pink
  Black
  7
  1
  4
  Brown
  Red
  2
  1
  5
  Green
  Pink
  8
  3
  6
  Black
  Pale Blue
  6
  2
  7
  Red
  Initial Position
  1
  2
  8
  Midnight Blue
  Purple
  10
  1
  9
  Yellow
  Brown
  3
  3
  10
  Purple
  Green
  9
  2
  RAISING THE STAKES
  While it may take some time for the party to fi gure out the mechanics of how the puzzle 
  works, once they understand, it’s mostly a matter of trial and error. To increase the sense 
  of urgency and danger while they are fi nding the solution, a wall of spikes appears from 
  the wall opposite the puzzle and slowly begins to move towards them. 
  The wall begins 40 feet away from the group and moves 10 feet each round (the 
  Dungeon Master may adjust the distance and speed at their discretion to make it more 
  or less threatening). A combined Strength check of 50 allows the group to hold the wall 
  in place and prevents it from moving for one round. That check must be repeated each 
  round. A successful DC 14 check with thieves’ tools - made with disadvantage due to 
  the moving nature of the wall - disarms the trap and resets the wall back to its original 
  position. Any character who is standing in a spot that the wall moves to must make a DC 
  13 Dexterity saving throw or be pierced by the spikes, taking 2d6 piercing damage. When 
  the wall reaches the puzzle and there is no more room between the spiked wall and the 
  far wall, the damage increases to 4d6 piercing damage and 4d6 bludgeoning damage as 
  anybody standing in this location is crushed between the two walls. The trap resets after 
  one hour.
  
  15
  Pillar Touching
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  This room contains several doors to be opened, and the pillars 
  within the room hide the method of opening each door. What lies 
  behind the doors? Well, that remains to be seen…
  The Puzzle
  There are eight identical columns in this room, arranged in a 
  symmetrical pattern. When the party enters the room, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  Across from where you enter the room you see four iden-
  tical doors on the opposite wall. Between you and those 
  doors are eight stone pillars which reach from fl oor to 
  ceiling. The pillars are arranged in a circular pattern that is 
  not entirely closed. An aisle down the middle of the room 
  separates the four on the left from the four on the right, 
  each making a symmetrical semi-circle. 
  Each of the doors is magically sealed, with no detectable handle or 
  lock. The trick to opening each of the doors is touching the correct 
  pillars simultaneously. The group discovers this by examining the 
  pillars and interacting with them. Once they realize that contact 
  with the pillars is required, they must also ﬁ nd the right combina-
  tion of pillars for each door, as well as recognize that the pillars 
  must be touched simultaneously (meaning a diﬀ erent character 
  will have to touch each one at the same time). 
  Touching a pillar results in the pillar warming up. Touching 
  multiple correct pillars will increase the amount of heat expended 
  by each pillar, although that sensation never becomes uncomfort-
  able or causes damage. When one pillar is already being touched, 
  touching subsequent pillars that are not part of a related pattern 
  has no eﬀ ect. When the correct pillars are all touched at the same 
  time, they glow with a brief ﬂ ash of light and the corresponding 
  door slides open.
  The Solution 
  Each door is opened by having characters simultaneously touch 
  the three pillars that form a line between the door and the oppo-
  site wall. In other words, if a character moves in a straight line 
  away from the door they want to open towards the opposite wall, 
  then the ﬁ rst pillar they encounter is the ﬁ rst in the sequence, and 
  moving further from the door will lead to the next two in the con-
  nection. See the table and illustration for the full list of combina-
  tions to open each door. See appendix I for a map of the room.
  Cover art by Thomas Bourdon
  
  16
  Door
  First Pillar
  Second Pillar
  Third Pillar
  A
  2
  3
  4
  B
  1
  2
  3
  C
  5
  6
  7
  D
  6
  7
  8
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following clues 
  can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a solution:
  • 
  A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check of the columns reveals that there are faded 
  handprints visible on all of them, which hints at others before 
  them touching the columns on purpose.
  • 
  A successful DC 11 Intelligence (Arcana or History) check of 
  the doors reveals that they are certainly magically locked and 
  that it is likely something found in the room itself can be used 
  to unlock them.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana or Investigation) 
  check done while one or more of the pillars is being touched 
  by somebody concludes that the sequence of the columns 
  being touched is not as important as which ones are being 
  touched simultaneously.
  • 
  Smoke Signals
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  The use of smoke as a means of communication across long 
  distances is a system that goes back many years. In this puzzle, 
  the characters revisit that process and attempt to deliver an 
  encoded message using smoke.
  The Puzzle
  This puzzle is presented inside a large room with a high ceiling. 
  There is a ﬁ re pit ﬁ lled with wood in the center. When the party 
  enters this room, read or paraphrase the following: 
  Directly above the ﬁ re pit is a hole in the ceiling. The wood 
  next to the ﬁ re pit and the hole are the crucial components for 
  solving this puzzle. Although it is high above them, there are 
  markings visible around the hole in the ceiling. A character 
  will notice these markings with a successful DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check while examining the room as a whole. A 
  character that speciﬁ cally looks at the hole spots these markings 
  without a check.
  These markings are important for understanding what kind 
  of smoke signals must be created to solve the puzzle. See the 
  diagram here and found in appendix E for a representation of the 
  markings.
  The Solution 
  The markings around the hole represent the color of the smoke 
  and the size of the smoke puﬀ s that must be sent through the hole 
  – in order – to solve the puzzle. There are two sizes of smoke puﬀ : 
  short ones, represented by the  circular symbol; and long ones, 
  represented by the longer oval-shaped symbols. 
  There are three possible colors of smoke: white smoke, created 
  by burning wood from the eastern pile; black smoke, created by 
  burning wood from the western pile; and gray smoke, created by 
  burning an equal amount of wood from both piles.
  t
  t f
  d
  t
  di
  h t ki d
  i
  withhout t a check.k.k
  The ceiling of this large round room extends upwards 
  approximately 50 feet. In the center of the room is a fi re pit 
  fi lled with wood and kindling. Stacked on either side of the 
  fi re pit are two piles of wood.  
  RAISING THE STAKES
  What is behind each door is up to the Dungeon 
  Master to decide. A few possibilities include:
  • 
  The group needs to open all four doors and 
  collect items behind each.
  • 
  Only one door holds the item they seek or the 
  path to progress further into the dungeon.
  • 
   Some doors can contain threats and obstacles, 
  such as hostile creatures or traps.
  There’s also the option of adding traps to the room 
  with the columns which could be triggered when 
  several incorrect columns are touched at the same 
  time, or if the characters let too much time pass 
  before opening any of the doors. 
  
  17
  The party will need to come up with a mechanism to control the 
  smoke and divide the diﬀ erent puﬀ s as they rise from the ﬁ re and 
  go through the hole in the ceiling. A variety of large, ﬂ at objects 
  will do, provided the party is careful not to let the item catch on 
  ﬁ re. Some possible objects that could be used for this purpose 
  include a cloak, a shield, a bedroll, a tent, or a cape.
  The correct sequence for the smoke signals to be sent through 
  the hole is as follows: short white, long white, short white, short 
  white, short white, long gray, long gray, short gray, short gray, 
  long black, short black, short black, long black.
  When the ﬁ nal correct puﬀ  of smoke passes through the hole, 
  the ﬁ re blazes upwards, almost touching the ceiling, and then 
  immediately extinguishes itself. The puzzle has been solved, and 
  the prize, as determined by the Dungeon Master, reveals itself. 
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  On a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom 
  (Survival) check the character recognizes the setup with the 
  ﬁ re pit, stacks of wood, and hole in the ceiling as a system 
  used for communication with distant people.
  • 
  On a successful DC 11 Intelligence (History or Religion) 
  check the character realizes that there are two symbols to 
  be found within the pattern, one short and one long. There 
  have been communications systems used in history that use 
  combinations like this with sounds and lights (and smoke) to 
  spell out words.
  • 
  On a successful DC 12 Intelligence (History) or Wisdom 
  (Survival) check the character makes the connection 
  between the colors of the symbols and the color of the 
  smoke that can be created by the ﬁ re.
  Starway
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  Starway is a number puzzle in which the party needs to step on 
  ten correct numbers, one on each stair, in order to ascend to the 
  top of a 10 step stairway. 
  The Puzzle
  When the party approaches this puzzling staircase, read or para-
  phrase the following:
  The Solution
  In order for a character to walk up the staircase successfully they 
  need to step on one star per step in this order: 8 5 4 9 1 7 6 3 2 0.
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check by a 
  character gives them a feeling that each star must be 
  stepped on in the correct order to move up the staircase.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check allows a 
  character to see an outline of a foot step on a correct number 
  on one of the stairs.
  • 
  The character will find the letters ABC carved into the wall 
  with a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
  • 
  If there is a bard in your group, succeeding on a DC 13 
  Charisma (Performance) check will have the lyrics "A-B-C. 
  Easy as 1-2-3!" from the Jackson 5 pop into their head.
  Before you is a staircase that leads towards your 
  destination. The staircase is ten steps high and ten feet 
  wide. Painted across each of the steps are ten stars laid 
  out evenly in a row. Each star has one number in its center. 
  They are laid out 0 through 9 from left to right. Each step 
  has the identical painted stars on them.
  RAISING THE STAKES
  • 
  Add some danger for stepping on an incorrect 
  numbered star by casting a fi re bolt spell from the 
  magical barrier at the character. 
  • 
  Add an element of suspense and damage! Instead 
  of taking damage from stepping on an incorrect 
  star, have the character take damage by trying to 
  walk through the magical barrier on any step that 
  is still activated. The barrier casts shocking grasp on 
  that character. 
  • 
  Have the staircase reset if an incorrect star is 
  stepped on. Once an incorrect star is stepped 
  on, the stairs collapse into a slide, resulting in all 
  characters sliding to the bottom.
  
  18
  Word Gisting
  Perplexity Rating: Medium
  Designed for adventurers with an aptitude for linguistics, this 
  puzzle involves intuiting (“gisting”) the possible meaning of 
  a word when it isn’t immediately apparent. See the handout in 
  appendix F that accompanies this puzzle.
  The Puzzle
  The encounter begins with the characters ﬁ nding a piece of 
  parchment lying on a table alongside a quill and ink bottle. The 
  parchment lists several questions along with possible choices. 
  The adventurers will have to examine the words and ﬁ gure out 
  what common trait connects them. 
  The Solution 
  This puzzle involves reading often wildly misspelled words to 
  guess their intended meaning and ﬁ nd their synonyms. Some 
  words are easier than others. More literal-minded players may 
  get stuck on sounding out certain words according to proper 
  English (“Common”) usage, while others may be more nimble 
  and able to quickly guess the words’ intended meaning based on 
  the possible choices (hence the “gisting” part). Once a character 
  understands that the words are misspellings, solving the rest of 
  the puzzle becomes much easier. 
  Dore (door): Gate  
  Svril (several); A Few
  Skrpt (script) Text  
  Payshins (patience): Tolerance
  Jragen (dragon): Wyrm 
  Tch (teach): Instruct
  Pewpool (pupil): Student Anoﬀ  (enough): Satisfactory
  Xkews (excuse) Forgive 
  Grbj (garbage): Rubbish
  Amneypotnt (omnipotent): All-Powerful
  Ansestrs (ancestors): Forefathers
  Question
  Dore
  Skrpt
  Jragen
  Pewpool
  Amneypotnt
  Grbj
  Choice A
  Like
  Stylus
  Pole
  Table
  All-Powerful
  Grabbing
  Choice B
  Thank
  Text
  Road
  Leg
  All-Knowing
  Joking
  Choice C
  Gate
  Angry
  Stone
  Boat
  Wisest
  Climb
  Choice D
  Tankard
  Stool
  Wyrm
  Student
  Strongest
  Rubbish
  Question
  Svril
  Payshins
  Tch
  Anoff 
  Xkews
  Ansestrs
  Choice A
  Enough
  Repay
  Take
  A Little
  Sneaking
  Necessity
  Choice B
  Evil
  Order
  Instruct
  Satisfactory
  Secret
  Forefathers
  Choice C
  A Few
  Bearing
  Lament
  Sometimes
  Forgetful
  Like
  Choice D
  Slender
  Tolerance
  Glorify
  Crumble
  Forgive
  Allow
  Hints and Tips
  Since much of the diﬃ  culty resides in discovering that the words 
  are actually misspellings, not real words nor clues, a DM may 
  want to provide small hints before revealing the true nature of 
  this challenge:
  • 
  With a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Investigation or 
  History) check the character can understand that the 
  question is somehow related to one of the four possible 
  choices. 
  • 
  With a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) or 
  Wisdom (Perception) check the character can perceive that 
  the words marked as “questions” are probably incorrectly 
  written. 
  • 
  With a successful DC 13 Intelligence (History) check the 
  character recognizes that the “question” is in fact an attempt 
  to translate one of the four possible choices from an ancient 
  language into Common.
  . RAISING THE STAKES
  The Dungeon Master has several options to adjust the 
  diffi  culty:
  • 
  Revealing the questions one by one will make the challenge 
  harder, whereas showing several at one time might allow 
  the party to guess the nature of the challenge sooner. 
  • 
  Revealing the correct answer even when the character 
  chooses incorrectly will signifi cantly reduce the diffi  culty. 
  • 
   Administering the test individually to each party member 
  and rewarding the player who scores the best. 
  • 
   Adding a timer (around ten seconds per question) to 
  increase the diffi  culty, and introducing obstacles or 
  penalties if the questions aren’t answered in time.
  h
  sestrs
  ecessity
  Fo
  Fo
  F ree
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  Al
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  19
  The Colored Triangle
  Perplexity Rating: Hard
  This particular puzzle requires good analytical skills and focus 
  (and some math skills would come in handy as well). The colored 
  triangle is a diﬀ erent kind of combination lock in that every 
  possible combination must be discovered in order to solve the 
  problem.
  The Puzzle
  This puzzle is designed to be the lock on a door the party needs 
  to open. When they approach this door, read or paraphrase the 
  following:
  The party needs to carefully analyze and track the diﬀ erent 
  combinations of peg movement in order to ﬁ nd all the possible 
  variations. Each peg can only be moved one time along the 
  groove, at which point it becomes immobilized until a new or 
  repeated pattern is created. After each peg has been moved once, 
  either a new combination is found and one of the metal bars 
  unlocks, or a known combination is recreated which does not 
  unlock any additional bars. In either scenario, the pegs return to 
  their original positions for another attempt. 
  At the top of the triangle is the blue peg, which can be moved in 
  two directions: down to left (putting it in the bottom left corner) 
  or down to the right (putting it in the bottom right corner).
  In the bottom right corner is the red peg, which can be moved 
  in two directions: up (putting it at the top) or to the left (putting it 
  in the bottom left corner).
  In the bottom left corner is the yellow peg, which can be moved 
  in two directions: up (putting it at the top) or to the right (putting it 
  in the bottom right corner). 
  The Solution
  To unlock this door, the group must move the pegs in diﬀ erent 
  directions. There are eight possible movement combinations, 
  each representing one of the eight bars keeping the door locked. 
  When a new pattern is reached by moving the pegs, the bar slides 
  open and the pegs reset to their original positions. In order to 
  unlock the door entirely, each of the eight possible patterns must 
  be created. The table below lists the eight possible combinations 
  required to unlock all eight metal bars and open the door.
  A locked door stands before you, with eight solid metal bars 
  secured into place between the door and its solid metal frame. 
  In the center of the door is a triangular shaped carving. There 
  are three grooves along the outline of the triangle. At each of 
  its three points is a colored peg protruding from the groove. 
  The top point’s peg is blue, the one on the bottom right corner 
  is red, and the fi nal peg in the bottom left corner is yellow. It 
  appears as if it is possible to move each of these pegs in two 
  directions along these grooves
  Solution
  Top (Blue Direction)
  Rigth (Red) Direction
  Left (Yellow) Direction
  Final Positions (T-R-L)
  1
  Down Rigth
  Left
  Right
  None - Blue& Yellow - Red
  2
  Down Right
  Left 
  Up
  Yellow - Blue - Red
  3 
  Down Right
  Up
  Right
  Red - Blue & Yellow - None
  4
  Down Right
  Up
  Up
  Red & Yellow - Blue - None
  5
  Down Left
  Left
  Right
  None - Yellow - Blue & Red
  6
  Down Left
  Left
  Up
  Yellow - None - Blue & Red
  7
  Down Left
  Up
  Right
  Red - Yellow - Blue
  8
  Down Left
  Up 
  Up
  Red & Yellow - None - Blue
  unlock the dooor entitirelyly, eaach of the eigh
  g t po
  poss
  ssibible patterns must 
  be
  be cre
  r atedd. Th
  Th
  The e tatablble be
  be
  b loloow 
  w liliststs s th
  the e eight pooss
  ssibi le combinations 
  re
  requ
  quirired
  ed to o un
  unloock
  ck all eigigght
  ht
  ht metetalal bars and oppen
  en the door.
  Left (Yellow) Direction
  Fiina
  nal Po
  Posisitionns (T
  (T-R
  -R-L)
  
  20
  The trick here will be for the group to realize that the best 
  approach is to systematically move and track each peg's possible 
  movements to avoid repeating the same pattern or losing track 
  of where they are. Note that the table follows a pattern of moving 
  the blue peg in the same direction for the ﬁ rst four combinations, 
  the red peg alternating every two combinations, and the yellow 
  peg alternating each combination.
   The Dungeon Master should pay careful attention to each 
  combination the party creates and make note of which ones 
  on the list have been completed and which have still not been 
  discovered. For each new combination, one of the metal bars 
  slides open. When they have created all eight combinations, the 
  ﬁ nal bar slides open and the door is unlocked. 
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  On a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Arcana or History) 
  check the character recognizes the triangular puzzle 
  and bars as a sophisticated combination lock, implying 
  combinations must be used to unlock it.
  • 
  A successful DC 12 Intelligence check reveals that the 
  number of combinations can be calculated using math: 
  the number of options each item has multiplied the 
  number of items involved. So that’s 2 X 2 X 2 = 8 possible 
  combinations, which also just happens to be the exact 
  number of metal bars locking the door closed.
  • 
  On a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) or 
  Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check the character notices 
  that the pegs will only slide in one direction each before 
  they become locked in place, hinting that each peg must be 
  moved once in order to trigger some unknown event.
  Language of the Keepers
  Perplexity Rating: Hard
  Especially made for adventurers with an aptitude for linguistics, 
  this puzzle involves deciphering an extinct language. Characters 
  must read a short phrase written in Common which provides 
  clues and context that will allow observant players to recognize 
  a key word in an otherwise indecipherable language. See the 
  handout in appendix H that accompanies this puzzle.
  The Puzzle
  This obstacle begins by having the characters observe a giant 
  granitoid slab completely covered in writing. 
  At the beginning of the encounter, read or paraphrase the 
  following and provide the accompanying images.
  . RAISING THE STAKES
  Since the Dungeon Master must track each combination that 
  the players have completed, a penalty can be added each time 
  they repeat a combination they’ve already created. A few options 
  as consequences for repeating a previously completed pattern 
  include:
  • 
  One of the previously unlocked bars slides back into place, 
  re-locking it.
  • 
  A fi re bolt trap strikes the last character who moved a peg, 
  dealing 1d10 fi re damage. 
  • 
  The damage of the fi re bolt increases by an additional 1d10 
  for each subsequent repeated pattern.
  You fi nd a piece of what was once a tall slab of gray 
  granite covered in writing. While most of the stone 
  slab is broken and missing, you are able to read part of 
  what appears to be the saga of someone named Lord 
  Canard, written in the Common language. Strange 
  lettering that nobody in the party recognizes covers the 
  rest of the remaining slab. Directly beside the remains 
  of this mysterious slab sits an imposing – and obviously 
  enchanted – door. 
  
  21
  The phrase in Common reads:
   “Lord Canard banged and kicked in a sad attempt to Open 
  the chamber door. Desperate for ideas, he thought back to his 
  ﬁ rst day at the Magistry and how his friends helped him Open 
  the main gate. That was it! Canard knew what to do. He simply 
  traced the word “Open” in the language of the keepers and 
  immediately, the door Opened” 
  The Solution 
  Characters must recognize patterns in the unknown alphabet 
  to identify the word “Open,” which is the only word to appear 
  four times, and in roughly the same places that the word “Open” 
  appears in Common. Any player may then trace that symbol onto 
  the circle of the door to unlock and open it. The door can not be 
  opened by any other magical or physical means. 
   If a player incorrectly guesses the word, he or she suﬀ ers 
  increasing amounts of damage for each failed attempt. After 
  the third attempt, the door itself turns into a granitoid slab and 
  becomes unopenable for ten years. 
  First incorrect attempt: 5 electric damage minus the player’s 
  Intelligence bonus. 
  Second incorrect attempt: 10 electric damage minus the 
  player’s Intelligence bonus.
  Third incorrect attempt: 15 electric damage minus the player’s 
  Intelligence bonus.
  Hints and Tips
  For players having trouble solving this puzzle, the following 
  clues can be provided by the DM to help guide them towards a 
  solution:
  • 
  With a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Investigation) or 
  Wisdom (Perception) check a character notices one word is 
  capitalized in the Common version.
  • 
  With a successful DC 12 Intelligence (History) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check a character intuits that one word in 
  particular in the unknown alphabet seems slightly diﬀ erent 
  in design than the others; it also resembles the door from the 
  drawing (with two sides and a circle in the middle). 
  • 
  Characters can, with a successful rudimentary Intelligence 
  check (DC 9), recognize that the unknown alphabet is a 
  translation of the Common. 
  • 
  With a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) check, a character notices that the circle of the 
  door looks like an excellent place to trace a glyph.
  
  22
  22
  The Adventures
  W
  hile the puzzles presented can be placed into 
  any campaign, this section presents two original 
  adventures that provide story and context for 
  them. Each adventure can be run as a stand-alone experience 
  or be placed within a larger campaign. The puzzles are chained 
  together by comprehensive stories that logically unfold, with 
  the adventurers making their way through the puzzles and 
  predicaments and proving themselves worthy of the ﬁ nal goal.
  The Long-forgotten Adventures of Sir Canard gives the party a 
  chance to relive exploits of a forgotten adventurer from an ancient 
  kingdom. Overcome challenges to help a young Canard with his 
  school lessons before assisting a grown Canard as he excavates 
  temple ruins.  
  Trials of the Bearwalker Clan presents the party with a need to 
  participate in the ritualistic trials of a barbarian clan. Earning the 
  trust and admiration of the clan requires facing - and overcoming - 
  the challenges presented.
  The Long-forgotten 
  Adventures of Sir Canard
  Sir Canard was apparently once an adventurer of some renown, 
  although nobody alive today remembers any of his exploits. 
  By some inexplicable twist of magic, space, or time, the party 
  has now crossed paths with ghostly images of Canard during 
  diﬀ erent periods of his life, from the time he started his studies at 
  the Magistry to his most famous excavation of a lost temple. 
  Background
  Next to nothing is known about the adventurer Sir Canard the 
  Bold, but fragments of his exploits live on in legend and in the 
  relics he uncovered. Explorers’ guilds dedicated to uncovering 
  and preserving ancient and rare artifacts across Faerun usually 
  tell a story of the ﬁ rst of their order. While the details of these 
  origin stories vary, there are enough similarities – such as 
  describing a human male with a gigantic ﬂ owing mustache, a 
  pet mallard duck (who is sometimes described as being able to 
  speak), and a team of four or ﬁ ve assistants – to imply that the 
  stories are based on someone real. Several of the most precious 
  and ancient artifacts held in explorers’ guild museums and 
  reliquaries also feature variations of the name Canard (such as 
  the Canardish Diamond and the Crown of Cannardt), although 
  nobody knows why or when this came to be. 
  Adventure Summary
  This adventure consists of two main parts. The ﬁ rst phase 
  involves assisting the ghostly image of a young child named Duck 
  as he takes language lessons at a strange academy known as 
  the Magistry. Unfortunately, young Duck is a miserable student 
  who can’t even step foot on school grounds his ﬁ rst day without 
  assistance. Duck will need plenty of help passing his test. In part 
  two, the party is transported to another ghostly scene where 
  Duck – now an older adventurer known as Sir Canard – leads 
  the excavation of an ancient temple. The characters inhabit the 
  ghostly visages of Canard’s excavation crew to solve a series of 
  riddles and break into the ﬁ nal temple chamber.
  Adventure Hooks
  The metaphysical nature of this adventure is conducive to a 
  simple step-by-step progression, whereby once the ﬁ rst encounter 
  (placed at any location you desire) has started, the party proceeds 
  through the challenges simply by phasing from one ghostly scene 
  to the next. Since the general theme of the adventure follows an 
  academic and archeological tract, several hooks might be useful in 
  setting the stage for the ﬁ rst encounter. 
  ATome Forgotten 
  The party comes into the possession of a weathered book written 
  in an indecipherable language. How the party obtains the book 
  is up to you: perhaps a party member searching for a last-minute 
  gift at a shady gift shop was tricked into purchasing the book at 
  discount; perhaps a party member who would normally never 
  go near a book is inexplicably drawn to a tome tucked away in a 
  corner of the local tavern. However the book is acquired, the party 
  is transported to the ﬁ rst scene when a party member reads the 
  inscription scrawled in Common on the ﬁ rst page: “To the lad who 
  wouldn’t stop guessing.”  
  The Explorers’ Guild
  The local chapter of the Explorers’ Guild, a group of part-time 
  adventurers dedicated to uncovering and preserving various 
  “relics” (usually just rocks or discarded junk passed oﬀ  as ancient 
  items), posts ﬂ iers across town advertising a reward of 100 gold to 
  anyone who retrieves a stolen ring. Intrigued, the party shows up 
  to the Guild headquarters and meets an old man named Reisalt 
  Ducan. Old man Ducan is obviously senile, as he explains to the 
  party that even though he posted the ﬂ iers, he knows exactly 
  “when and where” the ring is. He leads them through a door in the 
  back of the building, where the ﬁ rst encounter begins. 
  
  23
  The Magisterial Academy
  One of the party members receives a letter that was obviously 
  meant for someone else. 
  It reads: “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Proctor, several days have passed 
  and you still have not provided proof of your child’s residency. 
  As you know, all our students are required to be residents of 
  Waterdeep to attend the Magisterial Academy. Please bring the 
  required proof to our school oﬃ  ce located just north of Berryhills 
  Farm immediately or we must remove your child from school. 
  Sincerely, Headmaster Anatra.” 
  Concerned for the wellbeing of this student, the party decides to 
  return the letter to the school personally to ensure it is delivered 
  to the right family. However, when they show up to where the 
  school oﬃ  ce should be, they see nothing but a crumbling tower. 
  The the ﬁ rst encounter begins when the party enters the tower.
  Part One: The Bad Student
  This adventure begins with the party encountering a stately door 
  engraved onto the side of a stone wall. Next to the engraved 
  door lies a pile of broken granite. This is the trigger for the 
  Stone Tablets puzzle. The room in which this encounter takes 
  place buzzes with mysterious, ghostly energy. You may include 
  monsters to attack the party as it tries to solve the puzzle, forcing 
  at least one party member to spend combat turns arranging the 
  pieces. 
  Once the party assembles the pieces of broken granite, writing 
  magically appears over the reconstructed slab. Simultaneously, 
  faint and ghostly visages appear of small students laughing and 
  skipping as they pass through the door, which has now sprung 
  to life and shimmers with arcane energy. All but one of the 
  ghost children easily enter the door, leaving a lone remaining 
  spirit standing forlornly, wearing a small toga-like uniform and 
  crying as it holds its books. Through surprisingly useful gestures 
  and furious babbling in a strange, melodic tongue, the lone 
  ghoststudent explains to the party that the clue to unlocking 
  the door lies in the ancient texts on the stone. This begins the 
  Language of the Keepers puzzle. 
  The next encounter begins when the party successfully opens 
  the door, which vibrates and shakes before swinging open to 
  reveal the ghostly courtyard and spiraling tower of an ancient 
  school’s grounds. The ghost student cackles gleefully as it rushes 
  into the courtyard, beckoning for the party to follow. 
  The party enters the tower and observes an ancient and 
  wizened teacher administering what looks like a language test to 
  a group of students. Each student sits on a stool with a nametag 
  written in Common. Some of the names are nonsensical: the 
  party’s new ghost friend surreptitiously slides into a seat with 
  the name “Duck” scrawled in crude lettering. As the ghostly 
  classroom goes about its business, oblivious to the party, they 
  begin to see why Duck was the only one who couldn’t pass 
  through the gate: he is simply a terrible student! He sits picking 
  his nose as the other students pay attention. When called upon, 
  he ﬂ ounders in broken and cringeworthy Common as the other 
  students giggle and roll their ghostly eyes.
  iec
  eces
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  w
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  ststs
  
  24
  After some vocabulary drills, the teacher has had enough and 
  decides to administer a pop quiz. “You to translate what means 
  this wordings” the teacher says to the class in broken Common 
  as he writes several phrases in an ancient language on the wall 
  behind the stage. The students use their quills to scratch answers 
  on small rolls of parchment. Duck looks hopeless. He struggles 
  for a bit, then quietly calls the party over to his stool. “Mine 
  answerings good?” he asks.  
  From Duck’s writing alone, the party has no clue what he is trying 
  to say. Fortunately for them and Duck, the teacher is oblivious 
  to their presence. The party decides to sneak a glance at the 
  grading rubric, but it is only of limited help as each question has 
  four possible choices. Maybe they can match up Duck’s gibberish 
  with the real answer? This begins the Word Gisting puzzle.
  Part Two: Sir Canard at the 
  Temple Door
  With the party’s help, Duck managed to pass the test! The little 
  guy is practically sobbing with happiness. “Groma groma,” he 
  says as he and the ghostly classroom vanish.
  The party members are now whisked away to another ghostly 
  scene. This time they observe a tall man with a giant mustache 
  watching a crew dig into an enormous sand dune. One of the 
  crew members hits something with his shovel, revealing a 
  stone door buried in the ground. “What do you think it means, 
  Canard?” one of the crew members asks the man. “I think it 
  means we found the temple” Canard responds, with just the hint 
  of an accent. This begins the Colored Triangle puzzle, which 
  must be completed to open the door. 
  After successfully solving the puzzle to open the door, the party 
  follows Canard and his crew into the empty temple, which is 
  buried under the sand dunes. A short while later, the party makes 
  its way into a side chamber that resembles a classroom for 
  very small children. The remains of small desks are scattered 
  throughout, along with styluses, fragments of parchment, and 
  some toys. This begins the puzzle Pictures Worth at least Three 
  Words.
  Once all the words and pictures have been matched, the wall 
  opens to reveal a hidden chamber with a skeleton clad in once 
  ornate ﬁ nery and a locked stone chest. This begins the Zzuples 
  Chest puzzle.  You can choose to have the skeleton animate and 
  attack the party once the chest is opened. 
  Conclusion
  As his crew members crackle with greed at the treasures they 
  ﬁ nd, Sir Canard turns to the party. “Thank you, my friends,” 
  he says. “I will always remember the help you have given to 
  me, even if nobody else remembers me.” Everything begins to 
  shimmer and fade. Realizing they are leaving him, Canard hastily 
  grabs something from the treasure pile and tries to give it to the 
  party, but it is too late. The party members fade into the present 
  and see the elderly man (alternatively the shady shopkeeper, 
  Mr. Ducan from the Explorer’s Guild, or Headmaster Anatra, 
  depending on the hook). “I’ve waited for hundreds of years to give 
  this to you, my friends,” the man weakly says with tears in his 
  eyes. “Ever since my ﬁ rst day of school as a child, you have been 
  there to guide me. Please take this token of my love.” The party 
  realizes that the old man is Duck, who shakingly hands over the 
  piece of treasure he tried to give them at the end of the ghostly 
  scene in the temple. As they take the magic item, Duck sits down 
  with a look of immeasurable relief and closes his eyes forever.
  es
  
  25
  Adventure Summary
  The adventure is fairly straightforward. Depending on the reason 
  for the party looking to gain favor with the clan, they are given 
  the opportunity to attempt the trials. The trials are a series of the 
  puzzles and predicaments presented earlier in this book. If the 
  adventurers succeed making their way through the trials, then 
  the clan holds up their end of the bargain and grants the party the 
  favor they seek.
  Adventure Hooks
  There are several ways to pull the characters into this particular 
  adventure. You could come up with numerous options for items, 
  information, or access to a location in the possession of the 
  Bearwalker Clan. Some of these possible adventure hooks 
  include:
  ADungeon In Bearwalker Territory
  The party needs access to a dungeon that has its entrance 
  located in the middle of sacred Bearwalker territory. These 
  hallowed grounds are violently protected by the tribe, and 
  anybody who sets foot on the grounds without permission will 
  be attacked. In order to gain permission, the party must prove 
  themselves worthy by passing the trials. 
  AHeavily Guarded Secret
  The clan elder holds an important piece of information the party 
  needs for their larger quest. The secret is so strongly guarded, 
  the elder has not even shared it with any other members of the 
  clan. He has a solemn duty to protect that secret and only share 
  it when the right person comes seeking. That person must prove 
  themselves worthy of the information by successfully completing 
  the trials.
  The Sacred Relic
  The clan is in possession of a powerful artifact that has been 
  with them for many generations. The adventurers have a need 
  for the relic, and would like to borrow it in order to complete an 
  important task. The Bearwalkers are reluctant to part with their 
  prized relic, but might be willing to do so if the adventurers prove 
  themselves worthy by completing the trials.
  Trials Of the bearwalker 
  Clan
  The Bearwalker Clan is a tribe of goliath barbarians who have 
  lived in the region for centuries. Their relations with other 
  clans change from generation to generation, often at the whims 
  and aspirations of the current tribal leaders. One thing has 
  remained constant however; the ritualistic and challenging trials 
  they present to those seeking to earn their help and trust. This 
  adventure puts the party through those challenges in an attempt 
  to gain favor with the Bearwalker Clan.
  Background
  The trials remain a tightly guarded secret, but have a reputation 
  for being unforgiving and challenging. While the legends may 
  have been somewhat exaggerated over time, there is more than 
  one story of those who entered the trials and did not survive. 
  There are even more stories about those given the option of 
  facing the trials in order to gain favor with the clan who declined 
  the opportunity based on the reputation of the tests. The truth 
  is that the trials are in fact challenging, but not as deadly and 
  insurmountable as the tall tales claim. They will require sharp 
  wits and discipline to succeed. 
  
  26
  Once the group has entered, the door shuts behind them and 
  locks. This ﬁ rst room presents the Pillar Touching puzzle. The 
  characters must open the correct door to proceed to the next 
  trial. In this scenario, the correct door is the bottommost one 
  of the four doors before them. You may decide to place traps or 
  creatures behind the incorrect doors for an added challenge.
  After solving the ﬁ rst trial and exiting through the appropriate 
  door, the party walks down a long and narrow hallway. At the 
  end of this hallway, they are faced with the Connecting the Dots 
  puzzle.
  Upon solving the Connecting the Dots puzzle, a hidden 
  passage in the wall of the hallway slides open, allowing the party 
  to continue on. After walking down another hallway, the group 
  encounters a large cavernous room. Inside this room are the 
  equipment and archery targets as described in the Bullseye 
  puzzle.
  When the group has solved the Bullseye puzzle by shooting 
  the correct arrows into each target, a rope ladder descends 
  from the ceiling. The ladder is stable and sturdy enough to not 
  require a skill check to climb. Upon reaching the top, the group 
  ﬁ nd themselves in another large cavern, this one with a hole in 
  the ceiling through which a cloudless sky is visible. This room 
  contains the Smoke Signals puzzle.
  After the correct smoke signals have been sent through the 
  hole, a secret door is revealed. Behind this door is a short hallway 
  and a stone staircase. At the top of the staircase is a large stone 
  door. The party must solve the puzzle called Starway in order to 
  navigate and ascend the staircase successfully.
  Through the door is a large forge and the ﬁ nal puzzle The 
  Shattered Sword. This is the ﬁ nal trial facing the party. Once 
  they have ﬁ nished this puzzle, successfully or unsuccessfully, a 
  hidden door appears leading out of the mountain. 
  Through the door is a path that leads back down the mountain. 
  The path leads to the entrance of the ﬁ rst building, where the 
  trials began. 
  Conclusion
  The ceremonial warrior escort and Ivellia Bearwalker are waiting 
  for the party as they descend the path. She looks at the party 
  expectedly waiting to see if they hold the reforged sword they 
  would have created by successfully completing the ﬁ nal trial. If 
  they do, she congratulates them on completing the trials, deems 
  them worthy, and rewards them with the favor they seek. If they 
  do not, she nods solemnly, consoles them that only the most 
  deserving heroes are regarded as honorable enough to pass the 
  trials. In this case, the party has to ﬁ nd another way to acquire 
  that which they seek for their quest. 
  Preparing for the Trials
  Once the party has been pointed in the direction of the 
  Bearwalker Clan, they are sent to their main village. Upon 
  arriving at the village, they are greeted by guards posted around 
  the perimeter. When the party explains why they are there, the 
  guards escort them to meet with the clan chief.
  The clan chief is a tall goliath woman named Ivellia 
  Bearwalker. She is wearing assorted animal furs, with long 
  braided hair and blue tribal markings painted on her face. She 
  is patient but serious. She calmly listens to the party’s story and 
  nods when they are ﬁ nished. She agrees to help them, if they can 
  prove themselves worthy by passing the ceremonial trials that 
  have been a part of the clan’s history for centuries. She explains 
  that the clan believes the gods themselves watch over the trials 
  and guide those worthy through them successfully, while those 
  who are dishonest, unﬁ t, or nefarious will be doomed to fail.
  Ivellia explains that the trials consist of a series of challenges 
  and gives the adventures an opportunity to rest in the village 
  before embarking upon them. When they are ready, the clan 
  provides a group of warriors dressed in ceremonial garb to escort 
  the party to the site of the trials. When the group reaches the site, 
  read or paraphrase the following:
  The Trials
  The trials lead the adventurers through several connected rooms 
  and sections within the mountain structure. The party advances 
  through the mountain by solving the puzzles as they encounter 
  them.
  Your escort leads you up a short mountain path towards a 
  small range of mountains in the near distance. As you continue 
  forward, you notice a large stone structure built into the base 
  of the mountains. The warriors form two rows on either side of 
  the path, the road continuing between them as they begin to 
  chant and bang their sticks on the ground in unison. One of the 
  warriors approaches the door to the building and turns a large 
  stone wheel. Once the wheel has been turned, she opens the 
  door. Ivellia speaks up. “The trials of the Bearwalker Clan are 
  about to begin. Enter the chamber and prepare to be judged by 
  the gods.” The open door awaits. 
  
  27
  Appendix A: Magic 
  Items
  Empty Chest
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  A two foot by one foot wooden chest with a 6 rotary dial 
  combination lock on its lid. The owner of the chest can set up ﬁ ve 
  diﬀ erent lock combinations. Each combination acts as its own 
  isolated container with no access to the other chest containers. 
  Each container can hold up to 500 pounds, not exceeding a 
  volume of 64 cubic feet. The chest never weighs more than 10 
  pounds regardless of its contents. It takes an action to retrieve an 
  item from the chest.
  If the chest is destroyed all contents in each container are also 
  destroyed. 
  Once per day the owner can speak the command word to 
  shrink the chest down to a size of two inches by one inch. While 
  the chest is in this state, no items can be seen in, or removed 
  from, the chest. The command word can be spoken again after 
  the next sunrise.
  Once per day the owner can speak the command word to 
  enlarge the chest from its shrunken size to its normal size of two 
  feet by one foot. The command word can be spoken again after 
  sunrise.
  Star Lock
  Wondrous item, very rare
  A ﬁ ve-pointed star measuring six inches across and cut from an 
  ancient wizard’s robes. On the inside of the star are the numbers 
  0 to 9 stitched into the fabric.
  Lock Throw. As an Action you can throw the star at any door or 
  chest. The star will stick and magically lock the door or chest. 
  Reclaim. As a Bonus Action, unlock and reclaim the star from 
  its current locked door or chest, by tapping the current number 
  combination.
  Set Combo. During a short rest you can set a new number 
  combination of your choosing into the Star Lock.
  Jasp’s Trickery Target
  Wondrous item, very rare
  An ordinary looking archery target made of parchment. 
  Lock Target. Studying the target during a short rest will 
  magically guide any arrows you shoot at that target to the 
  bullseye. If any other creature shoots at the target while Lock 
  Target is active, they will never be able to shoot a bullseye. The 
  eﬀ ect of Lock Target dissipates 12 hours after activating. The 
  target also mends itself of any tears, rips, or arrow holes during 
  this time.
  Reforged Sword of Zzuples
  Weapon (longsword), very rare (requires attunement)
  As an attack action you can activate the Reforged Sword of 
  Zzuples’ Split Shard Attack.
  Split Shard Attack. The blade splits into 6 separate pieces along 
  it’s reforged seams. The pieces ﬂ y through the air doing damage 
  to the chosen targets up to 30 feet away then reform back into the 
  sword. Choose up to 6 targets and make a single melee weapon 
  attack roll. On a hit, a shard deals 1d4+1 piercing damage. The 
  shards all strike simultaneously and you can direct them to hit one 
  target or several.
  At 10th level each shard deals 1d6+1 piercing damage, at 15th 
  level each shard deals 1d8+1 piercing damage, and at 20th level 
  each shard deals 1d12+1 piercing damage. 
  Split Shard Attack has up to 6 charges and regains 1d6 
  charges at dawn.
  Zzuples’ “IWin” Button
  Wondrous item, very rare
  A golden button adorned with an image of a dagger and feather. 
  An inch in diameter, it can be sewn onto any blouse, shirt, or 
  cloak. 
  By pressing the “I Win” button you will gain a clue that can 
  help you solve the current puzzle or trap in your path. The clue 
  can manifest itself as a thought in your head, a part of the puzzle 
  or trap changing color to highlight a key part, or it may even 
  bypass a part of the puzzle or trap. The clue that is given is up to 
  the discretion of the GM.  Zzuples’ “I Win” button may only be 
  used six times. Upon the sixth use the button is destroyed. After 
  each button press, it takes 7 days for the button to reset and be 
  usable again.
  g
  
  28
  Appendix B: Pictures 
  Worth At Least Three
  Words
  Yukto Manata Tesol Bancha - Bright sun next to a mountain. 
  Lokwa - Happy
  Virn Lokwator - 
  Mogra - Sad
  Virn Mogrator - Sad 
  Hwage - Angry
  Virn Hwagrator - Angry man
  Inakto Avro - Bird in a tree 
  Avro - bird 
  Inakto Rago - Mouse in a tree
  Inmento Tukruk Hwagrator - "Angry dragon 
  on a table." 
  Inbedo Rago Chago - "A small mouse in a boat. 
  
  29
  ??? 
  (Plate is broken)
  Inakto Avro
  Avro
  Images With Plates
  The following images are hung ont he wall. One image's plate is 
  unfortunately broken. 
  Lokwa
  Virn Lokwator
  Mogra
  
  30
  Images With Missing Plates
  The following images are hung ont he wall but their accompanying 
  name plates have been scatterd on the ﬂ oor.
  Inmento Tukruk Hwagrator 
  Inbedo Rago Chago
  Hwage
  Virn Hwagrator
  Yukto Manata Tesol Bancha
  Name Plates
  You ﬁ nd these name plates scattered in no particular order           
  on the ﬂ oor. 
  Inakto Rago
  
  31
  Appendix C: The 
  Shattered Sword
  The ancient sword in need of a ﬁ x
  How will you reunite all the pieces six?
  The steps to follow are here in this text
  Continue to read to ﬁ nd what comes next
  For the reunion to begin to transpire
  The forge must be fed to increase the ﬁ re
  Place into the ﬂ ames the right amount of coal
  Lumps numbered the same as the length of a pole
  With the tools on the table grasp each piece one by one
  Heat in the ﬁ re but not so much it’s overdone
  Use the timer to measure how long to aid with the ﬁ x
  Heat exactly minutes counted two score minus six
  Once heated align the shards on the anvil to pound
  The next steps are important for the sword to be bound
  The point shall be pointed which way the sun rises
  The hammers per shard will vary by sizes
  The point and its two must be strong to impale
  Five hammers per seam so the bond does not fail
  The two pieces next get two pounds per scar
  Extra metal is added as three iron bars
  The sword nearly complete needs one more bar
  The hilt joins with half the total poundings so far
  The pieces all joined will need to be cooled
  Four dips half a minute into the oily pool
  The sword now one needs an edge sharp and ﬁ ne
  And polish to give it a bright sheen and shine
  The ﬁ fth prime number strokes of the stone
  This number on each edge gives the sword its hone
  Sharp and united now needs to rub oﬀ  the grime
  You’ll know on your own when it’s ready to shine
  If you deciphered each step and followed them true
  A sword made for a hero is now waiting for you
  Th
  The e
  Th
  Thhe po
  poin
  int
  Th
  The e ha
  ha
  hamm
  mmer
  ers
  Th
  Th
  T e poin
  int t an
  and d iti s twwo m
  Fi
  Five
  v ham
  am
  amme
  m rs perr
  er seam 
  m so
  Th
  The e tw
  two o pipipiec
  ec
  eces
  es
  es nex
  ext ge
  get tw
  tw
  Ex
  Extrtra a me
  metatal l isisis add
  dded a
  Th
  Thhe e sw
  sw
  swor
  or
  orrd d n
  Th
  The e hi
  hiltlt
  The
  
  32
  Appendix D: Stone 
  Tablets
  
  33
  
  34
  Appendix E: Smoke 
  Signals
  4
  
  35
  Appendix F: Word 
  Gisting
  
  36
  Word Gisting
  
  37
  Appendix g: The 
  Colored Triangle
  
  38
  Appendix H: Language 
  of the Keepers
  The phrase in Common reads:
   “Lord Canard banged and kicked in a sad attempt to Open 
  the chamber door. Desperate for ideas, he thought back to his 
  ﬁ rst day at the Magistry and how his friends helped him Open 
  the main gate. That was it! Canard knew what to do. He simply 
  traced the word “Open” in the language of the keepers and 
  immediately, the door Opened” 
  
  39
  Appendix I: Maps: 
  Pillar Touching
  
  40
  Appendix I: Maps: 
  Shattered Sword
  
  41
  Appendix I: Maps: 
  Bullseye
  
  42
  A Challenge 
  Of Wits
  And Reason
  Adventurers need much more than just brute force, 
  magical powers, and nimble moves in order to 
  survive the dangers that await them. A sharp mind 
  is just as important as a sharp sword. When faced 
  with a challenging puzzle, ﬁ nding the solution can 
  be the diﬀ erence between victory and defeat. 
  Puzzles, Predicaments, and Perplexities III contains a 
  collection of logic puzzles, brain teasers, and 
  encoded sequences intended to test the problem 
  solving and deductive reasoning of characters and 
  players. These puzzles are designed to be placed 
  easily into any adventure with no additional work, 
  yet also provide guidance on how Dungeon Masters 
  can customize the details to best ﬁ t their own 
  campaigns. 
  This volume also includes two adventures that 
  connect the puzzles together with compelling 
  stories, as well as several original magic items and 
  maps.
  A Dungeons & Dragons supplement for
  adventures of all levels and types
  to be used by Dungeon Masters.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Puzzles Predicaments and Perplexities III v1.1(DND5e){1024779}.pdf