I Cast...Brainstorm issue 16!

This week — Puzzles, more puzzles, and a new feat for…puzzlers!

Thanks for reading I Cast…Brainstorm!, a weekly newsletter with ideas and advice to help make DM-ing and playing D&D (and other TTRPGs) easier and more fun.

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Let’s brainstorm some fun!

In this issue...

• Figuring Out Puzzles

• Three Puzzles

  • The Name Is The Key

  • The Map of the Dead

  • The Lodestone

• A New Feat

  • The Enigmatologist

• Brainstorming Links

• What I’m DM-ing

• Gifts for Gamers

Figuring Out Puzzles

As both a player and DM, I love puzzles in D&D — the challenge of figuring out a clever puzzle is just as satisfying to me as creating or implementing a puzzle that will challenge players just enough.

And “just enough” is key — too easy, and the success won’t feel earned, and too difficult could lead to frustration and bring the momentum of the game to a screeching halt. Here are a couple ways to help hit the sweet spot—

For difficult puzzles, drop hints way before the players will need them — they can hear a name, or part of a phrase, that means nothing to them at first, but will help connect the dots later. This especially rewards clever players with good memories, or with good note-taking skills.

Have the PCs meet an NPC that has expertise in a field they could use later. For example, the characters could meet a scholar of ancient languages early in the adventure who will come in handy later, when they need to decipher some ancient runes.

For multi-layered puzzles , it can be great to start off easier, then add complexity and challenge. If you give your players a three stanza riddle, for example, maybe the players can figure out the first stanza right away, (a great way to help them feel successful and like they’re on the right track). The answer to the second stanza could then be more challenging, and the answer to the third could be nearly impossible until the characters’ level up, gather more information, meet important NPCs, or otherwise advance through the adventure.

When the players are stumped, offer skill checks for a hint or clue. Reward the players’ creativity and problem-solving by asking them to come up with the skill and a justification for why it would help, and then set an appropriate DC for how difficult the puzzle should be.

Strive for a mixture of difficulties throughout the adventure. As a player, finding solutions feels great, and on the other hand, running into a puzzle or riddle that stumps me makes me feel like the game world is expansive and filled with mystery. And how good does it feel to finally come up with a solution that once seemed impossible?

Three Puzzles

The Name Is The Key

Set this puzzle on the door of a mausoleum, crypt or other location as a deterrent to thieves and other miscreants.

Etched into the this mausoleum door at eye level is text that reads —

There are 54 tiles set into the center of the door under the text, in six rows of nine letters arranged into words that describe the interred steward —
MOTIVATED
OBSERVANT
EXCLUSIVE
KEEN-EYED
HONORABLE
JUDICIOUS

The letters M, A, S, K, E and D must be pressed from top to bottom, in that order, for the door to open. If any letter other than M is pressed first, or any letter is pressed out of order, the lock resets.

If it works for your campaign, something appropriately horrible could happen to the characters when the lock resets — a pit opens up, poison gas sprays out, another door opens and demons pour out — whatever would make for a reasonable deterrent for your style/ adventure/ world/ character-levels.

If the players have failed a few times, or you’d just like to give them a hint, they can make a Wisdom (Perception) check at an appropriate DC to notice slight wear on the M or another letter. If you tip off the M first, and then they succeed at another check, don’t give up the A next. Instead, reveal some wear on the S or K — skip around to give the players a bit of a challenge, and the best chance of successfully figuring out the solution on their own.

The Map of the Dead

The characters find an old piece of parchment marked with the symbol of a famous pirate or bandit captain from years past and an empty square drawn in ink, about a foot across. On the edge of the parchment is written the following in flowing script —

The parchment leads to a hidden treasure. In the proper cemetery, there are ancient headstones where the names can still be read, including three separate stones for Kier Graff, Marta Hepsmill and Flinder Cal Cathra. Carved under each of the three names is a decorative bas-relief carving.

If the PCs make grave rubbings of the carvings on each headstone, placed in the locations indicated in the text (Graff to the right, Hepsmill to the left, and Cal Cathra at the top), the rubbings will combine to create a detailed map to the treasure, along with the southern/bottom portion of the map, which can found on a nameless, tall headstone with a lantern carved at the top.

The empty square on the parchment is a perfect place to create the rubbings, but any piece of cloth or parchment will do.

If you’d like to increase the difficulty of finding the treasure, you can make Sabrynn’s Field hard to find — an ancient, unmarked place — or fill it with angry undead to assail the PCs as they search for the right headstones.

The Lodestone

One of the PCs has been cursed. An unremarkable gemstone they’ve recently acquired is a desecrated object belonging to a powerful creature who desperately wants it back. (Choose any creature of an appropriate CR for your gaming-style, adventure, world and character-levels — the more frightening to the character, the better!) The cursed character can’t get rid of the gemstone in any way — if spent, given to someone else or tossed away, it always reappears in the character’s inventory at midnight.

A remove curse or wish spell can remove the curse, but only if the gem is not in the character’s possession — doing so prevents the gem from reappearing in the character’s inventory.

As long as the character is cursed, the gem acts as a lodestone, guiding the evil creature directly to it. Over the next few nights, at midnight, the PC will see a shadowed, indistinct form in the distance, watching them with glowing red eyes. (No check is necessary — the cursed character can feel the creature watching them.) The watcher will get closer and closer on successive nights, and reach the cursed PC on the fifth night.

“Return what is mine”, it says in a cold whisper. If the PC does anything other than hand the gem to the creature, it says “I will ask once more.” Then it disappears.

The PCs must figure out what the creature wants before the next time it appears, or it will attack. If the creature attacks, the shadowy form drops away, and it takes its true form.

How easy or difficult it is for the cursed character to figure out they must return the gem is up to you — to make it easier, you can give the gem to a PC with just a few other gems, coins and/or items, and tell them they get an uneasy feeling when they pocket the loot (this can be days or weeks before the creature first appears). If the player wants to investigate their inventory, you can give them a chance to make a skill check — Perception, Insight or something else — to narrow the possible items down. For instance, on a Wisdom (Perception) success, they can notice some odd detail on the gem, or on a successful Wisdom (Insight) check, that feeling of unease can come back if they study or hold the correct gem.

You could also increase the number of visits, and prolong the time between visits to give the character more opportunities to notice the odd behavior of the gem. If you’re really feeling beneficent, you can allow the creature to answer a question or two.

A New Feat

The Enigmatologist

General Feat (Prerequisite: Level 4+, Intelligence or Wisdom 13+)

Your facility and experience with puzzles, riddles and other mysteries gains you the following benefits:

Ability Score Increase
Increase your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Analytical Mind
Choose one of the following skills: History, Insight, or Investigation. If you lack proficiency with the chosen skill, you gain proficiency in it. If you already have Proficiency, you gain Expertise in the skill.

Putting the Pieces Together
You make all History, Insight, and Investigation checks when figuring out puzzles, riddles and other mysteries at Advantage.

Brainstorming Links

If you love D&D and other RPGs as much as I do, you probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me. If you haven’t already, please check ‘em out!

The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com

The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/

DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social

RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/

Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/

Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple

If you like I Cast…Brainstorm!, you might also like TTRPG Insider — a terrific newsletter with all the latest news about the RPG industry.

What I’m DM-ing

• A weekly Curse of Strahd campaign via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules

• A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules

• A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA. If you’re interested in joining in, invites are sent via Partiful. Or you can sign up at Ye Rustic Inn — 1831 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, California.

• Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align

What I’m Playing

• A 5th ed. Dragonlance campaign as a 9th level Tinker Gnome Gadgeteer Rogue, named Professor Flondersnoot

• About to start playing Vecna: Eve of Ruin as Clybb Thistlebridge, a 9th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter

• And in all my free time, I play a LOT of Hearthstone! I’m currently stuck at mid-gold in Standard, but if you want to play, find me at BigKahuna (#1802)
  
  
  

Gifts for Gamers

You can also check out great gifts for the gamers in your life at Total Party Kits, which features all-original designs by yours truly on shirts, hats, mugs and other gifts!

 www.totalpartykits.etsy.com

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