Post/Author/DateTime	Post
hammer_hand 01-15-06, 04:35 AM	I've invented a new kind of trap room specifically designed to be easy for wizards to get through. They usually have an inhospitable floor, such as a pit of molten tar, and something hanging from the ceiling, such as an obviously magical icicle. To get across the character either has to cast a spell or do something special to either the floor or the thing on the ceiling. For example, a room has a floor of boiling oil and an icicle hanging from the ceiling. To get across you can: 1)Cast fireball on the oil and a stone walkway rises up 2)Cast ray of frost on the icicle and it falls to make an icy floor I was wondering if this was a good idea or even if anyone has used this format before.
Andorxor 01-15-06, 08:17 AM	I hope you use this only in Dungeons without monsters,because the wizzard will proable use up all his spells while he trys to find the right combination of target and spell.
MarkB 01-15-06, 08:49 AM	Well, it's not a trap (you can't fall for it accidentally), it's a puzzle. Aside from that, sure, if there's a reason for whoever built the dungeon to include puzzles, this is a reasonable one. You should include some clue (a bit of writing at the entrance, or such) to indicate that some form of spellcasting is required, or else the party will probably spend ages of realtime trying mundane means of crossing (rigging lines over the floor, shooting arrows at the icicle, etc.) before they even start breaking out the spells. And remember the cardinal rule of puzzles: They always look easy when you know the answer. Just because it seems obvious to you, don't assume it won't completely and utterly stump anyone coming to it for the first time.
Raxmei 01-15-06, 09:48 AM	Neither of the given solutions to the room seem at all obvious or even logical. Why should casting Fireball at a pool of oil or ray of frost at an icicle accomplish anything? Those are two of the last things I'd try to do. This case is an example of a more general problem, allowing only a few specific solutions to a problem. This will inevitably annoy players when their plans that they believe should work fail just because that's not what you planned for. And then they spend hours trying to read your mind so they can get through the room and on with the adventure. Incidentally, even if I did resort to casting spells to get through this situation I wouldn't cast Fireball at the floor. Casting fire spells on a pool of oil in an enclosed space seems like the sort of thing that would result in repeated Fortitude saves of progressively increasing difficulty. I don't see why it would cause a walkway to appear instead of simply igniting the oil and killing everyone with noxious fumes.
ehrin 01-15-06, 10:08 AM	I agree with Raxmei... why would i use a fireball spell when I had no target? Why wouldn't I cast ray of frost, cone of cold, etc. on the oil, and try to make a frozen pathway of oil across the floor. Why wouldn't I do Fly, spiderclimb, etc. instead? What if i didn't take ray of frost today? One thing I did once in a dungeon of puzzles was give the party 12 magical devices that would "solve" the puzzle before them: that way, they could try a thing or two on their own, and if they got frustrated, resort to using the "mulligan" i gave them. Of course, they had to solve a few to be successful... there were far more than 12 puzzles in the complex. But, that gave them a chance to "pass" every so often, as well as increase the party tension (No! Don't use that yet.. i have another idea) (We only have 4 left, what if we really need one later?), etc..