Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 randyrabbit Feb 06, 2012 1:20:50	I'm trying to develop a magical door that serves more as a portal to several areas.  The idea is that the group needs to sneak into a prison to liberate the captives.  They were led there by a man being forced to betray them.  Through skill challanges and a thing I developed called "points of compassion" in which his perspective of them is modified by their point score, they have deduceded that he is being forced to lead them into a trap and when confronted, he has told them the truth.  I'm not worried too much of the story, I have ideas based on what they decide to do.  What I need help with is an enriching idea for the door.  I want him to have some "key" he is to use, I was trying to think of some knowledge based key.  Like there are three panels, one has "dieties" one has ?? and one has ??... His input leads them to a trap, I'm thinking chimera or dragon type solo.  The input stolen from a guard or taken after an encounter could lead them to the prison ward.  They could then have to find a guard captain to gain access to the Warden's private quarters.  The idea is the warden is a controller and the prison door only serves as a gate and the physical location of them is not on the other side of the door.  I don't know much about inter plane travel, so I'm still reading that as well, but what is more important for me is to figure out how to handle the door idea.  I was thinking something like the panels, or if you're thinking the password as you walk through the door or something. Any ideas?? Thanks!!
#2 Dreamstryder Feb 06, 2012 2:50:27	Have you read (or seen) Howl's Moving Castle? Guy's got a door with a color-coded dial next to it. The pointed-to color on the dial is where the door leads. In your case, turn the dial somewhere else, but you have only a clue as to where. Perhaps the Warden has an alternate dial somewhere safe with a different set of colors: Warden-only locations; the Warden switches on that dial when going to those special places. They don't have to be colors; any symbol would do (animal, landmass, item, number, etc). If you want to make things complex, you can have multiple concentric dials, so the combination of symbols/colors would hint what's on the other side. You could makes them lingual: one dial is "anti-, pre-, mega-," and the second "tree, mountain, river," and "antiriver" is a road somewhere, "megatree" is to an elf realm, "pretree" on a forest's edge, "premountain" is someplace very old, "antimountain" is a valley or cavern somewhere, etc.
#3 theapokalypseshovel Feb 06, 2012 3:46:22	Not entirely sure what you are asking but here's a few ideas: Dragon panels - first one is what it's head looks like, second is preferred environment, third is preferred treasure Phone panel - give the players a 3x3 panel with an additional panel below the middle column. Players input a word as you would on a phone, what those words are, is up to you. Special materials - there are physical keys made of things like cold iron, silver, adamantine, even cold and radiant. There are creatures above the doors that they activate. The places they lead are themed somewhat like the creature.