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100 Problem & Puzzle Set-ups
Entries marked with a * are variations/extensions of the entries above them.
1, Foes rely on each other f or completion of a multipart plan--if all f oes die/are stymied, it's even worse f or the
PCs than if the f oes' plan went of f perf ectly, so the PCs must caref ully decide which to bump of f .
2, Rorschach f ight.
3, Essential key to essential area isn't there, it's somewhere else in the adventure
4, *Roaming monster has it
5, *Key has pieces/multiple keys required
6, Map trick allows f or prediction of secret door
7, *Realistic f loorplan has obvious missing area
8, *Floorplan alternates in pattern (door on lef t, door on right, door on lef t) missing part has secret door
9, *Floorplan's eccentric but symmetrical
10, *Floorplan's obviously shaped like some f amiliar object: star, hand, etc.
11, *-Shape is sacred to inhabitant/architect culture
12, *-Shape is worked into decoration of rooms
13, *-Shape is present by omission (nobody in the dungeon has a hand, shaped like lef t hand, etc)
14, Monster is only way to kill another monster
15, Monster is literal key to inorganic puzzle/door
16, Object is secretly key to def eating monster
17, Trap, once sprung, has key to important bit elsewhere in adventure. Success requires springing it
18, Verbal clue (f ound note)--puzzle clue hangs on secondary meaning of word
19, Haystack puzzle--there are tons of monsters, one has the thing
20, *Narrowing haystack--each def eated monster of f ers one clue to next monster
21, *-Narrowing ticking clock haystack--the longer it takes the more dif f icult the f inal showdown becomes
22, Monster only reappears worse when it dies unless some vital thing is done besides just hit it
23, Something that doesn't appear to be a map is one
24, Nonhuman intelligence (goblin, demon, etc) is expressing itself . What it thinks is very clear (verbally or
leaving a note), but it only makes sense if you know/remember about their culture/mentality. For example: when
an ogre says "f ood" it might mean something else
25, *Ancient "emoticon"--turning message sideways or upside down makes sense of it. Show players a picture.
26, Picture clues: there's a specif ic and detailed picture you show the players, with clues in it. Noticing them
reveals stuf f .
27, An apparently random agglomeration of words uttered by some
NPC (dying? insane?) is an address
28, Some monsters can get through a door, some can't. The players
may notice all the ones on one side or able to traverse it have some
distinguishing f eature/mark--mutilated ear, etc. Doing that allows you
through.
29, A given color is always an illusory surf ace with something through
it/portal to another world
30, *"Key" color shif ts round color wheel, so the f irst is red, then the
second is orange, then yellow, etc
31, *"Key" is mixed with color of user's eyes (include mirror)
32, Lock/door responds to quantif iable element of character (age, eye
color)--the closer to the desired value, the more the door/lock/gate etc
responds (one door opens, two doors, three) because of some f law in
the manuf acture
33, Monster is actually part of a monster. Make it a whole by combining monsters. It must be whole bef ore it
can be killed.
34, *Once it's whole it's no longer evil
35, The weapon you use against the monster changes the nature of the monster.
36, Deducing the creature's mission allows you to predict its actions. Predicting its actions is the only way to
avoid or kill it.
37, A thing changes states: f rom trap to monster to treasure to clue etc. Observing the pattern allows you to
stop the cycle at a desired moment.
38, *All monsters of a given species do this as they die--the trick is to kill them at the right moment
39, Creatures or mechanisms identif y creatures by behavior not appearance. Can be f ooled.
40, Creatures or mechanisms mirror party behavior.
41, Intercepted communication in simple code.
42, Simple vulnerability/key (earth, air, f ire, water, blood, etc)
43, Magnetic trap not immediately obvious as magnetic trap, especially to victims in armor.
44, Babelf ish/Apollo 13 trap: problem, apparent obvious solution, each obvious solution creates a new
problem, until the chain f inishes. Things needed to solve the problem are scattered throughout the location.
45, Killing monsters or taking treasure creates a problem--some subtle area denial weapon like gas or oil or
disease or undead is released. This isn't noticeable immediately but the more you adventure the harder you
make it on yourself .
46, The large door mechanism's broke: you have to do some precarious thing while someone else in the party
does some other precarious thing in order to open it. Of course while you're doing that the monsters come.
47, You need to kill the boss monster but leave some vital part intact, so certain attacks are of f the table.
48, Drowning or other slow area-denial trap made by accidentally f lipping a switch in a big machine-room--f ixing
it requires realizing some unobtrusive object is a missing part.
49, Villain's backstory requires keeping a prisoner nearby. Prisoner is disguised as pet, member of court,
concubine, statue etc.
50, PC f ailure in a certain zone/room disproportionately strengthens the enemy, so the choice of battlef ield is
important. (Like: dying on level 1 adds a head to the hydra)
51, Fight in minef ield-like situation/Falling Rocks/Thin Ice
52, *Rickety f loor but enemies can f ly
53, *Certain "landmines" don't kill but instead make environment weirder
54, *Chalk circles contain spells that activate
55, *Chalk circles imprison demons, breaking chalk releases them
56, PCs' predicament requires capturing a f ierce f oe alive or else they die.
57, Attacks on monster activate automatic counterattack
58, Hunting f oe can hide/move through a specif ic kind of object--can come f rom underneath a rug, through any
open window, etc.
59, Presence of common thing strengthens f oe--light, sound, ref lective surf aces, hair, etc
60, Physical space mapped to chronological space--i.e. going up or north goes f orward in time, going down or
south goes back in time, etc
61, Time, lighting, gravity, shape of things, weather, etc mapped to disposition of innocuous object
62, Voracious f oe secretly requires specif ic surprising f ood source
63, Behavior of f oe mapped to "voodoo doll"-like object
64, Friend and f oe's situation mapped to each other--hurt one, you hurt the other, etc
65, Two f oes' situations mapped to each other. Foes aren't in the same place.
66, Controlling villain is disguised as background creature/object
67, Environment is f ragile/destructible (made of spider webs, etc)
68, Foe/place has dominion over common weapon element--f ire, steel, etc--that weapon, if used, will turn on
user
69, Ghost or whatever has outstanding issue that needs to be handled in order f or it to be put to rest
70, *Golem/iron cobra/necrophidius has a "program" which it keeps running requiring it to head to a room
whose door's been bricked over
71, All actions in (sealed?) room A cause resulting actions by monsters in room B.
72, Capabilities displayed by PCs in (sealed?) room/complex A allow creature in area B to do all those things: if
you ever cast f ireball there, it can too now etc
73, Colors map to supernatural property of area, work into subtle room descriptions--rooms with blue in
them=magic doesn't work, rooms with yellow mean metal doesn't work, etc.
74, Pac_Man-esque situation--harmless creature becomes voracious and dangerous (and physically dif f erent)
when exposed to specif ic object/area of dungeon
75, Object/location is Dorian-Grey-style storage area f or something noncorporeal or esoteric (bitterness, f at,
sleep, etc) opening or destroying or interacting with it lets it all out
76, Enemy can snipe at you f rom a protected position. Preventing it requires f inding a hidden entrance to the
network that leads to where they are while being sniped at.
77, New magic item has a general, not-obviously-usef ul purpose (change the color of any object f or instance)
which is, not obviously, the key to a situation (yellow goblins at war with red goblins f or instance)
78, Boss has a "boss pattern".
79, *Army has a "boss pattern"
80, *Every creature in an area acts in a coordinated "boss pattern"
81, *"Boss pattern" code is encoded in an object like a musical score--changing it changes the behavor of the
boss or f oes
82, Death trap-like murder devices in rooms have a pattern (reverse gravity room f irst, magnetic room second,
etc) that can be altered by altering the object the pattern is written into. Change the "score" change the order
of the rooms. (Disperse party to make this important?)
83, Rival group is in the same dungeon/sandbox/wilderness/castle. PCs made to magically monitor their
progress and position f rom af ar but neither side knows the area well.
84, Combat in cramped, physically discontinuous space like: going out the west door brings you in through the
ceiling, etc. No direction is what it seems but it's stable.
85, Dungeon/monster ef f ects strictly keyed to a specif ic NPC's reactions to events--happy=ceiling lowers,
angry=monster appears, etc.
86, Monsters don't want PCs dead, the room/an inanimate object present does. Attacks don't stop until it's
addressed.
87, "Learning f oe" starts stupid, develops Sentinel-like response to any tactic af ter 1 attack.
88, A trap situation is set up--the trap _will_ activate under x y z conditions (ritual summons a devouring
creature f or instance). Foe attempts to get PCs to f ulf ill the conditions w/out revealing themself .
89, Apparently irrational behavior of creature is part of complex ritual, interrupting the behavior or altering it
causes the ritual to go awry in analogous way. For example: the path the f oe takes through the city is the one
their terrible Star God, once summoned, will take through the city.
90, Previous events erased/reversed by a magic device. Like: each of 10 candles maps to a previous combat
round--extinguish the candle, undo the round, etc.
91, Time pressure: x complex task must be completed bef ore y disastrous consequence. Approach of y is clear
and on a graduated scale. T-minus 10, 9, 8
92, *Evidence of approaching consequence is not obvious at f irst.
93, PCs are in a situation where most actions have major consequences and they are instantly made aware
(prescience, crystal ball) of consequences af ter taking the action. You killed that guy? Here's the duke
discussing the cavalry goblins he's lef t to his widow, etc.
94, PCs are in a situation where any viable action will have immediate major obvious consequences. Like: any
one of several NPC generals in the room has to die but each one of them is in control of a dif f erent army that
will invade the dungeon if that leader does not leave alive. So the decision is which army or armies to unleash
and def end themselves against.
95, *Each kind of monster has a known deleterious or warping ef f ect on the local environment--deciding the
order to kill the monsters in decides the shape of the environment f or conf ronting the next. Like: if you kill the
white dragon f irst, the dungeon will f reeze over, if you kill the blue one f irst, all metal in the dungeon will rust,
etc.
96, Foe has-/is composed of - a number of debilitating problems (blind, crippled, stupid, etc). Def eating the f oe
requires these be of f -loaded onto someone else (probably PCs). Probably the best way is to give dif f erent
problems to dif f erent PCs.
97, *Debilitating aspects are self -canceling if organized properly, so like if you take the f oe's cowardice and
recklessness they cancel each other out, so the trick is to be organized.
98, NPCs and monsters secretly react to PCs based on some obscure-but-discoverable detail of clothing/hair
etc
99, Dungeon/building doesn't naturally lead to goal/exit. The space must be rearranged using some mechanism
inside the space.
100, *Rearranging the mechanism can make f urther rearrangings of the mechanism more dif f icult
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