A Maze Without Maps

Get lost. Without all the Prep.

Introduction: This mini-game maze encounter can be dropped directly into your
next session. Players race against time to escape the maze, relying on memory
and luck to navigate a series of turns that may find them right back where they
started. Specially suited for online games where mapping and fog of war can pose
a challenge for even the most intrepid of digital preparation DMs

A Theater of The Mind Approach to Labyrinth Puzzles

by JOSH HUDDY

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A Maze Without Maps
If there’s anybody that’s gonna make it out of here
alive, it’s me! Er... uh - it’s us! Us! I meant us!
—Baron Grafledroz
Which way did we go last time?!
Mazes and labyrinths are a staple of the fantasy
genre but they can be a pain to run with a map -
especially for those engaging in online games.
No more fiddling with dynamic lighting or setting
up hundreds of pre-fogged sections of a digital map
- just drop this theater of the mind mini-game into
your next session and watch as your players scram-
ble to find the end in time.
Players race to escape the maze, relying on memory
and luck to navigate a series of turns that may find
them right back where they started. How well does
your party pay attention to details? Will they find
the end in time?
Trap damage and DCs can be quickly adapted to fit
your party’s level or your specific TTRPG system.
Setting the Scene
Use to following description or write one of your
own to set the scene:
The heavy rise and fall of nearby breathing wakes you
from sleep. You sit up, and your head is spinning. ‘Wow
how much did we drink last night?’ you think to your-
self as you look around - the rest of your companions lie
sprawled out around you on the stone floor - some propped
against the stone walls - sleeping soundly. Their faces
lightly illuminated by flickering torchlight from a barely
burning torch lying in the middle of the floor several feet
away from you.
Wait - where are you? You’re in a hallway - but - what
hallway? It’s long - that’s for sure. And dark. It stretches
out farther than the light from the dwindling torch can
penetrate - darkness to your to your left and right.
You scoop up the torch from the ground as you wake the
rest of your party. You blow gently on the torch and it
springs back to life in your hands. You hold it aloft and
shield your eyes from it’s direct light to peer down the long
hallway - still, all you can see is blackness.
You look at the others as they stir from their sleep - their
groans indicative of the same hung-over feeling that
you’re still feeling. Everyone’s here - but where are your
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bags? Where are your weapons? There’s a single dagger
driven into a joint between the stonework, pinning a piece
of parchment to the wall. You walk over to it, and read the
scratched handwriting:
You’re probably thinking it’s not fair? I’d have to
agree with you in that regard. But what really is
the point of testing your mettle if the jobs you’re
hoping to do for me won’t exhibit perfect circum-
stances either?
Find me, and you’ve proven your salt. Don’t and
- well... I suppose I’ll be placing another request
for “qualified individuals of unusual talent”
- All the best
The Rules
At its core, the primary mechanic is simple: The
players must correctly navigate each “turn” of the
maze sequentially to reach the end. If they make a
wrong turn, they’ll wind up at a random crossroads
that they may or may not have already encoun-
tered, and their progress restarts.
When your players enter the maze, determine their
“Starting Position” within the maze as follows:
Step 1) Determine “Starting Location”
Roll a d12. This is the “Starting Location” and the
“Current Location”. Set the rolled d12 aside to act
as a reminder of the “Starting Location”. Consult
the Maze Location Table and read the correspond-
ing description. Ask the players which direction
they will go.
Step 2) Check Decision against Solution
If the players choose any direction other than that
specified by the Solution column of the Maze Loca-
tion Table, return to Step 1) Determine “Starting
Location”.
If the players choose the direction that matches the
Solution column of the Maze Location Table, con-
tinue on to the next row in the table (Location 12
loops back around to Location 1 on a successful
choice) This is the new “Current Location”.
Step 3) Check for Exit
Check to see if the “Current Location” matches the
“Starting Location”. If it does not, read the corre-
sponding description. Ask the players which direc-
tion they will go. Then, return to Step 2) Check
Decision against Solution.
If “Current Location” matches “Starting Location”,
the Players successfully exit the maze!
 Maze Location Table
Location
Options Solution Description
(d12)
1 RL R Before you the passageway breaks to the right and left. Tiny rivulets form in the cracks of
the cobblestone as a slow but steady drip from the ceiling above splashes lightly at your
feet. They slowly flow along the uneven floor before disappearing through small cracks
at the base of the wall next to you. [Characters who rely on their senses for a sign can
determine, on a successful DC15 Wisdom (Perception) check, that the passageway to the
right has an almost imperceptible breeze of stale air - while the leftward hallway smells
distinctly earthy]
2 RSL R The pathway continues onward ahead of you but two hallways open to the left and right
as well. Nestled into the cracks and crevices of the walls here are tiny mushrooms with
a faint amber glow that seems to shimmer. [Characters who examine the mushrooms
carefully can see tiny spiders crawling over the entire surface, giving the impression of a
shimmering phosphorescence on the fungi]
3 RL L Your path comes to a tee. Here the ceiling is quite a bit higher than the other crossroads
- making it difficult to see above you in the darkness. [Characters who rely on their senses
for a sign hear, on a successful DC17 Wisdom (Perception) check, very faint laughter echo-
ing all around. No amount of investigation can determine it’s origin, and you dismiss it as
your imagination]
4 RSL S You come to an intersection of hallways. The path before you continues on, and paths
branch to your left and right. There is a small stone basin set into the wall to your right
that contains a shallow bit of clear liquid. You have an unusually strong desire to drink it.
[Upon drinking, it appears to be only stale water. Over time, drinkers grow paranoid that
they have been poisoned - but this is superficial. The liquid is water]
5 SL L As you approach a crossroads you notice that a large metal grate covers an opening in
the floor spanning from wall to wall. The pathway continues on ahead and also opens up
to the left. [The opening is too dark to see the bottom. Dropping something through the
holes in the grate reveals a faint clatter after 10 seconds. The pit is empty.]
6 RL L The passage directly ahead has been bricked over. Instead the crossroads now only has
two options - left, or right [The wall has 50hp (a small hole forms at 10 damage) and is im-
mune to all damage types besides bludgeoning, force, and thunder. Breaking through the
wall reveals a 3rd option for this crossroads. The solution remains the same]
7 RSL S A hallway opens up to your left and right, though the path you’re on continues ahead. You
see a large message scrawled on the wall to your left “No way out” [Players who closely
examine the message can, on a successful DC14 Wisdom (Medicine) or DC 14 Intelligence
(Investigation) check, determine that the paint is dried blood]
8 RS R Though your path ahead lies clear, a branch to the right winds off. This particular intersec-
tion seems barren. [Players who carefully inspect their surroundings can, with a success-
ful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check, determine that a thin wire stretches across the path
ahead. This is an arrow trap that deals 4d4 damage to all players if not found. The trap
can be disabled with thieves tools or triggered purposefully.]
9 RSL R Ahead you see a figure slumped against the wall - as you approach, you see a skeleton in
tattered clothing. The corpse is leaned against a wall of the crossroads - which stretches
out straight ahead, to your right, and to your left. [Characters who carefully examine the
body find dried blood on the cuff of the right shirt on the right shirt sleeve. The corpse
has no belongings save for a rusty pen knife, and an old coin purse with 5cp]
10 RSL R You approach another intersection - 3 paths lie ahead, Right, Straight, and Left. You no-
tice that the air smells sweet here - though you can’t place what the smell might be. [Try
as they might, players cannot get any additional information about this smell or the paths
ahead]
11 RL L You come to a tee where the path splits right and left. Ahead of you in a small alcove is a
small lock box on a pedestal. [The lock box is locked but can be picked with a successful
DC14 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. Inside is an ornate ceramic statue worth 100GP.
Breaking or dropping the box destroys the statue]
12 RSL S The hallway you’re walking in opens up into large round empty chamber 40’ in diameter
with vaulted ceilings. The cobblestone floor here has been carefully placed in a radial pat-
tern. There are passages to your right, straight ahead, and left. [Characters who survey
their surroundings can, with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check, see figures
crawling on the ceiling. Further examination reveals this to be a trick on the eyes from the
patterns in the ceiling.]

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 Optional Mechanics
Racing Against Time
Use the following description and mechanic to add
the pressure of time to the maze escape - or write
your own!
After the party has made at least 1 incorrect turn,
read:
As you continue to trudge through the winding stone
hallways you notice that your hip is in a bit of pain. You
brush it off as nothing but eventually the dull pain catch-
es your attention - it’s a muscle cramp. You massage the
muscles at your hip bone and immediately double over
from a sharp pain in your stomach - the pain brings you
to a knee.
After a brief moment the pain subsides and you stand
again - ‘how odd’ you think to yourself. It’s almost as if
I’ve eaten something bad or been pois -
Your eyes widen suddenly as you turn your attention to
your senses - that smell - an almost imperceptibly subtle
yet sharp sting of ammonia - there’s poison gas in the
air!
At every 3 crossroads, all characters take 1d4 poi-
son damage as time passes and the poison takes
effect.
Splitting the Party?
If your party decides it’s wise to split up, each
group will need to successfully make it through the
maze.
Take turns asking them what directions they are
taking (you’ll need a d12 for each distinct group). If
a group ever winds up at the same “Current Loca-
tion” , roll a d4. On a 4, the party reunites. Other-
wise - they simply must have arrived at this loca-
tion at different points in time and must continue
on separately.
Preparation Points
Using this maze as an infiltration encounter (such
as a prison break through a dungeon) or a heist?
Give your party a chance to have done some prepa-
ration ahead of time.
Consider asking your characters to give a mon-
tage of what they do to prepare for the mission in
the time leading up to it. Award a resource called
“preparation points” that the players can spend to
instantly know the correct direction to head at par-
ticular crossroads.
The balance of this mechanic is too complex for this
write up but can be a great way to encourage play-
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ers to envision their characters during downtime
and think creatively.
Fumbles/Mistakes
Players making a few too many lucky guesses and
breezing through the encounter faster than you
planned? Didn’t balance the Preparation Points
enough? No worries!
Consider adding an element of randomness to
mimic characters who aren’t operating at their best.
Perhaps the poison gas is taking it’s toll? Maybe
the magical nature of the dungeon maze is to
blame? Either way - roll a d20 each time the play-
ers choose a direction and keep track of the rolls.
When the sum is greater than 25, roll a d10. On a
score of 10 or higher, the characters make a mis-
take, and go the direction opposite of what the play-
ers indicate (be sure and tell the players this has
happened - else mass confusion can arise!).
Each time a character makes a mistake, reset the
sum to 0.
DM Tips
• Don’t explicitly tell players if they are right or wrong.
Simply ask them to roll a d12 if they are incorrect, or
proceed to describe the next location if they are correct.
Most players will eventually figure this out.
• Players may try to trace back their steps to break the
mechanic (allowing them to “try again”). Explain to the
players that in between every “narrated” crossroads
there are multiple twists, turns, and dead ends along
the way. The narrated crossroads are simply those most
notable along the way. Therefore, backtracking will al-
ways be the incorrect solution - and would cause a d12
roll.
• Many players may try to find creative solutions to
“break” the maze. If you would like to encourage this -
go right ahead! Often though, explaining to the players
that this encounter is meant to be played as a mini-
game using the existing mechanics, is enough to get
players to play along. Yes - technically chalk on the floor
might trivialize maze encounters - but what’s the fun in
that?
• Though each location has details built in that allow
characters to gain extra information from them with
their skills - if you’re prepared to improvise - add more
opportunities for characters to do this!
• Need a combat encounter this session? The Round
chamber in location 12 is made specifically for this!
• If you players aren’t quite getting the core mechanic,
you can narrate “you have become disoriented and aren’t
sure where you are” when rolling the d12 to reset the
“Starting Location”. If that’s not enough, you can narrate
“you think you’re on the right path” when players make
the right decision. Still not enough? (I know - players,
am I right?!) Maybe just explicitly tell the players “if
you’re rolling a d12, you’re doing bad. If not, you’re do-
ing well.”