Got a table that won't shut up? Do your players keep talking over you, making bad jokes and interrupting your immersive storytelling? Throw this puzzle at them and watch them sweat as they learn that silence, is golden.
This puzzle has players silently piecing clues together and rearranging letters to form the pass phrase that will let them progress forward. Cluey players may catch on to what is happening, but this puzzle is likely going to be one of the trickier ones that they face.
To add to the challenge, the players must solve this without talking. This particular mechanic may not work for online games, but should add a layer of immersion to in person games.
Introduction
You step into a long stone corridor. Hundreds of hyper-realistic mouths of varying sizes are carved into the walls and ceiling. You see slow and subtle movements coming from the mouths, with some revealing teeth and tongues. A body lies on the floor in the centre of the room, and on the opposite end of the corridor is a large stone door. Along the left wall, there is a series of nine paintings depicting the following: A Dragon, an Owlbear, a Necromancer, a Gargoyle, a Sword, a Lion, an Imp, a Coin, and an Eagle. Each has a placard featuring an arcane rune bellow it.
If any of your characters have a name starting with the same first letter as the subject of one of the paintings, the painting will instead be a portrait of that character. (If a character has been using a fake name with the party, apply this rule to their true name to add some drama)
If any character speaks out loud, the mouths will begin repeating what was said in a discordant and disorienting way, getting louder and louder until ending with a collective "shh...". Each creature that can hear them must make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw, taking 3d8 psychic damage on a failure, or half as much on a success. To scale this damage for higher level parties, the number of d8s should equal the average proficiency bonus of the party.
Casting spells with verbal components in this room will trigger the mouths, and require the caster succeed on a concentration check against the damage taken. Both this save, and their wisdom save will be made at disadvantage.
If a character approaches the door, the mouths will begin to speak saying "not allowed...", "speak the password...", "go away...". The creature must immediately step back, or every creature in the room will be subjected to a repeated wisdom saving throw, as though someone had spoken.
Roleplaying this puzzle.
With the need for silence established, explain that your players will no longer be allowed to speak to each other at the table while solving this party, or their characters will take psychic damage. They can speak to you, the DM, however to clarify details or state what they wish to do.
Investigating the body, the party will find a long dead half-elf adventurer. A mage of some sort. Their hand clutches a dried quill and a scrap piece of paper. The words Silence, Song, Lines, Dice, and Gold, are scrawled upon the paper in rushed handwriting.
Investigating the pictures. A DC15 Arcana (intelligence) check will reveal the runes below the pictures to be part of an old arcane numbering system.
The Dragon, Owlbear, Gargoyle and Coin have a value of 1
The Necromancer, Sword, Lion and Imp have a value of 2
The Eagle has a value of 3
If one of the characters appeared within the portrait, A DC15 Investigation (intelligence) check will reveal that their portrait is an illusion over the original portrait, which can be seen from certain angles to the side.
Solving the puzzle.
To move forward, the party must speak the passphrase "Silence is golden". At which point, all the mouths will become motionless and silent.
By taking the first letter of the subject in each painting, and applying the values from the runes, they will have the full set of letters which must be rearranged in order to reveal the phrase. The piece of parchment held by the dead adventurer reveals a number of possible words that could be made from the letters and will hopefully lead the players to start trying to find other words.
Good luck!
This post is part 2 of my series for Whumptober 2021. The prompt for this post is "Talking Is Overrated"
View other parts here.
Comments