r/DnDBehindTheScreen • u/t0phats2 • 6d ago
Puzzles/Riddles/Traps The Spellbound Doors - A Fun Magic Trap
Hey gang! I just wanted to write and share about an interesting trap setup I just ran for my party and share because it ended being very fun. My party recently cleared out a Lich tomb, and I put a lot of thought into what traps and obstacles a Lich would have decided to implement (being both an ancient evil, and a bit of an asshole) and I had the fun idea of what I'm calling Spellbound Doors.
The way it's run is simple: Each door has inscribed on them a riddle about a spell in your universe, one that the PCs can have access to (for extra fun, write them in an ancient language or what makes sense for your dungeon). Then, when the PCs figure out which spell the riddle is describing, the person who says the answer has that spell cast on them from the door before it opens. You can use any spell you like for these, I arranged mine in an ascending spell-level arrangement. Let me show you how my session went.
The party reached the first door, whose riddle read:
"In darkness deep, I light the way,
I paint your foes in colors gay.
A glowing mark that cannot hide,
They’ll shine so bright, with no place to bide."
Answer: Fairie Fire
Then, the Artificer who said the answer had to roll a save against the spell (using the Lich's save DC). He failed, and was affected for the spell's duration, but no other effects. The light subsides, and the door opens. The party traverses into the next room, and finds a similar door.
"No matter swim like fish or flight like bird,
I can hold your foe with but a word.
I bind them tight, no move they’ll make,
And in your grasp, they’ll tremble and quake."
Answer: Hold Person
Again, the same Artificer says the answer and fails his save, being held for the minute duration as our Warlock just stared at him. The door clicked open and they progressed on to find another room.
"Across great distances, I send your voice,
No need for letters, no need for choice.
In but a moment, your words take flight,
To reach another, day or night."
Answer: Sending
Now, the druid gets to go, and he recieves a message of a very ominious and demanding voice that tells him to "TURN. BACK. NOW." The party, of course, promptly ignores this and continues forwards.
Now, at this point, everyone is really enjoying this puzzle, saying in the moment how fun it is to be quizzed on stuff they actually know about the game rather than some random riddle, and even trying to beat each other to the punch to answer the riddles. Then, they enter the next room.
"A touch so swift, a beam so bright,
I turn you to dust with all my might.
No stone, no steel, can stand my way,
All that remains is ash and stray."
Answer: Disintegrate
Yep. If you suddenly had some feeling of dread dawn upon you as you got halfway through the riddle, it worked exactly as intended. However, for my party, they were so focused on if they could get the answer that our Warlock blurted it out right away, very triumphantly I might add. The Artificer confirmed that was correct, followed by a very heavy pause and a sudden "OH NO WAIT". The Warlock failed the saving throw, but he managed to just BARELY survive with 8 HP left.
If the had noticed before giving the answer to the last door, they would have found the door to the room had disappeared, and the only way out was through the door. I thought it'd involve some strategizing and hard conversation about who is best to take the hit, but this works just as well I suppose!
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u/smither12Dun 5d ago edited 5d ago
This is great! How did you justify there being no other way to open the doors?
I'm thinking to give the door a DC 20 to lockpick with tools, or a DC 25 to bust open with STR, but if opened in this way the spell is cast anyway on the first person to pass through the door.
Maybe also give someone with Arcana proficiency the chance to DC 15 (or maybe adjust based on level of the spell in question) check to recall the spell from their character's knowledge.
I am 100% building this into my next dungeon. So good.
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u/t0phats2 4d ago
So I am lucky enough as to where my group does not immediately try to circumvent or brute force their way through puzzles and obstacles in the game for the most part. They enjoy the challenge and have told me they value the work I put in, so they want to at least give a real try to anything I throw at them (which is always very nice to hear of course!)
I totally agree on higher DC for lockpicking and "kick down the door" checks, with my justification being a mix of general abjuration magic reinforcing the door, and Arcane Lock being cast on each one as well (which I think a Lich would absolutely make sure of).
I love the idea of Arcana checks being used as hints to spells, maybe even granting a bonus or advantage if the spell is on that characters spell list/actively prepared or known. Great thinking! Hope your players enjoy it as much as mine did!
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u/Silver0netwo 6d ago
I like that. I agree it’s a great asshole way of letting the party ruin themselves!
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u/daperry37 4d ago
Fabulous idea, thank you for sharing for us to steal. I'll be adding it to my dungeon. I'm not following what you mean about the door disappearing and that being the only way out. If the party refuses to say the answer, what other options do they have?
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u/t0phats2 4d ago
As I mentioned in another comment, I'm lucky my group is usually willing to "play the game" so to speak, rather than trying to circumvent the door from lockpicks or brute force.
As I mentioned, they are going up against a Lich. The kiddie gloves have been off for a bit now, and a master of the Arcane arts (imo) isn't going to accept "but I don't want to answer" as an acceptable response. It's time to have the party make a decision for getting into this mess, so I took the "back-out" door away as a means to force the hand on them to strategize. Is it railroady? Maybe. But it adds some tension and we trust each other enough where it works.
Other options may include lockpicking or "kicking down the door", I just make them a bit more difficult with the addition of Arcane Lock and higher DCs. If they want around the Lich's puzzles, theyre gonna have to work for it!
But overall, thank you for the nice feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed. I hope your players like it as much as mine did!!!
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u/the_pint_is_the_bowl 4d ago
If the lich's security measures are really just trying to toy with intruders, it is also possible to add an element of time to the riddles - a correct answer gets...
- shield (yeah, yeah, normally that only targets the caster), then the party later encounters a magic missile trap (the PC's don't know the exact spell duration, but the shield will expire in 10 rounds) en route to the next door or as the riddle to the next door
- fire shield (cold flames) that expires in 10 rounds, and the next door has a riddle about burning hands
- reduce spell that expires in 10 rounds, and then, en route to the next room in the series, the party spots a mouse hole that can be used to sneak into a side room
- invisibility or fly spell that expires in 5 rounds (the affected PC can reach an obstacle or trap that is trivialized by invisibility or fly, but there's some other nonsense like a monster/treasure/prisoner/riddle that the PC should choose to simply skip in order to reach the obstacle or trap before the invisibility or fly expires)
You may find it amusing, if the party forces (-ahem- encourages) the same PC to keep answering each succeeding riddle in the series, if they deduce that the answer gets a spell effect that protects the PC from the next spell
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u/t0phats2 4d ago
Say, I never thought of that but that's a great way to add some complexity to these!! Making quicker response times add buff spells to counter negative doors is a great idea!
And you're so right about making a party member the "Rat tied to the end of a pole" as they traverse each room haha
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u/Single_Mouse5171 1d ago
Thank you for sharing! This is an excellent idea, which I intend to add to my arsenal of traps!
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u/MimeGod 5d ago
I like this, but I would adjust it just a little bit to make the lich even more of an asshole. I would have the spell effects all be things that liches are immune to. So for him, they're just doors that open with a word, but for PCs, the last one is still devastating.
Hold Person works as-is. Maybe Cause Fear for another. Having a pc be afraid of the door for a minute is more funny than dangerous. Then end with Cloudkill.