## 💀 Puzzle #2: The Ziggurat and the Trapped Weapons **Module:** _White Plume Mountain_ (1979) **Location:** Room 27 – _Kelvin’s Cairn_ area **Why It’s Famous:** Merges riddle-solving, magical deception, physics-based traps, and high stakes in a unique dungeon room. --- ## 🏞️ Setup — What the Players See > _As you enter the cavernous chamber, heat slams into you. Before you, a massive bubble of shimmering force encloses a floating black ziggurat. Boiling mud churns violently below it. Inside the dome, weapons hover in mid-air, suspended above the ziggurat’s highest tier. A narrow ledge winds around the perimeter of the bubble, with a small arched opening leading into the dome itself._ ### Environment: - **Room:** 60 ft. wide, 100 ft. long chamber - **Floor:** Boiling mud (lava-like, but viscous; 6d10 fire damage on contact) - **Dome:** Magical **force bubble** surrounds the ziggurat (can be entered through one archway—no exit once inside except same way) - **Ziggurat:** 3-tiered obsidian structure **floating in mid-air** about 10 ft. above the mud - **Weapons:** 9 total, floating 5 ft. above the top tier --- ## ⚔️ Puzzle Core – The Weapons Nine weapons float in the air. Only **one** is real—the others are either illusions or trapped decoys. ### Weapon List (randomise if desired): 1. Flame Tongue sword 2. Frost Brand 3. Trident of Fish Command 4. Spear of Backbiting 5. Greataxe 6. Dagger 7. Longbow 8. Morningstar 9. Warhammer > One of these is the **target weapon**—in the original module it was _Wave_, the intelligent trident. You can change this to a weapon relevant to your story. ### Important: - Grabbing the **wrong weapon** causes the **force bubble to disappear**. - The ziggurat and any characters on it **plummet into the boiling mud**. - Mage Hand, ropes, or testing the weapon first can avoid instant death. --- ## 🧠 The Riddle On the wall just inside the bubble entrance is a glowing inscription in Draconic: > _“Nine arms reach, but only one bears truth. > One sings with the sea. > The others bring only death.”_ > _(Players who speak Draconic or use Comprehend Languages can read it.)_ ### Interpreting the Riddle: - "Nine arms" = Nine floating weapons - "One bears truth" = Only one is real and safe to touch - "Sings with the sea" = Clue pointing to the **trident** --- ## 🧪 Investigation Options Encourage creative thinking. Here’s how common actions play out: |Action|Outcome| |---|---| |**Mage Hand**|Illusions pass through; real weapon is lifted (success)| |**Poke with pole/arrow**|Illusions pass through; some emit fake resistance| |**Detect Magic**|All weapons glow faintly (illusion magic), but real one has additional enchantment| |**Arcana DC 15**|Realises multiple illusions, but illusion aura overlays them all| |**Perception DC 18**|Sees faint shimmer around 8 weapons (illusion flicker)| |**Insight DC 15 (reading riddle)**|“Sings with the sea” = trident| |**Touch wrong weapon**|Bubble disappears instantly; ziggurat and everyone fall into boiling mud| --- ## 💥 Trap Mechanics ### If the wrong weapon is grabbed: - The **bubble vanishes** instantly - The **ziggurat drops** 10 ft. into the **boiling mud** - Anyone on it: - **Dex save DC 18** to jump to safety (if near the edge) - Otherwise, fall into mud: **6d10 fire damage per round**, until escape (extremely difficult) Use tension and countdowns here. Players should feel the urgency if they make a mistake. --- ## 🧙 DM Tips – Running the Puzzle - **Reward caution and cleverness**. Players using _Mage Hand_, identifying illusions, or referencing the riddle should bypass the trap safely. - Don’t be afraid to **telegraph the danger**—heat rising, dome flickering slightly, mud burbling ominously. - If players are struggling, give small passive clues (e.g., illusion weapons flicker if someone casts _Light_, or real one drips with water magically). - Add **waves of heat damage** if players linger too long (1d6 fire damage/round outside the bubble). --- ## 🧾 Handout Option – The Riddle You can present this as a note or wall carving: --- **🗡️ Wall Inscription:** > **Nine arms reach for glory, but only one bears truth.** > **It sings not with fire, frost, or fury—** > **but with the whisper of waves.** > **Grasp false strength, and sink with it.** --- ## ✅ Solution Summary - **Correct Weapon:** The Trident - **Correct Method:** Use _Mage Hand_, _Detect Magic_, or riddle interpretation - **Wrong Action:** Grabbing any other weapon causes a deadly fall - **Exit:** The same archway is the only way out—if you survive