Puzzle: This is a noncombat encounter that tests the players’ mental skills in some
fashion. Most puzzles involve logic, memory, or creativity. The riddle game
included in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit, represents one kind of puzzle encounter.
Puzzles are an excellent way to make players rely on themselves rather than on
their characters’ abilities. The best puzzles fit your game’s atmosphere; word
plays on pop music lyrics or Disney movie titles aren’t a good approach to
puzzle making unless you are playing the adventure for laughs.
You can add some tension to a puzzle encounter by combining it with a trap—the
characters suffer damage or a magical effect if they give an incorrect
response—or guardian—which attacks if the correct answer is not provided.
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