Welcome back wayfarers. This is the first post in my newly resurrected odd jobs series. In this series you can expect side quests and one shots with an odd twist. In the inaugural post we revisit one of my biggest duds just in time for saint Patrick’s day. Honestly the puzzle locked legacy was an absolute dud with no readers whatsoever. SO I decided to refresh the concept with a new set of Branagor Stonecipher puzzle themed traps and locks. Hope you enjoy.

Adventure Background

Of all the artisans in Sliberberg, none are as celebrated as Branagor Stonecipher, the master trapsmith. His devices are found throughout the city, from the vaults of the city guilds to the alteburg’s prison to the houses of the nobles. However, his true passion is puzzles. He loves solving puzzles and making puzzles so much that he integrates a tricky puzzle into every trap he makes as a safety feature in case a client finds themself at the wrong end of their security device.

Branagor has recently come up with a new crop of traps he needs tested to ensure that they meet his standards of being solvable but not too easy for any common burglar to do. He put out an ad in the Sliberberg Sentinel and posted job requests at every tavern that adventurers frequent, promising a large sum of gold if they can test his traps.

Adventure Begins: 

The players have responded to the advertisements or flyers posted by Branagor. When they arrive at the green-roofed workshop in the Grand Fey Marketplace, read the following.

The shop has a certain rustic feel that is absent from the rest of the marketplace with its moss-speckled fieldstone walls, a green bowed roof, and many windows. Inside, the walls are lined with green-painted shelves with intricate lockboxes, locks, and scale models of various traps. At a low counter, a leprechaun with unkempt silver hair, a grey beard, and a tinker’s apron mans the register. “Well, hello there,” he says with a jolly grin. Looking for a sturdy lockbox, or are you here to put your wits to the test against my newest traps?”

If the players tell them that they are here to test his new traps, he becomes giddy and subjects them to a brief interview in which he asks the players about their abilities. Once satisfied that the players are sturdy and resourceful enough to overcome his traps, he leads them out of the showroom and down the stairs to a hatch in his basement. Read the following

The hatch looks brand new, and the fresh layer of stone dust around it and the brand new ladder suggest that it was installed only days before. “Now, down in that hatch is a group of four rooms splitting off from a central chamber. Each room has a new trap I created that needs testing; each can be disarmed using a puzzle. I’ll watch the proceedings up here via scrying wards in the chambers. All the traps are dangerous; they are meant to deter thieves after all, so be careful. Just in case, there is a box of healing potions and a few scrolls of Revivify in the central room. I will pay you 20gp for every trap you successfully disarm, and if you disarm all four traps,  I’ve got a special reward for ya—one of my newest products! A portable trap, perfect for when you need a little surprise up your sleeve. No thieves required.”

The central chamber

At the bottom of the chamber is a small, well-lit square room roughly 12 by 12. There is a crate in one corner, a large metal iron chest in the middle of the room, and four doors leading off from it. Each door has a symbol chalked upon it: A theatrical mask, a playing card, a helm, and a candle.

Crate. The crate contains six potions of healing and three scrolls of revivify

Strongbox. The strongbox is made of inch-thick iron plates, with four massive clamps holding down the top. There are no visible means to unlock the box or open the clamps. When the player completes a puzzle, one of the clamps retracts.

Lockbox. The locked box in the center of the room contains the players’ reward for overcoming all four puzzles. It can only be opened by solving all four puzzles.

The Puppet Theater 

A large brass and wooden box stands in the middle of this well-lit room. A square window on one side is covered by rich velvet curtains, concealing whatever lies within The device has a series of knobs and a slot in the front. A small card in front of the box reads, “Prototype number 431 puppet theater, type boobytrapped lock, fully functional automatic pupper theater with punch card reader and integrated combination lock”. Above the curtain, a gleaming metal plaque reads, “A maiden flees at midnight’s chime, a poisoned apple starts her time, a princess trapped lets down her hair—recreate these scenes with care.”

This odd contraption is an automated puppet theater with a punch card reader and an integrated booby-trapped lock.

Knobs. THere are three knobs on the front of the machine labeled character one, character two and background. The knobs have the following positions

1. Hero Knob:
   • Rapunzel 
   • Snow White
   • Jack
   • Cinderella
   • Alibaba
   • Red Riding Hood
   • Knight
   • Beauty
2. Secondary character Knob (6 Positions):
   • Prince
   • Witch
   • Giant
   • Wicked Stepmother
   • The leader of the 40 thieves
   • Big Bad Wolf
   • The beast]
   • Dragon
3. Background Knob (6 Positions):
   • Cave
   • Dwarves’ Cabin
   • Beanstalk
   • Castle
   • Enchanted Forest
   • Palace
   • Grand Ballroom
   • Tower

When the knobs are set to a position the curtain rises and cut out puppets on sticks rise from within the machine into the starting position for the scene.

Trap. Whenever an incorrect scene is displayed, the marionettes freeze—then suddenly jerk toward the players with exaggerated, menacing movements. A deafening ‘BOOOO!’ echoes from unseen speakers as the machine erupts with a 10-foot cone of concussive force. Those caught within must make a Dexterity save or take 2d4 thunder damage. As the puppets slump lifelessly back behind the curtain, a sign briefly flashes: ‘TRY AGAIN, DUNCE!’’

Solution. TO solve the puzzle, the players must recreate the three scenes specified in the riddle: Cinderella fleeing the ballroom away from the prince, Snow white eating the poisoned apple given to her by the witch in the dwarfs cabin, and Rapunzel letting down her hair for the prince. When the players correctly recreate a scene, the puppets come to life and recreate the scene. When players successfully recreate all three scenes, a triumphant fanfare resonates from the puppet theater, and a resounding thud sounds from the central roo.m

Poker Floor

The floor of this large chamber is covered in tiles, each about two by three feet, intricately painted to resemble playing cards. The entire surface resembles a chaotic deck, as if a gambler had scattered cards across the room. On the far wall is are 7 cards, 4 kings,the queen of hearts, the jack of spades and the ace of clubs. A card on a pedestal nearby reads, “Prototype number 432 Poker floor, type boobytrapped floor with pressure plate tiles. To cross safely, one must step only on the correct sequence of tiles. The sequence forms a hand that beats mine. Rules are 7 card stud.”

The room is rectangular, 22 feet wide by 36 feet long, and the floor is covered with two-by-three-foot pressure-sensitive tiles depicting playing cards.

The poker floor

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1	7♠	4♦	K♣	9♥	2♦	J♠	3♣	5♣	10♦	Q♠	A♥
2	8♠	6♠	A♦	5♦	7♣	3♠	10♣	Q♦	4♣	9♦	K♥
3	9♠	7♥	3♦	J♦	5♥	K♠	6♦	8♦	2♣	10♥	Q♣
4	10♠	2♠	8♥	4♠	A♠	7♦	9♣	3♥	K♦	J♣	6♥
5	J♠	Q♠	5♠	K♣	6♣	10♦	2♦	8♣	A♣	4♥	9♥
6	Q♠	K♠	9♦	2♥	10♣	3♦	7♣	J♥	5♦	8♥	6♦
7	A♠	3♠	4♣	8♠	7♦	K♦	9♠	Q♦	5♣	J♦	2♠
8	2♣	10♠	7♠	6♠	3♥	Q♥	A♦	5♥	J♣	4♠	8♦
9	3♣	J♠	9♥	K♥	6♦	2♣	7♠	10♥	Q♠	A♠	5♠
10	4♦	A♣	10♠	8♠	5♠	9♦	6♣	J♥	3♠	K♠	7♠
11	5♠	6♠	7♠	8♠	9♠	10♠	J♠	Q♠	K♠	A♠	2♥
12	4♠	3♠	2♠	A♠	K♠	Q♠	J♠	10♠	9♠	8♠	7♠

Trap. Each tile is a pressure plate that locks into position when stepped upon. The pressure plate releases on one of three states: when the players enter a wrong combination, when the player steps on a nonadjacent tile, or when the correct combination of tiles is stepped upon. If the players step on the wrong combination of tiles or a nonadjacent tile, several flame jets will start shooting flames in the ceiling. Any character in the room must make a DC 15 DEX check or take 1d6 fire damage.

Solution. The player must walk across the floor in a path of adjacent tiles that form a 7-card straight flush starting at tile 1-1. When the players complete the path, all the path of tiles unlocks, a triumphant horn sounds, and a thunk can be heard from the central chamber

The disorganized Armory puzzle

You step into a well stocked armory. The walls are lined with racks of weapons, shields, and pieces of armor. Two full suits of armor and three mannequins are partially dressed up with gear. One is dressed like a ranger, one is a barbarian, and the last is a rouge. There is a small pedestal with a card by the door. It reads, “Prototype number 428, the Disorganized Armory. “Dress” the mannequins to solve the puzzle. You will find the missing bits if you look around the room.”

The room is about 35 by 35 feet, and the walls are lined with weapons racks containing cheaply made equiptment

Weapon racks. On the south wall, there is a single long rack containing various pieces of armor and a pair of daggers; on the north wall, there are multiple polearms, swords, a dark hooded cloak, and a stag-headed helmet; and on the east wall, there are various shields, a great axe, and a quiver of arrows. The players notice the out-of-place items among equipment racks if they make a DC 13 perception or investigation check.

Mannequins. The mannequins are dressed like a ranger in a green cloak and leather armor, a barbarian in hide armor and a fur cape, and a rouge in dark leather armor. Each one is missing bits of their equipment. The barbarian is missing his stag-headed helmet and his ax, the ranger is missing his bow and arrows, and the rogue is missing his daggers and cloak.

Trap. If the players touch any of the items except the greataxe, stagheaded helm, bow, arrows, dark cloak, or daggers, the two suits of armor animate and attack the players. The animated armors fight until defeated, at which point they reform to their original position and attack again if the players fail the puzzle.

Solution. The players must complete the mannequins’ sets of gear. They must place the stag-headed helmet and the great axe on the barbarian, the bow and quiver on the ranger, and the cloak and daggers on the rogue. Once they do so, a fanfare sounds from out of nowhere, and there is an audible clunk back in the center chamber.

The candelabra Riddle

The large room contains one long table like one would find in a dining room. There is a simple white tablecloth and five brass 5-candle candelabras on it. Each of the candelabrum is numbered 1 to 5 in ascending order from left to right. A card on the table reads, “Prototype number 425, Candelabra riddle. Solve the following riddle to complete the puzzle: 

In order they stand, five strong in a row,

Their flames must burn in a pattern to show.

The second holds twice what the fourth one bears,

The third, twice more than its left-side pair.

The fourth is lonely, just a single bright,

While the last has thrice the fourth one’s light.”

Beside the card is a box of long stick matches.

The room is 30 feet by 40 feet and contains only the table, the candelabrum, and the box of matches.

Trap. If the players light the wrong number of candles on any of the candelabras, the lit candles on each flare up into a towering column of flames for a few seconds, and a number of magmin equal to the lit candelabras emerge from the fire and attack the party. Once all the magmin are defeated, the candles go out.

Solution. The players must light the proper number of candles on each candelabrum to solve the puzzle. The number of lit candles for each is

1. 0
2. 2
3. 4
4. 1
5. 3

When the players light the correct number of candles, a fanfare sounds from out of nowhere, and an audible clunk is back in the center chamber.

Conclusion

If the players successfully solve all four puzzles, the iron strongbox in the central chamber clicks open, revealing their reward—a Brangor Security Solutions Entanglement Mine.

As they climb out of the testing ground, they are greeted by an ecstatically giddy Branagor, who eagerly thanks them for providing valuable data on his latest trap designs. True to his word, he pays them 20 gold pieces per disarmed trap, totaling up to 80 gold pieces for the group.

With a wide grin, he waves them off, already scribbling notes for his next round of “improvements.”

Branagor Security Solutions Entanglement Mine

Wondrous Item, uncommon

This small, clockwork device is designed by Branagor Security Solutions for non-lethal containment. As an action, a player can place the mine on any flat surface and arm it. Once armed, the mine continuously scans a 10-foot radius for unauthorized creatures. When an unauthorized creature enters the area, the mine expends one charge to shoot a stream of sticky, magical webbing. The creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or become restrained as per the web spell. The mine has 6 charges and regains all charges at down. The mine can be safely deactivated by the one who set it or by making a successful DC 20 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check to disable its mechanisms.