On the middle tier set in faded red stone is the image of skull, and below that on bottom tier of the room lie eight crypts with six itentical statues of a man missing a hand, with an eye bandaged over.
Surrounding the lower tier, level with the middle tier, the walls off the room are set with nooks large enough for a person to stand in.
Behind you, on your platform the floor tiles are enscribed with elvish characters, except a gap where one tile is missing. To either side, five feet higher up the floor is enscribed with similar lettering.
| Encounter | 2400 XP | |
| Level 10 | ||
| Opponents | 7 | |
| Shadow of Vecna | x6 | |
When a Shadow regenerates, it should be described as energy flowing from the center floor cypher, to the Shadow.
The three four by four sectons of script on the south side of the chamber are a puzzle.
The script is in the secret cypher of Vecna, though the characters are elvish. The word missing from the middle four by four block is Vecna, and the other two side each compose a different prayer to the dark god but each uses the same words, which are then repeated in the middle block.
The middle block can be rearranged. Standing on a tile that is in the same row or column as empty tile, causes that tile and all between it and the empty tile to slide one square towards the empty tile.
Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the eastern block causes the Shadows that came from the eastern three statues to cease regenerating, and gain vulnerable 5 to all damage. Rearranging the center block into the prayer on the western block causes the same to Shadows from the western crypts.
The puzzle can be solved either by handing over a real world version (online one can seen here http://migo.sixbit.org/puzzles/fifteen/ amongst other places).
With the real world puzzle, a player whose character can see the board can spend a minor action to study the puzzle without moving the pieces for 30s, and a player whose character is on one of the puzzle spaces, can spend a move action to move the pieces for 20s or a standard, move and minor action to move the pieces for 60s. After completing one configuration, scramble the pieces, for the next configuration.
Alternately the puzzle can be solved via a skill challenge. Religion, Dungeoneering and Arcana as primary skills DC18 (standard action, or move action if also attempting with a standard action), DC26 (move action), and the character must be standing on a square on the the grid. Insight and Perception DC26 (minor action) from a character who can see the puzzle to grant a +5 bonus to the next primary check. The puzzle is completed when a net 4 successes have been obtained.
At the end of any action in which a player moves pieces, the DM rolls 2d4 to determine where on the grid the empty spot winds up, and the player rolls 2d4 to determine where on the 4x4 grid they wind up. If they roll the missing number, they can pick a ending position.
Setup: The characters are exploring a dungeon, temple or the like, and have descended the stairs.
Illumination: None.
Stairs: The stair squares block line of sight, count as difficult terrain for anyone going up them, and can only be entered from the upper right corner.
Notes: The combination of being insubstantial and having regeneration 20 (slightly more than a healing surge for these creatures) should make them very difficult to drop. Defeating the shadows without solving the puzzle should be possible but difficult. If the party is coasting the encounter, you could alter it on fly by allowing an unsolved half of the puzzle to regenerate, or by restarting the encounter each time they open a crypt, if the puzzles have not been solved.
Treasure: There should be something in the crypts - what depends too much on your party for me to dictate, but it should somehow relate to the god of secrets. I had planned a book written in the same script and cypher as the floor tiles, containing yet to be determined secrets. To a collector the book would have great monetary value. To the servants of Vecna, the book would be priceless, definitely worth killing for, and most certainly a hook into future adventures.
This encounter was inspired while listening to the most recent episode of the tome show, I wrote it up and was all prepared to send my players through it, but as I was gathering materials for the game, real life got in the way. Despite my daughter having at least two or three of these puzzles somewhere in her room, I couldn't find them. Since I really wanted the prop, I've shelved the puzzle. For now...
