Out of the Box Introduction

A common plot device in movies from the ’50s-’70s was the “switcheroo”. In essence, modern-era suspense loved to lead the audience/reader into one set of expectations only to twist them at the last minute. The hero did not always win.

Things have changed since that time. We have come to assume the good guys win. The problem is the assumption of victory, and the culture of entitlement it spawns. Heroes of any kind should never assume victory nor fulfillment. They should strive for it. They should earn it. They should also realize mistakes or poor judgment can affect things along the way, and those errors could reasonably lead to the downfall of the heroes in question. Mythology allowed for this. Modern stories do not.

This cultural phenomenon has bled into Dungeons & Dragons. Whereas earlier games and campaigns (and I mean Gygaxian era) resulted in a potentially high character grind, nowadays it’s not as common. I think this might have to do with character-based D&D streams where the viewing audience become extremely attached to certain characters and there’s pressure to “make sure they survive/come back”. That pressure used to lay upon the rest of the party of player characters, and not the writers/Dungeon Masters.

Those who do not now follow this dynamic have been labelled “killer DMs” and I think that’s not always fair. Yes, there are sadistic DMs out there who want to inflict their failings upon the PCs around a given table, but not all DMs who hold the players to their choices are “killer.” Those who create misleading puzzles or dead ends are also not “killer”.

Why? Because real life has misleading puzzles and dead ends. If it didn’t, every crime would always be solved – and that’s simply not the case.

Ergo, I wanted to create a puzzle based on unclear facts and let the players come to their own conclusions. When DMs do this, they open the door to player agency and player responsibility. Agency comes with responsibility, and players who want one must accept the other. It can be a hard lesson, but it’s an important one.

I would also like to address another fact about life. People make mistakes. Even geniuses can be wrong. Many have been – several times – and still proceed forward. Making mistakes is part of the learning process. However, not all geniuses survive their mistakes. Sometimes it takes the work of those after them who are keen about their work to continue the process to the truth. This applies to the gaming world. Not all wizards are right. Warlocks might be deceived by their patrons to get a soul early.

In this particular case, a wizard “got it wrong”…and the PCs are walking in after the fact.

Environment

Dungeon/Lab

Level

Description

Never know what you’re gonna find in a wizard’s laboratory!

Upon entering this room, several striking images come into view. The room itself is a simple square shape 40 feet on a side with a 20 foot high ceiling. The entryway rests in the center of the wall from which you entered, and no other exits or windows seem evident. Oil-lit lanterns hang by chains from the ceiling in each corner, filling the room with an even glow. A low 1 foot tall, 5 foot diameter semicircular dais rests against the right wall. Upon it looks like the broken remains of a stone statue of some sort. In front of it lay the figure of an older human male in elaborate, yet blood soaked robes.

Along the far wall sits a long rectangular work bench or table, probably 20 feet long and 5 feet deep. It has several items upon it like a book, loose papers of some sort, two candlesticks with unlit candle, a small bowl, and several pieces of a broken statuette.

Along the left wall is a 10 foot long, 5 foot wide table made of heavy timbers. Laying face up upon it (with the top of the head facing toward the wall from which you entered) is the body…or what’s left of it…of a large humanoid figure with the head of a bull.

What happens next depends completely upon the party. There are several clues at each location or object. They can either choose to work together on a particular scene or location or they can separate and work on their own. This begins as a larger puzzle and may take some work to put together, so be prepared as the DM to allocate some time to it should the players choose to stick with this until the conclusion.

The facts of each station are as follows:

The human body: The man upon the floor is a human male of advanced years. He’s wearing elaborate red and purple robes, with arcane sigils embroidered around the sleeves and collar. A PC who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check can see he has been plainly bludgeoned to death by something heavy. He has several misshapen limbs and a skull with a large dent, indicating he has several broken bones and one inescapable fatal head wound. Should the PC succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check, they can ascertain the body has been dead for at least a day or two, but has not begun to rot heavily. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check might uncover his body has been completely drained of blood, aside from the stains on his robe and the smear on the floor below him. Those who succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigtion) check will find a small, crumpled up note in a hidden pocket that says, in Common, “Blood is the key”.
Baphomet, the Horned King and the Prince of Beasts, as seen in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Out of the Abyss adventure. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]
The rubble on and around the dias: There are probably a dozen large chunks of a stone statue, with the remains of a large left foot and the remains of a lower leg and right foot. They appear humanoid. Success on an easier DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check will determine the remnants of the statue may appear human, but there are odd bits indicating a horned head. Should this become known, a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check will determine this is Baphomet, the Horned Lord of Minotaurs.
The table with the body: Probably the most disturbing beyond the human on the floor, this heavy wooden table contains the body of a large humanoid with the head of a bull. The abdomen has been opened up and the entire chest and abdomen cavity are empty. This would be obvious to any individual whom has ever hunted, fished, or practised medicine without a die roll. The internal cavity still pools with fetid and spoiling blood. The smell over this carcass would make this obvious too. Just in case there might be a PC in the party who might be interested, this body is technically too large to be affected by an animate dead spell. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check would confirm this is, indeed, a minotaur.
The table against the far wall: This table has a lot of different items to investigate. Starting from the left side, there are several pages of some form of text. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) check will determine the intent behind these notes was to somehow reconstruct this statue. They will also indeed confirm the intent was to deal with Baphomet. Those who rolled 20 or higher on the check will also learn the following:
- The statuette on the table is an exact replica of the larger statue.
- Several attempts has been made with no success.
- It is the belief of the author of these notes that a successful ritual will contain the violent nature of the minotaurs within the statue and will allow these creatures to overcome the bloodthirsty tendencies of their master, Baphomet.

The small bowl is currently empty, albeit blood-stained. The outside of the bowl is stained and marked by several bloody finger- and handprints. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Intelligence (Nature) check will also reveal these stains are old and in multiple layers over time, indicating repeated use.

The two candlesticks are brass and common with little real value, and the candles are simple wax. They have been used before, given the blackened wicks. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) check will likely reveal these candles would have been used for nothing more than extra light. However, should those checking the candles make a check totalling in 9 or less, feel free to tell them these candles are also a part of some ritual.

The tiny statuette is an exact replica of larger statue. It is not laid out like the rubble on the floor, but a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check will reveal the pieces are the same or as close will allow. It is made from a dark and polished horn material. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival) check will allow the player to know it is constructed from a horn material, likely a bull.

Casting detect magic in this room will reveal a slight glow on both the small statuette and the larger statue. If the school of magic is determined, conjuration will be the result.

The following should not be resolved through die rolls, and should be sorted by actual player interaction and resolution. All of the pieces are there, but the solution has to be done through PC interaction.

The small bowl must be filled with the blood of the minotaur. The small pieces of the statue need to be dipped into the bowl, then while they are still sticky with blood, assembled. When that happens, the equivalent stone blocks need to be set into place. If the small statuette and the larger statue are fully assembled, nothing will happen.

However, if human blood (or the blood of any other PC race) is added to the bowl with the minotaur blood, the cracks between the segments of the statue will glow and smoke as if the pieces are being welded together. The lanterns (and other mundane light sources) in the room will begin to dim as if the light was being affected by some otherworldly darkness.

The next round, mists will start to pour out of the open gut of the minotaur body and creep across the floor to the assembled large statue. The following round the eyes of the stone statue will begin to glow. The dais will make creaking and cracking noises.

The round after that, the statue will animate. A voice will bellow from all about the room, echoing from everywhere.

“From Blood to Blood, the price is paid. Now reap what Baphomet deems worthy.”

Then the statue will attack. If/when the PCs defeat the statue, it will break into these pieces again. It will continue this cycle for anyone who succeeds this ritual until the tiny horn-carved statuette is destroyed.

Monsters

A stone golem as seen in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]

Stone golem – As per monster manual, page 170, with one exception. When the Golem uses it’s “Slow” Action, it does so as a breath weapon, with the same mechanics as the description. If you need an exact area of effect, use a 15 foot cone instead of each target in a 10 foot radius.

Treasure

A harsh lesson. Some things should not be interfered with.

Complications

The biggest danger here is actually not death. It’s frustration. If the party cannot solve this, make sure this room is an extra and not intrinsic to the completion of an overarching quest. This should be an extra. It’s okay if the party cannot solve this.

However, should they complete the ritual and battle the golem, feel free to add an extra 1000 XP for their brilliance on top of any XP for the stone golem. If you are a DM whom uses milestone levelling, then have this encounter speed up the advancement in some manner, or allow for things like healing potions to be found readily elsewhere to recover from this combat.

Encounters like this were far more common in much older versions of the game, and winning wasn’t always the case. However, players who made it all the way through were always wiser and better players, and were more prone to thinking things through before acting brashly. That itself can be it’s own reward.

Getting your players thinking is on of the most rewarding things a DM can do.

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