D&D 3e/3.5e/d20The forum for conversations specifically related to the rules and procedures of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, or any fantasy game using the d20 system or a variant thereof (commercially published or not).
You are at the entrance to the Temple to Fharlanghn (or however you spell it)
In front of you there are two doors, one with a shield, and one with a quarterstaff. Between the doors there is a poem--
A wise man knows the secret
a path toward its own end
Hidden deep within the horizon
is a path that will never end.
The end is a beginning
A beginning is an end
Reach for the horizon
and begin to find your end
The wise one's journey is never complete
and the foolish look for ways to end
find the path that fools follow
and you will see your end
Stay foolish, stay hungry the saying begins
indeed the hungry fool finds his end
Stay wise, stay in touch the saying begins
That, friends, is where all secrets end.
In the center of the poem is the Crescent of Fharlanghn.
What do you do?
If i found one, id disarm it and gpo in that door.
...No really, the poem suggests a circle of sorts. If the shield is round, id try to remove the crescent and put it on the shield, take the staff and put that on the shield too so it makes this symbol:
Then id stand there looking like a retard while nothing happens.
__________________ "If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance."
Check out t2t mud if you are interested - a text based multi user RPG set in Tolkien's Middle Earth.
I'd try pressing/pulling on the crescent. It seems like a Chekhov's Gun in this scenario.
__________________
"Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out. Babylon Control out."
It's a poem at the temple of the God of Travel, about the virtue of continued discovery and travel over withdrawing to keep a grasp on what you have.
Take the quarterstaff (or, put another way, the walking stick).
If you are aiming for the circle vs line thing, I would aim for something other than a shield, which
is not necessarily circular
has significant, vastly different connotations seperate from its shape
Quote:
The wise one's journey is never complete
and the foolish look for ways to end
As you said, quarterstaves are a line - thus they have a beginning and end. By definition, the perimeter of a shield does not, even if it isn't round.
Quote:
Stay foolish, stay hungry the saying begins
indeed the hungry fool finds his end
A shield can be used to serve food. Quarterstaves have no use for eating.
Quote:
find the path that fools follow
and you will see your end
The quarterstaff is obvious, or the path that fools follow. I suppose you could argue that fools take up a sword and shield, but since there is no sword it's also possible that a wise man knows to defend himself. This could also indicate that neither path is correct, but it isn't to walk off into the horizon, because:
Quote:
The end is a beginning
A beginning is an end
Reach for the horizon
and begin to find your end
You are at the entrance to the Temple to Fharlanghn (or however you spell it)
In front of you there are two doors, one with a shield, and one with a quarterstaff. Between the doors there is a poem--
A wise man knows the secret
a path toward its own end
Hidden deep within the horizon
is a path that will never end.
The end is a beginning
A beginning is an end
Reach for the horizon
and begin to find your end
The wise one's journey is never complete
and the foolish look for ways to end
find the path that fools follow
and you will see your end
Stay foolish, stay hungry the saying begins
indeed the hungry fool finds his end
Stay wise, stay in touch the saying begins
That, friends, is where all secrets end.
In the center of the poem is the Crescent of Fharlanghn. What do you do?
I do like Norin's solution best if the shield is circular and the items can be moved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Namfuak
I suppose you could argue that fools take up a sword and shield
That is, more or less, how I would take it.
A shield is a warrior's implement: something used to hold and defend that which you have.
A walking stick is a traveler's implement: something used to help you reach the next place. You use it to walk toward the horizon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Namfuak
A shield can be used to serve food
Eew. That's too disgusting for me to consider further.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Namfuak
As you said, quarterstaves are a line - thus they have a beginning and end. By definition, the perimeter of a shield does not, even if it isn't round.
Yes, but that presumes the meaning is primarily geometric. I could buy that for an item that has a specific shape (particularly a circle, where there is a high connotation with continuity), but something like a shield makes me more skeptical.
You could just as easily argue that when you look to the horizon, you see it as a line in the distance you will never meet.
__________________
"Some DMs may want to use templates to create everything from a fiendish hobgoblin to a vampiric half-celestial animated chair." -Rodney Thompson
I take up the shield and equip it. Then, I pick up the staff and swing it around a bit. I take the crescent and put it on my face like a mustache. Finally, I enter the temple.
Wandering beggers shouldn't waste their time leaving useful shields and quarterstaves laying around.
I ask which Character skill check is appropriate to roll in this situation, since I presume that it's a test of Character knowledge, not Player knowledge.
__________________
Star Metallurgist of the Roy Fanclub
Who made my awesome Dwarf Hexblade avatar, you ask? BRC did!
Having read through The Tomb of Five Corners, I search for a secret door. People only leave riddles to convince someone they chose the right option to lower their guard for the awaiting Inevitable Death that results from opening a door.
I would in theory pick the quaterstaff. There's a lot of imagery pointing to wisdom which would generally be associated with the staff of a wise man. However being D&D, clerics are wiser than wizards. Clerics also use shields unlike wizards who arent proficient with them. So in practice I'd take the shield door.
Success somebody got it... Now I can't tell you who because one of my players might read this and cheat but I appreciate the creative answers.
Please update us when you have run this, and tell us how it went.
I suspect that they might get stuck, but problems like this are a lot easier if you can actually interact with them.
__________________
π = 4
Consider a 5' radius blast: this affects 4 squares which have a circumference of 40' Actually it's worse than that.
I would say neither because though the staff is the obvious answer it has both a begining and a end. While the shield, unless it is a buckler is not always round. Look at the horizon and if you do not see something then play with the crescent moon.
RSS Feeds: 
A poem to figure out...
