During a spelljamming adventure, the party finds a planet that is almost nothing but water, except for a large flooded structure. Venturing inside, they discover that navigating the various large chambers here is practically impossible, as different routes are engulfed with deep water. One of your party will likely spot some valves that can be turned to lower or raise the water levels of each chamber. Needham, J.: Science and Civilization in China, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1965) This next puzzle would fit well in an Arctic setting but could also fit in any dungeon or tomb your players are exploring. The players must get through a long tunnel, which has completely frozen solid. With their weapons and spells, they can start to chip away at it slowly, but over time it continues to freeze again, putting them at risk of getting frozen in place. As an additional threat, the tunnel is full of frozen monsters that awaken when freed from the ice. DnD 5E puzzles often involve lots of discussion between the players about how to solve them. This puzzle uses that to your advantage, so this is an excellent option if you have a talkative group. The party finds themselves in a room full of sliding doors and deadly gadgets, such as spinning blades and swinging axes. It seems almost impossible to get past, and as the players begin to discuss their options, they notice that some of the traps stop and particular doors open. As they discuss further, the traps activate again, and different doors slide open and close. For example, a customer wants a potion to help them swim in a frozen lake without feeling cold. The party grabs a potion of Diving and a potion of Campfire and combines them to get the effects of underwater breathing and cold resistance. For a sillier approach to that potion puzzle, perhaps they combine a fishy potion and a potion of hot sauce to give the customer temporary gills and a sensation of having their mouth on fire to keep them warm.

The party walks into a mysterious clearing in the forest. At the outskirts of this clearing is a mysterious glowing pool of green liquid. Some of it has already been put into potion vials ready for consumption. The party has been sent here to collect an artifact, but it appears missing or impossible to reach. Dong, J., Shi, K., Zhang, Y., Tenigeer & Yao, Y. A. Mechanism analysis of ancient Chinese crossbows. Mech. Sci. 11, 437–445 (2020). Yan, H. S. & Kuo, C. H. Representations and identifications of structural and motion state characteristics of mechanisms with variable topologies. Trans. Can. Soc. Mech. Eng. 30(1), 19–40 (2006).

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Kuo, C. H. Structural Characteristics of Mechanisms with Variable Topologies 17–25 (Verlag Dr. Muller, 2008). This is a fun, simple puzzle you could include in any dungeon or other location where the party gets split up. The rooms that they are in are full of magic, hindering their ability to communicate with one another. They cannot speak directly, but they can still see one another. This might be through a magical mirror on one side of the room, or perhaps some of the party appear as ghostly forms around their friends. Hommel, R. P. China at Work: An Illustrated Record of the Primitive Industries of China’s Masses, Whose Life is Toil, and Thus an Account of Chinese Civilization (The John Day Company, 1937). Pressing the buttons on these pads will alter where each portal will send them. It is up to your players to figure out the correct sequence of portals and buttons to use to make it out. To help your players, you could have clues scattered around each room that hint towards which color portals they should focus on.

These valves can be removed and attached to different systems, but the players only have access to a limited amount of them. They must work together to navigate these chambers. They might raise the water levels to push a floating platform up high. They might drain a room of water to allow them to reach a doorway they couldn't hold their breath long enough to get to before. This is a potentially deadly maze if the party isn't cautious with what valves to turn. Rasmussen, P., Zhang, W. & Liu, N. Traditional Chinese Puzzles II (SDX Joint Publishing Company, 2021). So despite this being one of the most popular categories of puzzles and there being a very wide variety of different puzzle solutions in this category, some very difficult, some not so hard, puzzles in this category sell out fast. Dungeons & Dragons has something for everyone, from those just starting to experts. You can battle monsters, plunge through dungeons or simply hang out at the local tavern. No matter what your players enjoy in a session, it's always good to have variety.Each side of the party has information that the others need. But, they need to communicate with gestures and charades if they want any chance for their friends to understand what they are trying to get across. Hsiao, K. H. & Chen, Y. H. Structural analysis of water lifting devices with gears in ancient China. Trans. Can. Soc. Mech. Eng. 40(4), 607–617 (2016). You can lob an extra twist onto this puzzle by having the maze shift and change while they are navigating it. The places they went through before are now different. The solution for reaching the exit could be a variety of things. Perhaps they need to note the different stone pathways that lead to various structures within the maze. Find them all, and the path to the exit will reveal itself.