Need assistance with nature-based puzzles for a "Rights of Passage" side-quest.

[Captain Zark]

My players are going to enter a forest that is guarded by Firbolg, who try to keep the forest free of anything that might have intentions to harm it. To be allowed access to the forest, the Firbolg want the party to perform a right of passage, involving 3 different nature-based puzzles, which will be overseen by an ancient being.

The ancient being's shtick is the desire to preserve nature — the forest it dwells in, in particular. The test has 3 parts:


A Test of Preservation (In which the party must obtain a "key" at the top of a tree. They're given the option to climb a tree with multiple thorns that deal poison damage, or cut it down. The idea being to avoid harming to tree to reach the key).

A Test of Wisdom (In which they have to take a step back and observe the situation as a whole before solving it).

A Test of Balance (I'm not sure on this one yet, but the idea I'd like to convey is that all things are in a delicate balance that needs to be preserved).


I need assistance with the final two puzzles, as I'm not the greatest of puzzle-makers. I'd like the second test to be a logic-puzzle, but I'm not sure what kind of puzzle (or riddle, even), for the third one. Any help would be appreciated.

[Fayd]

For the second, try googling some of the Korok puzzles from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A lot of them are about noticing something slightly off in the environment and performing some arcane action to typically complete a pattern.

[iTreeby]

Balance can easily be a "kill this thing that is bad for the ecosystem because it's an invasive species" kind of challenge. For an added twist it's extinct in another region they are familiar with and should find... Eggs? Larva? To transport back as mini quest or perhaps become a mount/familiar/ animal companion/mascot.

[Vorpal Crowbar]

A Test of Preservation (In which the party must obtain a "key" at the top of a tree. They're given the option to climb a tree with multiple thorns that deal poison damage, or cut it down. The idea being to avoid harming to tree to reach the key).

A Test of Wisdom (In which they have to take a step back and observe the situation as a whole before solving it).

A Test of Balance (I'm not sure on this one yet, but the idea I'd like to convey is that all things are in a delicate balance that needs to be preserved).


I need assistance with the final two puzzles, as I'm not the greatest of puzzle-makers. I'd like the second test to be a logic-puzzle, but I'm not sure what kind of puzzle (or riddle, even), for the third one. Any help would be appreciated.

For a Test of Wisdom how a Baba Yaga hut where they could make a Faustian deal or not -if successful, then receive pieces of Caesar Shift cipher to give instructions, for the third puzzle that will ultimately lead them back to where they started, thus Balance.

VC

[ImproperJustice]

A long time we had a GM run a “wisdom” nature puzzle as such:

You come to a clearing and witness a Troll about to devour a unicorn which has been caught in a snare of the Troll’s making. There were small details to indicate that the Troll was a long time resident of the forest and the trick was to not interfere with the natural course of events.

The GM had dropped some hints about the local druidic order and their high sense of neutrality to help the PCs arrive at the correct conclusion.

Even still, some of the more good aligned and even more evil aligned PCs had difficulty passing the challenge for various in character reasons.

[Belier]

A Test of Wisdom (In which they have to take a step back and observe the situation as a whole before solving it)

Since it is a test of wisdom, it needs to be survival/perveption based. Use a quicksand area. Survival proficiency should allow a player to be able to make his team mates to go throught the quicksands. Perception base is also because some quicksand will have some kind of ambush predators hiding in it. They will have to navigate throught that area.

They will be able to feed the predators so that they may pass around, they will need to find some kind of fruits for them, because they could be omnivores. If they kill one of the predators, they lose xp.

[Belier]

A Test of Balance (I'm not sure on this one yet, but the idea I'd like to convey is that all things are in a delicate balance that needs to be preserved).

This one is a specific part of the forest wich has some very fragile ecosystem with rare humus that takes years to grow on the ground and rocks and trees and there are rare poisonous mushrooms that feeds feom it and rare insects that feed from the mushrooms. The insects keep the humus safe so that the mushrooms can grow so that they can feed from the rare mushrooms. If the players leaves a trace on the humus, the hive queen giant insects will send swarms of poisonous(because they eat poison mushrooms) insects to chase the team away. They will need to levitate or pass without trace to not hurt the ground and they could also detect magic to notice there are pixies they could befriend so that they cast levitate on the team.

They could also wildshape/polymorph into tiny beast to reach an artefact without hurting the area one bit they would then be vulnerable to other small things attacking them and would need to be stealthy. If they revert they will hurt the ecosystem and trigger the swarms until they leave the place.

They will lose xp if they trigger the swarms and if they kill part of the swarm they will lose even more xp.