Lore: The Maze of Perpetual Adventure is a legendary and mysterious artifact that has captured the imaginations of adventurers across the world of Saṃsāra during the Industrial Age. Created by an ancient order of explorers and mapmakers, this trap represents the spirit of endless adventure and the pursuit of the unknown. The Maze of Perpetual Adventure serves as both a complex puzzle and a physical lock, requiring players to embark on a daring and adventurous journey to gain access to the protected area.
Installation: The Maze of Perpetual Adventure is installed within a vast and enigmatic chamber, often hidden beneath ancient ruins, in a dense forest, or atop a challenging mountain. The chamber’s walls are adorned with intricate maps, charts, and carvings that depict scenes of daring exploits and uncharted territories. At the heart of the chamber lies an imposing entrance to the labyrinthine maze, guarded by magical barriers.
Best Way to Use: When players encounter The Maze of Perpetual Adventure, they must enter the chamber as a group and prepare for an immersive and adventurous journey. To gain access to the protected area, they must navigate the labyrinthine maze, overcoming challenges and embracing the spirit of endless exploration and curiosity.
Size: The Maze of Perpetual Adventure’s chamber is designed to accommodate a small to medium-sized group of players, typically ranging from three to eight members, ensuring a dynamic and exciting adventure experience.
Cost: The Maze of Perpetual Adventure is a highly sought-after and coveted artifact, making it a significant investment for adventurers and noble houses alike. Its cost may involve a substantial sum of gold, rare magical relics, or a quest that celebrates the spirit of adventure and discovery.
Tags: Magical, Adventurous, Puzzle, Exploration, Mystery, Discovery, Labyrinth, Courage, Navigation, Unpredictability, Challenge, Perseverance, Fate
Detailed Appearance: The Maze of Perpetual Adventure’s chamber exudes an aura of mystery and excitement. The walls are adorned with ancient maps and charts, showcasing far-off lands, lost civilizations, and unexplored territories. The entrance to the labyrinthine maze is an imposing archway adorned with intricate symbols, and magical barriers shimmer with an alluring yet challenging energy.
Mechanism: To unlock The Maze of Perpetual Adventure, players must navigate the labyrinthine maze, overcoming a series of challenges and puzzles that embody the spirit of adventurous exploration. The maze is ever-changing, adapting to the players’ choices and providing a unique and dynamic experience with each attempt.
When Unlocked: As the players navigate through the labyrinthine maze, embracing the spirit of adventure and curiosity, The Maze of Perpetual Adventure reacts to their courageous efforts. The magical barriers around the entrance shimmer with approval, and the walls resonate with a sense of accomplishment and awe.
Boon of Adventure: Upon successful entry to the protected area, the players’ characters are granted a temporary boon of adventure. This boon might provide them with enhanced perception, increased resilience to physical and mental challenges, or the ability to decipher ancient maps and lore. It symbolizes the power of adventurous spirit and curiosity within the world of Saṃsāra.
Failure Detection: If the players fail to navigate the labyrinthine maze or approach The Maze of Perpetual Adventure with hesitation and caution, the magical barriers around the entrance remain impassable. The walls lose their shimmer of approval, signifying the lack of true adventurous spirit.
In response to failure, the players may receive hints or clues that encourage them to embrace the spirit of adventure and embrace the unknown. The goal is to emphasize the significance of daring exploration and curiosity within The Maze of Perpetual Adventure.
How the Maze of Perpetual Adventure is solved, including the wording of the riddles and the steps to solve the puzzle:
- Discovering the Riddles: When players encounter The Maze of Perpetual Adventure, they find an inscription near the entrance, inviting them to embark on an endless journey of exploration:
“In this maze of endless might,
A world of wonders, out of sight.
Embrace the spirit, bold and true,
To unlock the maze, adventure anew.
With courage, venture the unknown,
Paths shift as seeds of fate are sown.
Explore with zeal, and fears release,
Unlock the mysteries, find your peace.”
- Embracing the Adventurous Spirit: The players must enter The Maze of Perpetual Adventure as a group and prepare themselves for an immersive and daring expedition. They are encouraged to embrace the spirit of adventure, curiosity, and fearlessness.
- Navigating the Ever-Changing Maze: To solve The Maze of Perpetual Adventure, the players must navigate through the labyrinthine maze, which is ever-changing and adapting to their choices. Each player takes turns deciding the direction the group should take, embracing the unpredictable nature of the maze.
- Overcoming Challenges and Puzzles: Throughout the maze, the players encounter a series of challenges and puzzles that embody the spirit of adventurous exploration. These might include riddles to solve, physical obstacles to overcome, or interactive puzzles that require collaboration and creativity.
- Demonstrating Courage and Curiosity: The players must demonstrate courage, curiosity, and fearlessness as they face the challenges in the maze. They might need to describe their characters’ reactions, choices, and thought processes, embracing the unknown with each decision they make.
- Physical Mechanism – Moving Walls: As the players navigate through the labyrinth, the maze responds to their choices and decisions. Some passages and walls might shift and change, creating new paths and closing off old ones. This physical mechanism adds an element of unpredictability and excitement to the maze’s exploration.
- Reading Ancient Maps and Charts: Throughout the maze, the players encounter ancient maps and charts adorning the walls. These maps offer hints and clues about the maze’s layout and the best path to reach the center. Players must decipher the maps, interpreting the symbols and landmarks to guide their way.
- Finding Inner Peace: As the players continue their journey, embracing the spirit of adventure and curiosity, they gradually feel a sense of inner peace and contentment. The maze challenges them to confront their fears and insecurities, and as they overcome each challenge, they find newfound strength and resolve.
- Reaching the Center: The players must navigate through the ever-changing maze, overcoming all challenges and puzzles, to finally reach the center of The Maze of Perpetual Adventure. The center represents the heart of endless exploration and the epitome of the adventurous spirit.
Success Outcome: Upon reaching the center of The Maze of Perpetual Adventure, the players’ characters are granted a temporary boon of adventure. This boon might provide them with enhanced perception, increased resilience to physical and mental challenges, or a newfound appreciation for the beauty of the unknown. It symbolizes the power of adventurous spirit and curiosity within the world of Saṃsāra.
Failure Detection: If the players fail to navigate the labyrinthine maze effectively or approach The Maze of Perpetual Adventure with hesitation and caution, the path to the center remains elusive. The walls of the maze continue to shift and change, leading them in circles or into dead ends.
In response to the failure, the players may receive hints or clues that encourage them to embrace the spirit of adventure and the thrill of exploration. The goal is to emphasize the significance of daring curiosity and fearlessness within The Maze of Perpetual Adventure.
Notes: Solving the Maze of Perpetual Adventure involves an immersive and dynamic experience for players, emphasizing the power of adventurous spirit and curiosity within the world of Saṃsāra. The ever-changing maze and challenging puzzles encourage players to embrace the thrill of exploration and the pursuit of the unknown. The combination of ancient maps and magical enchantment creates a memorable and exhilarating gameplay experience, celebrating the beauty of adventure and discovery.
The Maze That Walks But Never Ends
Long before the stars found their homes and before rivers knew their way to the sea, there was a place where footsteps made no echoes, where walls moved but never crumbled, and where no one who entered left the same. It was said to have been made, yet no one made it. It was said to have been lost, yet it had never been found. The Maze of Perpetual Adventure was not built with hands nor drawn upon maps—it simply was, waiting for those who sought without knowing what they sought.
The Cartographer Who Left His Map Behind
There was once a cartographer named Alshar, whose eyes had seen every land and whose hands had traced every road. He was known as the One Who Holds No Secrets, for there was no path unknown to him, no land unmeasured, no mountain left unnamed. Kings paid him fortunes for his knowledge, and explorers followed his maps like whispers from the gods.
But in all his travels, he never found what he truly sought. For what is a map that leads to everything if there is no road that leads to the unknown?
One evening, as he sat by his fire, alone beneath the vast and charted sky, he heard a voice without a speaker, a whisper without breath:
“If all roads are known, then what do you seek? If all lands are mapped, then where will you go?”
Alshar stood. He turned to his maps, but they could not answer. He turned to the stars, but they were silent. So he walked, leaving behind the fire, the compass, the weight of his knowledge. He walked where the voice called, though no trail led there.
For three nights, he walked where no map had drawn a path. And on the third night, beneath a sky that seemed wider than before, he came upon a great archway of stone, its surface shifting like ripples in water. The entrance to the Maze of Perpetual Adventure stood before him.
The Path That Moves and the Steps That Stay
Without hesitation, he stepped inside, for what is a path if not to be walked?
The walls of the maze did not wait for him to choose a direction. They shifted, spun, and stretched, opening corridors where none had been and closing doors that had once stood open. The floor beneath his feet did not stay still, yet he never fell. And ahead, always ahead, was the promise of something unseen.
At first, he tried to map the shifting corridors, marking the walls with chalk, tracing his path with string. But when he looked back, the marks were gone, and the string led him forward, not back. The maze was not to be held, not to be understood—it was to be walked.
He faced bridges that led nowhere until he ran forward, and then they carried him to places unseen. He followed staircases that led downward only to find himself rising higher than before. He spoke to statues that gave riddles with no answers, only more questions. And with each step, he did not grow weary—he grew lighter, for the weight of what he knew was replaced with the wonder of what he did not.
The Map That Was Never Drawn
Time passed, but time was not the same within the maze. Days and nights blended, and Alshar walked—not to leave, but to see. And then, one day, the walls did not move. The shifting paths stood still. He had reached the center, though he did not know it.
Before him stood no treasure, no throne, no final secret. Instead, there was a single stone slab, and upon it, a map—but unlike any he had drawn before. It was unfinished. Roads led nowhere. Mountains had no names. The sea stretched beyond the edges of the parchment.
Alshar picked up the map. He turned it in his hands, and as he did, he understood. The maze had never been a prison. It had never been a trap. It had only been a path waiting for a traveler. And now, he held the greatest map of all—not a map that led to the known, but a map that led to endless discovery.
Smiling, he walked forward, and the walls parted. He left the maze, but the journey did not end. For everywhere he went, the roads stretched farther, the lands grew wider, and the sky itself seemed vaster.
The Maze of Perpetual Adventure did not close behind him, nor did it remain where it was. It moved, as it always had, waiting for the next seeker who wished to find what could never be found.
The Lesson of the Maze:
A map is not a journey. A road is not an end.
To walk only where others have walked is to remain still.
The greatest adventure is not in what is known, but in what is yet to be discovered.
Suggested conversions to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)
- Type: Mythos Artifact
- Description: A shifting labyrinth of unknown origin, constantly changing to challenge those who enter.
- Function:
- Activation: Upon entering, the maze warps reality, leading wanderers through an ever-changing sequence of corridors.
- Navigation: Requires a Hard Navigate or Spot Hidden roll to find a correct path.
- Failure: The explorer becomes lost, suffering 1D6 Sanity loss as their mind struggles to comprehend the shifting geometry.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully reaching the center grants a bonus die on future Survival and Navigate rolls for a week, as the traveler’s mind expands to recognize hidden paths.
- Use in Game:
- Found deep in forbidden ruins or hidden spaces between dimensions.
- Those who linger too long may vanish entirely, appearing in distant lands—or never at all.
Blades in the Dark
- Item Type: Arcane Puzzle Lock
- Load: 2
- Effect:
- Bypassing: Requires a Risky Survey roll to chart a viable path or a Desperate Prowl roll to navigate through instinct.
- Failure: The explorer suffers -1d to Insight-based actions for the remainder of the score, their perception warped by the maze’s illusions.
- Boon of Adventure: A successful journey grants +1d to Gather Information rolls for the next score, as the experience sharpens their sense for the unknown.
- Use in Game:
- Found beneath ancient ruins or as the final test in a noble’s secret vault.
- Whispers say the maze was made to hide something—or someone—forever.
Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)
- Wondrous Item, Very Rare, Requires Activation
- Properties:
- Activation: When entered, the maze shifts unpredictably, forcing travelers to navigate its depths.
- Navigation: Requires a DC 20 Survival or Perception check each hour to progress.
- Failure Effect: A creature that fails must make a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion due to mental fatigue.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully reaching the center grants Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Survival) checks for 24 hours.
- Use in Game:
- Common in ancient temples, planar rifts, and lost civilizations’ fortresses.
- Some say the maze shifts based on the traveler’s thoughts and desires.
Knave
- Item Type: Magical Puzzle Maze
- Effect:
- Navigation: Requires a WIL Save to resist the maze’s shifting corridors and avoid getting lost.
- Failure: The traveler suffers 1d4 Intelligence damage as their sense of direction erodes.
- Boon of Adventure: A successful passage grants Advantage on rolls related to exploration and orientation for the next day.
- Use in Game:
- Found in ruins, underground complexes, or as a test set by ancient explorers.
- Some claim the maze has no fixed form, only the will of the traveler to guide it.
Fate Core
- Aspect: “A Path That Moves, A Journey Without End”
- Type: Arcane Puzzle Environment
- Function:
- Overcome Roll (Great +4, Lore or Athletics): Success allows a character to navigate the shifting maze.
- Failure: The maze imposes the temporary Aspect: “Lost in the Labyrinth”, making it difficult to find the way forward.
- Create an Advantage: A character with an appropriate Aspect (Explorer, Mapmaker, Visionary, etc.) may attempt to gain “A Flash of Insight”, receiving a free invocation if successful.
- Use in Game:
- Appears in ruins, otherworldly realms, and secret sanctuaries.
- Some say the maze does not let those who fear the unknown pass.
Numenera & Cypher System
- Level: 7 Artifact
- Effect:
- When entered, the maze shifts unpredictably, forcing travelers to continuously adapt to its changing layout.
- Bypassing: Requires an Intellect Task (Difficulty 7) using Navigation, Understanding the Past, or Instinct.
- Failure: The traveler loses 2 Intellect points as their sense of orientation falters.
- Boon of Adventure: A successful passage grants an Asset on exploration and survival-based tasks for 24 hours.
- Depletion: 1 in 1d20
- Use in Game:
- Found within ancient ruins, forgotten citadels, or interdimensional spaces.
- Some claim the maze has no end—only deeper mysteries.
Pathfinder (2nd Edition)
- Item Type: Wondrous Location, Rare
- Usage: An ever-shifting labyrinth requiring both intellect and endurance to navigate.
- Effect:
- The maze creates a mental and physical challenge, requiring problem-solving and resilience.
- Bypassing: Requires a DC 30 Survival or Occultism check to recognize the shifting patterns.
- Failure Effect: If unsuccessful, the traveler must attempt a DC 24 Will save or become Fatigued for 1 hour, their mind worn from the shifting corridors.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully reaching the center grants a +1 circumstance bonus to Perception and Reflex saves for 24 hours.
- Use in Game:
- Found in ancient ruins, arcane vaults, and demi-planes.
- Some travelers enter the maze and are never seen again.
Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)
- Item Type: Arcane Puzzle Environment
- Effect:
- Bypassing: Requires a Survival or Smarts roll (TN 8) to successfully navigate.
- Failure: The traveler must make a Spirit roll (TN 6) or suffer Fatigue (Minor) from disorientation and exhaustion.
- Boon of Adventure: A successful passage grants +1 to Notice and Common Knowledge rolls for the next session.
- Use in Game:
- Used as a magical test or gateway to hidden realms.
- Some believe the maze is alive, reshaping itself based on the emotions of those who enter.
Shadowrun (6th Edition)
- Item Type: Magical Security System (Rare, 75,000¥)
- Function:
- When entered, the maze continuously shifts, requiring perception and adaptability.
- Bypassing: Requires a Survival + Logic (Threshold 5) or Arcana + Intuition (Threshold 4, Astral Space) check.
- Failure: The traveler suffers 2 Stun Damage and temporarily reduces Edge by 1 due to mental exhaustion.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully reaching the exit grants +1 dice on Perception and Navigation tests for 24 hours.
- Use in Game:
- Used by elite corporations and secret magic societies to guard classified areas.
- Some claim the maze holds forgotten knowledge from previous wanderers.
Starfinder
- Item Type: Hybrid Security System, Level 12, Cost: 20,000 credits
- Function:
- Generates an adaptive holographic maze with unpredictable shifting walls and sensory distortions.
- Bypassing: Requires a DC 32 Survival check (navigating pathways) or a DC 34 Mysticism check (deciphering the maze’s hidden logic).
- Failure Effect: The traveler loses 2d10 Stamina Points due to mental fatigue and confusion.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully escaping the maze grants a +2 enhancement bonus to Perception and Acrobatics checks for 1 hour.
- Use in Game:
- Often found protecting ancient alien ruins or hidden research facilities.
- Some believe the maze adapts to the traveler’s subconscious fears.
Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)
- Item Type: Advanced Security Environment, Tech Level 15
- Function:
- A self-adjusting labyrinth designed to test explorers and prevent unauthorized access.
- Bypassing: Requires a Difficult (10+) Survival, Recon, or Navigation check. Psionic users may attempt a Formidable (14+) Telepathy check to predict the shifting paths.
- Failure: The traveler loses 1D6 Intelligence for 24 hours due to mental strain and spatial disorientation.
- Boon of Adventure: A successful passage grants a +1 bonus to Navigation and Investigate checks for one week.
- Use in Game:
- Found in lost megastructures or ancient alien stations.
- Some scholars believe the maze is not a test, but a sentient entity searching for the right traveler.
Warhammer 40,000 (Wrath & Glory)
- Item Type: Xenos Construct or Archeotech Security System
- Function:
- Creates a psychic maze field that reacts to intruders, shifting its layout dynamically.
- Bypassing: Requires a DN 8 Awareness or Survival Test to navigate through.
- Failure Effect: The traveler loses 1d3 Corruption as the maze warps their perception of reality.
- Boon of Adventure: Successfully reaching the exit grants +1 Conviction for the next session.
- Use in Game:
- Sought by rogue traders and inquisitors for its mysterious and tactical applications.
- Some claim those who fail to navigate the maze properly are lost to the Immaterium.