A Light that Never Goes Out | Free D&D 5e Puzzle
Not every D&D puzzle needs to be complicated to create a memorable challenge. A Light that Never Goes Out is an easy candle puzzle built around a riddle, careful observation, and extinguishing five candles in the correct order. It works especially well for locking away treasure, sealing a secret room, or protecting a tomb, and it can easily be made more difficult by scattering pieces of the riddle throughout a dungeon.
This puzzle comes from Loot & Lore, which is packed with ready-to-use encounters, traps, puzzles, magic items, NPCs, and other resources you can drop directly into your D&D 5e game.
A Light that Never Goes Out
Difficulty: Easy
Five candles of varying heights and sizes stand on the table before you, all flickering serenely. No two candles are completely alike, with each being shaped differently, each having been burnt for a different length of time and standing on candlesticks made from several different materials. Beside them rests a piece of folded parchment.
If the characters investigate the candles, they will notice that two of the candlesticks are made of gold and one each of silver, brass, and pewter. Should they examine the parchment, they will find a riddle scrawled inside. Provide or read the following text to them:
We five brothers stand guard here
Each unique, but with the same purpose
Put us out and we shall rise again
Save if you solve our secret.
Despite his years, the eldest shall never first fall
Nor will he who stands to his right.
The golden brothers are never far apart,
Should one fall, the other will follow
The first stands tall and is led by one
Though the one he follows seems unlikely
The purest brother shall outlive the youngest
But the eldest will see his end
The sturdiest brother has a heart of gold
But three bouts of grief will see him die
Puzzle Features
The five candles involved in this puzzle are, from left to right, as follows:
First Candle: A tall, thin candle on a brass candlestick that has been burned for about a quarter of its life. Despite that, it towers over the rest.
Second Candle: A short, stout candle on a golden candlestick that has a lot of wax drippings down its side. The flame has hollowed it out somewhat, but it appears to have a lot of life left.
Third Candle: The smallest candle sits atop a tall, sliver candlestick that has been set with rubies. It seems as if this candle is newly lit.
Fourth Candle: Like the second candle, this is a stout candle with wax drippings down its side, though not nearly as many. It is also the second shortest candle, just larger than the third, having been lit the longest. It is set on a pewter candlestick.
Fifth Candle: A plain candle of medium size held by a golden candlestick.
If the candles are extinguished in the wrong order, they will instantly spark back to life.
Solution
If the candles are extinguished in the following order: third, first, fifth, second, fourth, the puzzle is solved.
Hint Checks
Wisdom (Nature) DC 10. You can tell that the fifth candle is made from a higher quality wax.
Intelligence (Investigation) DC 15. While the second candle looks well-used, the wax drippings have been carved for style.
Customizing the Puzzle
This is a small-scale puzzle that can be used for anything from securing a chest full of loot to hiding a secret room. When deploying this puzzle, think about where it makes sense. It could be on an altar, or over a sarcophagus.
If you want to make this puzzle harder or more substantial, you can spread pieces of the riddle throughout a dungeon, rewarding players who search rooms and setting up a situation where the players may attempt to solve the riddle while missing information.
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